The striking electric blue shapes that grace the brown desert of Utah are potash evaporation ponds, managed by Intrepid Potash, Inc., the largest producer of potassium chloride in the United States. Situated approximately 30 km west of Moab, these ponds span an impressive 1.5 square kilometers, each lined with rubber to ensure that the valuable salts remain securely contained. Unlike other salt evaporation ponds, which often exhibit a reddish tint due to the presence of certain algae, the vivid blue color of these potash evaporation ponds is the result of an added dye that facilitates sunlight absorption and evaporation. Once the potassium and salts have been extracted, they are transported for further processing.

Most of the world’s reserves of potassium are derived from ancient oceans that once covered the earth’s land masses. As the water evaporated, the potassium salts crystallized and formed large beds of potash deposits. Over time, geological processes buried these deposits under thousands of feet of earth, where they eventually became potash ore. The Moab mines, situated in the Paradox Basin, are estimated to contain an impressive 2 billion tons of potash, formed approximately 300 million years ago and lying approximately 1,200 meters below the surface.

To extract potash from the ground, workers drill wells into the mine and pump hot water down to dissolve the potassium. The resulting brine is then pumped out of the wells to the surface and fed into the evaporation ponds. Over the course of approximately 300 days, the sun gradually evaporates the water, leaving behind valuable crystals of potassium and other salts.

Intrepid Potash, Inc. produces between 700 and 1,000 tons of potash per day from this mine alone, which has been in operation since 1965. With an expected 125 more years of production ahead of it, the Moab mine represents a critical source of this essential mineral, helping to meet global demand and drive economic growth.