Petroleum and Natural Gas (22) Bureau of Statistics, “Gas Facts,” American Gas Association, 1953. (23) Hoeing, J . B., “Oil and Gas Sands of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, Bull. 1, series 111, 1905. (24) Thomas, Ralph N., “Devonian Shale Gas Production in Central Appalachian Area,” reprint 4, Kentucky Geological Survey, 1951. (25) Walker, Frank H., “Oil and Gas Developments in Kentucky in 1952,” reprint 8, Kentucky Geological Survey, 1953.
Rock Asphalt (26) Kentucky Department of Highways, “Report of Aggregate Sources,” Division of Materials, No. 88, 1954. (27) Kentucky Geological Survey, vol. 1, series I V , 1913. (28) Kentucky Geological Survey, vol. 30, series VI, 1927.
(38) Swanson, A. S., and Starnes, X. R., “Investigation of Fluorite Deposits of Babb Vein System, Crittenden and Livingston Counties, Ky.,” U. S.Mines, Rept. Invest. 4677, 1950. (39) Ulrich, E. O., and Smith, W. S., Tangler, “Lead, Zinc, and Fluorspar Deposits of Western Kentucky,” U. s. Geological Survey Profess. Paper 36, 1905.
Water (40) Brown, Richmond F., “Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Mississippian Plateau Region, Ky.,” U. S. Geological Survey, Circ. 341, in cooperation with Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1954. (41) Lamar, William, L., and Laird, Leslie B., “Chemical Character of Surface Waters on Kentucky, 1949-1951 ” U. S. Geological (42)
Sands (29) AlcGrain, Preston, “Recent Investigations of Silica Sands of Kentucky,” Rept. Invest. 4, Kentucky Geological Survey and
(43)
Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1952. (30) Richardson, Charles Henry, “Building Stones of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, series VI, 1923. (31) Richardson, Charles Henry, “Glass Sands of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological, 1920.
Vein Minerals
(44)
(45)
(32) Beck, William A,, “Investigation of K. T. Dome Zinc-Lead
Mine, Owen and Henry Counties, Ky.,” U. S. Bur. Mines, Rept. Invest. 4575,1949. (33) Currier, Louis Wade, “Fluorspar Deposits of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, series VI, 1923. (34) Fohs, F. .Julius, “Fluorspar Deposits of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, Bull. 9, series 111, 1907. (35) Miller, Arthur iM., “Lead and Zinc Bearing Rocks of Central Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, Bull. 2, ser. 111, 1905. (36) Robinson, Lewis Cass, “Vein Deposits of Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey, series VI, 1931. (37) Starnes, Xavier, “Investigation of Fluorite Deposits of Dike
and Eaton Veins, Crittenden County, Ky.,” U. S. Bur. Mines, Rept. Invest. 4646, 1950.
(46) (47)
(48)
Survey and Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1953. Maxwell, B. W., “Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Western Coal Region, Ky..” U. S.Geological Survey, Circ. 339, in cooperation with Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1954. Palmquist, W. N., Jr., and Hall, F. R., “Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Blue Grass Region, Ky.,” U. S. Geological Survey, Circ. 299, in cooperation with Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1953. Pree, Henry L., and Walker, W. H., ‘“Memorandum on the Geology and Ground-Water Resources of the Calvert CityGilbertsville Area, Marshall County, Ky.,” U. S. Geological Survey and Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1952. Pree, H. L., Jr., and Walker, W. H., “Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Jackson Purchase Region, Ky.,” U. S. Geological Survey, Circ. 287, in cooperation with Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1953. Rorabaugh, M. I., Schrader, F. F., and Laird, L. B., “Water Resources of the Louisville Area, Kentucky and Indiana,” U. S. Geological Survey Circ. 216, 1953. U. 8. Geological Survey for Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, “Stream Flow Data in Kentucky,” 1950 distributed by Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, Frankfort, Ky. Walker, Eugene H., “Geology and Ground-Water Resources of the Covington-Newport Alluvial Area, Ky.,” U. S. Geological Survey, Circ. 240, in cooperation with Kentucky Agricultural and Industrial Development Board, 1953.
RECEIVED for review February 24, 1955.
ACCEPTED September 13, 1955.
(Physical Resources)
MISSISSIPPI HENRY V. ALLEN, JR. MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL B INDUSTRIAL BOARD, JACKSON, MISS.
M
ISSISSIPPI, bordered on the south by the Gulf of Mexico and on the west by the Mississippi River, is strategically located between two expanding markets-the Texas-Louisiana Southwest where about 85% of the nation’s new petroleum chemical industry is located (as), and the Southeast where expansion in textiles, metal fabrication, and other manufactures is creating new wealth and increased purchasing power ( 3 2 ) . Multiple transportation facilities, an abundance of water, and
2346
a wealth of other resources favor growth of the chemical industry in Mississippi, and further development and production of raw materials for the industry within the state. Petroleum and natural gas, salt, clays, limestones, oil and fats, forest products, and farm crops including cotton, corn, oats, rice, soybeans, and tung nuts are among the material resources that may be ultilized in chemical manufacture. Rail lines and principal towns and cities in the state are shown
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 47, No. 11
Resources in Figure 1. This index map may be helpful in locating and evaluating various resources. Among the states in the Union, Mississippi is 30th in total area and 26th in population. I t s area is 47,716 square miles, or slightly less than that of New York state. I t s population according to the 1950 census was 2,178,194, or about 1.5y0 of that of the United States. Bounding the state on the north is Tennessee, and on the east, Alabama; the Mississippi River separates it on the west from Arkansas and Louisiana; and the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana bound it on the south. In general, Mississippi topography is rolling t o hilly with a gradation from 780 feet in the extreme northeast to sea level approximately 350 miles south. The alluvial plain of the Mississippi River, a curved area extending along the river from the Tennessee line to Vicksburg, commonly referred to as the Delta, is extremely flat. Eight major rivers and numerous streams drain the state to the south and west. These streams plus four flood control reservoirs in the north and numerous lakes in the Delta and other sections make up a total water area in excess of 500 square miles. Mississippi is located between latitudes 30' 13". and 35"N. Its climate (99)is generally mild three fourths of the year and hot during the summer. Annual mean temperature over the past 56 years has averaged 64.6' F. I n July the average temperature is about 81O F., and in January average temperatures range from about 42' F. in the north to about 54' F. in the south. Average annual rainfall is about 52 inches more or less evenly distributed over the year. Late summer and fall are the driest perjods. Sleet and snow are rare. Relative humidity throughout the year ranges in the seventies.
the production of rice, hybrid corn, soybeans, and livestock is increasing in the area. The clay hill soils of northeast hfississippi are coarse and sandy, and of low fertility. Farming and dairy production are limited to the bottom lands and less hilly areas. Woodlands predominate. An area known as the Black Belt Prairie extends through a part of the northeast section. Here the soils are rich in lime and inherently fertile. Good grasses flourish in the area, and the production of beef and dairy cattle has replaced cotton as the principal farm activity. Silty loams predominate through the central sections, that is, in a belt which lies between the Delta and the clay hills to the east, and extends from the Tennessee line to the southwest corner of the state. The soils are inherently fertile but, where the terrain is hilly, are subject to erosion if not properly managed. Cotton, beef cattle, and vegetables are the principal produce.
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES Mississippi is predominantly an agricultural state. I t s fertile soils, abundant rainfall, and mild winters favor farming and livestock production. I n 1953, there were about 5,500,000 acres of farm land under cultivation, and about 7,000,000 acres in controlled pasture land. The value of farm crops harvested was $526,000,000 and the value of livestock marketed, $153,087,000 (94). Table I shows the 1953 production of principal crops and livestock inventory on January 1, 1954.
Table I.
Agricultural Resources (75)
Principal Crop PI.eduction. Cotton (lint),bales Cottonseed, tons Corn bushels Soybkans, bushels Oats bushels ~ r t y ,tons ' Sweet potatoes, bushels Potatoes, bushels Sirup, gallons Rice, 100-pound bags Pecans, pounds Tung nuts, tons
1953 2,145,000 862,000
32,934,000 3,000,000 10,680,000 773,000 1,309,000 441,000 8R0,OOO
1,715,000 13,500,000 85,000
Livestock Inventory, .January 1, 1954
Soils in the state vary from the richly fertile flood plains of the Mississippi River Delta section to sandy clay hills in the northeast (26). Delta soils, developed over the centuries by river-deposited alluviums, sustain the most productive farm area in the state. Treated with anhydrous ammonia or other nitrogenous fertilizers, these soils are capable of producing 2700 pounds of seed cotton per acre ( 7 ) . Cotton is the major crop, but as a result of cotton acreage controls a?d a trend toward more diversified agriculture, November 1955
GULFP O
Figure 1.
Index map of Mississippi
The southeastern section, encompassing an area about one third the 'entire state, is composed of soils containing medium to coarse sands which are of medium to low fertility. These soils respond readily to fertilizer and are productive under good management. Diversified agriculture, livestock production, and forestry abound in this section. Soils along the coast are sandy and of low fertility. Evergreens and tung orchards grow in the area. Cotton is l\.lississippi's principal agricultural product. Though primarily a raw material for textile manufacture, cotton provides the best source of cellulose for certain chemical manufacture. I t s seed contains the glycerides of palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. Crushing and extraction plants in the state annually produce about 100,000 tons of cottonseed oil, some of which is hydrogenated to shortenings, some used in salad preparations, and the remainder in soap manufacture. Cottonseed meal is
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY
2347
high in proteins, and the current production of about 280,000 tons per year is used in the manufacture of stock feeds. The cotton stalk may have potential use as a raw material because of its high cellulose content. The soybean is valuable because of its content of unsaturated linoleic glyceride. The oil is used in food preparations, as a semidrying oil in paints and enamels, and in soap manufacture. The cake is used in the manufacture of plastics and in food preparations. Mississippi soil and climate are well adapted to the growing of soybeans, and production can be expanded as the market requires.
I TINSLEV 2 PICKENS 3 LAGRANGE
4
CRANFIELD BROOKHAVEN MALLALIEU 7 GWlNVlLLE 0 BAXTERVILLE Q HEIDELBERG ID E U C U T T A I I YELLOW CREEk I2 5090 4 5
6
I3
BOLTON
I
I
Figure 2. Principal oil and gas fields Tung nuts, which were first grown in the United States in the late thirties, contain a drying oil used in paints, varnishes, linoleum, oil cloth, and other products requiring a film forming agent. The Mississippi harvest of 85,000 tons of nuts in 1953 represented 60% of the total production of the United States. Tung orchards located along the coastal areas currently produce about 3 tons of nuts per acre. The tung oil is recovered in crushing plants, and the cake, which is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, is used as a fertilizer. Uses for many of the other Mississippi agricultural products exist, such as the manufacture of corn oil, dextrin and starch from corn; furfural and other derivatives from oats; starch from potatoes and rice; and alcohols from grains, rice, and potatoes. The growing livestock industry in the state offers potentials for leather manufacture and raw materials for the production of gelatin, glue, and soap. The production of tallow, lard, and other by-products is expected to increase as a result of expansion in meat packing facilities. The Mississippi dairy industry is a source of raw materials for the production of lactose, lactic acid, and casein. I n 1953 dairy production amounted to 839,911,330 pounds of whole milk ( 1 5 ) .
2348
Further utilization by the chemical industry of Mississippi agricultural, livestock, and dairy resources appears likely. The state, meanwile, based on its success with tung oil, is likely to use its soils and climate for the development and production of other scarce materials needed by the industry.
FOREST RESOURCES More than one half, or 16,500,000 acres, of Mississippi’s 30,000,000 acres is forest land (55). This is an area approximately the size of Vermont, Ken. Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Of the total forest area, about 1,140,000 acres are in national forests, 6,300,000 acres are owned by private farm operators, and about 7,800,000 acres are under industrial ownership (10). Forest products are second only to cotton as a source of income to Mississippians. The value of lumer produced in 1953 was $188,000,000. The value of manufactured products, including furniture, pulp and paper, and naval stores amounted to approximately $200,000,000. A variety of forest types are found in the state, but pines, oaks, and gums predominate. A 1948 forest survey shows that pines constitute about 49% of the total growing stock (36). Table I1 indicates growing stock of various species.
Table 11.
Growing Stock in Mississippi Forests (36) Species Loblnlly pine Shortleaf pine Longleaf pine Slash pine White oak Wnter oak Red oak Sweet gum Black gum Hickory Yellow poplar Pecan Beech Ash
Million Cubic Feet 1427.4 935.3 384.9 808.2 313.6 453.7 549.8 900.0 277.4 304.2 113.2 110.2 79.6 75.5
Loblolly pine is the most abundant softwood species. I t is widely distributed in central and south Mississippi with the greatest density occurring in the central regions. Shortleaf pine is second in abundance, and occurs widely distributed in all regions except the Delta. Longleaf and slash pines are limited principally to the southeastern section. Among the hardwoods, oaks exceed all others in volume and extent of distribution. They are found in all sections with the greatest concentration in the lower Delta and central regions. Gums are second in volume and are widely distributed in much the same pattern as the oaks. Cottonwood, hickory, yellow poplar, pecan, beech, ash, and n-illow are scattered and occur in lesser volumes. Lumber manufacture constitutes the maior segment of the Mississippi forest industry. Current production is about equally divided between softwoods and hardwoods with the state ranking first in the nation in growth of hardwood saw timber. Current saw log growing stock of all types amounts to approximately 30 billion board feet (36). Favored by long growing seasons and abundant rainfall, Mississippi forests under proper management can grow more than a cord of wood per acre per year. At the McSeill Experimental Forest in south Mississippi, second growth stands of 42-year old longleaf pine produced 45.3 cords including 12,000 board feet of saw timber per acre ( S 7 ) . Wastes from logging operations and from the more than 1000 saw mills are potential raw materials for chemical manufacture. Hardwood waste such as tops, branches, slabs, and shavings may be utilized in the manufacture of pulp, wood flour, charcoal, activated carbon, tannin (28), wood molasses, alcohols, and acetates. Problems involving the utilization of these wastes in such manufactures are economic rather than technical. The cost for collecting and transporting the waste from widely
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 47, No. 1 1
Resources scattered mills is the principal consideration. Studies have shown i t might be economically feasible to operate a plant in which wastes are supplemented with whole trees which are not suitable for lumber manufacture but which should be culled from the forests in order to thin the stands of quality saw timber (51). I n the case of softwoods, a part of the waste including stumpage goes into the production of naval stores. I n 1953, this industry produced 20,464 barrels of turpentine gum among .other products ( 1 8 ) . Mississippi is a leading producer of pulpwood, and supplied 1,917,116 cords to the wallboard and paper industry in 1953 (18). Of the total about 649,000 cords were hardwoods, and the use of this species continues to increase (8, 58). Four wallboard plants and two pulp mills located in the state consumed 6470 of the pulpwood produced (18). The remainder was shipped to mills in neighboring states. Mississippi forests under proper care may be expected to provide raw materials for an indefinite period. Industrial and private owners alike adhere to well managed conservation and reforestation practices. As of January 1955, there were 520 tree farms in the state covering an area of 1,208,388 acres (50).
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS Petroleum and natural gas are the most important of the uississippi mineral resources. Natural gas was first discovered in the state in 1926 near Amory. Four years later a gas field which covered an area of approximately 7500 acres near the city of Jackson was discovered. A slight accumulation of oil was found on the southern flank of this field, but the Mississippi pretroleum industry is d i d to date from August 29, 1939 (14) when the first major discovery of oil was made near Tinsley in Yazoo County. Discoveries since then have not been so spectacular as in the neighboring states of Louisiana and Texas, and production has fluctuated, but the industry continues to develop, and currently Mississippi ranks tenth among the states in the production of oil and seventh in the production of natural gas. Table I11 indicates annual production since 1939. Estimated proved reserves as of January 1955 are 472,696,000 barrels of oil and z8/r trillion cubic feet of gas ( 1 4 ) . Exploration in the state is more extensive than ever before as a result of two significant discoveries made in Lower Cretaceous formations in 1953 and 1954. The full extent of the oil and gas iresources may be determined by a thorough evaluation of these deep formations.
Table 111. Year 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
Cumulative Production Data for Principal Oil and Gas Fields to October 1 , 1954
Field Tinsley Pickens Brookhaven Eucutta Cranfield Heidelberg Gwinville Baxterville Mallalieu LaGrange Yellow Creek SoSo (Lower Cr,etaceons) Bolton (Lower Cretaceous)
Discovery Aug. 29, 1939 March 29, 1940 March 10,1943 Sept. 3, 1943 J a n . 24, 1944 Jan. 27, 1944 July 26, 1944 Nov. 11, 1944 Aug. 3 , 1946 Aug. 27, 1946 Dee. 21, 1947 July 23, 1953 July 28, 1954
Oil, Bbl. 135,543,828 16,088,960 32 50 , 70 28 50 , 2 6 30 38,339,494 37,439,022 2,882,833 43,635,990 24,292,361 24,222,148 9,395,081 287,534 16,424
Gas, 1000 Cubic Feet 1 , 5 9 5 :767 48 955 511 1 050:981 269,579,795 2,821,593 507,217,575 170,004.743 7,979,796 4,776,827 443,786 128.897
....
The central group consists of the two oldest producing fields. Tinsley field extending over an area of approximately 9600 acres has produced more oil than any other Mississippi field. TKe producing reservoirs are Selma, Eutaw, and Upper Tuscaloosa sediments a t depths of 4455 to 4900 feet. Current production is from 298 wells a t the rate of about 350,000 barrels per month. The oil is of asphaltic base with API gravity 30' to 35'. It yields about 36% gasoline and naphtha. I t s sulfur content is approximately 0.7%. Pickens field, discovered in 1940, produces from Eutaw sands a t a depth of 4900 feet. Its oil is asphaltic with API gravity 39'. The rate of production in both fields is declining slowly.
Oil and Gas Production (76, 77) Oil, Bbl. 11 4 , 9 7 0 4.210.022 15,5OOI6.il 28,814,238 18,779,423 16,420,513 19,003,111 24,296,615 35,271,053 45,665,350 37 , 8 5 5 , 1 2 0 38,241,669 36,950.546 36,316,572 35,620,543 34,238,624
Gas, 100'0 Cu. Ft. , . .
... ... ...
1 4 , i ii ,559 56,368,388 90,307,901 108,9'78,452 161,1.34,228 205,545,302 219,9A9 ,552 212,372,055 199,502,823
The principal fields ( 1 7 ) now producing oil and gas can be classified in three groups, fields in the central section of the state, those in the southern section, and those producing from Lower Cretaceous sediments. This grouping corresponds somewhat to three phases in the development of the Miseiissippi oil and gas industry. Table IV indicates production data for the principal fields. Figure 2 shows location of fields, and Figure 3 shows principal oil and gas pipelines within the state.
November 1955
Table IV.
GAS
Figure 3.
(
1
Oil and gas pipelines
With the exception of Cary field, a small Selma chalk producer discovered in 1941 t o the west of Tinsley, no new discoveries were made until a deep hole wildcat was brought in near Brookhaven in 1943. This discovery marked the beginning of the second phase of the industry's development, and the concentration of
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
2349
exploration in the southern part of the state. Brookhaven field, covering an area of about 6000 acres, produces oil of API gravity 26" to 40" from Lower Tuscaloosa sediments at depths of 10,136 to 10,546 feet. Mollalieu field, located about 12 miles from the Brookhaven area, was discovered in 1946 and also produces from Lower Tuscaloosa sediments. The development of new fields in south Mississippi during the period 1943 to 1947 was not limited to deep hole discoveries. Eucutta, brought in near the Alabama line in 1943, produces from Eutaw sands a t depths of 4884 to
an abundance of beds suitable for oil reservoir rocks, and that factors favorable to oil and gas accumulation outweigh the unfavorable factors ( 2 3 ) . Exploration to great depths continued, and in 1954, the Bolton field was discovered in Hinds County. By January 1955, eight producing wells had been completed with oil of API gravity 41 flowing from Paluxy sands a t a depth of 9950 feet. Based on these finds in the Lower Cretaceous, it is reported the state has a better chance of becoming a large producer of oil and gas than a t any time since 1939 ( 1 4 ) . Two refineries, one located a t Yazoo City near Tinsley field and the other a t Sandersville near Heidelberg field, have a combined capacity of approximately 11,500 barrels of crude per day. These refineries produce gasoline, kerosine, gas oil, fuel oil, lubricants, and asphalt. A refinery to process 12,000 barrels per day is under construction near Purvis in the Baxterville field area. Gas extraction plants are located in the Cranfield and Brookhaven fields, and produce gasoline, butane, and propane.
Figure 4. Salt d o m e s 5299 feet. Other fields, including Heidelberg, Yellow Creek, Gwinville, Cranfield, and LaGrange were discovered along a straight line running across the state from Eucutta to Natchez on the Mississippi River. Producing reservoirs in all of these fields, with the exception of one Lower Cretaceous gas pool a t Cranfield, are of Lower Tuscaloosa or later geologic sediments. Baxterville field, located approximately 50 miles south of the other group fields, was discovered in 1944, and produces from Lower Tuscallosa sediments. Currently, Baxterville is the largest oil producer in the state with a rate of production in excess of 400,000 barrels per month. Gwinville field is the largest producer of natural gas. I n 1946, the first discovery was made in Lower Cretaceous formations. Oil of API gravity 53' was produced in the Hub field from Dantzler age sands a t a depth of 10,100 feet. This field was later closed in, but it started exploration in the older geologic formations. From 1946 through 1952, six other small reservoirs were found in Lower Cretaceous sediments. The first significant discovery was in the SoSo field in 1953 with oil of API gravity 42" flowing from sands believed to be of Trinity or Sligo in age at a depth of 11,990 feet. Petroleum geologists believe the Lower Cretaceous sediments in Mississippi contain
2350
w
Figure 5. Clay and lime deposits
The Mississippi potentials for the production of petroleum products and petroleum chemicals are considered good as evidenced by the construction of a new $10,000,000refinery and the location within the state of two multimillion dollar chemical plants which use natural gas as the principal raw material.
SALT I n 1947 Nettleton ( $ 2 ) suggested the existence of a continuous bed of salt underlying wide areas of the Gulf Coast States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. Nettleton delineated a strip approximately 70 miles wide traversing the southern part of Mississippi as being underlaid by salt.
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 47, No. 11
Resources Figure 4 shows the location of 48 salt domes discovered in the state. The salt deposits in a majority of khese domes are located a t depths of 2000 to 4000 feet below the surface ( 1 7 ) . Deposits tend to be nearer the surface in the southern half of the Nettleton strip and somewhat deeper in the northern half. At least two of the domes have good potentials for mining. Richton dome in Perry County is located adjacent to a railroad. Exploration has shown that salt occurs within 800 feet of the surface over a n area of approximately 2500 acres. It is estimated the deposit is a t least 2000 feet thick. The overburden is composed principally of clay and sandy shale with a cap rock of limestone and gypsum. I n Copiah, Jefferson, and Claiborne Counties near the Mississippi River, salt is found a t approximately 2000 feet below the surface. Bruinsburg dome, because of its location on the river, is considered most likely for development. Five exploratory wells here showed salt a t depths ranging from 2016 to 2318 feet (91. Drilling data Rhow that approximately 170 acres are included within the 2000-foot cap rock contour. A sample of core taken from one well was relatively clear and free of anhydrite and sand, and analyzed 99.37% sodium chloride ( 1 ) . The thickness of the salt layer in Bruinsburg is not known, but data on the Galloway dome located approximately 20 miles away show the existence of layers of salt through a depth interval of 1240 feet. Rruinsburg dome is located approximately 10 miles from a railroad. Future requirements for chlorine, soda ash, and caustic soda will ultimately determine the extent to which the Mississippi salt deposits are developed.
duced from these deposits show it to be stable and to have good insulating properties. Cement Rock. Clays, marls, and limestconessuitable for the manufacture of cement occur in the Vicksburg formation which outcrops across south central Mississippi, and in the Selma formation of the northeast section. One cement plant is located near Brandon.
Q
€3
e
OTHER MINERAL RESOURCES Except in the extreme northeast corner, the geology of Mississippi surface dates from the Mississippi Embayment in Cretaceous times when the Gulf of Mexico extended as far north as Illinois. The coast line was gradually pJshed to its present location by the deposition of gravels, sands, and muds from rivers flowing into the Gulf. Mississippi mineral resources are derived from these deposits plus those left by a shallow sea. Figure 5 shows the location of clays and limestones and Figure 6 indicates deposits of certain specific materials. Sand and gravel occur abundantly in all sections of the state except the
Deb. Clays ( 2 0 ) . Extensive deposits of clays suitable for the manufacture of brick and tile, refractories, pottery, and white ware are located in several counties of the northeast section, near Meridian in the east central area ( 6 ) , and near Satchez in the southwest (45). Of 18 counties mapped by the State Geological Survey, all contain structural clays. Twenty-five brick and tile plants and 11 plants producing pottery or related products are located in the state. A %2,000,000plant t o make clay sewer pipe from clay deposits near Meridian started production in 1953. Bentonite ( 3 ) . Cretaceous bentonites occur in the Eutaw formation in northeast Mississippi. Deposits are mined near Fulton (42) and Aberdeen (45). Near Sniithville in the south central section, bentonite occurs extensively in the Vicksburg formation. Deposits from this area are mined and shipped to an acid treating plant located in Jackson. Fuller’s earth ( 3 , 5 ) . Deposits of relatively low quality fuller’s earth occur extensively in the Porters Creek formation which extends through the northeast section. A deposit near Blue Mountain is mjned for use by a chemical manufacturer, Tripoli. Small deposits of tripoli are found in the extreme northeast corner of the state. Wool Rock ( 2 1 ) . Clay deposits containing silica, lime, and other materials in the proportions required for making mineral wool occur extensively near Tupelo. Tests made on wool pro-
November 1955
8 a
BENTONITE WOOL R O C K IRON O R E S
e
a
LI6NITE BAUXITE
FULLER’S E A R ~ W
Figure 6.
Mineral deposits
Limestone (12). Mississippi lime deposits consist of hard crystalline Paleozoic limestone which occurs in the extreme northeast corner of the state, Selma chalk which occurs extensively through the northeast section, and mark and semicrystalline limestones of the Vicksburg formation in the central section ( I S ) . The Paleozoic limestone contains 90 to 95% calcium carbonate. Selma chalk varies in composition but deposits containing more than 90% calcium carbonate occur rather extensively. Vicksburg limestone containing 90 t o 95% calcium carbonate outcrops near Vicksburg, Brandon, and Waynesboro. Lime deposits in the state are currently used for the production of agricultural lime and in the manufacture of cement. Bauxite (19, 24, 41). Extensive deposits of low grade bauxite occur in several areas of northeast Mississippi. The alumina content ranges 30 to 40%. It has been estimated that 1,500,000 tons of ore are contained in these deposits. Lignite ( 4 , 12, 4 4 ) . The Ackerman formation of northeast Mississippi contains extensive deposits of lignite. Principal outcrops are in Choctaw and Winston counties where beds 8 feet in thickness have been found. Studies on the possible use of these deposits for low cost power generation have been made. A possible use is in the production of activated carbon. Iron Ores ( 2 , 25, 40). Widely distributed deposits of iron
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
2351
carbonate occur in Webster, Choctaw, Montgomery, and Lafayette counties in the northeast section. Some of the deposits run as high as 50y0 iron, and tests made in blast furnaces a t Birmingham, Ala., show the ore can be processed. However, the deposits are not concentrated, and mining is not economically feasible at the present time.
Table V.
Turbidity Color KO.
?o-
