Potash, evaporating, from space, land and air.Potassium is a vital ingredient of fertilisers, withou
Potash, evaporating, from space, land and air.Potassium is a vital ingredient of fertilisers, without which the sustainable world population may be something like 2 billion humans, and areas where it can be obtained in a form easily used by plants such a salt are at a premium. Much of the USA gets its stock from mines like the Intrepid mine in Moab, Utah (depicted in the photos) which produces 60% of its supply.The salts are the results of repeatedly evaporated lakes and shallow seas during geological time. The ore here formed some 300 million years ago and is now some 1200 metres beneath more recent rocks. It is mined by pumping water into the layer dissolving the salts into a brine, which then has to be evaporated in the ponds after pumping to the surface in the hot desert sun in order to obtain the desired product. It takes around 300 days, and the electric colours come from a dye that reduces the time taken by darkening the water so that it absorbs more heat.LozImage credits: 1: Digital globe 2: Jassen Todoro/Solent News 3: Doc Searls -- source link
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