Mineral Resources Potential - Geothermal Resources

,+
Industrial MimlS : -153 977
also reported. The main sylvite-bearing zone ranges :frop 1 5
in thiclu~ess.
Potash reserves are located mainly in th(: ~&il
depression (Salt Valley). Dallol @anakil) is s niajoi ' d&j&it
hosting Mite, sylvite, and other potassium salts reserves
shallow marine evaporitic sediments that also contain gyps&-alnd
anhydrite. The salt formation is composed of a thick evapohte
succession of gypsum, anhydrite, inter stratified halite, potash salts
and shales. New indications surfaced out recently that three
I borehole were drilled M e r to the east in the Danakil depression
1
I
and encountmd two layers of potash at 680 rn and 930 m and
presumed to be stratigraphically continues with the Musely ore
body, Therefore, the total potential reserve of potash within the salt
plain alone is estimated to reach several billion tons. The tonnage
of recoverable potash product in the Musley ore zone, based on, 85
drill hoIes, is 30,021,000 short tons (Arkin 1969). The whole
a depression contains at least 1 60,456,000 short tons of ore with 3 1-
34% KC1 (Arb, 1969, Mengistu and Fentaw, 2000). Reserve
estimates by Abera (1 994) exceed 60 million tonnes of recoved1e
KCI.