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M ~ <br />in the Fnvironmeatal Impact Statement, of the magnitude of the shale-ail resource that may be Y <br />impacted by the solution miming project. <br />The in-phue rosouree of dawsoaite, a low grade aluminum ore, finely disseminated in the <br />oil shale throughout most oftlre saline zone, has not been mentioned in the environmental impact <br />statement. Beard et al.(1974), figure 11 estimates that the in-place resource of dawsonite is the <br />project area is about 100 million tons per square mile in the salitre none and much of the leached <br />zone combined. Thrse averages out to 15b,250 tom per acre or L61,250,000 tons in the L032 <br />sat initial project area and 638,125,000 tons of dawaonite underlying the entire least arcs. <br />One matter of concern is-the effect of moderately hot water (300°F to 400°p) being <br />applied m oil shale over an extended period of time, possibly exceeding a year, on the very large <br />od-shale resource sad its contained dawsonite resource. <br />The rate of decomposition of kerogen sad its conversion to shale oil is dependent on a <br />number of factor. Among them are temperattn, time, percent of kerogea and particle sin. <br />Small sized fragmenU of kerogen-rich oil map be converted to shale oil within minutes when <br />snbjeaed to high temperatures--optimally 900°F. At the opposite end of the specturm kerogea <br />rich sedimentary rocks over geologic time may reach the mature oil generation stage at <br />temperabuts of abtrut BS°C and reachthe wet gas stage at 123°C (Berg and t3angi, 1999). <br />Zielinski (1983) in his study of the Appalachian Basin stood that "whey the temperature of a rock <br />rises above about SO°C the chemical bonds of the contained organic matter begin to break in <br />rdponse to the hear and the state of thermal maturation or catagenesis begins." Laboratory <br />studirv by Shell Oi] Company showed that stresses ere generated within confined oil shale, often <br />in the range of SO-100 psi/degree rise (ia temperature) in a ermfined sample. The thermal stresses <br />revolting from conduction heating in massive intervals help is creating fractures, especially near <br />low suds faces, such as an present adjacent b a leached bed or rubble zone (PraU et sl., 1976). <br />Cracks m wide av 0. S inch developed in a square block of 27 gallon per ton oil shale in the first <br />day of being subj acted to water az a temperature of 300°F. ARer as additional S hours of being <br />