OCR Text |
Show mirabilite solidly cemented the pilings in place. Mirabilite- cemented oolite beds have been found at numerous other places around the lake including: the South Shore Marina, the Antelope- Island Marina and the Morton Salt intake canal on the south end of Stansbury Island. They are probably present at many other areas around the lake. At one time, Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. ( now IMC Kalium Ogden Corp.) produced anhydrous sodium sulfate from winter- precipitated mirabilite; there is no current production of mirabilite. Epsomite ( magnesium sulfate) can be produced by the winter cooling of highly concentrated lake brines, such as those utilized by Magcorp in the production of magnesium metal and chlorine gas. Epsomite is not currently being produced from lake brines. Rozel Point Oil Field Naturally oozing tars have been collected from areas near Rozel Point, probably since pre- settlement times. Shallow wells drilled near surface oil seeps at Rozel Point beginning in the early 1900s produced a small amount of oil from a fractured, Tertiary basalt reservoir. The field area lies on mudflats at the edge of the lake and is submerged at times of high lake levels. There are currently no active wells in the Rozel Point oil field. Cumulative production ( to 1993) is 2,665 barrels of oil ( Kendell, 1993a). The oil is thick with a high sulphur content making it difficult to produce and refine. Rozel Point field is discussed by Heylmun ( 1961b), Eardley ( 1956, 1963a) and Kendell ( 1993a). West Rozel Point Oil Field Amoco Production Company drilled 15 wells in GSL, utilizing a floating barge- mounted drill rig, from mid- 1978 to 1981. The drilling resulted in the discovery of the West Rozel field, a seismically defined structural feature, three miles west- southwest of the Rozel Point oil field. The structure is a faulted anticline about three miles long and more than a mile wide, covering about 2,300 acres. The discovery well produced two to five barrels of oil per hour during production testing from perforations located 2,280 to 2,410 feet below surface in Tertiary basalt. Cumulative production ( to 1993) is 33,028 barrels of oil ( Kendell, 1993b). The oil is very thick and high in sulfur, making it difficult to produce and refine. West Rozel is discussed by Bortz ( 1983, 1987), Bortz and others ( 1985) and Kendell ( 1993b). Additional Oil Shows Additional oil shows were found in samples collected by Amoco during drilling in the south arm of the lake. Farmington Gas Field The Farmington gas field was discovered in 1891 near the shore of GSL about three miles southwest of Farmington. One well produced at a rate of 4.9 million cubic feet of gas per day from a depth of 850 feet. In 1985 a pipeline was built from the field to Salt Lake City and provided gas for 19 months until the gas was depleted or the wells sanded up. It is estimated that the field produced 150 million cubic feet of gas at a rate of 8.5 million cubic feet per month. The Farmington gas field is discussed by Heylmun ( 1961a). 120 |