..
I)
OPEN F I L E REPORT 87
f~
EVALUATION OF THE MINERAL
POTENTIAL
(EXCLUDING HYDROCARBONS, POTASH, AND WATER)
OF THE WASTE
ISOLATION
EDDY
COUNTY,
PILOT
NEW
PLANT
SITE,
MFXICO
Wm. Terry Siemers, John
W. Hawley,
Christopher Rautman, and George Austin
New
Prepared for Sandia Laboratories by the
Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources
Campus Station
Socorro, New Mexico 87801
March 15, 1978
OPEN FILE REPORT
87
ABSTRACT
The
mineral
40 km east
of
potential
Carlsbad,
evaluated on the
basis
of
Eddy
of
a
proposed
County,
WIPP
New
information
site,
Mexico,
obtained
located
has
from
been
onsite
field studies, the examination
of records provided by Sandia
Laboratories, and pertinent literature. The siteis located
near the northern:edge of the Delaware Basin; the upper part
of the
stratigraphic section is comprised of marine and
continental
redbeds
Available
commodities
data
that
however,
by
marine
indicate
that
the
may
have
any
only
economic
evaporites.
WIPP
site-related
potential
are
gypsum, (4) lithium-bearing
sulfur, and ( 6 )
uranium. A more detailed study
indicates
that
for
one
or
including (1) commodity abundance, (2)
(3)
Ochoan
salt, ( 3 )
(1) caliche, ( 2 )
brines, (5)
underlain
more
of
several
reasons
commodity accessibility,
low demand for the commodity, and(4) adequate supplies
of the commodity elsewhere, these six commodities are uneconomic
CONTENTS
PAGE
TABLES
FIGURES
INTRODUCTION
STRATIGRAPHIC SETTING
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
Caliche
Description of Deposits
Chemical Data
Uses, Supply and Demand
Salt
Description of Deposits
Uses, Supply and Demand
Synthesis and Outlook
Gypsum
Description of Deposits
Uses, Supply and Demand
Synthesis and Outlook
Brine
Description of Deposits
Uses, Supply and Demand
Synthesis and Outlook
Sulfur
Uranium
Dewey Lake Redbeds
Santa Rosa Sandstone
Gatuna Formation
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A
Profile 1
Profile 2
Profile 3
Profile 4
Profile 5
Profile 6
9
10
11
11
13
17
18
18
19
23
23
23
24
27
27
30
30
32
33
33
36
39
40
41
41
42
42
43
TABLES
Table
Page
1. Summary of Ochoanandyoungerrockunits,
Los Medagos area
2 . P e r c e n ti n s o l u b l e s
4
i n caliche
10
3 . U.S.
s a l t demand byend
use
14
4. U.S.
demand p a ft ot er r n
gypsum
21
5. U . S .
f o r e c a s t sf o rl i t h i u m
demand byenduse
25
FIGURES
Figure
1. L o c a t i o n map of WIPP s i t e
Page
2
2 . L o c a t i o no fs u l f u rr e c o v e r yp l a n t s ,s u r f a c e
o c c u r r e n c e s , areas o fc o n c e n t r a t e de x p l o r a t i o n
d r i l l i n g , C a s t i l e Fm. o u t c r o p ,a n dp o s i t i o n
e d g e Castile h a l i t e
29
EVALUATION O F THE MINERAL POTENTIAL
(EXCLUDING HYDROCARBONS,
POTASH,
AND WATER)
O F THE WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT S I T E ,
EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO
INTRODUCTION
New Mexico Bureau of Mines a n d M i n e r a l R e s o u r c e s
is
in
providingtechnicalassistancetoSandiaLaboratories
the evaluation
of t h e m i n e r a l p o t e n t i a l o f
(Waste I s o l a t i o n P i l o t P l a n t )
County, New Mexico.The
site east
a p r o p o s e d WIPP
o fC a r l s b a d ,
Eddy
r e s u l t s of t h i si n v e s t i g a t i o n ,
center a r o u n d i n f o r m a t i o n o b t a i n e d f r o m f i e l d s t u d i e s
which
of t h e
areaandfromtheexaminationofrecordsprovidedbySandia
L a b o r a t o r i e s , are c o n t a i n e d i n t h i s r e p o r t .
The proposed WIPP s i t e i s a b o u t 4 0 km (25 m i ) e a s t of
C a r l s b a d , New Mexico ( f i g . 1) and i n c l u d e sf o u rz o n e sw i t h
t o t a l area of about93.7
c o r n e ro fs e c t i o n s
2
km2 (36 m i )
20, 21,
,
c e n t e r e d a t t h e common
2 8 , and 2 9 , T . 2 2 S . ,
Approximately 9 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e a r e a
a
R.
31 E.
consists o f f e d e r a l
surface and mineral r i g h t s ; t h e r e m a i n d e r
owned
i s owned by t h e S t a t e
of New Mexico.
The WIPP s i t e i s on t h e e a s t e r n m a r g i n o f t h e P e c o s
V a l l e y ,a n d
i s p a r to ft h ew e s t w a r d - s l o p i n g
Most of t h e p l a i n i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y
Los MedaFios p l a i n .
hummocky sand-dune
topographywithstabletosemistablesanddunesthatsupport
a s p a r s ef l o r ao fs c r u b o a k ,m e s q u i t e ,a n d
River
grass.
'*
2
I
!
i
!
I
,
I
I.
I
r
!
23
S
1
I
i
3
STRATIGRAPHIC SETTING
of
The proposed s i t e i s l o c a t e d n e a r t h e n o r t h e r n b o r d e r
t h e Delaware B a s i n , a d e e p s t r u c t u r a l f e a t u r e i n
l i e s 4 , 6 0 0 t o 5,500 m (15,000-18,000
P r e c a m b r i a ns u r f a c e
w i t h Ochoan(UpperPermian)
t a b l e 1.
t o H o l o c e n eu n i t so c c u p y i n gt h e
m ( 4 , 0 0 0 f t ) ;t h es e d i m e n t a r ys e c t i o n
With t h ee x c e p t i o no f
t h e west o ft h ep r o p o s e d
e x c l u s i v e l ys e d i m e n t a r y .
ft)
t o H o l o c e n eu n i t sf i l lt h eb a s i n ,
below t h es u r f a c e .P a l e o z o i c
upper 1,200
which t h e
i s shown i n
a l i n e a rd i k eo r
d i k e zone t o
WIPP s i t e , r o c k s w i t h i n t h e
From t h eb a s eo ft h e
area are
C a s t i l e Formation,
marine Ochoan e v a p o r i t e s are o v e r l a i n b y m a r i n e a n d c o n t i n e n t a l
Ochoan t o Q u a t e r n a r y r e d b e d s .
J o n e sa n do t h e r s( 1 9 7 3 )h a v ed e s c r i b e dt h es e d i m e n t a r y
section in detail
and much o f t h e i r d e s c r i p t i o n
Kas been
i n c o r p o r a t e di n t ot h i sr e p o r t .P e r m i a nr o c k s ,i na s c e n d i n go r d e r
f r o mt h eb a s eo ft h e
Ochoan Series, i n c l u d e t h e C a s t i l e F o r m a t i o n ,
S a l a d oF o r m a t i o n ,R u s t l e rF o r m a t i o n ,a n d
Dewey LakeRedbeds.
C a s t i l e Formation i s c o m p r i s e do fa b o u t
o fa n h y d r i t e ,
558 m (1,830 f t )
rock s a l t , a n ds u b o r d i n a t el i m e s t o n e T
. hree
members are r e c o g n i z e d :
(1) a lower member of r h y t h m i c l y
alternatinglaminaeofgrayanhydriteandbrownish-gray
l i m e s t o n e ( 2 ) a middle member o fr o c k s a l ta n ds u b o r d i n a t e
i n t e r l a m i n a t e da n h y d r i t ea n dl i m e s t o n e ,
4 0 0 f t ) a b o v et h eb a s e
of t h ef o r m a t i o n ,a n d
member o f a n h y d r i t e l a m i n a t e d b y
( 3 ) andupper
c a l c i t i c l i m e s t o n e ,w i t h
s u b o r d i n a t em a s s i v ea n h y d r i t e ,r o c k
The t o p o f t h e
6 1 m t o 2 2 1 m (200-
Castile underliesthe
s a l t , a n dl i m e s t o n e .
WIPP s i t e a t a d e p t h o f
I
Rock U n i t
Mescalero
Sand
."""""""
Caliche
."""""""+"
Thickness
Description
(feet)
1
0-15
'
"""""".
0-5
"""""
Gn tuna
Formation
Sandstone and siltstone, poorly indurated, dominantly reddish-orange
0-375
.""""""""""""""
--------..-----------------------UNCONFORMITY--------.-----.--------------
Ogallala
Formation
'
.""""""""""""""
Chinle
Formation
Sandstone,fine-tomedium-grained,tan,pink,andgray.locally
glomeratic,andtypicallyhasresistantcapofwell-induratedcaliche
""""""""""""""""
UNCONFORMIT'y-----------------------------
20-60
con-
Mudstone skaly,reddish-brown and g r e e n i s h - g r a y ,i n t e r b e d d e dl c n s e so f
conglomerate,andgrayandreddish-brownsandstone
300-800
b
Santa Rosa
Sandstone
Sandstone, medium- t o coarse-grained, commonly c r o s s - s t r a t i f i e d , g r a y
andyellowish-brown,containsconglomerate
and reddish-brown mudst,one
.-----------..--.-.---------------UNCONFOR"--------.--------------------
212-245
Dewey Lake
Redbeds
I
S i l t s t o n e and s a n d s t o n e , v e r y f i n e t o f i n e - g r a i n e d , r e d d i s h - o r a n g e t o '
reddish-brown,containsinterbeddedreddish-brownclaystone,smalls c a l el a m i n a t i o n and c r o s s - s t r a t i f i c a t i o n common ' . ,
"
505-560
--.,------------.----------.-----UNCONFORMITY--..----;-..-----.--------.----
$0
3
0
Rustler
1
Salado
Formation
Castile
Formation
'1
'
1,200-2?10
'
..
Anhydriteiand rock salt w i t h subordinate dolomite, sandstone, claystone
'a'nd po.lyhiili.te.'.
* ... . ,.. . , . . , , , . , , . , . . , . . , . ;. ,
.
. ...
I
.
,
I
.
,
.
,
I
.
.
.
1
.
Rock s a l t w i t h s u b o r d i n a t e a n h y d r i t e p o l y h a l i t e , p o t a s s i u m o r e s l
. "andstone.,'
'aiid' magnes'i.tg.. . , , ... , . . . I . , , ,,. . . , . , . . . , . , . . . . . , . . , , . . . , , . . ,
30-lj330
_c
.
Table 1. Summary of rock u n i t s o f l a t e s t Permian(Ochoan)andyounger
i n age, Los
Medanos a r e a , Eddy and Lea Counties, New Mexico ( a f t e r J o n e s a n a o O h e r s , , 1 9 7 3 ) .
,
5
ERDA 9 (sec. 20, T .
a b o u t 865 m (2,836 f t ) i n t h e
R; 3Ii E .I)
~
2 2 S.,
dr~i$-r::hble.
~
~~
rests c o n f o r m a b l y o n t h e
The S a l a d o F o r m a t i o n
Formationand
i s t y p i c a l l ya b o u t
t h e WIPP s i t e a r e a .I nt h e
Castile
600 m (1,970 f t ) t h i c k i n
ERDA 9 d r i l l h o l et h et o po ft h e
f o r m a t i o n l i e s a b o u t 2 6 2 m ( 8 6 0 f t ) b e n e a t ht h es u r f a c e .
The Salado i s 85 t o 90 p e r c e n t r o c k
t h en e x t
s a l t withanhydrite
as
most a b u n d a n tr o c kt y p e ;p o l y h a l i t e ,o t h e r
p o t a s s i u m - r i c hr o c k s ,s a n d s t o n e ,a n dc l a y s t o n ec o n s t i t u t e
t h er e m a i n d e r
of t h ef o r m a t i o n .
The r o c k s a l t c o n t a i n s
h a l i t e a n dc l a y e yh a l i t ei nd i s c r e t el a y e r sr a n g i n gf r o m
(1 i n ) t o s e v e r a l
meters i n t h i c k n e s s .
o ft h eS a l a d oF o r m a t i o ni n c l u d e s :
A t h r e e f o l dd i v i s i o n
(1) a lower member
salt andthinner
characterizedbyalternatingthickbedsofrock
b e d so fa n h y d r i t ea n dp o l y h a l i t e ,
p o t a s hz o n e
2.5 cm
( 2 ) t h em i d d l e
McNutt
composed of p o t a s h - b e a r i n g r o c k s a n d h y d r o u s
e v a p o r i t em i n e r a l s ,a n d
( 3 ) anupper
member c o n t a i n i n gr o c k
two p e r s i s t e n t h a l i t i c
s a l t , m i n o ra n h y d r i t ea n dp o l y h a l i t e ,a n d
s a n d s k w eb e d s( J o n e s , '1 9 7 3 ) .
The R u s t l e r F o r m a t i o n c o n f o r m a b l y o v e r l i e s t h e S a l a d o
Formationand
i s 95 m (310 f t ) t h i c k i n t h e
The t o p of t h e f o r m a t i o n
surface.
l i e s a b o u t1 6 8
ERDA 9 d r i l l h o l e .
m (550 f t ) b e n e a t h t h e
The f o r m a t i o nc o n s i s t so fa n h y d r i t e ,a n dr o c k
w i t hs u b o r d i n a t e
polyhalite.
salt
gypsum, d o l o m i t e ,s a n d s t o n e ,c l a y s t o n e ,a n d
Much o ft h e
gypsum t h a t i s s o t y p i c a l i n o u t c r o p
g i v e s way t o a n h y d r i t e i n t h e s u b s u r f a c e .
6
Dewey LakeRedbeds
overlietheRustlerFormationin
a p p a r e n tu n c o n f o r m i t ya n dr e p r e s e n ta na b r u p tc h a n g ef r o m
material.
evaporite deposition to deposition of terrigenous
The Dewey Lake i s a b o u t 1 6 0 m ( 5 2 5 f t ) t h i c k i n t h e a r e a a n d
t o reddish-brown
c o n s i s t so fi n t e r b e d d e dr e d d i s h - o r a n g e
s i l t s t o n e ,s a n d s t o n ea n dc l a y s t o n e .
Dewey Lakeand
theoverlyingSanta
The c o n t a c tb e t w e e nt h e
Rosa S a n d s t o n e i s a low-
a n g l ea n g u l a ru n c o n f o r m i t y .
Triassic r o c k s i n t h e
Los Meda’iibs area i n c l u d e t h e S a n t a
of Late T r i a s s i c a g e .
Rosa S a n d s t o n e a n d t h e C h i n l e F o r m a t i o n
The S a n t a Rosa S a n d s t o n e i s a b o u t 70 m ( 2 3 0 f t ) t h i c k i n t h e
area and c o n s i s t s m o s t l y o f c r o s s - s t r a t i f i e d ,
medium- t o
c o a r s e - g r a i n e d ,g r a yt oy e l l o w i s h - b r o w ns a n d s t o n ea n d
subordinateconglomerateandmudstone.
The o v e r l y i n gC h i n l e
Formation i s dominantly reddish-brown mudstone with minor
l e n s e so fs a n d s t o n ea n dc o n g l o m e r a t e .
The O g a l l a l a
Formation of LateMiocene
agecropsoutinseveral
High P l a i n s o u t l i n e s
t oP l i o c e n e
east o ft h e
site
and c o n s i s t s of as much as 1 8 m ( 5 0 f t ) o f l i g h t - c o l o r e d ,
f i n e - to.medium-grain8dVcalcareous s a n d s t o n e i n t e r s p e r s e d w i t h
a well-cementedcaliche.
l e n s e so fc o n g l o m e r a t ea n dc a p p e db y
The G a t u n aF o r m a t i o n ,p r i m a r i l yo fe a r l yP l e i s t o c e n e
(Bachman,
1 9 7 6 ) , form a t h i n m a n t l e o f s e d i m e n t s o n e r o s i o n s u r f a c e s c u t
b e l o wt h e
ofthe
High P l a i n (s O g a l l a l a r) e m n a n t sG
. a t u n as e d i m e n t s
s i t e form a t h i n v e n e e r o n l o w e r
n e a r b y areas a t t a i n t h i c k n e s s e s o f
The f o r m a t i o n c o n s i s t s
Triassic r o c k s , b u t i n
as much as 32 m (10 f t ) .
of p o o r l y c e m e n t e d r e d d i s h - o r a n g e
s a n d s t o n ea n ds i l t s t o n ea n d
some p o o r l y c o n s o l i d a t e d
conglomerate
with
some
clasts
derived
from
the
Ogallala
caprock caliche. The Gatuna Formationis overlain by as much
as 1.5 m ( 5 ft) of caliche of the Mescalero Plain (Bachman,
1976).
This calicheis covered by as much as 5 m (15 ft) of
fine-grained, light-brown to reddish-brown dune sand, called
the
Mescalero
Sand.
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY
Our
field
suggest
that
work
some
and
examination
consideration
of
should
potential of the following commodities:
existing
be
given
potential
of
most
is evaluated
to
the
economic
(1) caliche, ( 2 ) salt,
( 3 ) gypsum, (4) brine, ( 5 ) sulfur, and (6) uranium.
economic
records
below
in
The
terms
of
(1) their quality and abundance
(2) present and future demand
( 3 ) conditions that may make the
for the commodities, and
commodities economic. The uranium potential is evaluated only
in
terms
of
its
occurrence.
Caliche
Description of Deposits
Caliche is a general term for a zone of secondary carbonat
accumulation in surficial materials, formed by both geologic
and pedologic processesin warm, arid to subhumid regions.
Finely
crystalline
void-filling
and
calcium
carbonate
surface-coating
forms
medium
in
a
nearly
continuous
a
variety
of
geologic materials. Cementation ranges from weakin nonindurated
forms to very strong in "petrocalcic" or "calcrete" varieties.
Caliches of the WIPP.site formed by the pedologic (eluvial/
illuvial)-processof leaching of carbonates from sandy surface
8
sedimentsby
downward p e r c o l a t i n g s o i l
water w i t h p r e c i p i t a t i o n
ofcarbonatecementdeepinthesoilprofile.
C a l i c h e was measured,described,andsampled
l o c a l i t i e so nt h e
WIPP s i t e
( d e s c r i p t i o n si nt h eA p p e n d i x ) .
C a l i c h e covers a b o u t 14 km2 of t h e 9 3 km
1 . 3 m,
a v e r a g et h i c k n e s so fa b o u t
a b o u t 9 6 m i l l i o nc u b i c
2
WIPP s i t e w i t ha n
a volumeof
and it t h u s h a s
meters ( 1 2 6 m i l l i o nc u b i cy d s ) .
area i s a b o u t1 . 1 5
averagedensityofcalicheinthe
t h e r e f o r e ,a b o u t
a t four
The
3
g/cm ;
1 6 8 b i l l i o n Kg (185 m i l l i o n t o n s ) o f c a l i c h e
WIPP s i t e .
occur within the boundaries of the proposed
was doneon
Samplingofrepresentativecalicheprofiles
of
t h e basis o fg e n e t i cs o i lm o r p h o l o g i e su s i n gt h es y s t e m
h o r i z o nn o m e n c l a t u r ed e v e l o p e db y
Soil horizons that
Gile a n do t h e r s
l o w e rt r a n s i t i o n a lz o n e so f
K1
and K 2 d e s i g n a t i n gu p p e ra n d
50 p e r c e n to r
The s u b s c r i p t "m",
i n d u r a t i o na n dp r e s e n c eo f
are d e s i g n a t e d
90 percent o r
K2 designatinghorizonsof
more (byvolume)X-fabric,and
a n do t h e r s ,1 9 6 5 ) .
1966).
are s o s t r o n g l y c a r b o n a t e - i m p r e g n a t e d t h a t
t h e i r morphology i s d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e c a r b o n a t e
"X h o r i z o n s " , w i t h
(1965:
more X - f a b r i c
eLg. K 2 m ,
(Gile
indicates
a s o i l" p e t r o c a l c i c "h o r i z o n .S o i l
h o r i z o n sc o n t a i n i n gm i n o rc a r b o n a t ea c c u m u l a t i o n s
by "ca" symbol i n c o m b i n a t i o n w i t h
are n o t e d
a master h o r i z o n d e s i g n a t i o n ,
e . g . , Bca o r Cca.
The t h i c k n e s s o f t h e
K 2 h o r i z o no nt h e
a b o u t 5 4 . 0 cm ( 1 . 8 f t ) andrangesbetween
( 1 . 6 and 2 . 2 f t ) .
WIPP s i t e a v e r a g e s
50 cm and 6 6 cm
The K 2 h o r i z o n i s m o t t l e dw h i t ei nc o l o ra n d
9
( 2 t o 6 cm i n l e n g t h )
c o n s i s t s of a n g u l a r ,b l o c k y
t o p l a t yp e d s
f i r m l y cemer,ted t o g e t h e rb y
calcium c a r b o n a t e .
a n g u l a rf r a g m e n t so f
A few i s o l a t e d
Triassic S a n t a R o s as a n d s t o n eo c c u ri nt h e
1 0 t o 2 0 cm, t h e
K2 h o r i z o n a t some l o c a l i t i e s .I nt h eu p p e r
h o r i z o n i s oftenweaklylaminatedandthelongaxesofplaty
p e d s are o f t e n o r i e n t e d p a r a l l e l t o t h e s u r f a c e . S o l u t i o n
c h a n n e l sa n dp i p e s
localitiesand
are o b s e r v e d i n t h e
K2 h o r i z o n a t most
a r e commonly f i l l e d w i t h a red,sandy-loam
consistingmainlyofquartzgrainswith
some f e l d s p a r a n d c l a y
minerals.
The K2 h o r i z o ng r a d e s
r a n g e sf r o m
downward i n t o a K
40 t o 9 0 c m (1.3-3.1
t o p l a t yp e d s
horizonwhich
f t ) inthickness,
average t h i c k n e s s of a b o u t 6 4 cm (2.1 f t ) .
c o n s i s t so fb l o c k y
3
a n dh a sa n
The K3 h o r i z o n
and a n g u l a r ,r e d d i s h - b r o w n
sandstonefragmentsweaklytomoderatelycementedtogetherby
c a l c i u mc a r b o n a t e .I np r o f i l e ss a m p l e dw i t h i nt h e
site the
K3 h o r i z o n g r a d e s
downward i n t o e i t h e r a C c a h o r i z o n o f
c a r b o n a t en o d u l e s
embedded i n T r i a s s i c s a n d s t o n e , o r i n t o t h e
scattered
b a s a l zone of s a n d y s u r f i c i a l d e p o s i t s t e n t a t i v e l y c o r r e l a t e d
w i t ht h eG a t u n aF o r m a t i o n .
Chemical Data
P a r t i a l c h e m i c a la n a l y s e s
were made on 11 s a m p l e s c o l l e c t e d
from 4 r e p r e s e n t a t i v e p r o f i l e s f r o m c a l i c h e p i t s w i t h i n t h e
s i t e and 2 e x p o s u r e s a d j a c e n t
t o t h e s i t e (Appendix A ) .
D e t e r m i n a t i o n s were made f o r p e r c e n t i n s o l u b l e r e s i d u e s ,
o ni g n i t i o n ,s i l i c o n , c a l c i u m ,
magnesium,aluminum,
loss
i r o n ,s o d i u m ,
10
p o t a s s i u m , t i t a n i u m , a n db a r i u m ;a n df o rp a r t sp e rm i l l i o no f
1, bromine,
m a n g a n e s e ,s t r o n t i u m ,l i t h i u m ,c o p p e r ,u r a n i u m
(U 0
a n di o d i n e .
i s low magnesium
The d o m i n a n ts o l u b l ec o n s t i t u t e n t
calcite, a n dt h e
o fv e r yf i n et o
i s g i v e ni n
major i n s o l u b l e m i n e r a l
.
is quartzinthe
form
medium s a n dg r a i n s .P e r c e n ti n s o l u b l er e s i d u e
table 2.
S t r o n t i u ma n dl i t h i u mc o n t e n t sa r e
less t h a n 1 0 ppm i n a l l b u to n es a m p l e
Sr)
3 8
Uraniumand
(#5B-K3
horizon-30 ppm
a r e less t h a n 1 ppm, and
i o d i n ec o n t e n t s
bromine i s less t h a n 5 ppm i n a l l s a m p l e s .C o p p e rc o n t e n t s
rangesfrom
9 t o 31 ppm, andpotassium
(K20)
p e r c e n t a g e s are
l e s s t h a no n e .
TABLE 2.
P r o f i l e No.
K2m
K3
Percent insolubles i n caliche
1
2
5
6
3-11
4-2 /
32
26 3 7 .1 5
65
60
34
51
l/similar p r o f i l e
53
69
41
2 / 0 g a l l acl a p r o c k
28
21
outside site
cca
c a l i c h e on "The
Divide"
Uses, Supply,and
Demand
The p r i m a r y u s e o f c a l i c h e i n s o u t h e a s t e r n
i s f o rc r u s h e d ,r o a d - s u r f a c i n ga n ds u b g r a d e
(Lovelace 1 9 7 2 ) .
material
Where m a r k e t demand a n dt r a n s p o r t a t i o nc o s t s
permitdevelopmentofcalichedeposits,valuesper
are i n t h e
New Mexico
one t o two d o l l a rr a n g e . 'C u r r e n t
cubic y a r d
( 1 9 7 6 ) New
Mexico p r o d u c t i o n f i g u r e s f r o m t h e S i x t y - f o u r t h A n n u a l R e p o r t
ofthe
State Inspectorof
Mines i n d i c a t e t h a t c o m m e r c i a l l y
11
utilized
deposits
annually
produce
only
tens
of
thousands
of
cubic yards of caliche. Because reserves
at the WIPP site
alone
exceed 100
of equal
the
or
site
million
better
are
cubic
yards
and
greater
grade
present
throughout
and
the
since
caliche
thickness
deposits
than onthose
southeastern
New
Nexico
region (Lovelace, 1972), extensive utilization of onsite
material is not foreseen. To date, caliche excavated from a
small
number
of
pits
in
or
WIPP site
the
near
has
been
used
for surfacing of local roads. This type of limited resource
utilization
can
be
expected
to
continue.
Salt
Description
of
Deposits
"Salt" is used in
this
report
to
identify
the
mineral
halite or sodium chloride. By weight, pure salt contains
39.34 percent sodium and60.66 percent
chloride,
will
depress
the freezing point of water by 21.2OC or 38OF, and will melt
at 800.8OC or, 1,473OF (Klingman, 1975).
three ways:
operating
Salt is produced in
(1) underground mining in which all presently
salt
mines
in
the
United
States
use
the
room-and-
pillar method, (2) solution mining of underground salt which
makes
use
of
wells
that
utilize
much
of
the
technology
and
equipment of the petroleum industry, and (3) solar evaporation
or artificial
evaporationof lacustrine
brines.
1February 1978 prices at Littlefield and Lubbock, Texas, caliche
pits are $1.25 per cu. yd. pit grade, and $1.50 to $2.00 per
cu. yd. crushed grade.
e
Descriptionsofpotash
drill h o l e s i n t h e
12
WIPP s i t e
( J o n e s , 1 9 7 7 ) i n d i c a t et h a tb e d so fh a l i t ea n di m p u r eh a l i t e
w i t h a n a v e r a g et o t a lt h i c k n e s s
o c c u ri nt h eS a l a d o :F o a m a t i o n .
of a b o u t 535 m (1,756 f t )
1 6 5 m ( 5 4 2 f t ) b e l o wt h es u r f a c ea n d
b e do c c u r sa b o u t
salt
The t o po ft h eu p p e r m o s t
the b a s e
s a l t bed i s a b o u t 865 m (2,836 f t ) belowthe
o ft h el o w e s t
proposed WIPP s i t e .
Assuming a s p e c i f i cg r a v i t yo fa b o u t2 . 1 5 ,
118 billion tons of
anestimated
2
93.5 km2 (36 m i )
s a l t u n d e r l i e st h ee n t i r e
s u r f a c e .S a l a d o
F o r m a t i o nb e n e a t ht h ep r o p o s e d
salt occurintheSalado
site.
The s a l t i s i n t e r b e d d e d w i t h a n h y d r i t e p o l y h a l i t e ,
sandstone,andclaystonein
a c h a n g ef r o mc l a y s t o n e
a regularsuccessioninvolving
upward t h r o u g h a n h y d r i t e
a changefrom
and h a l i t e t o c l a y e y h a l i t e c a p p e d b y c l a y s t o n e ;
h a l i t e to clayeyhalite
t o claystone i s notedinothersequences
S a l a d o s a l t i s composed o fh a l i t e
(Jones, 1 9 7 3 ) .
The c l a y e yh a l i t ec h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y
c o n t a i n st e r r i g e n o u sq u a r t z
m i n e r a l si n c l u d e
a n dc l a y e y
2 cm t o s e v e r a l
haliteindiscretelayersthatrangefrom
meters i nt h i c k n e s s .
or polyhalite
and c l a ym i n e r a l s .
The c l a y
i l l i t e , c h l o r i t e , and a c o r r e n s i t e - t y p e
o fs w e l l i n g ,r e g u l a rm i x e d - l a y e r e dc l a ym i n e r a l( J o n e s ,1 9 7 3 ) .
Clayeyhalite
is moderatelyccystalline,but
w i t h small c a v i t i e s f i l l e d w i t h c l a y
material.
somewhat porous
and o t h e r t e r r i g e n o u s
Traces o fp o l y h a l i t ea n da n h y d r i t e ,a n dl o c a l l y
glauberite, silvite, c a r n a l l i t e ,k i e s s e r i t e ,
and a few e x o t i c
13
evaporiteminerals
halite.
are common t o b o t h h a l i t e
Traces of b r i n e a n dg a s
a n dc l a y e y
f i l l s m a l l ,i n t e r g r a n u l a r
vacuoles.
Most d r i l l i n g d e p t h s o n t h e
t op r o v i d e
much d a t a o n t h e
WIPP s i t e are t o o s h a l l o w
Castile Formation.
therefore,necessarytorelymostly
upon p u b l i s h e d r e g i o n a l
stratigraphicstudiestodeterminethenature
lowermost Ochoan u n i t .
salt i n t h i s
The C a s t i l e c o n t a i n s a s a l t zone
t h a t i s a b o u t 366 m ( 1 , 2 0 0 f t ) t h i c k i n t h e
Los Medagos area
of t h e s a l t o c c u r r i n g a t a d e p t h
( J o n e s ,1 9 7 3 )w i t ht h et o p
of a b o u t 9 1 6 m ( 3 , 0 0 0 f t ) .
The s a l t z o n eg r a d e sl a t e r a l l y
data r e g a r d i n g t h e l i t h o l o g i c c h a r a c t e r
Castile s a l t b e n e a t ht h e
Use, Supply,and
are
t o t h en o r t h .T h e r e
i n t o , a n di n t e r t o n g u e sw i t ha n h y d r i t e
nopublished
It w a s ,
of
WIPP s i t e .
Demand
T a b l e 3 summarizes t h e v a r i o u s u s e s
of s a l t : it s h o u l d
benotedthatthere
are no s u b s t i t u t e s f o r
a p p l i c a t i o n s .S a l t
i s t h em o s ta b u n d a n ta n d
s a l t i n any of i t s
least expensive
of
sourceofsodiumandchlorineusedinthemanufacture
c a u s t i c . s o d a ,s o d aa s h ,c h l o r i n e ,a n d
metallic sodium.
The
p r o d u c t i o n of t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e c h l o r - a l k a l i a n d s o d a a s h
c h e m i c a l s consumes a b o u t 5 7 p e r c e n t
t h eU n i t e d
of t h e s a l t p r o d u c e d i n
S t a t e s (LeForid, 1 9 7 5 ) . The p o r t i o n o f
t h e making of o t h e r c h e m i c a l s h a s b e e n q u i t e u n i f o r m
23 p e r c e n t f o r t h e p a s t 1 0 y e a r s( K l i n g m a n ,1 9 7 5 ) .
s a l t going t o
a t about
Table
1975).
3.
U.S. salt demand by e n du s (ea f t e r
Klingman,
15
demand f o r s a l t i s f o r use i n highway
The n e x t g r e a t e s t
deicing.
Such demand, however, i s i r r e g u l a ra n d ,d e p e n d i n g
on t h ew e a t h e r ,r a n g e sf r o ma b o u t
1 2 t o 2 1 p e r c e n to ft h e
t o t a l s a l t consumedby
States.
t h eU n i t e d
The a v e r a g ef o rt h e
l a s t 10 y e a r s i s a b o u t 1 5 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l u s a g e
(Klingman,1975).Environmentalistgroupshaveclaimedthe
s a l t damages p l a n t s , a n i m a l s a n d
e x c e s s i v eu s eo fh i g h w a y
equipment along highways.
About 5 t o 6 p e r c e n t o f
a g r i c u l t u r a lp u r p o s e s .
andpond
s a l t p r o d u c t i o n i s u s e df o r
Such s a l t i s u s e da s
s e a l e r on many f a r m s ,a n dt h e
a soilstabilizer
c a t t l e i n d u s t r yu s e s
salt
s a l t infeedformulationsandfortheproductionof
b l o c k s .M i s c e l l a n e o u su s e so f
s a l t a r ea l s of o u n di nt h ep a p e r -
p u l p , ceramics, p l a s t i c s ,g l a s s ,s o a pa n dd e t e r g e n t ,p e t r o l e u m ,
and metal i n d u s t r i e s .
S m a l l q u a n t i t i e s are u s e d f o r
water
treatmentandformedicinalpurposes.
The demand f o r s a l t i n t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s i n 1 9 7 6 was
45.1milliontons,withthefiveleadingproducersbeing
New York,Ohio,andIndiana(Foster,
1977).
Of t h e s a l t produced, s a l t i n b r i n e a c c o u n t e d f o r
53 p e r c e n t ,
L o u i s i a n a ,T e x a s ,
rocksaltfor
33 p e r c e n t , and e v a p o r a t e d s a l t f o r 1 4 . p e r c e n t .
i m p o r t s amounted t o 4 . 1 m i l l i o nt o n s .
i nt h eU n i t e dS t a t e s
t o n sb y
2000
is p r o j e c t e dt o
The demand f o r s a l t
rise t o a b o u t
136
million
( K l i n g m a n ,1 9 7 5 ) .P l e n t i f u ls u p p l i e s ,a ne s t i m a t e d
61 trilliontons
(Klingman,1975),
Salt
e x i s t underground as r o c k
16
s a l t o r as b r i n e ;m o r e o v e r ,
i n e x h a u s t i b l es o u r c eo f
seawater r e p r e s e n t s a n a l m o s t
salt.
The U n i t e d S t a t e s s a l t
r e s o u r c e s are, t h e r e f o r e ,v i r t u a l l yu n l i m i t e d .
New Mexico
The s a l t m i n i n g i n d u s t r y i n s o u t h e a s t e r n
producedabout
1 1 0 , 0 0 0 t o n so f
salt i n 1977.
Most o f t h i s
p r o d u c t i o n was from t h e S a l t Lake Mine ( U n i t e d S a l t C o r p o r a t i o n )
w i t ha na n n u a lc a p a c i t y
of a b o u t 1 0 8 , 0 0 0 t o n sp r o d u c e db y
S a l t Lake'(T. 22 S.,
dredgingsaltthathasaccumulatedin
R. 29 E,.). S a l t i s a l s o p r o d u c e d
i n w e s t - c e n t r a l New Mexicoby
solar e v a p o r a t i o n a t anannual
The n e a r e s t s a l t p r o d u c i n g areas
c a p a c i t y of a b o u t 1 0 0 t o n s .
outsideofthe
a t t h e Zuni S a l t L a k e Mine
s t a t e are i n Texas, Oklahoma,andKansas.
s a l t produced i n N e w Mexico
About 50 p e r c e n t o f t h e
i s u s e d f o r road (snow and ice) c o n t r o l w i t h i n t h e
is sent t o
A s much as 1 5 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l p r o d u c t i o n
A r i z o n af o rt h e
same p u r p o s e .
used i n c a t t l e f e e d s , w i t h
i nw e s t e r n
Texas.
The r e m a i n i n g 35 p e r c e n t i s
most b e i n g s e n t t o n e a r b y f e e d l o t s
show t h a t New
S a l t s h i p m e n tr e p o r t sa l s o
Mexico i s a small s a l t - c o n s u m e r
( P . J . F o s t e r ,p e r s o n a l
communication, 1 9 7 7 ) ; f u r t h e r m o r e ,c o n s u m p t i o n
i s n o tl i k e l y
i s a m a j o ri n f l u x
toincreasesubstantiallyunlessthere
s a l t - c o n s u m i n gi n d u s t r i e s( c h e m i c a l ,p a p e r ,
into the
state.
of
glass, p l a s t i c s )
state.
The m a j o r s a l t p r o d u c e r i n
C o r p o r a t i o n ,i n d i c a t e st h a ts u r f a c e
N e w Mexico, United S a l t
s a l t s u p p l i e s ,i n c l u d i n g
b r i n el a k e sa n dp o t a s ht a i l i n gp i l e s( w h i c h
are p r e d o m i n a n t l y
17
h a l i t e ) are l a r g ee n o u g ht o
meet a l l f o r e s e e a b l e demands f o r
s a l t (personalcommunication,
1977).
i s l i t t l e l i k e l i h o o do fe v e rn e e d i n gt o
They believe t h a tt h e r e
mineunderground
s a l t i n t h e WIPP s i t e a r e a .
S y n t h e s i sa n dO u t l o o k
T h e r ea r es u b s t a n t i a l
s a l t r e s e r v e si nt h eS a l a d oa n d
C a s t i l e F o r m a t i o n sb e n e a t ht h ep r o p o s e d
WIPP s i t e .
However,
consideringthat:
1.
t h e s e s a l t r e s e r v e s are more t h a n 1 6 5 m b e l o wt h e
surface,
2.
t h e r e are v i r t u a l l yu n l i m i t e d ,r e a d i l ya v a i l a b l e
salt reservesontheregionalandnationallevels,
3.
of s a l t o c c u r s between:.:
s u b s t a n t i a lp r o d u c t i o n
New Mexicoandmajorconsumingareas
4.
to the
east,
t h e r e are p l e n t i f u ls u r f a c es u p p l i e so f
New Mexico t h a t w i l l meet a l l f o r e s e e a b l e f u t u r e
withinthe
'~
salt i n
demands
state,
t h e economic p o t e n t i a l of s a l t i n t h e s u b s u r f a c e b e n e a t h t h e
WIPP s i t e i s small.
Only i f t h e r e i s a ni n f l u xo fm a j o r
salt-consumingindustriesinto
that the
N e w Mexico i s t h e r e a p o s s i b i l i t y
demand f o r s a l t w i l l i n c r e a s e enough f o r it t o become
economicaltominethedeeplyburied
C a s t i l e F o r m a t i o n sb e n e a t ht h e
or solution mining methods.
s a l t 5ntheSaladoand
WIPP s i t e by e i t h e r u n d e r g r o u n d
18
Gypsum
Description of Deposits
Gypsum i s o n e o f t h e p r i n c i p l e c o n s t i t u e n t s o f m o s t
evaporitedepositsand
i s t h e most commonly o b s e r v e d p h a s e
o fc a l c i u ms u l f a t ei no u t c r o p .P u r e
p e r c e n t C a O , 4 6 . 5 p e r c e n t SO3,
gypsum c o n t a i n s 3 2 . 6
and 20.9 p e r c e n t H20; however,
it a n d a n h y d r i t e ,
b e c a u s eo fm e t a s t a b l er e l a t i o n s h i p sb e t w e e n
gypsum d e p o s i t s are
t h ea n h y d r o u sp h a s eo fc a l c i u ms u l f a t e ,p u r e
seldomfound.
o n l ya b o u t
Most mineproduced
gypsum i s , : t h e r e f o r e , .
85 t o 95 p e r c e n t p u r e , b u t i n
some cases t h e
product can be upgraded by beneficiation.
Bothopen
gypsum.
Open p i t employsconventionalmethodsandequipment
such as d r a g l i n ea n ds c r a p e r st o
showels or f r o n t - e n dl o a d e r st o
percentofthe
ground.
are used t o f i i n e
p i t andundergroundmethods
remove t h eo v e r b u r d e na n d
load t h er o c k .E i g h t e e n
gypsum mines i n t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s are under-
Most u s et h er o o m - a n d - p i l l a rm e t h o da n dt o t a lr o c k
r e c o v e r yr a n g e sf r o m
70 t o 80 p e r c e n t .
Although gypsum d o e s n o t o c c u r o n t h e s u r f a c e o f t h e
proposed WIPP s i t e , as much as 30 m ( 1 0 0 f t ) i s p r e s e n t i n t h e
s u b s u r f a c ei nt h eR u s t l e rF o r m a t i o n .C o n s i d e r a b l eR u s t l e r
gypsum o c c u r s t o t h e
west of t h e s i t e , b u t t h e
i n t oa n h y d r i t ea n dp o l y h a l i t eb e n e a t ht h e
WIPP s i t e ( J o n e s ,1 9 7 3 ) .
Where R u s t l e r gypsum o c c u r s b e n e a t h t h e
h a sa na v e r a g et o t a lt h i c k n e s s
gypsum g r a d e s
WIPP s i t e s , it
of a b o u t 1 2 m ( 4 0 f t ) d i s t r i b u t e d
among one t o f i v e gypsum b e d sr a n g i n gf r o m
1.5 t o 1 8 m
19
( 5 t o 60 f t ) t h i c k .
lies 1 0 2 m
The t o po ft h eu p p e r m o s tb e d
(335 f t ) b e l o w t h e s u r f a c e
and t h e b a s e o f t h e l o w e r m o s t b e d
305 m ( 1 , 0 0 0 f t ) below t h es u r f a c e .R u s t l e r
2
gypsum u n d e r l i e s a b o u t 4 4 km2 ( 1 7 m i ) o ft h ep r o p o s e d
WIPP s i t e .
o c c u r s a t a d e p t ho f
Pure gypsum h a s a s p e c i f i c g r a v i t y
1.3 billion tons
of 2 . 3 2 ;t h e r e f o r e ,a ne s t i m a t e d
of t h e commodity o c c u r i n t h e
WIPP s i t e .
w i t h i nt h eb o u n d a r i e so ft h ep r o p o s e d
o ft h e
gypsum,and
I t s h o u l d be
estimate i s b a s e d o n t h e s p e c i f i c g r a v i t y
n o t e d ,h o w e v e r ,t h a tt h e
o fp u r e
Rustler. Formation
i s no d a t a o n t h e a c t u a l q u a l i t y
that there
gypsum i n t h e area.
Uses, Supply,and
Demand
Most u s e s f o r gypsum ( t a b l e 4 ) are b a s e d upon t h eu n i q u e
propertywhichcalciumsulfatehas
on water of c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n .
of r e a d i l y g i v i n g u p , o r t a k i n g
With t h e a p p l i c a t i o n
of a moderate
amount of h e a t ( a p r o c e s s known as c a l c i n i n g ) , gypsum i s c o n v e r t e d
t o a h e m i h y d r a t eo fc a l c i u ms u l f a t e( p l a s t e ro fP a r i s )w h i c a ~ ,
when mixed w i t h water, w i l l s e t t o h a r d e n as t h e c a l c i u m s u l f a t e
is
r e t u r n st ot h ed i h y d r a t ef o r m .T h i ss e m i f i n i s h e dp r o d u c t
t h e nm a n u f a c t u r e di n t o
a largevariety
of p l a s t e r s , w a l l b o a r d
a n db l o c kf o rc o n s t r u c t i o no ri n d u s t r i a la p p l i c a t i o n .I n
a b o u t 70 p e r c e n t of t h e gypsum used i n t h e U n i t e d
c a l c i n e df o rt h e s ep u r p o s e s
(LeFond, 1 9 7 5 ) .
p e r c e n t was marketed as u n c a l c i n e d , c r u d e
as a r e t a r d e r i n p o r t l a n d c e m e n t ,
a m i n e r a lf i l t e r .
1972,
S t a t e s was
The r e m a i n i n g 30
gypsum,which
w a s used
as a s o i l c o n d i t i o n e r , a n d
Gypsum a l s o c o n s t i t u t e s
as
a l a r g es u l f u rr e s e r v e ,
20
and
ithas
been
put
to
small
scale
use
in
the
manufacturing
of sulfuric acid and other sulfur compounds. Sulfur is,
however,
readily
here
the
in
available
at
United
States and
a
such
lower
use
cost
from
other
sources
occurs
only
outside
of the country; consumption is, therefore, controlled by the
construction industry. In 1976, for example, building
activity
improved
and
sales
of
prefabricated
products
increased
18 percent (Pressler, 1977). During the same time period,
gypsum
output
increased
9.8 to 11.5 million
from
tons,or
about 17 percent. Consumptionof gypsum in 1976, however,
amounted to 18.1 million
tons,with net imports of 6.6 million
tons making up the difference. Consumption is expected to
of about 2 percent through
increase at an annual average rate
the year 2000 and reach a projected
35 million tons (Reed, 1975).
Domestic
any
resources
foreseeable
Large
deposits
and
reserves
period
of time
occur
in
but
the
of
are
gypsum
unevenly
are
adequate
for
distributed.
Lakes~region,rnidcontinent
Great
region, California, and a few other states. Leading producers
are California, Michigan, Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma, which
together
account
for
62 percent of the
total
production
in
the
United States (Pressler, 1977). There are'no gypsum deposits,
however, on the eastern seaboard of the United States, and
large
imports
from
Canada
are
used
to
augment
domestic
supplies
in this area. In some cases other construction materials can
be used in place of gypsum,
the
commodity
in
portland
but
there
cement.
is
no
substitute
for
21
.
Table 4
U.S. demand p a t t e r n for gypsum 1965-1974 ( a f t e r
Reed, i 9 7 5 ) .
22
New Mexicoproduced255,000tons
of gypsum i n 1 9 7 4 from mines l o c a t e d i n S a n d o v a l
1 5 7 , 0 0 0t o n s
a n dS a n t a
of gypsum i n 1973and
Fe c o u n t i e s ( C r a i g , 1 9 7 4 ) .
(1) White Mesa, sec. 11-15, T. 1 5 N . ,
sec. 35 and36,
T. 4 N.,
32, T. 1 4 & 1 5 N . ,
R.
5 E.,
R.
Three gypsum mines
R.
1 E.:
and ( 3 ) R o s a r i o , sec. 5 and
7 E.,are c u r r e n t l y o p e r a t i n g i n
b u t we e s t i m a t e it t o b e a b o u t
250,000 t o n s p e r y e a r . V i r t u a l l y
gypsum i s used t o m a n u f a c t u r e c o n s t r u c t i o n
a l l ofthecrude
purposes.
New
is uncertain,
M e x i c o .P r o d u c t i o nf r o mt h e s et h r e eo p e r a t i o n s
p r o d u c t s :v e r y
( 2 ) S a nF e l i p e ,
small q u a n t i t i e s are used f o r a g r i c u l t u r a l
Estimates of the q u a n t i t y of gypsum p r o d u c t s consumed
i n New Mexicoand
thoseshippedoutof
obtainedfromAmerican
Gypsum Company, t h e l a r g e s t
o f r a w gypsum i n New Mexico.
consumes a b o u t2 5 , 0 0 0t o n s
I d e a l Cement Company, which
of gypsum a n n u a l l y ,h o w e v e r ,
are s h i p p e d t o d e s t i n a t i o n s o u t s i d e o f
D e p o s i t s of r o c k gypsum a n d g y p s i t e
throughout a l a r g e p a r t o f
New Mexico.
are w i d e l y d i s t r i b u t e d
N e w Mexico i n r o c k s r a n g i n g i n
fromPennsylvaniantoPleistocene,with
s a n d so fR e c e n at g eR
. eserves
consumer
5 p e r c e n t of t h e cementproducts
reportedthatonlyabout
theyproduce
state couldnotbe
l o c a l gypsum dune
are s u b s t a n t i a l .
The o n e
gypsum d e p o s i t a t White Mesa c o n t a i n sm e a s u r e dr e s e r v e s
9 8 m i l l i o nt o n sa n da n
of
estimated a d d i t i o n a l 1 2 3 m i l l i o n t o n s
a v a i l a b l eb ys t r i p p i n gr e l a t i v e l yt h i no v e r b u r d e n
K o t t l o w s k i ,1 9 5 9 ) .
age
A t p r e s e n tp r o d u c t i o n
(Weber
and
r a t e s , t h e White Mesa
23
New Mexico w i t h gypsum f o r a b o u t
deposit alone would supply
885 y e a r s .
Mesa GypsumCompany
Gus PalmeroyoftheWhite
ever mine t h e gypsum b e n e a t h t h e
c a n n o t foresee t h e n e e d t o
WIPP s i t e (Gus P a l m e r o y ,p e r s o n a l
s u r f a c eo ft h ep r o p o s e d
communication,1978).
S y n t h e s i sa n dO u t l o o k
About 1 2 m ( 4 0 f t ) o f
f i v eb e d s ,b u r i e d
1 0 2 t o 305 m (355-1000 f t ) , o c c u r i n t h e
RustlerFormationbeneaththesurfaceoftheproposed
site.
to
gypsum, d i s t r i b u t e db e t w e e no n e
WIPP
W
e c o n c l u d e ,h o w e v e r ,t h a tb e c a u s et h e r ea r ea d e q u a t e
gypsum reserves i n t h e
C o a s tr e g i o n s - - c l o s e r
New Mexico h a s l a r g e
Great L a k e s , m i d c o n t i n e n t ,a n d
West
t o largeconsumingareas,andbecause
known r e s e r v e s t h a t w i l l meet i t s f u t u r e
demands, t h e r e i s l i t t l e l i k e l i h o o d of it b e i n g n e c e s s a r y t o
mine t h e gypsum i n t h e R u s t l e r F o r m a t i o n b e n e a t h t h e p r o p o s e d
WIPP s i t e t o meet a demand f o r gypsum.
Brine
D e s c r i p t i o n of D e p o s i t s
B r i n ep o c k e t s ,s a t u r a t e di n
sulfates occur frequently in the
N a , K, C a , and Mg c h l o r i d e sa n d
McNutt member o f t h e S a l a d o
Formation.Suchpockets
are e n c o u n t e r e dr o u t i n e l yi nt h ec o u r s e
of p o t a s hm i n i n g .T h e r e
are no q u a n t i t a t i v e d a t a on t o t a l
b r i n e volume.Griswold
( 1 9 7 7 ) r e p o r t e dt h a tt h el a r g e s t
p o c k e tc o n t a i n e da ne s t i m a t e d
known
100,000 gal ofbrine;theaverage
p o c k e t i s much smaller ( 1 0 t o 1 0 0 g a l ) .
24
On J u l y3 0 ,1 9 7 5 ,b o r e h o l e
R.
31 E . )
p r o d u c e ds a t u r a t e db r i n ea n d
b e l o wt h es u r f a c e .
m (2,711 f t )
similar phenomena
O i l c o m p a n i e sr e p o r t
.
BureauofMinesandMineralResourcesLaboratory,
1 4 0 g/ml l i t h i u m .
o fo t h e rc o m m o d i t i e s
Use, Supply,and
f l u x e s ,a n d
of a l l t h e metals, h a v i n g a n
of 6 . 9 3 8 .M a j o ru s e sf o rl i t h i u m
are f o r t h e
aluminum, ceramics and g l a s s , l u b r i c a n t s ,
a i r c o n d i t i o n i n g .A m e r i c a n
inthhcentral
l i t h i u mi n
Economic c o n c e n t r a t i o n s
Demand
p r o d u c t i o no fp r i m a r y
.firms, m o s t l yl o c a t e d
and A t l a n t i c s t a t e s , consumed 3 , 1 0 0t o n s
1 9 7 7 (Quan, 1 9 7 7 ) .
of
T a b l e 5 shows t h a t demand
expectedtoincrease
a t a na n n u a l
1 4 , 4 0 0 t o n s by 2 0 0 0
( S i n g l e t o na n d
(1977) b e l i e v e d t h a t
r a t e of 5 p e r c e n t a n d a p p r o a c h
Wood, 1 9 7 5 ) S
. ingleton
mo'st o f i n c r e a s i n - g
demand f o r l i t h i u m
w i l l b e f o r small b a t t e r i e s a n d l i t h i u m c a t a l y s t s f o r o r g a n i c
chemicals.Lithium,however,
i s s t i l l a d e v e l o p i n g commodity
and i t s i m p l i c a t i o n s are e x p a n d i n gr a p i d l y .
Its a p p l i c a t i o n
invariousphasesofthemetallurgicalandchemicalindustries
are d i v e r s i f y i n ga n de x p a n d i n gr a p i d l y .
A potential
applicationforlithiumalsoexistsinnuclear
power as a n
a b s o r p t i o nb l a n k e ti nf u s i o ng e n e r a t i o n .I nt h e r m o n u c l e a r
reactions,themostlikelyfuel
~
1976) indicates
were n o t f o u n d i n t h e b r i n e .
Lithium is t h e l i g h t e s t
a t o m i cw e i g h t
.
A c h e m i c a l ~ a n a i y s i s (New Nexico
C a s t i l e (Lambert, 1 9 7 7 ) .
t h eb r i n ec o n t a i n s
2 1 S.,
a fractured,
H 2 S g a sf r o m
C a s t i l e a n h y d r i t eu n i t ,6 2 6 . 5
g r a y ,l a m i n a t e d
i nt h e
6 (sec. 35, T .
ERDA No.
w i l l be a deuterium-tritium
e
------------------.--.
--__-
25
~
__
._.___....__.
.___.___________._.____
3.050 10.610 8.220 30.780 !4.4CO
~
.
Table 5
Ur-S. projections and forecasts for lithiumdemand
by end use, 1973-2000 (after Singletonand Wood, 1975).
.
.
26
m i x t u r eb e c a u s e
of i t s v e r y l a r g e r e a c t i o n r a t e (Holden, 1 9 7 1 ) .
T r i t i u m i s n a t u r a l l y scarce b u t c a n b e a r t i f i c i a l l y g e n e r a t e d
w i t h i n a reactor i t s e l f bybombarding
a l i t h i u m - 6i s o t o p ei n
theblanketwithneutronscreatedbythefusionreaction.
P r o d u c t i o n of l i t h i u m i n 1 9 7 7 w a s a b n u t 4 , 0 0 0 t o n s( Q u a n ,
1 9 7 7 ) ; t h e r e f o r ea no v e r s u p p l yp r e v a i l e d
a t t h ec l o s eo f
are i nt h eU n i t e d
Most o ft h ew o r l d ' sl i t h i u mr e s e r v e s
1977.
States, t h e U.S.S.R.,
Canada,andsouthernRhodesia.
Approximately 36 p e r c e n t ( 2 7 0 , 0 0 0 t o n s )o ft h ew o r l d ' s
r e s e r v e s are i ns u b s u r f a c eb r i n e s ,m a i n l yi n
United
Nevada.
S t a t e s t o t a l r e s e r v e s are estimated t o b e a b o u t 3 . 2 m i l l i o n
t o n sa n d
w i l l meet demand t h r o u g h 2 0 0 0 and w e l l i n t o t h e n e x t
r a t e ( 5p e r c e n td i s c u s s e d
c e n t u r y ,a s s u m i n gt h ea v e r a g eg r o w t h
e a r l i e r ( S i n g l e t o na n d
Wood, 1 9 7 5 ;S i n g l e t o n ,
1977).
T h e r e i s no i n f o r m a t i o nc o n c e r n i n gt h ec o n s u m p t i o no f
l i t h i u mi n
New Mexico.
However, more t h a n1 3 , 0 0 0t o n so f
l e p i d o l i t e and several h u n d r e dt o n s
of spodumene (two
p r i n c i p l el i t h i u m - b e a r i n gm i n e r a l s )h a v eb e e np r o d u c e di n
N e w Mexico s i n c e 1 9 2 0 ( L e s u r e , 1 9 6 5 ) .
representingnearly
Most of t h i sp r o d u c t i o n ,
10 percentofthetotal
between 1 9 2 0 and1950,
U.S.
production
came f r o mt h eH a r d i n gm i n ei nT a o s
County.
Small amounts came f r o mt h eP i d l i t e
County.
No l i t h i u mp r o d u c t i o nh a sb e e nr e c o r d e di n
mine i n Mora
New
Mexico s i n c e 1 9 5 0( L e s u r e ,1 9 6 5 ) .
J a h n s( 1 9 5 3 )e s t i m a t e dt h e
spodumene i n t h e P i d l i t e m i n e s t o b e
amount o f l e p i d o l i t e
530 t o n s i n
how much of this h a s b e e n m i n e d s i n c e t h e n
and
1947, but
is uncertain.
27
two m i n e r a l s still remain i n t h e H a r d i n g
Large quantities of the
1965), b u tn or e s e r v ed a t ah a v eb e e n
p e g n a t i t e( L e s u r e ,
published.
S y n t h e s i sa n dO u t l o o k
Economic g r a d e l i t h i u m - b e a r i n g b r i n e s
do o c c u r w i t h i n t h e
WIPP s i t e , b u t t h e r e a r e i n s u f f i c i e n t
b o u n d a r i e so ft h ep r o p o s e d
data t o d e t e r m i n e t h e q u a n t i t y o f t h e b r i n e t h a t o c c u r s t h e r e .
F u r t h e r m o r e ,t h eb r i n e s
seem t o o c c u r i n
isolated p o c k e t sc o n t a i n i n g
small, l o c a l ,
1 0 t o 100 galofbrine
t h a t occur
a t l e a s t 4 0 0 m below t h e s u r f a c e .
Withspodumene
bearing brine
reservesinNorthCarolinaandlithium-
reserves i n C a l i f o r n i a andNevada
t h a t are
s u b s t a n t i a l enough t o meet a l l ~ , d e m a n d S f o r l i t h i u m w e l l i n t o
thenextcehtury,
i t i s i n c o n c e i v a b l e : t h a t i t w i l l be economic
t o d r i l l w e l l s t o ~ d e p t h s i n excess of 4 0 0 m t o pump less t h a n
1 0 0 g a l so fb r i n e .
I t i s , t h e r e f o r e ,c o n c l u d e dt h a tt h e
economic p o t e n t i a l of WIPP s i t e - r e l a t e d b r i n e s
i s v e r y small.
Sulfur
S u l f u r i s o n eo ft h e
most i m p o r t a n t i n d u s t r i a l
raw
materials w i t h i m p o r t a n c e i n e v e r y s e c t o r o f t h e f e r t i l i z e r
and i n d u s t r i a lc o m p l e x e so ft h ew o r l d .S u l f u r ,c o n s t i t u t i n g
0.06 p e r c e n to ft h ee a r t h ' sc r u s t( G i t t i n g e r ,
t h em o s ta b u n d a n te l e m e n t si nt h ee a r t h ,a n d
t h a to c c u r si nt h en a t i v e
state.
1975),
i s oneof
i s o n eo ft h e
few
By f a r t h e g r e a t e s t q u a n t i t y
however, i s combined w i t h o t h e re l e m e n t s .V a r i o u sm i n i n g
28
methods are u s e d t o
mine s u l f u ri n c l u d i n g :
(1) t h eF r a s c h
Process,
(2) tunneling,
systems,
( 5 ) open p i t s , and ( 6 ) v a r i o u sf o r m s
( 3 ) room-and-pillar,
(4) cut-and-fill
of s t o p i n g .
i s by v a r i o u sc o m b i n a t i o n s
Processingoretoseparatesulfur
o fm e l t i n g ,d i s t i l l a t i o n ,a g g l o m e r a t i o n ,f l o t a t i o n
and s o l v e n t
extraction.
WIPP s i t e d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e
No s u l f u r w a s o b s e r v e d o n t h e
work, n o r was a n y s u l f u r e n c o u n t e r e d i n a n y
ofourfield
WIPP s i t e .
t h ep o t a s hd r i l lh o l e so nt h e
Ochoan ( L a t e Permian)age
New Mexico, b u t h i s
Texas, and h i s maps b a r e l y
N e w Mexico b o r d e r .
The s u l f u r ofthemain
ore body o c c u r s a l o n g f a u l t s a n d j o i n t s i n t h e
l e n s e si nt h eS a l a d or e s i d u m .H i n d sa n d
Castile F o r m a t i o n ,i nt h ec e n t r a l
s o u t h sides o ft h eb a s i n ,h o w e v e r ,t h e
were n e v e r d e p o s i t e d
and
Cunningham ( 1 9 7 0 )
B a s i n ,c o n t a i n ss e v e r a lt h i c kh a l i t eb e d s .
solution.
Castile
as i r r e g u l a r m a s s e s
F o r m a t i o n ,u s u a l l yn e a rt h eb a s e ,a n d
f o u n dt h a tt h e
i n Eddy County,
work c e n t e r e d a r o u n d c o n t r o l p o i n t s i n
C u l b e r s o na n dR e e v e sc o u n t i e s ,
e x t e n da c r o s st h e
Smith ( 1 9 7 8 ) ,
i s common i n gypsum and
nevertheless,reportedthatsulfur
g y p s i f e r o u sr o c k so f
of
Delaware
Along t h e west and
Castile h a l i t e b e d s
o r havebeenremovedbysubsurface
A l l o ft h es u l f u rd e p o s i t s
l i e west o rs o u t ho f
thesouthernandwesternedgesoftheCastilehalite(Hinds,
andCunningham,
e d g eo ft h e
o c c u r r e n c eo f
1970).
The WIPP s i t e i s l o c a t e d e a s t of t h e
Castile h a l i t e ( f i g .
2 ) ; t h e r e f o r e , a no n s i t e
a sulfurdepositthat
economic i s u n l i k e l y .
i s largeenoughtobe
a'
"
s3-
e
...
.
'
IO+O
l"-""----
. .
...........
"7'.
.
..
~
,
.
. . . .... ... .. ... .
?stile
1030
'
'
'
.
. . .. ... ... . . : ............
:
..: .......
. . . .. . .. .. .. .~ . ~ ..i:
~ " .......
~
aoullas
. . .......
...
'
I
......
.~. .- . ..... ..
......
..
:.; . : .:... ..
E X P L A N A T I O N
,
:-:/ ..... .,:>........................
. . .?.,,.. .
'<.
.
.
0 ' " IO
.
..:
.
.. . . .
. .
: ?'. .. 10
I
I
. ....
.. . I
..
Area
of
29
.
i.
Formollon oulcrop ..,,;
. . . . . . . . . . :;,+. ..
.
0
~
.i
i.
20
I
.
I
'
-
Areas of concentrated sulfur exploration .
drilling
..
..
. . . .. .. .. .. .. ..5...........
'
.
'.,
. . .. .
Surface
X
show of .sulfur.
:
-.>.
,
.
.
.
. . .
.;.. .
.,
. . .....................
..
. .-.. .. . . . . ..;
... ".t, West BdQe of lowest Castile holiie .....
CI, Sulfur plantandapsrotor
-.~ ....
OUWL
.j
.. I.
location) '.'.
: .....
. .. . ..... . . . . ... ... ... .. . .
. . . (approximate
..
i. .
~.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..:
.
.
,
., ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
.. . . ... . .....
..
. :.
. ...
. :_:,
. . . . . . %Sulfur spring .........
........ . ~
.
. . .
..
.......
. .
..
1
. .
-. . . -. - ...
Wes,t'edge of Castile
Formation
'
'
,,
. I
,-.,,
I
'
'
,.
.
Figure 2
Location of s u l f u r r e c o v e r yp l a n t s s, u r f a c e
o c c u r r e n c e s , a r e a s of c o n c e n t r a t e d e x p l o g a t o r y d r i l l i n g ,
of t h e
Castile Formation outcrop, and approximate position
edge of t h e C a s t i l e h a l i t e ( a f t e r
HindsandCunningha,
1970).
''
30
Uranium
Associations
Numerous
small
copper-uranium
uranium
association
occurrences
are
known
belonging
throughout
to
the
eastern
redbed
New
Mexico (Finch, 1972). These deposits occur in rocks that
range
in
age
from
Pennsylvanian
to
Pleistocene,
and
may
be
characterized brieflyas occurring in fluvial sandstones
intimately
associated
with
abundant
carbonaceous
plant
matter
(organic "trash"). Rock units containing uranium deposits
are invariably brownish to black in color. Red and maroon
colored units seem to be conspicuously barren (Tschanz and
other, 1958).
that
are
Scours cut into underlying fine-grained rocks
backfilled
by
carbonaceous
sandstone
contain
the
highest uranium concentrations; however, overall grade
of
mineralization is low. Channel samples of deposits typically
contain 0.001 to 0.05 percent U 308' although selected samples
may contain0.10 percent U308 or more.
The uranium
previously
potential
examined
in
of
the
WIPP site
the
section
of
caliches
this
has
been
report
on caliches
(p. 7-11) and in Appendix A.
Dewey
The
Dewey
Lake
Lake
Redbeds
Redbeds
of
Permian
age
are
exposed
or
are
present in the subsurface throughout the entire study area
and in adjacent regions. The redbeds are 148 m (487 ft) thick
in ERDA
9
and
consist
of
reddish-brown
siltstone
and
mudstone
with greenish-gray reduction spots (Griswold, 1977). Several
31
thin
(less
that
1.5 m thick) very fine-grained reddish-brown
silty sandstone beds are present. The Dewey Lake Redbeds are
62 m (202 ft) thick in the Project Gnome shaft southeast of
the WIPP site (sec. 34, T. 23 S.,
exclusively of thinly
bedded
R. 30 E.) and consist almost
reddish-brown
siltstone
with
small
Sandstone is rare,
greenish-gray reduction spots (Gard,1968).
and occurs as units less than
0.3 m thick. Carbonaceous
material is essentially absent. Elsewhere is the Nash Draw
15' Quadrangle, Vine (1963) reports that the Dewey Lake
Redbeds
consist
of
red-orange
to
red-brown
thinly
laminated
siltstone and fine sandstone.. Lenses of cross-bedded fine
sandstone
in
the
upper
part
of
the
unit
may
have
formed
in
a
fluvial environment.
No
evidence
of
uranium
favorability
is
found
in
the
Dewey Lake Redbeds. The unit contains mostly fine-grained
deposits, and lacks carbonaceous matter. Colors are exclusively
reddish,
in
contrast
to
known
redbed
uranium
occurrence
No elevated uranium concentrations are indicated from examination
of
gamma
ray
logs
from
potash
evaluation
holes
pene-
trating the redbeds. Most gamma logs show only moderate
variability at approximately 100 cps
throughout
the
Dewey
Lake
interval. A spectral gamma log for
K, U, and Th, in ERDA 9
indicates
13 ppm.
a
uniformly
low
uranium
concentration
of
less
than
32
Santa
The
area
Triassic
only
Rosa
Santa
northeast
of
Sandstone
Rosa
a
Sandstone
is present in the study
north-northwest
trending
line
located
slightly west of the ERDA 9 drill site. Southwest of this line
the unit has been removed by erosion. Maximum thickness is in
excess of 76 m (250 on
ft)the northeast margin of the study
area. Vine (1963) described the Santa Rosa from outcrops in
the northeast part of the Nash Draw 15' Quadrangle; a thin
wedge of the unit
is present
in
the
ERDA
9
drill
hole
(Griswold,
1977).
In
the
Nash
Draw
region,
the
Santa
Rosa
consists
of
reddish-brown, large-scale trough cross-bedded sandstone of
probable fluvial origin. Cross sets are 1-5 m (3-15 ft) thick,
and
are
separated
from
adjacent
sets
by
thin
partings
of
reddis
siltstone and mudstone. The sand is dominantly fine-grained,
poorly sorted, and contains 15-20 percent feldspar. Local
conglomeratic beds occur. Vine reports the rare occurrence
of
fossil
Secondary
plant
bleaching
unit and in
post
impressions
occurred
other
carbonaceous
locally
at the
base
material
of
the
someof the coarser sandstone beds, indicating
depositional
Despite
has
and
the
movement
of fluids.
local
occurrence
of
carbonaceous
trash
in
a
thick, arkosic fluvial sandstone, the Santa of
Rosa
the WIPP
site is considered to be unfavorable for uranium concentrations.
The
colors
are
dominantly
reddish,
whereas
known
uranium
deposi
in the Santa Rosa occur in dark brown sandstones (Finch, 1972).
33
Gamma
logs
frequently
show
no
show
evidence
lower
of
elevated
radioactivity
count
than
the
rates,
and
underlying
Dewey Lake Redbeds. Some lowered radiation zones may correspond to bleached (leached) zones noted in the published
descriptions. The spectral gamma log from hole ERDA 9,
although penetrating less than3 m (10 ft) of Santa Rosa,
indicates less than13 ppm uranium. While the fluid movement
that
produced
uranium
dip,
no
from
the
bleached
the
near
evidence
for
zones
surface
such
noted
rocks
above
and
may
have
leached
reconcentrated
it down
reconcentration
can
be
observed
in
,
the available data. A spectral gamma log from drill hole 8 AEC
located
a
outside
maximum
the
uranium
WIPP
site
content
of
Gatuna
Radioactive
boundary
to
the
approximately
6 5 ppm
northeast
indicat
locally.
Formation
anomalies
have
been
described
from
the
Gatuna
1 9 7 2 ) , some tens of miles east
Formation in Lea County (Finch,
of the WIPP site. These occurrences are in dark red, gypsif-
erous clay as exposed in oil well mud pits. Maximum uranium
content reported is 0 . 0 0 6 percent U302 ( 6 0 ppm) (Waltman, 1954).
No
evidenceof such
logs
from
the
radioactive
WIPP
zones
could
be
detected
in
gamma
site.
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSIONS
The proposed WIPP siteis located about 4 0 km (25 mi) east
of
Carlsbad,
New
Mexico,
near
the
northern
border
of
the
Dela
Basin. From the base of the Castile Formation, the stratigraphic
34
section includes marine Ochoan (Late Permian) evaporites that
are
overlain
by
marine
and
continental
Ochoan
to
Quarternary
redbeds. Our field observations and examination of existing
records indicated that (1) caliche.,
. (2) salt, (3) gypsum,
(4) lithium-bearing brines, ( 5 ) sulfur, (6) uranium are the
only
WIPP
site-related
commodities
that
may
have
any
economic
A more detailed studyof WIPP site reserves and
potential.
national, state, and local supply-demand relationships indicates
of the
that the economic potential of onsite reserves
first
five commoditiesis minimal. Uranium is present only in
concentrations
not
considered
far
to
below
be
economic
of
levels
potential
and
therefore
is
importance.
Caliche reserves of the proposed WIPP site are about 96
m3 (126 yds3 ) ; however, because of the low local demand for
3
caliche (about 10,000 yds ) and extensive caliche deposits
of
higher
quality
foresee
the
There
throughout
utilization
are
southeastern
of
WIPP
about118 billion
New
site
tons
Mexico,
we
cannot
reserves.
of
salt
in
the
Salado
and Castile formations beneath the WIPP site. We conclude
that because of the
depth.of the salt*-(greater than
165'~m)the
low
demand
readily
for
New
available
Mexico
salt
salt,
and
reserves
on the
virtually
regional
unlimited
and
and
national
level, the economic potential of WIPP site salt reserves are
also
very
small.
About 1.3 billion
tons
of
gypsum
occurs
within
the
boundaries of the proposed WIPP site.
In our opinion the
economic
potential
of
this
gypsum
is
very
small
because
there
35
are substantial gypsum reserves in the Great Lakes, midcontinent,
and West Coast regions, closer to large consumer areas. Furthermore,
New
reserves
Mexico
that
has
will
other
meet
large,
all
of
widely
its
distributed
foreseeable
gypsum
demand
for
gyp
Pockets (10 to100 gal) of economic grade(140 ppm), lithiumbearing brines occur in the WIPP site subsurface. However,
because of the small, isolated nature of the pockets, and the
presence
and
to
of
adequate
California,
meet
a
we
demand
Sulfur
lithium
cannot
for
deposits
reserves
foresee
in
the
North
Carolina,
utilization
of
Nevada,
onsite
brin
lithium.
in
the
Los Medanos
area
may
be
economically
important, but the WIPP site is located east of the edge of th
Castile
halite,
and
all
known
sulfur
deposits
lie
to
the
west
of the Castile halite edge. Any occurrence of onsite sulfur
is
unlikely.
There is no
trations
of
evidence
uranium
that
exist
in
economic
or subeconomic concenthe
redbed
units
of
the
WIPP
site
study area, despite the fact that certain units (Santa Rosa
Sandstone and Gatuna Formation) are known to contain subeconomic
deposits elsewhere. The dominant red coloration, and corresponding lack of carbonaceous material the^
in sediment (reducing
agent for uranium), indicates regional unfavorability. Gamma
ray
logs
for21 potash test holes, and spectral gamma logs for
2 additional
holes (AEC8 and ERDA 9) also indicate uniformly
low
content
uranium
(less
100 ppm max).
than
i
36
REFERENCES
of southeastern New
Bachmam, G. O., 1976, Cenozoic deposits
Mexico and an outline of the history of evaporite
dissolution: Jour. Research U. S. Geol. Survey, v. 4,
no. 2, p. 135-149.
Chugg, J. C., Anderson, G. W., King, D. L., and Jones, L. H.,
1971, Soil survey of Eddy area, New Mexico: Soil
Conservation Service,U.S.D.A., Superintendent of
Documents, Washington,D.C. 20402, 82 p.
Craig, J. I., 1974, The mineral industry of New.Mexico:
U. S.
Bur. of Mines Mineral Yearbook
1974, 23 p.
in New
Finch, W. I., 1972, Uranium in eastern New Mexico: Mexico Geol. SOC. Guidebook, 23rd field conf., p. 171-175.
Gard, L. M., 1968, Geologic studies, Project Gnome, Eddy
County, New Mexico: U. S . Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 589,
33 p.
Gile, L. H., 1961, A classification
of Ca horizons in soils of
a desert region,
Dona Ana County, New
Mexico: Soil Science
SOC. Amer. Proc.,v. 25, p. 52-61.
Gile, L. H., Peterson, F. F., and Grossman, R. B., 1965, The
K horizon: A master soil horizonof carbonate accumulation:
Soil Science,v. 99, p. 74-82.
, 1966, Morphological and genetic sequences
of carbonate accumulation in desert soils: Soil Science,
V. 101, p. 347-360.
Foster, P. J., 1977, Salt: U. S. Bur. Mines Commidity Data
Summaries, p. 144-145.
Gittinger, L. B., 1975, Sulfur in Lefond,
S . J . , ed., Industrial
Minerals and Rocks: Am. Inst. Mining,Metanurgical and
Petroleum Engineers, Inc., New
York; p. 1103-1125.
Griswold, G. B., 1977, Site selection and evaluation
stuFes
of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP),
Los Medanos,
Eddy County, New Mexico: Sandia Laboratories Unlimited
Release, SAND 77-0946, 48
p.
Hinds, J. F. and Cunningham, R. R.,1970, Elemental sulfur in
Eddy County, New Mexico: U. S. Geol. Survey Circ. 628,
13 p.
37
Holdren, J. P., 1971, Adequacy of lithium supplies as fusion
on
energy source: Hearing before the Joint Committee
Atomic Energy, Congress of the United States,Nov. 10-11.
2, QuantiJahns, R. H., 1953, The genesis of pegmatites, Pt.
tative analysis of lithium-bearing pegmatite, Mora County,
New Mexico: Am. Mineralogist, v. 38, p. 1078-1112.
Jones, C. L., 1977, Test drilling for potash resources: Waste
U. S.
Isolation Pilot Plant site, Eddy County, New Mexico:
Geol. Survey Memorandum of Understanding E(29-2)-3627,
432 p.
Xlingman, C. L., 1975, Salt: U.
and Problems 1975, 12
p.
S.
Bur. Mines Mineral Facts
Lambert, J. J., 1977, The geochemistry of Delaware Basin
groundwaters: Sandia Laboratories Unlimited Release,
SAND 77-0420, 13 p.
S. J.,
Lefond, S . J. and Jacoby, C. H., 1975, Salt, in Lefond,
ed., Industrial Minerals and Rocks: Am.?nst.
Mining,
Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., New York,
p. 995-1025.
Lesure, F. G., 1965, Pegmatite minerals, in Mineral and water
resources of New Mexico:N e w MexicoBur. Mines & Mineral
Resources, Bull. 87, p. 278-290.
Longacre, J. D., 1977, Sixty-fourth annual report
by the State
Inspector of Mines to the Governor of the State of
Mexico: Office of the State Inspector of Mines, 64th
Ann. Rept., 70 p.
Lovelace, A. D. and others, 1972, Geology and aggregate
resources--District 11: New Mexico State Highway Dept.
Materials and Testing Lab., Santa
Fe, 120 p.
Pressler, J. W., 1977, Gypsum: U. S . Bur. Mines Commodity
Data Summaries 1977,p. 70-71.
Quan, C. X., 1977, Lithium in 1977: U. S . Bur. Mines Mineral
Industry Surveys. Preliminary Annual Report,1 p.
Reed, A. H., 1975, Gypsum: U. S. Bur. Mines Mineral Facts
and Problems 1975, p.
9
Singleton, R. H., 1977, Lithium: U. S. Bur. Mines Commodity
Data Summaries 1977,p. 94-95.
New
38
Smith, R. A., inpress, Sulfur deposits in Ochoan rocks
of
southeast New Mexico and west Texas in Austin,
G. S.,
compiler, Geology and mineralogy the
of Ochoan in the
southwestern United States: New Mexico Bur. Mines and
Mineral Resources, Circ. 159.
Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, 1976, Geologic Atlas
Texas, Hobbs Sheet(1:250,000): Univ. Texas at Austin.
of
Tschanz, C. M., Laub, D. C., and Fuller, G. W:, 1958, Copper
and uranium deposits of the Coyote Distrlct, Mora County,
New Mexico: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1030-L, p. 342-395.
Vine, J. D., 1963, Surface geology
of the Nash Draw Quadrangle,
Eddy County, New Mexico: U. S . Geol. Survey Bull. 1141-B,
46 p.
Waltman, R. M., 1954, Uranium in southeast New Mexico:
-in
New MexicoGeol. SOC. Guidebook, 5th field conf.,
p. 113-114.
Weber, R. H . ~ , and Kottlowski, F. E., 1959, Gypsum resources
of New Mexico:New MexicoBur.. Mines & Mineral
Resources, Bull. 68, 68 p.
39
APPENDIX A
Descriptionof
or n e a r t h e
Sampled S o i l - C a l i c h e P r o f i l e s i n
WIPP S i t e , Eddy County, New Mexico
P r o f i l e sd e s c r i b e da n dc o l l e c t e db y
W.
Bachman (USGS) and C. Rautman.
Sample
a p p e n d i xp r e p a r e db y
GeneralSettingand
Surfacegeology
J. W .
T.
Siemers, G . 0.
notesreviewedand
Hawley.
Comments onSampled
Profiles:
of t h e p a r t o f t h e
(15 m i n u t e ) Q u a d r a n g l e h a s b e e n
S i t e on Nash D r a w
.
mapped by Vine (1963)
A low i n t e n s i t y s o i l s u r v e y ( s c a l e 1 : 3 1 , 6 8 0 ) o f t h e e n t i r e
site area
h a sb e e np u b l i s h e db yt h e
S e r v i c e (Chugg a n do t h e r s ,
1971).
i n v e n t o r ya n dg e o l o g i cm a p p i n g
was a l s o done b y t h e
1 9 7 2 ) , Quad, 1 1 9 ) .
SoilConservation
U.S.
G e n e r a al g g r e g a t e - r e s o u r c e
of t h e a r e a
(scale 1 : 1 9 1 ) , 0 8 0
New Mexico Highway Department(Lovelace,
Recent r e c o n n a i s s a n c e maps (scale
1:250,000) of t h e S i t e r e g i o n h a v e b e e n p r e p a r e d b y
( 1 9 7 6 ) and C . C. Reeves (Texas Bur.Econ.Geology,
Sampled p r o f i l e s 1, 2 , 5,
9 3 s q u a r e km (36square
c a p r o c kc a l i c h e
mile) WIPP s i t e area.
t a t i v e o fc a l i c h e so nt h e
(Chuggand
Profiles 3
4 and 7 miles n o r t h e a s t
A l l p r o f i l e s except no.
on"The
1976).
and 6 are located i n t h e
and 4 are l o c a t e d , r e s p e c t i v e l y , a b o u t
of .site c e n t e r .
Bachman
4 ( O g a l l a l a Fm.
D i v i d e " ) are i n materials r e p r e s e n -
site.
S u r f a c es o i l
o t h e r s , 1 9 7 1 ) a b o v ec a l i c h e s
materials
a t p r o f i l e s 1, 2 , 3
and 6 are r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h eS o i lS u r v e y" B e r i n oc o m p l e x "
meters o f r e d d i s h , f i n e s a n d
t h a tc o m p r i s e s
1 to1.5
c l a y - l o a mw i t h
a b a s a l zone o f s o f t c a l i c h e .
t o sandy
Low s t a b i l i z e d
40
are l o c a l l y p r e s e n t i n t h i s
sanddunes
mapping u n i t .S o i . 1
a t p r o f i l e 5 are r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e
materials a b o v e c a l i c h e
s o i l Surveymappiqg-unit
" K e r m i t - B e r i n of i n es a n d s " .T h i s
s o i l s of t h e" B e r i n oc o m p l e x "w i t h
complexcomprises
common
meters t h i c k , o f s t a b i l i z e d a n d a c t i v e d u n e
o v e r l a y s ,u pt o1 . 5
75 t o 80 p e r c e n to f
s a n d .F i e l di n v e s t i g a t i o n si n d i c a t et h a t
S i t e area i s u n d e r l a i n b y
materials l i k e t h o s e d e s c r i b e d
p r o f i l e s 1, 2 , 3, 5 , and 6 .
at
S a m p l e ss e l e c t e df o rl a b o r a t o r y
a n a l y s e s are d e n o t e d w i t h a n a s t e r i s k
(*).
P r o f i l e 1:
Sampled i n c a l i c h e p i t ,
NE%,NE%, Sec. 32, T . 22 S . , R . 31 E.
S u r f a c e s o i l material i n p i t area: SCS S o i l S u r v e y
BB
( B e r i n oC o m p l e x ) .E s t i m a t e dd e p t hr a n g et oc a l i c h en e a rp i t
i s 1 t o 1 . 5 m;
0-66
Mapping U n i t
s o i l material p o o r l ye x p o s e d .
o v e r l y i n gr e d d i s h
cm; K2m h o r i z o n , i n d u r a t e d c a l i c h e , b l o c k y p e d s t r u c t u r e ,
a n g u l a rp e d s
cementedzones
2-6
c m , f i r m l yc e m e n t e d ;s a n d y ,
i nj o i n t s ;w e a k l y - d e v e l o p e d ,
subhorizontallaminarstructureinupper
Dry c o l o r s : v e r y p a l e
brown(10YR8/3),
1 7 cm.
w i t hp i n k
(5YR8/4) m o t t l e s ( 2 c m diameter). ChannelSample
Wc-la*
66-134 cm; K3;
.
c a l i c h e ,w i t hs c a t t e r e df r a g m e n t so f
s a n d s t o n ee n g u l f e db y
CaC03;
nodularfabricinupper
but loosely cemented.
below134
cm; T r i a s s i c s a n d s t o n e
Triassic
carbonate-plugged
45 cm; l o w e r p a r t n o d u l a r ,
Channel Sample Wc-lb*.
41
P r o f i l e 2:
NWkrNW%, sec.
Sampled i n c a l i c h e p i t ,
S u r f a c e s o i l material: SCS S o i l S u r v e y
Complex).
E s t i m a t e d d e p t hr a n g e
tonguesofoverlyingreddishsoil
2 2 , T.
22 S . , R.
31 E .
Mapping U n i t BB ( B e r i n o
to c a l i c h en e a rp i t
is 1 to1.5
material are p r e s e n t i n
KZm h o r i z o n
solutionchannelsandpipesthatpenetratethe
(Sample Wc-2a).
0-48 cm; K '. h o r i z o n ,i n d u r a t e dc a l i c h e ,w e l l - c e m e n t e d ;u p p e r
2m
1 0 c m h a r du n d e r
hammer, w e a k l yl a m i n a t e d ;p l a t y
5 cm l o n ga n d
p e ds t r u c t u r e ,p e d su pt o
thick.
cm; K3;
48-102
Channel
1 cm
Sample W,c-2b*.
c a l i c h e ,w i t hm o d e r a t e l y - c e m e n t e dp l a t yp e d s ;
Channel Sample WC-~C*.
basal 1 5 cm l o o s e l y c e m e n t e d .
1 0 2 - 1 2 7 cm; Cca h o r i z o n , s c a t t e r e d c a r b o n a t e n o d u l e s i n
sandstone.
below 127: cm;
Triassic
Sample Wc-2e*.
sandstone.
Grab Sample Wc-2d.
P r o f i l e 3:
NE+,SW%, sec. 1 2 , T.
Sampled i n c a l i c h e p i t ,
Surfacesoil
Complex).
2 2 S . , R.
material: SCS S o i l SurveyMappingUnit
Estimated d e p t hr a n g e
meters; o v e r l a yo fr e d d i s h
t o c a l i c h en e a rp i t
31 E.
BB ( B e r i n o
is 1 t o1 . 5
s o i l material sampled(GrabSample
Wc-3a).
0-160
cm; Km; i n d u r a t e dc a l i c h e ;p l a t y
c e m e n t e dt h r o u g h o u t ;e n g u l f s
ped s t r u c t u r e , w e l l
Triassic s a n d s t o n ea t
b a s e ;n u m e r o u sp i p e sa n di n c i p i e n tp i p e s
locality.
Grab Sample
Wc-3b*.
at this
m;
Profile 4:
Sampled in west-facing scarp of "The Divide" SW%,SW&, 4,
sec.
T. 22
S.,
R. 32 E. Outcrop of Ogallala caprock
caliche; well-indurated, dense, with zones of
pisolotic structure. Grab Sample Wc-4*.
Profile 5:
Sampled in caliche pit; SW%NE%, sec.
5, T. 23
S.,
R. 31 E.
Surface material: Pit spoil; SCS soil mapping unit in pit
KM) . I '
area is "Kermit-Berino fine sand (Unit
Estimated
0.5 to 2.5 m; fine dune
depth to caliche near pit is from
sand
forms
the
upper
part
of
overlying soil
thicker of
zones
material (Kermit soils), and reddish sandy clay loams
1, 2, 3 and6 ) make
(similar to surface soils at profiles
up
the
basal
part.
0-20 cm;K22m horizon, indurated caliche; blocky ped
structure, angular peds with subhorizontal long
axes; moderately to firmly cemented. Channel
.
Sample Wc-5a* (upper)
20-50 cm; K23;;
with
indurated caliche; blocky ped structure,
prismatic
peds;
moderately
cemented.
Channel Sample Wc-5a* (lower).
50-145 cm;K3 horizon;
blocky
peds;
moderately
to poorly
cemented. Channel Sample Wc-5b*.
below 145 cm; Cca horizon; carbonate nodules with sandy
earth matrix, some coalesced nodules.
Channel
SampleWC-~C*.
43
Profile 6:
Sampled in caliche pit, SEb,
sec. 17, T. 22
S.,
R. 31 E.
Surface soil material in pit area: SCS Soil Survey Mapping
Unit BB (Berino Complex). Estimated depth range to caliche
near pit is 1 to 1.5 m; overlay of reddish soil material
sampled (Grab Sample Wc-6a).
0-52 cm;K2m horizon, indurated caliche, block to platy
ped structure; well cemented; angular fragments
of Triassic sandstone sparsely scattered in
caliche matrix. Channel Sample Wc-Gb*.
52-92 cm: K3, caliche, blocky ped structure, moderately
cemented with some well-cemented layers. Common
Triassic sandstone fragments. Channel Sample
WC-~C*.
92-117
cm;
Cca
horizon;
nodules
and
platy
masses
of carbonate-
impregnated sandy material. Bulk of unit composed
of
below
117
Triassic
cm;
sandstone.
Channel
Triassic
sandstone,
Sample
Wc-Gd*.
Sample
Wc-Gc.