INDUSTRIAL MINERALS AND METALS OF ILLINOIS
J. E. Lamar
Illinois State Geological Survey
Educational Series 8
STATE of ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT of REGISTRATION and EDUCATION
1965
ILLINOIS STATE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
John C. Frye, Chief
URBANA, ILLINOIS
Printed by Authority of State of Illinois, Ch. 127, IRS, Par. 58.25.
(15M-4/65-8976) 10
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS AND METALS OF ILLINOIS
J. E. Lamar
The mineral resources of Illinois include many rocks andminerals of varied character and uses. From them aremade an array of everyday products whose sources maynot even be recognized by the consumer. The user of aglass bottle, for instance, rarely knows that it may have beenmade from Illinois silica sand, nor is the driver of an automobilegenerally aware that the Illinois concrete highway on which he isdriving probably was constructed from a mixture of cement, sandand gravel, or crushed stone that may have come from Illinoispits or quarries.
The significance of these rocks and minerals to the economyof Illinois is great, although often unappreciated. Of the morethan 600 million dollar value of all Illinois mineral production in1963, almost 200 million was from industrial minerals. The diversityand widespread distribution of these mineral resources lendvariety and balance to the mineral industry of the state, and theirproduction, processing, and utilization afford direct and indirectemployment to many people.
The term industrial minerals is used as a convenientgroup term for nonmetallic minerals that are not fuels. In Illinoisthey include limestone, dolomite, clay, shale, silica sand andother sands, fluorspar, tripoli (amorphous silica), ganister, novaculite,sandstone, feldspar-bearing sands, barite, gypsum, anhydrite,brines, greensand, oil shale, marl, peat, humus, andtufa. The metallic minerals of Illinois are galena (lead ore),sphalerite (zinc ore), pyrite, and marcasite.
This booklet briefly and nontechnically discusses theforegoing materials and some of the work the Illinois State Geological Surveydoes in gathering information about their occurrence,and character and in developing new uses.
The assistance of many Survey staff members and of manypeople in the Illinois mineral industry in the preparation of thisbooklet is acknowledged.
LIMESTONE
Limestone is a most versatile rock. Without it there wouldbe no portland cement for making concrete roads and buildings, nolime for plastering and chemical use, no agricultural limestone forfarms, and no crushed limestone for driveways. A widevariety of industries, from steel making to glass manufacturing,use limestone in one way or another.
The early settlers of Illinois recognized the value of limestoneand quarried stone blocks and slabs for making foundations,chimneys, and even houses. For mortar they used a mixture of sandand lime to hold the blocks tog