The Chilean nitrate deposits.

G. E. Ericksen

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USGS · 70011409

The Chilean nitrate deposits.

G. E. Ericksen

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Abstract

The nitrate deposits in the arid Atacama desert of northern Chile consist of saline-cemented surficial material, apparently formed in and near a playa lake that formerly covered the area. Many features of their distribution and chemical composition are unique. The author believes the principal sources of the saline constituents were the volcanic rocks of late Tertiary and Quaternary age in the Andes and that the nitrate is of organic origin. Possible sources of the nitrate, iodate, perchlorate and chromate are discussed. -J.J.Robertson

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G. E. Ericksen. 1983. The Chilean nitrate deposits.. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70011409

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