In 2010, there was some excitement in parts of North Dakota about “potash,” or "potassium salts.”
Potash is a fertilizer. It’s mined just across the border, in Saskatchewan.
"We've got those same deposits," said state geologist Ed Murphy.
Murphy said the state used to get a lot of inquiries from around the world about North Dakota’s potash deposits. But that slowed down a lot, when the price dropped. Now, Murphy says there have recently been a few inquiries.
"We're still putting that information out," Murphy said. "So when the price comes up to a point where they're interested in coming back and explosring, we want to give them a better idea of where to explore."
Murphy said the exploration in 2010 was probably not at a good spot.
"If we'd been able to get them more information, they may heva picked a better spot," Murphy said.
The area with potash is from western Bottineau County to Divide County. Murphy said it’s shallowest in Bottineau County, and gets deeper toward the west.