INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
54 E&MJ; • JUNE 2016 www.e-mj.com
It's unlikely that motorists traveling along
a certain stretch of interstate highway
I-80 as it arcs across the southern half of
Wyoming would guess there's a network
of tunnels 1,600 ft below them that has
more linear roadway than the city of San
Francisco. And it's even more improbable
that during the winter, when high winds,
snow and frigid temperatures occasional-
ly combine to close the freeway, strand-
ed drivers would know that more than a
quarter-mile beneath them, mining crews
are hard at work in a comfortable 60° en-
vironment, ripping through thick beds of
a brownish, crystalline mineral that forms
an important ingredient in many commer-
cial products.
The area where this peculiar conver-
gence takes place is the Trona Patch, a
30- by 50-mile block of land in south-
western Wyoming that contains massive
Progress in the Patch
Southwestern Wyoming hosts the largest known trona deposit in the world.
Tata Group's North American chemical arm is intent upon making the most from
its extensive holdings in what is commonly referred to as the Trona Patch.
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor
Tata Chemicals North America's Green River, Wyoming, plant, shown here, ships more than 2 million tons of soda ash per year processed from more than 4 million tons of trona
produced by its underground mining operation. (All photos: Larry Brown)