Phoenix-An influential member of the state senate is calling for the development of a large potash deposit in the Holbrook Basin of east-central Arizona that she believes could provide a major economic boost to the area. “I’m coming from an economic point of view because I don’t know that much about potash itself,” commented State Sen. Sylvia Allen of Snowflake, who is part of the senate leadership as president pro tem. She expects that a mine of sizeable proportions would provide a lot of jobs and give a strong boost to the state. “We’re not developing our natural resources when we need to get back to producing and developing and creating jobs.” According to a new study by the Arizona Geological Survey, the deposit underlies 600 square miles east of Holbrook. The top of the potash is situated from 700 to 2,000 feet below the surface; most of the deposit is found at about 1,200-1,300 feet deep. Maximum thickness of the potash is about 40 feet, and total volume estimates range from 5.68 to 6.45 cubic kilometers. Reports of the average grade of potash range from 6-20 percent. Calculating tonnage for the entire deposit, assuming 6-20 percent grades, yields 682 million mt to 2.27 billion mt, respectively. Approximately 20 percent of the deposit, however, is closed to mining since it underlies the Petrified Forest National Park, and another 30 percent underlies lands included in the Petrified Forest Expansion Act of 2004. The remaining 50 percent is a combination of private, state trust, and Native American Tribal lands.
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