1 
I 
Alkalis In Colorado 41 
< r 
in an uncultivated section of this area, may be permitted in illustration 
of this statement even though a previous statement that we found 40 
percent of sodic carbonate in an alkali taken from a desert claim has 
been made. 
ANALYSIS OF AN EFFLORESCED ALKALI, UNCULTIVATED LAND 
Calcic sulfate . 0.710 
Magnesic sulfate . 0.710 
Potassic sulfate. 2.539 
Sodic sulfate . 21.929 
Sodic carbonate . 54.162 
Sodic chlorid . 16.959 
Sodic phosphate. 1.368 
Sodic silicate . 0.314 
Ferric oxid . 0.001 
Aluminic oxid . 0.161 
Maganic oxid (br) . 0.222 
Silicic acid uncombined. 1.057 
Total . 100.000 
We have followed the same order in calculating this analysis as 
we have in all of this work. The sodic carbonate is evidently very 
abundant. This efflorescence contained, as I gathered it, 36.95 percent 
of material soluble in water. 
This sodic carbonate is present throughout this section and its 
occurrence is independent of the sulfate. 
ALKALIS ORIGINATE FROM FELSPARS 
I have elsewhere called attention to the fact that the felspar com¬ 
mon in our granites contains both sulfates and chlorids and these are 
consequently present in our mountain waters. These waters may have 
run their cycle of changes from rain-water to rain-water again many 
times but we are interested in only a short portion of their course, i.e., 
that they fall on our mountains as rain or snow and flow off as moun¬ 
tain streams upon whose waters we look as pure, but which, as in the 
case of the Poudre, carry their burden of rock constituents from the 
mountains to the plains. This burden sums up a surprisingly large 
amount, even in a single 24 hours of their average flow. The Poudre, 
with its average flow of 600 second-feet through its canyon is carrying 
material in solution equal to 650 cubic-feet of rock material to its 
lower levels every 24 hours. These materials consist of calcic, mag- 
nesic, sodic, and some potassic carbonate with sulfates and chlorids. 
The sulfuric acid and chlorin forming the sulfates and chlorids may be 
combined with calcium or magnesium, but it is more probable that they 
are combined with sodium and form sodic sulfate and chlorid. 
This is the solution that I believe we should start with in ac¬ 
counting for the origin of our alkalis, for this is the solution formed 
by the action of rain- and snow-water upon the surface rocks of the 
drainage areas of the water courses coming down from the mountains. 
