Phosphate
Southeast Idaho contains some of the richest phosphate deposits found in the United States. As you explore the Soda Springs Ranger District, you will discover active mine sites, as well as evidence of mining activity from the past.
Phosphate ore is mined and processed to produce fertilizer as well as pure elemental phosphorous. Phosphorous is utilized in products ranging from laundry detergent to tooth paste, and is a key ingrediant in many of the products that we use every day.
Locally, phosphate is found in the Meade Peak Member of the Phosphoria Formation. These rocks were deposited about 265 million years ago when ancient seas covered the area and provided a rich accumulation of organic material. The phosphate deposits are known as the Western Phosphate Field, one of the nation’s major phosphate producing regions. The Western Phosphate Field comprises about 86 million acres of land in the Rocky Mountains from Utah and Colorado stretching north into Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports reserves in the Western Phosphate Field constitute 3 percent of world reserves and 30 percent of U.S. reserves. About 80 percent of the phosphate reserves in southeast Idaho lie underneath the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Phosphate continues to rank as the second leading non-fuel mineral commodity by value in Idaho (the first is molybdenum).
There are two phosphate mines currently operating on the Soda Springs . Phosphate here is mined in large open-pit mines using large shovels and scrapers. The ore is then transported by truck, railway, or slurry pipeline to processing plants in Soda Springs, Pocatello, and other locations in the region.