| Description |
Gilsonite, a mineral hydrocarbon of the asphaltite class, was first discovered in l885. It is a black solid of fairly bright luster and melts or fuses between 130 and 210 degree C. It is soluble in carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, and many other non-polar organic solvents. The principal deposits of Gilsonite are found in the Uinta Basin, Uinta County, Utah, occurring as filling in vertical fissures in the Green River (Eocene) calcareous shales, limestones and sandstones. These veins vary in width from several inches to twenty feet, and vary in length from a few miles to as much as thirty or forty miles. Some veins are believed to be fourteen hundred feet deep, although the deepest penetration has been six hundred feet. It has been estimated that Utah has a reserve supply of sixteen million tons of this ore available for commercial development. Since its discovery, Gilsonite has gained considerable commercial importance. The American Gilsonite Company reports the annual production to be well over eighty thousand tons, with a yearly income of nearly three million dollars for the state of Utah. Considering these facts, it is easy to visualize the commercial importance of this material. However, virtually all of the previous research has been on the commercial utilization of Gilsonite and not on its chemical composition. |
