SUBSURFACE BRINES AND SOLUBLE SALTS OF SUBSURFACE SEDIMENTS, SEVIER LAI(E, MILLARD COUNTY, UTA'H u T~ A H -+-~q'''OO'N. ~ T 23 w W U Miles 38°45' N. SCAL.E RllW ROW II Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey Special Studies 30 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH James C. Fletcher, President INSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL Edward W. Clyde • Chairman Joseph E. Bernolfo, Jr .. Vice Chairman Burtis R. Evans . Alumni President Linn C. Baker Member Re ed W. Brinton . • • • Member Robert H. Hinckley . • • • • Member Fullmer H. Latter • . Member Calvin W. Rawlings . Member (Mrs.) David Watkiss . Member UTAH GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL SURVEY William P. Hewitt, Director ADVISORY BOARD John M. Ehrhorn, Chairman. • • • U . S. Smelting, Refining, & Mining Co. Graham S. Campbell. • • . Intermountain As sociation of Geologists LaVaun Cox .• Utah Petroleum Council John K. Hayes . • . U • S. Steel Corporation Lehi F. Hintz e . • • . Brigham Young University Lowell S. Hilpert • U . S. Geological Survey Ezra C. Knowlton • Utah Sand & Gravel Products Corporation Kurt O. Linn . • • . Texas Gulf Sulphur Corporation James D. Moore. • The Anaconda Company W.J. O'Connor, Sr. Independent Coal and Coke Company Howard Peterson Utah State University Paul S. Rattle. • • Utah Mining As sociation Joe B. Rosenbaum. U • 8'. Bureau of Mines Raymond T. Senior. • • • Attorney William L. Stoke s . University of Utah Alvin J. Thuli, Jr •. Kennecott Copper Corporation J. Stewart Williams • Utah State University William P. Hewitt. Director, U. G • M • S ., Ex-officio Member George R. Hill . • Dean, College of Mines, Ex-officio Member by I.A. Whelan ~o Provo o Price o Oelt" , SEVIER DRY tAKE o Ceda r CHy SCALE OF HileS SPECIAL STUDIES 30 • PRICE $1.00 • AUGUST 1969 CONTENTS Page Abstract 5 Introduction. 5 Geography 6 Procedure. 9 Results. 9 Dis cus s ion and Concl us ions. 11 References Cited 13 ILLUSTRATIONS Cover Index map to study area. Frontis piece Aerial mosaic of Sevier Dry Lake showing location of Utah Geol. and Mineralog. Survey drill holes I August 1966. Table 1. Climatic summary, Black Rock I Utah. 6 2. Composition of subsurface brines, Sevier Lake drill holes (drilled by Utah Geol. and Mineralog. Survey I August 1966) . .. .... 7 3. Composition of soluble salts of sediments .... 8 4. Average composition of brines. 9 5. Composition of dissolved salts . .. .... 10 6. Averaged composition of dissolved salts by drill hole 11 3 SUBSURFACE BRINES AND SOLUBLE SALTS OF SUBSURFACE SEDIMENTS, SEVIER LAI(E, MILLARD COUNTY, UTAH by J. A. Whelan 1 ABSTRACT Three shallow holes were drilled by the Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey on the west side of Sevier Lake in August 1966. Brines with slightly under 200 grams per liter dissolved solids were encountered. The brines contain relatively more sulfate and lithium and relatively less chlorine, magnesium, and bromine than oceanic brines. The calcium and sulfate content of the brines increases toward the center of the lake in the north-south direction. The sediments contained an average of about 12 percent soluble salts, but the calci­ um content of the soluble salts is much higher, the sulfate content slightly high­ er, and the sodium, chloride, lithium, and bromine content lower than the dis­ solved salts of the coexisting brines. The lithium and bromine content of the soluble salts in the sediments is so low as to be negligible. The subsurface brines represent a possible exploitable saline deposit, but additional studies are needed to determine quality and reserves. INTRODUCTION Sevier Lake (frontispiece) in Millard County often is dry. At such times, the lake­ bed is covered by a thin saline layer, which in more moist seasons partially re­ dissolves. The basin, which has a minimum elevation of about 4,520 feet, re­ ceives most of its drainage locally. Clarke (1924, p. 159) indicates that the lake has become essentially a dry lake because of irrigation; the Sevier River has drained into Sevier Lake but twice in the past 48 years.1/ Saline deposits cover approximately 50 square miles of the basin, and enough saline contamination to affect vegetation is apparent over an additional 11 7 square miles. Only limited data on the brines and saline deposits of Sevier Lake have been pub­ lished (Clarke, 1924, p. 158 and 235). As part of its continuing study of saline resources, the Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey in 1966 drilled three shallow holes, 20 to 50 feet deep, along the western margin of the lake and sam- 1. Professor of mineralogy, Univ. of Utah; research geologist, Utah Geol. and Min­ eralog. Survey. 2. Unofficial obs ervations of W. C. Cole (personal communication to Ted Arnow, district chief, Water Resources Division, USGS, Salt Lake City, Utah) are that since 1920, Sevier River has drained into Sevier Lake twice: in 1922, Sevier Lake received considerable water and in 1948,. (?), it received a slight amount. 5 pled subsurface brines. Analytical data on these brines and on the soluble salts of the sediments, together with some comparative data on other brines and inter­ pretive data, are presented here. GEOGRAPHY Sevier Lake is bordered on the north by U. S. Highway 6-50, and on the south and west by gravel and dirt roads. Delta, Utah, is approximately 38 miles east of the lake and Ely, Nevada, about 113 miles west of it. Utah Highway 21, be­ tween Milford, Utah, and Ely, lies about 20 miles south of the south end of the lake. The nearest railroad is the Union Pacific at Delta. Supplies and labor are available in the same town. The closest power line, a Utah Power and Light Co. 12,400 volt, three-wire system, runs along Highway 6-50 immediately north of the lake. Climatic data from Black Rock, Utah, the closest reporting station I are given in Table 1. Table 1. Climatic summary, Black Rock, Utah. 1 Length of Record 25 years Temperature (0 F) January average 25.2 July average 72.2 Maximum 106.0 Minimum -33.0 Average PreCipitation (inches) January 0.60 February 0.78 March 0.96 April 0.96 May 0.91 June 0.35 July 0.63 August 0.61 September 0.72 October 1.01 November 0.64 December 0.51 Annual 8.68 1. From Climate and Man, U. S. Agricultural Department Yearbook, 1941 , p. 1148. 6 Table 2. Composition of subsurface brines, Sevier Lake drill holes (drilled by Utah Ceol. and Mineralog. Survey, August 1966). ppm Lab l-t Gm/Liter 4-1 Q) ...c: 0 -;o~ 4-1 0.. CI) CI) l-t ...c: S "'d -.-I Q) 4-1 Q) ;:::s ~~ 0.. S 0 Q~ Q) -.-I ;:::s ;::I ~:!:: Q) - CI) -.-I Q) 0 ..... ....:1 Q) l-t l-t 4-1 Q) Q) Q) ~ S Q) Q) Q) ;:::s CI) S Cf.lrtl""-... ..... Q) ...c: ..... 010 ..... Q) -.-I S 4-1 ~ .-t l-t -.-I ;:::s CI) ;:::s o....Q ..Q 4-I..Q o..!!::!. ~ rtl -.-I ..... ~ S Q) Q)~ 0 bl -.-I rtl 4-1 -s 4-1 ..Q S o..rtl ..... oS ...c: 2..:(!0 S S Q)E-! ..... S rtl "'d 0 4-1 0 rtl ;:::s rtl rtl ;:::s 0 - ...c: rtl 0 l-t -.-I () rtl 0 '"5 0 Cf.lZ Q ....:IZ Q :r:: Cf.l () ~ () Cf.l A.. Cf.l o:l ....:I Cf.l 0 E-I .....:J 8Bl-35 23 1705 3 35 4 74.76 2.15 .60 78.5 2.48 30.0 46.7 25.0 1.109 26.0 188.49 8Bl-48 23 170"6 3 48 4 64.08 1.45 .64 53.5 2.81 19.3 41.4 21.0 1.080 26.0 141. 79 8B2-10 24 1707 2 10 3 81. 88 2.75 .68 79.0 1. 98 20.78 50.7 27.0 1.098 26.0 187.07 8B2-20 24 1708 2 20 3 92.56 2.50 .76 64.0 1. 98 20.87 41.4 27.0 1.109 25.5 182.67 8B2-30 24 1709 2 30 3 89.00 2.65 .76 63.5 2.23 20.78 45.4 25.0 1.109 25.0 178.92 8B2-40 24 1710 2 40 3 86.44 2.60 .71 61.0 2.23 20.87 48.0 28.0 1.110 25.0 173.85 8B2-50 24 1711 2 50 3 81. 88 2.65 .72 61.5 1.98 20.78 34.7 28.0 1.106 25.0 169.51 8B3-10 25 1712 4 10 5 106.80 1.95 .94 75.5 2.64 13.71 64.0 34.0 1.177 24.5 202.54 8B3-20 25 1713 4 20 5 110.36 2.00 .94 76.5 2.64 14.65 69.4 36.0 1.127 24.5 207.09 -- _ .. _-- 1. August 1966. Table 3. Composition of soluble salts .of sediments. Gm Soluble Ion in 50 Gm Sediment til ~ ..r:: Q) .0 ~ ~ 0. ..-I (j) 8 :0 8 til ~ 8 o Q .r-! ~ 01 U).=:: (j) ~ !-< til .r-! (j) o (j) !-< (j) s:: 8 (j) U)O ..-I (j) (j) .r-! (j) ~ 8 til 8 Lt) tlrJj ..-I ..-I !-< .r-! ~ .0 s:: ~ til .s 8 ..-I Q) 0..0 (j) 0. .~ 8 o 01 o .r-! ro 80. ro ~ .0 ..-I ..-I .f8 ..r::o. s:: o 8 8 8 8 ro '"0 ~ ..-I 00. ~ .r-! !-< ro ~ ro ro ~ ro ..r:: ro o o ~ !-< !:: 0. o Q) U)Z Q HZ U) o ~ o U) P.. U) c:o H H P.. SSl- 1 23 1616 1.0 1. 67 .110 .114 1. 020 .094 .712 .2 1.35 3.70 7.40 SSl- 5 23 1617 5.0 .85 .096 .025 .560 .095 .333 .2 1.