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Silica sand can be found in granite, gneiss, and sandstone. The grains of silica sand can range in sizes from 2.38 millimeters to 105 microns. The sand is rounded in shape and is extremely durable. According to the Minnesota DNR There are three major sandstone formations that have the ability to produce the high quality quartz for silica sand. The Jordan Wonewoc, and St. Peter formations are in Wisconsin Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. These formations have to potential to produce a large amount of this high quality Quartz. The silica sand in this area consist of 95% quartz, the high purity creates a greater demand. (Dustman, Gulbranso, Bell & Gregg, 2011) Silica sand production has increase 37% between 2010 & 2011 (Dolley, 2011). This increase can be linked to silica sands various uses. The major increase for the demand of silica “frac sand” can be directly linked to a process called hydraulic fracturing, or Fracking. This new process has been developed to extract oil and natural gas from shale plays. In 2011 the sales
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Silica Co. They are a major producer of frack sand and looking to expand into the growing market. In 2011 the company filed a public offering worth $200 million dollars to get expansion process to move forward. (Dolley, 2011) U.S. Silica is the #2 producer of silica in the nation. Oil and natural gas companies have realized the huge importance of the Frac sand source that they have begun to buy their won frac sand mines to ensure there prices. In 2010 the average price for a ton of frac sand was $45-$50; in 2011 the price went up to $54.83 per ton. (King, 2011) The United States is the leading producer of silica sand in the world. In 2011 the global production of sand was 138 million metric tons, the United States produced 43,700 million tons of that number. It was followed by Italy producing 19,800 million tons, Germany producing 7,770 million tons, and Australia producing 5,600 million tons. (Dolley, 2011) Production of sand in the United States meets around 97% of the demand domestically. Some of the sand is exported to other countries due to demand. The average export price of a ton of sand is …show more content…
This is due to the large amount of silica that is in our region. According to the 2011 minerals yearbook for the Department of interior, the Midwest led the nation in 2011 with 51% of the sand mined in the United States. (Dolley, 2011) According to Wisconsin’s center for investigative journalism, there are currently 131 mining sites that have been permitted or proposed in Wisconsin. All of this mining has caused some concern from many people in the area. Concerns about health risks, traffic, and property value are at the top of the list. With 65% of the sand being transported to its destination by truck, there is much concern of the noise from the trucks near homes and businesses, as well as the impact that all of the traffic could have on the roads. (Dolley,
Silica Co. They are a major producer of frack sand and looking to expand into the growing market. In 2011 the company filed a public offering worth $200 million dollars to get expansion process to move forward. (Dolley, 2011) U.S. Silica is the #2 producer of silica in the nation. Oil and natural gas companies have realized the huge importance of the Frac sand source that they have begun to buy their won frac sand mines to ensure there prices. In 2010 the average price for a ton of frac sand was $45-$50; in 2011 the price went up to $54.83 per ton. (King, 2011) The United States is the leading producer of silica sand in the world. In 2011 the global production of sand was 138 million metric tons, the United States produced 43,700 million tons of that number. It was followed by Italy producing 19,800 million tons, Germany producing 7,770 million tons, and Australia producing 5,600 million tons. (Dolley, 2011) Production of sand in the United States meets around 97% of the demand domestically. Some of the sand is exported to other countries due to demand. The average export price of a ton of sand is …show more content…
This is due to the large amount of silica that is in our region. According to the 2011 minerals yearbook for the Department of interior, the Midwest led the nation in 2011 with 51% of the sand mined in the United States. (Dolley, 2011) According to Wisconsin’s center for investigative journalism, there are currently 131 mining sites that have been permitted or proposed in Wisconsin. All of this mining has caused some concern from many people in the area. Concerns about health risks, traffic, and property value are at the top of the list. With 65% of the sand being transported to its destination by truck, there is much concern of the noise from the trucks near homes and businesses, as well as the impact that all of the traffic could have on the roads. (Dolley,