• ​​​About 50 million years ago, volcanic activity, decaying plant matter, and climate change caused the evaporation of a large lake, leaving behind the world’s largest trona deposit located in Green River, Wyoming.
  
• Ancient Egyptians dug up dry lakebed deposits, using soda ash to make glass ornaments and vessels. Romans used soda ash for baking bread, making glass, and medicinal purposes.
• Soda ash has been used in manufacturing for over 5,000 years.
• Up until the 19th century, soda ash was extracted from the ashes of plants that grew in sodium-rich soil.
• The method was so common, it is how the powder received the name ‘soda ash’.
• Now mined from trona deposits, soda ash is one of the world’s most abundant natural resources. ​
  

Soda ash is Wyoming’s top export and is shipped to industries around the world.