Laserfiche WebLink
<br />~~ <br />~ <br />00 <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />and day-to-day variations are also common. Runoff from 'snowmelt from <br /> <br />April through July averages 65 to 75 percent of the annual total flow. <br /> <br />Fish and wildlife resource habitats contribute to the environmental <br /> <br />. I <br /> <br />quality and economy of the Region. Sport fishing and game hunting are <br /> <br />of special importance in attracting thousands of people each year and <br /> <br />making important economic contributions to the Region. <br /> <br />Oil Shale and Coal Resources <br /> <br />The Green River Formation contains the United States' richest oil <br /> <br />shale deposits. Figure 3 shows the types of shale deposits and the <br /> <br />general locations of naval oil shale reserves and the Federal oil shale <br /> <br />lease tracks. The formation was deposited in three ancient lakes of <br /> <br />great depth. Thermal and chemical characteristics of these lakes allowed <br /> <br />the deposition of thin-bedded oil shales and a number of relatively rare <br /> <br />carbonate minerals. The deposited organic matter became kerogen. Other <br /> <br />minerals include nahcolite, a sodium bicarbonate mater~al used for soda <br /> <br />ash or in air pollution control devices; dawsonite, potentially rivaling <br /> <br />bauxite as a source of alumina in the United States; trona, currently <br /> <br />mined in southwestern Wyoming to produce soda ash; and halite, common <br /> <br />salt. <br /> <br />The Upper Basin's oil shale resource has not been precisely determined, <br /> <br />but geologists generally agree that it is vast. The Green River Formation <br /> <br />is estimated to contain more than 3 trillion barrels of oil-equivalent. <br /> <br />2-5 <br />