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Luke Salt Body - Southwest Salt Mine

Producer in Maricopa county in Arizona, United States with commodities Halite, Gypsum-Anhydrite
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Ownership information
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10060162
MRDS ID TC10119
Record type Site
Current site name Luke Salt Body - Southwest Salt Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.33212, 33.53563 (WGS84)
Relative position 1 MILE E OF LUKE AIR FORCE BASE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Maricopa(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

El Mirage(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Phoenix North(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Phoenix(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Agua Fria(hydrologic unit)

Lower Gila-Agua Fria(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Gila(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arizona Maricopa

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 002N 001W 02 Arizona

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Halite Primary
Gypsum-Anhydrite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Halite Ore
Anhydrite Gangue

Analytical data

Result LOW MAGNESIUM AND CALCIUM.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -112.33212, 33.53563
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, DOMED, RIDGE-LIKE MASS WITH ARCUATE CREST AND BROAD TRIANGULAR BASE
    Depth to top 268.22M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1968
Discoverer Southwestern Salt Company - Morton Salt Division

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Morton Salt Co.
    First year 1986

Comments on the workings information

  • SOLUTION MINING PRODUCTION OF SOLAR SALT IN EVAPORATION PONDS, STORAGE OF PROPANE AND BUTANE IN MAN-MADE CAVITIES. OPERATION USES A UNIQUE SET-HARVESTING METHOD TO REDUCE INSOLUBLES.

Comments on development

  • PREVIOUSLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY SOUTHWEST SALT CO. (PRE-1985). ; ECON.COM: OPERATION HAS AN ANNUAL CAPACITY OF 90,000 ST (1987). SOLUTION CAVITIES ARE USED FOR UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS STORAGE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PEIRCE, H. WESLEY, 1976, TECTONIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BASIN AND RANGE THICK EVAPORITE DEPOSITS: ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIGEST, V. 10, P 325-339.

  • Deposit

    EATON, G.P., PETERSON, D.L., AND SCHUMANN, H.H., 1972, GEOPHYSICAL, GEOHYDROLOGICAL, AND GEOCHEMICAL RECONNAISSANCE OF THE LUKE SALT BODY, CENTRAL ARIZONA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 753, 28 P.

  • Deposit

    PEIRCE, H. WESLEY, 1981, MAJOR ARIZONA SALT DEPOSITS: ARIZONA BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL TECHNOLOGY FIELDNOTES, P. 1-4.

  • Deposit

    PEIRCE, H.W., 1990, ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INDUSTRIAL MINERALS CARD FILE.

  • Deposit

    MYTTON, J.W., 1973, TWO SALT STRUCTURES IN ARIZONA: THE SUPAI SALT BASIN AND THE LUKE BODY: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT, 40 P.

  • Deposit

    PHILLIPS, K.A., BEARD, R.R., NIEMUTH, N.J., AND BAIN, D.R., 1991, ACTIVE MINES IN ARIZONA--1992: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES DIRECTORY 39, 20 P.

  • Deposit

    GROTT, JERRY, 1987, SOLAR SALT IN ARIZONA, IN PEIRCE, H.W., ED., PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST FORUM ON THE GEOLOGY OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS: ARIZONA BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL TECHNOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BRANCH SPECIAL PAPER 4, P. 120-122.

  • Deposit

    EYDE, TED, WILKINSON, P.A.K., AND WEILAND, E.F., 1986, FIELD TRIP TO SELECTED INDUSTRIAL MINERAL DEPOSITS OF ARIZONA, IN BEATTY, BARBARA, AND WILKINSON, P.A.K., EDS., FRONTIERS IN GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF ARIZONA AND THE SOUTHWEST: ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIGEST, V. XVI, P. 312-318.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ANHYDRITE AT 790 FT, HALITE AT 880 FT CONTINUING TO AT LEAST 4,503 FT (500 FT OF HALITE WITH SHALE INTERBEDS 2-8 FT THICK, NEARLY 600 FT OF HALITE WITH ARGILLACEOUS MATERIAL, APPROXIMATELY 500 FT OF ALTERNATE BEDS OF HALITE AND HALITE CONTAINING ARGILLACEOUS MATERIAL, 1,360 FT OF HALITE WITH SHALE INTERBEDS LESS THAN 1-6 FT THICK, 210 FT OF HALITE, 100 FT OF ALTERNATE BEDS OF HALITE AND HALITE WITH ARGILLACEOUS MATERIAL, AND NEARLY 380 FEET OF HALITE WITH SPARSE SHALE INTERBEDS LESS THAN 1-6 FT THICK). THE BODY INCLUDES AT LEAST 15 CU MILES OF HALITE, POSSIBLY 30 CU MILES.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1989 Bolm, Karen S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-OCT-1992 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-AUG-1993 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Arizona resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.