Mining conditions and problems encountered within the Texas gulf-Cane Creek Potash Mine near Moab, Utah; and potential mining conditions at Gibson Dome, Utah (RI-184)

By: J. W. Gwynn

The Cane Creek mine began as a conventional underground excavation in 1964, but was converted to a system combining solution mining and solar evaporation in 1970. The potash ore, sylvinite, was mined from the K5 potash zone situated near the 4lper portion of Salt 5 of the thick Paradox Formation evaporite sequence. The stratigraphic position of marker bed 4, consisting of anhydrite, dolomite and shale, is immediately above the ore zone.

Gibson Dome, a potential site of the DOE's nuclear waste repository, is located about 25 miles south of the cane Creek area. Stratigraphically, the repository would be positioned within Salt 6 about 200 to 300 feet below the ore zone of Salt 5; access would be by a vertical shaft 3200 to 3300 feet in depth. The shaft would penetrate 2600 feet of non-evaporite lithologies, which make up four formations, before encountering the Paradox evaporites. Based on the experiences of Texas Gulf Sulfur in developing the Cane Creek mine, as previously discussed, a number of considerations can be addressed concerning the development of a repository facility at the Gibson Dome site.

The purpose of this report is to present a synopsis of some of the mining conditions encountered in the Texas Gulf-Cane Creek potash mine, and to relate them to the potential mining conditions at Gibson Dome.

Other Information:
Published: 1984
Pages: 12 p.
Location: Grand and San Juan Counties
Media Type: Paper Publication

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