POTASH SALTS AND OTHER SALINES IE" THE GEE AT BASIN REGION. 43 
it more nearly approximates the ideal type described before than any other. It is a 
circular basin of 232 square miles area, occupied by a playa of 3.2 square miles area. 
The ratio of basin area to playa area is 72.5. It receives its principal underground 
waters from the Sodaville-Mina Valley. Undoubtedly its history is similar to the 
Silver Peak Marsh. The central area is occupied by a reddish-brown mud, locally 
covered by efflorescences. In places the mud is dried to a brown, pulverulent soil, 
containing more or less sodium chloride and small amounts of other salines. The 
present movement of the salines from the deeper beds is taking place, first, by slow 
upward movement of the water contained in the muds (caused by capillarity), and, 
second, in the marginal portions by a slow movement upward caused by capillarity 
and by the banking up of the water plane where it strikes the more or less impervious 
mud bodies of the central playa. The water of the central area is saturated with 
salines and deposits them as crusts at the surface. In the marginal portions the 
underground water becomes more or less saturated as it passes through the beds and 
carries saline material to the surface, where it crystallizes out. LeConte's idea in a 
large measure is correct. His term "springs" would include seepage water in all its 
phases of upward movement. Occasional heavy rainfalls produce sufficient run-off 
to form a shallow lake. Such waters dissolve salines and concentrate them in the 
central depression. Salt is the principal compound concentrated in this manner. 
A number of analyses were made upon samples of salines from this marsh, but 
potassium in small amounts only was found. A sample of moist sand and salt from 
the central part of the playa shows the following: 
Ca. 
Mg. 
k:. 
Na. 
Analysis of salt in sand from playa, Sample No 
[Analysis by J. A. Cullen.] 
Per cent, i 
1.20 S0 4 
15. 
Per cent. 
47. 68 
44 I CI 14.17 
: 3.03 C0 3 3.09 
30. 39 i Total soluble salts in sand 12. 15 
The analysis shows sodium sulphate and chloride in greatest amount. Minor 
amounts of sodium carbonates and some potassium chloride are shown. The sodium- 
potassium ratio is 10. No analyses of the brines are available. Excepting for the 
borax and salt, this marsh is a very doubtful source of commercial salines. The potash 
content is too low and its separation would be complicated by the presence of sulphates 
and carbonates. 
Saline Valley, Inyo County, Cal. 
This is an inclosed basin. The central portion, of about 12,000 acres extent, is 
covered by a salt crust 2 inches thick and beneath are muds saturated with brines. 
When the crust is scraped off it renews itself in about 15 days. At almost any place 
over the salt area at a depth of 2 feet salt brine can be obtained. In warm weather 
the salt crystallizing out is pure; in cold, it contains small amounts of soda. The 
salt deposits are being worked and preparations are being made on a large scale for 
its shipment by the Saline Valley Salt Co. The regional rocks about this basin are 
granites, limestones, and volcanics. Marsh borax was worked at one time in the 
valley. 
A single sample of the salt crust from this valley was submitted and found to con- 
tain 40.98 per cent soluble salts, and the soluble salts contained 4.2 per cent potassium. 
Three brines and one spring water were also submitted. The analyses follow: 
Analyses of brines and spring water from Saline Valley. 
[Per cent of total solids.] 
No. 
Ca. 
Mg. 
Na. 
K. 
co 3 . 
HC0 3 . 
CI. 
SO4. 
Total solids 
on evapo- 
ration, parts 
per 100,000. 
1 
. 10.0 
3.08 
.37 
.79 
.73 
13.84 
36.31 
34.38 
32.57 
Tr. 
1.17 
.73 
.71 
Tr. 
.07 
Tr. 
Tr. 
7.64 
.03 
.15 
.28 
24.62 
48.78 
48.70 
45.45 
28.46 
12.85 
13.37 
17.30 
130 
2 
.18 
1.55 
2.97 
35, 506 
8,237 
4,238 
3 
4 
No. 1. Spring water. 
No. 2. Brine from center of flat. 
No. 3. Brine from pothole on south edge of flat. 
No. 4. Brine from pothole one-half mile east of No. 3. 
Analyses by J. A. Cullen, Bureau of Soils. 
