Blacks Fork Trona Mine (TG Soda Ash)

The Blacks Fork Trona Mine (TG Soda Ash) is a sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate, soda ash, and sodium mine located in Sweetwater county, Wyoming at an elevation of 6,401 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Blacks Fork Trona Mine (TG Soda Ash)
Secondary: Black Fork Trona Project
Secondary: Blacks Fork Trona Mine
Secondary: Texasgulf Soda Ash Project Mine
Secondary: Texasgulf Soda Ash Mine
Secondary: Wyoming Soda Ash Project
Secondary: Texas Gulf Sulphur Corp.
Secondary: TG Soda Ash, Inc.
Secondary: Texasgulf Trona
Secondary: Texasgulf - Trona
Secondary: TGS
Secondary: Texas Gulf Sulphur Company
Secondary: Wyoming Soda Ash Operation of Texasgulf, Inc.
Secondary: Granger Mine
Secondary: Texasgulf Mill
Secondary: FMC Granger Mine
Secondary: Green River Trona District

Commodity

Primary: Sodium Carbonate
Primary: Sodium Carbonate
Primary: Soda Ash
Primary: Sodium
Tertiary: Oil Shale
Tertiary: Halite

Location

State: Wyoming
County: Sweetwater
District: Green River Basin area

Land Status

Land ownership: BLM Administrative Area
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

Holdings

Type: Federal Lease

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Texas Gulf Sulfur Corp.

Owner Name: Williams Co. (Owns 15% Of Texasgulf)
Percent: 15.00
Home Office: Connecticut
Info Year: 1995

Owner Name: Texasgulf, Inc. (Elf Aquitain Sa Owns 85% Of TG)
Company ID: 4800639
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: Connecticut
Info Year: 1978
Years: 1978 - 1995

Owner Name: Potash Corp. Of Saskatchewan
Percent: 85.00
Home Office: Canada
Info Year: 1995
Years: 1995 -

Owner Name: Elf Aquitain SA
Percent: 85.00
Home Office: FRANCE
Info Year: 1995

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Underground
Mining Method: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1938
Discovery Method: Drilling
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Wyoming Basin

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Form: tabular: blanket

Structure

Type: R
Structure: Basin And Range Province; Green River Basin

Type: L
Structure: Rock Springs Uplift

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Evaporite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Eocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Halite
Ore: Oil Shale
Ore: Trona
Gangue: Nahcolite
Gangue: Gaylussite
Gangue: Dolomite
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (General): PRESS RELEASE: FMC Corporation 1735 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.299.6000 phone 215.299.5998 fax News Release www.fmc.com For Release: Immediate Media contact: Jim Fitzwater - 215.299.6633 Investor Relations contact: Brennen Arndt - 215.299.6266 FMC to Continue Curtailment of Granger Soda Ash Facility PHILADELPHIA, July 30, 2009 -- FMC Wyoming Corporation announced today its decision to continue the curtailment of operations at its Granger soda ash facility, representing a change to its previously announced plans. In April, 2009, FMC temporarily suspended operations at the Granger facility to align production with the decreased level of U.S. exports resulting from the global economic slowdown. FMC planned to restart the facility later in 2009 if needed to meet export demand in the second half of the year. FMC expects export demand to recover, but at a level that does not immediately require the incremental Granger production. Output from Granger is dedicated to supply export demand through the American Natural Soda Ash Corporation (ANSAC), which is the export marketing and logistics organization that serves export geographies, primarily Latin America and Asia. ?There is no fundamental change in our operating philosophy,? said Ed Flynn, president of FMC Wyoming. ?Due to its low start-up cost, our Granger facility has always been utilized as swing capacity to meet rising export demand. While ANSAC has successfully regained share, revised export demand projections for the second half of 2009 do not warrant a restart of the Granger operation at this time.?

Comment (General): Texas Gulf Sulphur Corp (misspelled Sulpher) [MAS 0560370276, newMRDS 10303458] record by IFOC on 23-nov-1983 gives location as bing in T20N R111W, Sec. 26 and also in W2 of Sec. 25. Reference is Root and others, 1973. NO other site specific information.

Comment (Reference): Original reference read "MESA MET-NONMET MINE FILE REF GS OF WYO CRS-2 1972" Unable to determine what MESA MET-NONMET MINE FILE is. CRS-2 is Glass and others, 1973.

Comment (Deposit): Trona was found by drilling. Thus A.B. Wilson changed discovery method from "Ore-material in place" to "drilling".

Comment (Production): Granger Mine (MRDS W031826, newMRDS 10089803) gives 1977 as year of first production and discovery in 1938 by Mountain Fuel Supply Co. It also gave discovery method as "ore-material in place" which A.B. Wilson changed to "drilling."

Comment (Commodity): TRONA BEDS GENERALLY OVER 90% PURE. HALITE IN BEDS LESSENS VALUE. (Granger Mine W031826, 10089803)

Comment (Deposit): WILKINS PEAK MEMBER OF THE GREEN RIVER FM. HAS OVER 25 EXTENSIVE TRONA BEDS RANGING UP TO 37 FEET THICK AND COVERING AN AREA UP TO 850 SQ. MILES. ELEVEN BEDS ARE OVER 6 FT THICK. A TOTAL OF 50 BILLION TONS OF TRONA ARE ESTIMATED FOR THE AREA. (Granger Mine W031826, 10089803)

Comment (Deposit): PARKER, ET AL, 1971, GIVES A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT OF THE GENESIS OF THE GREEN RIVER TRONA DEPOSITS, INCLUDING THE GEOCHEMISTRY, MINERALOGY, PALEOENVIRONMENT, AND THE MINING OF TRONA. (Granger Mine W031826, 10089803)

Comment (Development): VAST DEPOSIT FOUND WHILE DRILLING OIL AND GAS TEST WELL. (Granger Mine W031826, 10089803)

Comment (General): Granger Mine [W031826, 10089803] record by David M. Sutphin, 01-may-1982, USGS contained additional information as follows: Local Alteration--Trona May Be In Part A Diagenetic Product Of Reaction Between Evaporite Minerals And Na-Rich Water From The Weathering Of Andesitic Tuffs Of Green River Formation. Geochemical Studies (Parker, Et Al, 1971) Have Shown That The Green River Was Probably A Source Of Na-Rich Water. Solution Activity And Reorganization Of Material Is Evident Including Enlarged Grainsize And Secondary Redeposition Of Trona (Parker, Et Al, 1971). Local Structure--Rock Springs Uplift, East Of Trona Area, Stratigraphic High During Much Of Green River Fm. Depositional Period. It Created A Barrier Restricting Water Circulation And Aiding Evaporite Precipitation. Regional Structure--Basin And Range Province; Green River Basin; East Of Overthrust Belt, South Of Wind River Mts. Ore Control--Chemical Precipitation From Waters Of 15,000 Sq. Mi. Lake Gosiute During 1 Million Yr. Period Of Aridity And Restricted Circulation.

References

Reference (General): FMC Chemicals Press release: [http://www.fmcchemicals.com/LinkClick.aspx%3Flink%3DContent%252FDocs%252FFMC%2Bto%2BContinue%2BCurtailment%2Bof%2BGranger%2BSoda%2BAsh%2BFacility%2B073009%2BFINAL.pdf%26tabid%3D838%26mid%3D2589+granger&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjILVa_h1yRQGxyTx_A-uWmUyYBmYIt9XzxB7jwu4IwRHOl9h2Awa21JRIPdp4GyY_XDBbgCXKwFQZRwb4LXu4J0dKeqmHxP5z3SHuk3x3FZpqpsbO_7wkt5rNeTkioGg_A646j&sig=AHIEtbSyvYa-KrkGcGYDFij7rf6TzDAzWQ] accessed 6/6/10.
URL: http://www.fmcchemicals.com/LinkClick.aspx%3Flink%3DContent%252FDocs%252FFMC%2Bto%2BContinue%2BCurtailment%2Bof%2BGranger%2BSoda%2BAsh%2BFacility%2B073009%2BFINAL.pdf%26tabid%3D838%26mid%3D2589+granger&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjILVa_h1yRQGxyTx_A-uWm

Reference (Deposit): PARKER, R.B.,1971, CONTRIBUTIONS TO GEOLOGY, TRONA ISSUE, UNIV. OF WYOMING, V. 10, N. 1.

Reference (Deposit): USBM Minerals Yerbook, 1978-1979, v. 2, p. 592, 593.

Reference (Deposit): Root, F.K., Glass, G.B., and Lane, D.W., 1973, Sweetwater County, Woming--Geologic map atlas and summary of economic mineral resources: Geological Survey of Wyoming, County Resource Series No. 2, scale 1:500,000. [plate of Trona uranium, and other minerals]

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