GEOLOGY CMU Bill Palmer

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GEOLOGYCMUBill Palmer

• Economic Geology

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GEOLOGY

• If it cant be grown it must be mined!

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GEOLOGY

• If it cant be grown it must be mined!
• This is a favorite saying of miners and others
  who make their living from a knowledge of geology.

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GEOLOGY

• Lets look at some of the mineral and geologic
  resources that are important to society with a
  special emphasis on those found in Missouri.
• Missouri is one of the top TEN states in the
  production of geologic resources.

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GEOLOGY

• Geologic Resources are generally divided into TWO
  types
• Locally Important-resources that are mined
  locally and used locally. Can not be shipped to
  other markets economically.
• Globally Important-resources that are mined
  locally and can be shipped anywhere in the world
  and for a profit.

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GEOLOGY

• Missouri ranks
• 1st in fireclay production
• 1st in lime production
• 1st in lead production
• 2nd in iron pigments production
• 3rd in barite production
• 3rd in iron ore production
• 4th in zinc production
• 5th in Portland cement production
• 5th in Fullers earth production
• 6th in Copper production

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GEOLOGY

• Total value of these resources to the state of
  Missouri is about 1-1.5 billion/year.
• This generates about 4-5 billion/year to
  Missouris economy.

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GEOLOGY

• Barite-locally called tiff in MO
• Gray to white, soft mineral, heavy (4.5 X water)
• Mined by individuals since 1850 by pick and
  shovel. Sold for 2.00/ton
• Inert
• Mixed with water to make oil well drilling mud.
  This is put in drill hole to cool the bit, keep
  the hole from collapsing, float rock to the top,
  and contain any oil

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GEOLOGY

Barite
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GEOLOGY

• Barite-is also used in
• Paint
• Slick magazine covers
• Rubber
• Glass
• Textiles
• Concrete
• Nuclear reactors
• X-rays

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GEOLOGY

• Cement-made from limestone, clay, shale
• Heated to 2,500-3,000 degrees
• Add gypsum
• Then pulverized
• Cement sand rock water concrete
• Most along the Mississippi River
• Must have the resources and ability to ship by
  barge
• THE most important economically geological
  resource in the state 200,000,000/yr

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GEOLOGY
Missouri Cement Plant
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GEOLOGY

• Chert/Flint-very common
• Locally abundant
• Used for road surface-blacktop
• Wears well
• Sometimes mistaken as dinosaur eggs, bones,
  fossil melons, or petrified eggs
• Indian points
• Red, pink, and gray chert is MOZARKITE-the
  Missouri State Rock

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GEOLOGY
Chert
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GEOLOGY

• Chert/Flint-very common
• Dont throw a chert rock into a campfireit could
  explode-it has water in it and as it dries it
  could crack and explode!
• Try skipping chert rocks in the dark and watch
  for the sparks!

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GEOLOGY

• Clay and Shale-used for native American pots
• Used to make bricks, tile, terra-cotta,
  flowerpots, china, paper
• Early Missourians used clay and shale to make
  bricks
• Fireclay is used to make heat-resistant
  bricks-the launching pads of the space shuttle

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GEOLOGY
Bricks and other materials made from clay and
shale.
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GEOLOGY

• Coal-Pretty common in MO-found in 63/114
  counties, 40 identified coal beds
• Needs to be about 12 thick to mine
• Most is in N and NW MO
• MO coal has high sulfur so cannot be used
  straight economically
• Sometimes mixed with low-sulfur coal from Wyoming

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GEOLOGY
Coal mining in Missouri
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GEOLOGY

• Cobalt and Nickel-Present in some lead ores-not
  profitable at this time
• Copper-By product from lead and Zinc mining
• Gemstones-some quartz-jasper (red quartz), agate
  (banded quartz), smoky quartz (black or grayish
  quartz) Some nice mineral specimens come from the
  lead mines

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GEOLOGY
Some Missouri Gemstones
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GEOLOGY

• Iron-Historically common
• Mined by hand since 1700s
• Iron Mountain and Pilot Knob were two early
  sources
• Ironton had first iron refinery west of
  Mississippi River in 1815
• No active refineries in MO now, Missouri ore is
  used in other states

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GEOLOGY
Pilot Knob and Iron mining in Missouri
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GEOLOGY

• Lead-French discovered lead in Missouri in 1701
  (yes 1701!) needed to mold bullets
• Trappers and traders would find lead ore on
  surface, build a small refinery of rocks and use
  wood to smelt the lead. Lead would then be molded
  into bullets..not very efficient but didnt need
  much for bullets

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GEOLOGY
Early French trappers and traders used Missouri
as a source for lead musket balls.
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GEOLOGY

• Lead-Today lead is mined in large underground
  mines complete with heavy equipment
• The equipment is disassembled and sent down a
  shaft and then reassembled
• Lead mines are hard rock mines not like soft
  rock mines (coal) and are considered quite safe
• Most lead us used for storage batteries (cars)
• Electronics, glass, bearings, plumbing, solder

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GEOLOGY
Lead
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GEOLOGY

• Lime-made from crushed limestone
• Much is used in chemical industry
• Also used n glass, paper, sugar refining, water
  softener, metal, agriculture, and construction

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GEOLOGY

• Oil and Gas-Limited in MO
• Wells were drilled in 1800s
• Not much oil but did find natural gas
• Some producing gas wells in W and NW MO
• Big Question? If MO has so much coal why isnt
  there oil? No one knows!

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GEOLOGY

• Sand and Gravel-Very common locally
• Most sand comes from MO and MS rivers
• Gravel is from streams
• Gravel is not used as much as it once was as it
  destroys the stream bed to mine

Sand Plant at Jefferson City
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GEOLOGY

• Silica Sand-This is a special high quality sand
  used for glass, metal casting, polishing
• Mined near St. Louis. PPG glass factory in west
  county

Silica Sand
Greenhouse
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GEOLOGY

• Silver-one historic mine in MO
• Most silver comes as by-product from lead mining
• Used in coins, jewelry, flatware, chemicals

Silver Jewelry
Silver Mines RA St. Francois River
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GEOLOGY

• Stone- Crushed and dimension stone
• Crushed stone used for roads (Rock Quarry),
  cement, lime, agricultural lime, concrete
• Dimension stone-high quality, no cracks, cut to
  size and used in buildings

Rock Quarry
Ag Lime
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GEOLOGY

• Stone-
• Marble-Really limestone-has been used for fancy
  buildings in every state of the nation
• MO state capitol
• Federal court bldg, NYNY
• Notre Dame University
• National Art Gallery Wash. D.C.
• Stanford University

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GEOLOGY
Missouri State Capitol Jefferson City
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GEOLOGY

• Water-Missouri has more water than most states
• 32-48 inches of rain annually
• Barge traffic
• Drinking water
• Industry
• Power generation
• Some ground water too saline for use

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GEOLOGY
Water use in Missouri
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GEOLOGY

• Zinc-used in brass, galvanized metal, nails,
  fence, dry cell batteries, primer for chrome
  plating (car door handle), paint, textile, floor
  tiles
• Comes from the mineral Sphalerite

Sphalerite
Galvanized Pots and Pans
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GEOLOGY-Wrap-ups

• No wrap-ups with this lecture (hooray!)