Annual Meeting Preliminary Program - Full Brochure (PDF) - SME

TECHNICAL PROGRAM
2:45 PM
The New York City Metropolitan Aggregate Market
M. Zdunczyk; Mark Zdunczyk Consulting Geologist,
East Greenbush, NY
The New York City (NYC) and vicinity crushed stone and sand and gravel market
is large: some industry personnel estimate over 23 million metric tons. The
Metropolitan area is made up of the 5 boroughs of NYC, Long Island,
Westchester County (NY) and Bergen and Hudson counties (NJ). There is no
local production currently, but there was legacy production. Aggregates are supplied
by major multi-national companies and a few other producers with unique
market niches. Material currently comes from NY, NY and PA, with crushed
stone also being imported from Nova Scotia by all bulk modes of transport. The
quality (specifications) of the material is set and monitored by the New York
State Department of transportation (NYSDOT) Bureau of Materials and the
Port Authority (Authority) of NY and NJ. The Authority governs the airports,
bridges, tunnels, rail, bus terminals and ferries in the area. Both entities sometimes
have different aggregate specifications for the same project. For those producers
supplying this market, the various specifications, rock, sand, gravel types
and the different products needed to supply this area makes the NYC and vicinity
market complicated and dynamic.
3:05 PM
Smart Growth for Sustainable Aggregate Production in Illinois
D. Mikulic and Z. Lasemi; Prairie Research Institute, University of
Illinois, Urbana-champaign, IL
Illinois is challenged with the continuous loss of aggregate resources to urban development,
especially in the growing areas of northeastern Illinois and the St.
Louis Metro East regions. Expansion of residential and industrial complexes and
lack of specific guidelines from the state for managing aggregate resources before
they are preempted continue to result in loss of valuable resources. The reserves
in existing quarries are nearly depleted. Difficult permitting makes it doubtful
that new surface mines will be developed in many urbanized areas. The increased
demand for construction aggregates has resulted in a growing need for up-to-date
geologic information to ensure the continued availability of high-quality, low-cost
construction. Intense competition for land and mineral resources has increased
the need for current, detailed geologic information ahead of pressing land-use decisions.
Geologic research and mapping will ensure a balanced approach to landuse
planning in order to protect natural resources and the environment now and
in the future. An example from McHenry County in northeastern Illinois illustrates
the importance of such studies.
3:25 PM
Maximizing the Reserve Potential in a Sustainable Development
Culture through a Drill & Blast Optimization Program Best
Sand Company
K. Przybyla 1 and K. Oakes 2 ; 1 Best Sand Corporation, Chardon, OH
and 2 Olson Explosives, Inc., Decorah, IA
Best Sand Company, a Fairmount Minerals Company, is located south of
Chardon, Ohio, an outlying suburb in the Cleveland Metropolitan Area. This industrial
sand operation mines a unique sandstone conglomerate formation which
presents many design and operational challenges in order for the mining cycle to
safely and efficiently proceed. Fairmount Minerals and their subsidiary companies
truly embrace a culture founded on the principals of sustainable development
at the forefront. Doing so by making continual investments in their people,
the communities in which they operate, and the environmental stewardship programs
which ensure a bright future for both their businesses, as well as the communities
in which they live and operate. This paper will discuss an ongoing operationally
focused sustainability project related to Drilling & Blasting at the
operation, with the goal of maximizing reserves, while not compromising their
long standing and well founded relationships with their surrounding stakeholding
neighbors.
3:45 PM
St. Peter Sandstone Mineral Resource Evaluation, Missouri, USA
J. Davis; Industrial Minerals, Missouri Geological Survey, Rolla, MO
The St. Peter Sandstone is typically a well-sorted, friable, ultra-pure, fine- to
medium-grained, quartzose sandstone with silica content higher than 99 percent
in places. The sand grains are rounded, spherical and characteristically frosted.
They typically vary in size from 2 millimeters to less than 0.08 millimeters. The
St. Peter is continuously present in the subsurface in the northern half of the state
and the southeastern edge of the state. The St. Peter crops out in a narrow band
that starts in western Montgomery County and runs southeastward, along the
Missouri River, to just west of St. Louis and continues south, just west of the
Mississippi River, through Scott County. The formation averages 80-100 feet
thick. There is an estimated 3.8 trillion short tons of St. Peter in Missouri. Sieve
analyses indicate three subsurface locations in northeastern Missouri with
greater than 10 percent by weight of the sample falling in the 20-40 U.S. Standard
Sieve Series size range.
4:05 PM
Industrial Sand Resources and Industry of Wisconsin
B. Brown; Wisconsin Geological Survey, Madison, WI
Wisconsin has been a leading producer of industrial sand for many years. In the
past foundry sand accounted for the largest share of production, but the recent
growth in demand for hydrofrac sand by the oil and gas industry has resulted in
rapid expansion in both number of mines and production. Wisconsin has extensive
resources of high quality quartz sand in the Upper Cambrian Jordan,
Wonewoc, and Mount Simon sandstones, the Ordovician St. Peter sandstone,
and alluvial sands of Quaternary age. The Cambrian sandstones and the St. Peter
are very mature quartz arenites, consisting of well-rounded pure quartz grains
with high crush strength, ideal for frac sand. The St. Peter is finer and is primarily
used for foundry sand. Quaternary sands are generally used as aggregate and
foundry sand. Quaternary alluvial sands derived from Cambrian sandstones are
however an important source of frac sand. The sand boom has raised many local
and state regulatory issues and caused much public concern, but the exceptional
quality and ready availability of sand that meets the highest standards for frac
sand is likely to sustain many of the new mines well into the future.
4:25 PM
A New Era for Silica Sand-An Essential Mineral for 21st Century
Oil & Gas Production
M. Schwalen; Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Silicon dioxide, otherwise known as silica sand is an essential chemical element
in glass, silicate and ceramic production and a key component for foundries and
filtration applications. Today, oil & gas service companies have increased their
demand for the white sand to levels never reach by any other consumer and all
this has taken place in less than a decade. It is this growth that makes it such a fascinating
topic in the area of industrial minerals at this time. The focus of this
paper will outline the current market and issues, mining and processing methods,
geological characteristics of the deposits and future challenges.
Industrial Minerals & aggregates:
Industrial Minerals:
end uses of Industrial Minerals
2:00 PM • Monday, February 25
chairs: P. Macy, Kemira, Kennesaw, GA
J. Gauntt, Golder Associates, Centennial, CO
2:00 PM
Introductions
2:05 PM
Whats All the Talc About?
G. Tomaino; Analytical Services Group, Minerals Technologies Inc.,
Easton, PA
For over 130 years, Talc has and continues to provide developing and developed
nations with an industrial mineral capable of performing as a commodity or as a
functional and high performance mineral additive that increases the value of
products to the end use customer. It is a combination of talc attributes physical,
chemical, or mineralogical that allow for a variety of current uses as well as developing
specialty market applications. A brief overview of historical and current
regulatory and environmental concerns and misconceptions will also be covered.
2:25 PM
Indium and Tellurium Availability
R. Eggert; Division of Economics and Business, Colorado School of
Mines, Golden, CO
Indium and tellurium provide essential properties in emerging thin-film photovoltaic
materials. Both are produced today almost exclusively as byproducts of
This is the Technical Program as of September 1, 2012. IT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
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Please see the Onsite Program for final details.