This map shows all of the major industrial mineral producing regions in the United States. Data for the map was compiled from USGS 2015 statistics. Clicking on the map will produce a larger copy that can be viewed and downloaded.
The United States of Industrial Minerals
It takes a lot of industrial minerals to keep the world economy rolling along. Hundreds of millions of tons of these quarrying and mining products are consumed every year across the globe. Industrial minerals are an often overlooked and less glamorous component of the mining world, but they are critical for the function of our modern economy. While domestic metal mining may be focused mostly in the Western United States, you will find that industrial minerals are produced throughout the country. There are operations mining industrial minerals ranging from phosphate to barite being produced from coast to coast.
Industrial mineral economics are heavily influenced by transportation logistics. With some study, you can see the trends between common minerals, their source of consumption, and major transportation routes. Other less common minerals such as bentonite, potash, and barite, among many others can only be mined where they are found to have suitable characteristics for industry use and may have to be transported great distances. Even among the specific commodities found on this map there are certain characteristics that are more suited for specific applications than others. For example, bentonite mined in Georgia may not be used by a geosynthetic clay liner company in North Carolina. It may actually come all the way from a mine in Wyoming, because the bentonite found there is better suited for that specific application. The world of industrial minerals can be fascinating once you begin to delve into the diversity of it’s commodities and the way economics play such a huge part in it’s overall sustainability and development.
Feel free to share this industrial mineral producing areas of the United States chart. If you share it on another blog or website, please give us credit and provide a link back to this page. You can directly download a .PDF of this chart here. Interested in learning more about industrial minerals? You can visit the Industrial Minerals Association of North America here.
Burgex Inc. has experience exploring for, sampling, and providing consulting on a variety of industrial mineral projects throughout the world. We have experience with minerals ranging from frac sand to bentonite. Interested in having us take a look at your project? We provide free estimates!