Brine Resources Evaluation in the Sultanate of Oman |
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At the border with Saudi Arabia lies Umm As Samim, a vast 2,400 Km2 sabkha deposit.
Umm As Samim translates as 'the mother of all poisons' and is the final resting
place of a number of caravans. Beneath the surface of this barren groundwater
discharge zone lies a brine deposit rich in KCl, a valuable fertilizer.
Apparently Umm As Samim is quite a dangerous place: "Do you know the most desolate place on earth? The world has many desolate places... but none may be more desolate or dangerous as Umm As Samim". Andreas de Jong conducted the field investigations for the evaluation of the
Umm As Samim brine resource. This included field supervision of percussion and core drilling, pumping tests, porosity and brine
sampling. Evaporation rates and precipitation paths were measured by a carefully controlled evaporation pan test program lasting several weeks. All navigation in the project area was carried out by GPS. |
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