Bulletin 23. Potash in the Greensands of NJ, 1923 - State of New ...

28 POTASH Ii_ THE GREENSAlXTDS OF NEW JERSEY.
SAND.
The use of lime in extrae_mg potash from greensand lends interest
to the occurrences of the lime-sand and limestone phases of the Vincentown
sand as possible sources of the lime. The following analyses
giwn by Cook show the character of this material:
Analyses of limestone and lirae sand from the _ncer_oum 8and in Mannington Townsh_p.a
1 2 3 1 2 3
?hc_phorlcacid .......... 0.04 I 0.20 ......... Atumina ................ _}.91 0._6 6.20
]ulphuric acid ............ 06 .23 ......... O_ido of iron ............. 9.97 3.56
]Siclc _eid ............... 23.31 8.11 43.49 Carbonate ofllm¢ ........ 69.91 84.73 44.45
_agnesia ................. 1.81 1.40 1.95 Water ..................... 24 .45 ........
99.05 99.54 96. O9
a Cook, O. H._ op. cir., pp. 441-442.
No. I is described as a fair sample of the "Yellow limestone" in
Mannington Township. No. 2 is described as lime sand from pits of
John Fowler, Swedes Bridge, Mannington Township. This is a
sample of the loose variety, is gray in color, and contains many greensand
grains. No. 3 is described as lime sand from William Barber's
pits, along a branch of Manniugtoa Creek, Manningt_n Township.
This lime sand was extensively used as a fertilizer. The stony layers
were burned for lime, which had a wide use and gave good satisfaction.
These pits have long been idle and have probably passed into other
ownership, but the general locality can readily be identified from the
map. The average content of carbonate of lime for the three samples
is 66.3 per cent. The low mugnesia content is noteworthy. Measurements
of thickness are not now available, but the former use of the
lime sand suggests its presence in commercial quantity. Cook'
writes: "William Barber's yellow limestone quarry is perhaps the
finest in the State; he has dug 25 feet in it without finding bottom;
it is made up of alternating tabular masses of limestone and lime
sand, the stone from 4 to 12 inches thick and the sand from 8 inches
to 2 feet thick."
The Shiloh marl, to which reference has already been made, was
dug on branches of Stow Creek along the county line, about 9 miles
southeast of Salem. The five analyses given by Cook ,o show a maximum
content of about 15 per cent of carbonic acid (CO_), equivalent
to 32 per cent of carbonate of lime. These analyses show a maximum
of 2 per cent of phosphoric acid and of 1.55 per cent of potash
and soda combined.
'Cock, O. ]_.j op. eat., p. _73.
_ Ide_3, pp, 471--4_
NEW JERSEY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY