 of the Wellington Formation of Permian age underlie all of Kingman County and range in thickness from about 250 feet in the eastern part of the county to 450 feet in the southwestern part. The salt beds are interstratified with thin beds of shale, anhydrite, and limestone, but many beds of minable thickness are present. These deposits of salt underlie most of south-central Kansas and were laid down in Permian seas that were partly cut off from the ocean.
During the early days of the salt-producing industry in Kansas, two mines were in operation at Kingman. The first mine began operation in 1889 but closed about 2 years later. A second mine was opened shortly thereafter but ceased operation in 1893. Huge salt reserves are present but salt is not being produced in the county.
Sand and gravel--Sand and gravel are obtained in Kingman County from Pleistocene deposits in the valleys of South Fork of Ninnescah River and Chikaskia River. Extensive deposits of sand and gravel are also available in the uplands in much of the county. The sand and gravel are used for concrete aggregate and for road surfacing.
Volcanic ash--Two small deposits of volcanic ash are known in Kingman County. A 2-foot bed of ash caps a small rise in the NW NE sec. 16, T. 29 S., R. 10 W., about a quarter of a mile west of St. Leo. Another deposit of unknown size is reported in the SW NW sec. 30, T. 28 S., R. 7 W. Both deposits are too small to be of commercial value but may be useful locally as a ceramic material. Other deposits of volcanic ash may be present in the uplands of the western part of the county but probably would require much prospecting to locate.
Kansas Geological Survey, Geology
Placed on web Sept. 8, 2008; originally published March 1960.
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