Industrial minerals & rocks : commodities, markets, and uses

1565 Pages·41.105 MB·English

by  Jessica Elzea Kogel, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (U.S.)

© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME)
8307 Shaffer Parkway
Littleton, Colorado, USA 80127
[phone] / [phone]
www.smenet.org
Copyright © 2006 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
Eletronic edition published 2009.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
Information contained in this work has been obtained by SME, Inc. from sources believed to be reliable. However,
neither SME nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither
SME nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information.
This work is published with the understanding that SME and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting
to render engineering or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate
professional should be sought.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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statement or views presented here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of SME. The mention of trade
names for commercial products does not imply the approval or endorsement of SME.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87335-283-3
© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Editorial Board and Contributing Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Characteristics of the Industrial Minerals Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Classification of Industrial Minerals and Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
World Distribution of Industrial Minerals Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
International Trade in Industrial Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Applying Industrial Marketing Concepts to Industrial Minerals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Due Diligence and Financial Valuation of Industrial Mineral Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Rail Transportation of Industrial Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Road Transportation of Industrial Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Ship and Barge Transportation of Industrial Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Mine Safety and Health Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Environmental Law for Industrial Minerals and Rocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Sustainable Development and Industrial Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
PART TWO: COMMODITIES
Abrasives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Aggregates
Construction Sand and Gravel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Crushed Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Lightweight Aggregates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Asbestos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Barium Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Bauxite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Beryllium Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Boron and Borates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Bromine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Chromite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Clays
An Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Ball Clays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Bentonite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Common Clays and Shale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Fuller’s Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Kaolin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Palygorskite and Sepiolite (Hormites). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Refractory Clays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
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© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Diatomite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Feldspars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Fluorspar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Garnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Gilsonite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Glauconite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Graphite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Gypsum and Anhydrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Iodine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541
Kyanite, Andalusite, Sillimanite, and Mullite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Lime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Limestone and Dolomite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Lithium Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Magnesium Minerals and Compounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Manganese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631
Mica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Nitrogen and Nitrates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Olivine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Perlite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Phosphate Rock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703
Potash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723
Pumice, Pumicite, and Volcanic Cinder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Pyrophyllite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755
Rare Earth Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Silica
Industrial Sand and Sandstone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
High Pure and Ultra-High Pure Quartz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833
Specialty Silica Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Soda Ash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
Sodium Sulfate Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
Stone
Decorative Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893
Dimension Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 907
Strontium Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925
Sulfur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935
Talc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971
Titanium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 987
Tripoli (Microcrystalline Silica). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Vermiculite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1015
Wollastonite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1027
Zeolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
Zirconium and Hafnium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065
PART THREE: MARKETS AND USES
Absorbents and Desiccants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075
Minerals Used in Formulating and Manufacturing Catalysts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1087
Construction Uses
Adobe and Earthen Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1095
Aggregates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
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© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Cement and Cement Raw Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1121
Flooring Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1137
Gypsum Plasters and Wallboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1143
Insulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1153
Pozzolans and Supplementary Cementitious Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1161
Roofing Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1173
Structural Clay Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1179
Cosmetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
Electronic and Optical Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1193
Environmental Uses
Acid Neutralization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1205
Asbestos Substitutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1215
Clay Liners and Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1229
Flue Gas Desulfurization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1251
Water and Sewage Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1259
Fertilizers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269
Filler and Extender Uses
Adhesives, Caulks, and Sealants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1281
Filler and Coating Pigments for Papermakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1287
Paint and Coatings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1301
Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1321
Rubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1327
Filters and Process Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1337
Fine Ceramic Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1353
Glass
Container Glass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1365
Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1369
Flat Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1379
Specialty Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1383
Metallurgical Uses
Agglomeration Processes—Pelletizing and Sintering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1391
Fluxes for Metallurgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1405
Fluxes Used in Fusion Welding and Brazing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1423
Foundry Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433
Nanomaterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1441
Pigments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1453
Refractories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1471
Soil Amendments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1477
Well Drilling Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1487
Appendix A: Resource and Reserve Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1497
Appendix B: Sieve Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1499
Appendix C: Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1501
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1507
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© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Dedication
With deep admiration for his countless contributions to the field of industrial minerals,
we dedicate this 7th edition of Industrial Minerals and Rocks to the memory of
our friend and colleague, Albert Francis Alsobrook, 1942–2004.
Frank was an industrial minerals geologist who was widely respected by his peers
and admired by his colleagues throughout an illustrious career that spanned 35 years.
He was a Distinguished Member of SME and received the Hal Williams Hardinge Award
in 2003. He served with us as a senior editor in the early stages of the
multiyear effort to publish this 7th edition.
As the inspirational force behind this endeavor,
Frank is truly most deserving
of this dedication.
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© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.
Preface
The vision for the 7th edition of Industrial Minerals and Rocks is to build on the strengths of the
previous editions while adding significant new content to ensure utility and relevance to readers
for years to come. The success of previous editions made this book a widely read global refer-
ence that serves as one of the most authoritative single sources for timely information on indus-
trial minerals, their uses, and the markets where they find myriad applications.
We recognize that since the publication of the 6th edition in 1994, changes in the global
economy have had a significant impact on mining, processing, and marketing industrial miner-
als. The challenge for this edition, then, was to capture the substantial and wide-ranging changes
and their complex ramifications for the industry. For example, numerous mergers and acquisi-
tions within the minerals and mining industries, consolidations among consuming industries,
and the emer gence of China and India as major players in industrial minerals markets have
altered the landscape in which the industry operates. At the same time, development of new
technologies and globalization of the customer base ha ve driven fast-paced innovation in pro-
cessing, packaging, transportation, and end use.
Growing emphasis on sustainable development and increasing concerns for the environ-
ment and health and safety have also affected the industry in many ways. In one positive exam-
ple, we now have a common platform for advancing environmental stewardship and a universal
goal to use mineral resources wisely. Rapidly rising energy costs will also shape the future of
industrial minerals. Higher fuel prices affect mining, processing, and transportation, and push
the industry to discover innovative ways to reduce energy consumption and to process minerals
more efficiently. Increasingly, industrial minerals are an in tegral part of the solution to rising
energy costs because they serve as raw materials for products such as solar panels designed to
conserve or generate energy.
As in previous editions, we divided the book into three parts. The first part contains stand-
alone introductory chapters focusing on topics relevant to the industry as a w hole: industrial
minerals transportation, marketing, sustainable development, health and safety, and mining and
environmental law. Chapters covering more than 60 individual industrial minerals, rocks, and
materials make up the second part. Where appropriate, a few chapters in this part include
updated statistics, but otherwise retain most of the content from the previous edition. In the third
part, readers can find information organized by market or end use. Here, information is pre-
sented on industrial minerals used in various applications such as construction and metallurgy,
among many others. The 7th edition also offers appendixes containing frequently referenced
information as well as a comprehensive index.
To ensure the publication of a complete and accurate reference that readers can depend on
for many years, an international group of volunteer authors, coauthors, and associate editors—all
recognized experts and leaders in their fields—was assembled. Drawing on experts from around
the world has given the 7th edition a more global perspective than previous editions. Next, an
exhaustive review process was implemented that included five stages of content and technical
editing and at least one peer re view. Finally, an outstanding group of professional copy editors,
proofreaders, graphic designers, and inde xers worked to bring clarity, readability, and visual
appeal to Industrial Minerals and Rocks.
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© 2006 by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009.