C.
V. HOLLAND
P. D. STRICKLER
1437 CRESTWOOD DRIVE, JOPLIN, MO.
T h e West North Central S t a t e s exhibit a wide diversity i n n a t u r a l resources, a s well a s i n topography a n d climate. T h e economy of t h e a r e a is based principally on agriculture a n d although agricultural products are n o t normally considered €or direct utilization by t h e chemical i n d u s t r y , a rapidly increasing expansion i n agricultural c o n s u m p t i o n of chemicals necessitates consideration i n a n y economic discussion. T h e a r e a , despite t h e fact i t contains a m a j o r i t y of t h e Missouri River Basin, is lower t h a n t h e national average i n hydroelectric power potential. T h e key to a n y considerable industrial expansion m a y well depend o n m o r e efficient utilization of a m p l y a b u n d a n t coal ancl lign i t e deposits for production oE power. Petroleum a n d n a t u r a l gas are present i n sufficient q u a n t i t i e s either i n t h e area or i n closely adjacent areas, Eurther t o s u p p l e m e n t thermoelectric power a n d eventual expansion i n t h e petrochemical fisld. Minerals, metallic a n d nonmetallic, a r e widespread i n t h e area a n d m i n i n g comprises n o t a little of t h e present established industry. Lead, zinc, i r o n , salt, bauxite, a n d high a l u m i n a clays occur i n greatest a b u n dance ; however, n u m e r o u s o t h e r s are discussed.
HE natural resources of the 11.est S o l t h Central States are varied and extensive. The area contributes a significant amount t o the nation’s productivit,y and represents a n a,bove average share of the nation’s reserves. The greatest single resource, both from the standpoint of present production and potential capacity, is the treinendous productivity of its soil. hgricult,ure and its resultant products are, however, beyond the scope of t.his paper nhich 1731 confine itself t,o a summary of the area’s principal mineral resources along with a brief discussion of forest and 1%-aterresources. The value of mineral products obtained from the West North Cent,ral States for 1950, the latest year for which complete production figures are available, amounted to over one billion dollars or about 8% of the total for t,he nation. This figtire is a t the present time doubtless too low as recent, dcvelopments have added materially to the area’s mineral producti.on. Kor does tha production percentage give an accurate indication of reserve8 as several knoIm, large mineral deposits remain as yet almost wholly undeveloped. FUELS Coal. Coal is consumed in greater tonnage than any other commodity produced by man ( 1 1 ) . The annual production averages 600,000,000 net tons in the United States and 1.8 billion net tons for the entire world. Reserves of coal far exceed the knonm reser’ies of all other mineral fuels. As supplies of other fuels become depleted or too expensive, and i ~ industrial s growth continues, coal will be used in larger and larger amount,s. The West Xorth Central States are more than amply endowed with this increasingly iniport,ant raw material rind fuel. Over
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SPENCER CHEMICAL C O . , PITTSBURG, KAN.
two thirds of the largest lignite field in the United States lie-
within n-estern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota, vhile the bituminous coal fields in Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas constitute an appreciable portion of the great interior coal province of t,he United States. The lignite or young coal of the Korth and South Dakota is characterized by a high moisture content (37%); a low heating value (6800 l3.t.u. per lb.); a moderate ash content; ancl a low sulfur content,. Because of its high moisture content, low heating value, and special stora,ge problems, lignite has not, in the past, been extensively- utilized; holyever, it has been used satisfactorily in the immediate area for many years for domestic, commercial, and industrial consumption. Development of the use of lignite ior heat, power, and chemical raw materials is currently being aided by the North Dalcot,a Research Foundation (4)and the United States Bureau of Mines lignite research laboratory. I n 1949, lignite production from the t1T-o states amount,cd to nearly 3,000,000 tons or approximately 95% of the annual United States lignite consumption, Lignite rescrves in the area, rhiclr have been estimated at 600 billion tons, represent 6 to 7% of thc known coal reserves of the world and 16 to 18% of the coal reserves of the United States. Coal from Missouri, Ioma, and Kansas is bituminous of medium volatile to high volatile rank; it has a heating value of 12,500 B.t.u. per lb.: and is generally considered to be a medium grade material. Mining is carried on both underground and by strip operations. The lat,ter method accounts for somewhat over 8570 of the area’s aniiual production of 7,500,000 tons. Coal deposits in the Missouri, Iowa, Kansas area have not beeii extcnsively exploited. This is evidenced by the fact that whilc the above product,iori figure represents only 1 t o 2% of t,lieaverage annual production, t,he known reserves of the area (125 billion tons) represent over 5% of the total known coal reserves of the United States and nearly 10% of the country’s knoivn bituminous reserves. Petroleum. The Lnited Stmateshas for many years consisteiitlj produced and consumed nearly l x o t,hirds of the ~vorld’;: annual pet,roleurn supply. Two separate areas in the TT-est Korth Central h t e s contribute to this production. The oldest of t 8 h e x areas, and a t present the largest of t8hetn-o, lies in central arid southeastern Kansas. The newest area, t,he \T-illi:t,on Basin, ir centered in 1-orth Dakota. Crude oil from the Kansas fields is of the mixed-base type, coiltaining from 90 to 95% paraftins. Kansas ranks fifth among t,hc oil-producing states in production of both crude oil and natural gasoline (casing-head gasoline). I n 1952, liansas crude oil production amounted t o over 114,000,000 barrels. I n addition, 196,000,000 gallons of natural gasolinc n-ere produccd. This accounted lor approximately 5 % of the annual crude oil production of the United States and a somewhat smallor percentage of natural gasoline production. Proved rcscrves of crude oil in Kansas a t the close of 1952 were placed at 917,000,000 barrels and natural gasoline reserves were placed at 168,000,000 barrels.
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Resources The last great oil frontier in the United States, the Williston Basin area, was opened in 1951. The area has not yet been sufficiently developed to allow an evaluation of production capacity or reserves; however, in 1953 North Dakota, which contains approximately one half of the IJnited States portion of the Williston Basin area, produced 6,500,000 barrels and ranked 17th among the oil-producing states of the nation. Production in the Williston Basin is now a t a maximum until facilities now under construction for handling the crude oil (on-the-spot refineries and pipelines) have been completed. Natural Gas. Because of its excellent combustion characteristics and fluid properties, natural gas is considered one of the most important fuels (10). I t is also the source of large volumes of gaseous and light-liquid hydrocarbons and in addition serves as an important chemical raw material in a growing variety of products. The term “natural gas” is used in this paper in the popular sense and refers to gaseous hydrocarbons in conjunction with small amounts of nonfuel gases. Natural gas is frequently found in association with crude oil and natural gasoline but may occur in “dry” reservoirs entirely in the gaseous state. The composition is predominantly methane with relatively small amounts of ethane and propane. h number of other gases are also normally present, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and are classed as impurities due to their undesirable fuel properties. The principal gas-producing state in the West North Central area is Kansas which again ranks fifth among the states for gas production in the nation. A typical analysis for natural gas obtained from this area is methane 96%, nitrogen 3.2y0, and carbon dioxide 0.8%. An average gross heating value of over 1000 l3.t.u. per cu. ft. is normally obtained. In 1952, Kansas natural gas production was nearly 409 billion cubic feet, (2.8 cubic miles), approximately 75% of which was obtained as nonassociated gas (not in contact with crude oil in the reservoir) from the large Hugoton gas area in southwestern Kansas (16). Other states in the area reporting natural gas production are Missouri, Kebraska, and Korth Dakota. No current production figures are available on gas production in Sorth Dakota; however, a sharp increase may be expected in the next few years in conjunction with expansion and development of the R‘illiston Basin. Proved reserves in Kansas a t the close of 1952 were placed above 14 trillion cubic feet; however, the reserve position of natural gas is never static. Increased utilization and rates of depletion have, fortunately, for the last 40 years, been counterbalanced by continuous enlargement ‘of proved areas and discovery and development of new sources of supply. METALLIC MINERALS Iron. The West. North Central States’ rich endomment of mineral resources is well exemplified by its production and reserves of iron ore. The contribution of the area to the annual domestic production varies from 65 to 75%. This is due almost entirely to the Lake Superior region partially contained in Minnesota. Minnesota iron ore deposits are classified into t,hree principal ranges, the Mesabi, the Vermillion, and the Cuyuna. Of these, t,he Jlesabi range is of the greatest econoniic significance. Missouri is the only other st,at,ein the area reporting iron ore production. The principal iron bearing minerals of the area are, in order of importance, hematite ( FezOa) or anhydrous ferric oxide which comprises 907, of the domestic production, magnetite (FesOl) or ferrosoferric oxide, and limonite ( 2Fez03.3HzO) hydrous ferric oxide. The ore of the Mesabi range is mainly soft hematite and limonite which is obtained almost exclusively by open-pit mining November 1954
methods. The ore from the Vermillion range is hard hematite, especially low in phosphorus, while that of the Cuyuna range is the principal source of manganiferous iron ore. Iron ore is found throughout the Ozark Plateau in Missouri and is obtained principally by open-pit methods. It is chiefly brown ore or limonite. I n 1950, over 82,000,000 tons of crude iron ore were produced in Minnesota. Nearly 600,000 tons were produced in Missouri. Together, this represents nearly 70% of the annual domestic production and does not include iron ores containing more than 5% manganese. Minnesota iron ore reserves are given a t nearly one billion tons. This figure is low as it represents only taxable and state owned reserves and not the total which may be expected to become available. Missouri reserves have been approximated a t 10,000,000 tons. Lead. Missouri, containing the well-known Lead Belt in the southeast and comprising a portion of the tri-State district in the southwest, has led the states in lead production for nearly 50 years. Both lead and zinc oreP are usually found in close association, most frequently as the sulfides. This close association is not true of the lead-bearing ores of southeast (Lead Belt) XIissouri, and t.hey are thus unique among t,he lead deposits of the world. The chief lead bearing ore of the Lead Belt and the tri-State district is known as galena (PbS), or lead sulfide. Galena is a heavy, usually well-crystallized material with a metallic luster. It can be cut with a knife and the cryst,als are well-shaped cubes having steplike sharp surfaces. Lead production in the Lead Belt of Missouri normally accounts for 30 to 35y0 of the annual domestic production with 5 to 7% more coming from the tri-State area. I n 1950, Missouri produced 134,600 short tons and Kansas, 9,500 short tons out of a total U.8. production of 430,000 short’tons. Manganese. Deposits of manganese ores in sufficient quant,ities to be of significance are found in two states of the West S o r t h Central area, Minnesota and South Dakota. Deposits in Minnesota lie principally within the Cuyuna Range and are being exploited in conjunction with iron ore product’ion. The deposits in South Dakota, akhough the largest k n o w in the Unit,ed States, are essentially undeveloped ( I S ) . Manganese ores are grouped by the Bureau of Mines into foul. general classificat,ions: 1. Manganese ore-which contains 35y0 or more manganese 2. lllanganiferous zinc residium 3. Ferruginous manganese ore containing from 10 to 35% manganese 4. Manganiferous iron ore containing from 5 to 107, manganese The manganese ores obtained from the Cuyuna Range of Minnesota are finely disseminated, ferruginous, siliceous cherts and contain an average manganese content of 1570 ( 8 ) . Production from llinnesoba in 1950 accounted for 14% (16,000 tons) of the annual domestic production of ferruginous manganese ore. Because of the tremendous annual iron ore production in Minnesota, a corre1at)ively large amount of manganese is mined as manganiferous iron ore. Manganiferous iron ore production from Minnesota in 1950 was 850,000 tons out’ of a total annual production of 970,000 tons. Manganese deposits found in the Chamberlain region of Sout’h Dakota are of sedimentary origin and occur as iron and manganese carbonate nodules. The manganese content of these nodules varies from 9 to 32% and averages 16%. Currently, no manganese mining is in progress in South Dakota; however, a pilot plant was established in the Chamberlain area and operated during World War 11. Despite the easy availability of the oresa large quantity appears as outcroppings and would readily lend themselves to strip-mining-the further development of the Chamberlain area will probably be brought about only through
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technological advances in ore beneficiation and extract,ion. The size of the Chamberlain deposits is estimated a t 100,000,000 tons occurring as outcrop and 4 to 5 billion tons more underground ( 12 ) . Zinc. The major zinc producing fields of the West North Central Stat,es are found in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas. This area includes a large portion of the famous triState district which also includes northeastBernOklahoma. Zinc also occurs rather widely, but in much less important aniounts, in the south central part, of Missouri. The chief ore mineral of zinc which is found in the area is sphalerite (ZnS), a zinc sulfide which is normally a well-crystallized, resinous, brownish-black material having a sheen somewhat like beeswax. Over 500,000,000 tons of zinc ore have been processed in Missouri alone; however, in recent years production of zinc has fallen sharply due to depletion of reserves of the higher grade ores and lo-iver metal prices. Only 35,000 short tons of ore, representing 5% of the yearly United States production, were obtained from the Missouri-Kansas area in 1950. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 short toris of zinc remain in the tri-State district, awaiting better recovery methods, greater demand, and higher met’alprices (8). Copper. Copper production in the West North Central area is of lit,& economic significance. The entire reported production comes from the Lead Belt region of Missouri. In 1950, hIissouri copper production amounted to approximately 3000 short tons or less than of 1%of the annual domestic production. Silver. There are no silver mines operated in the West Nort,h Central States primarily for the production of silver; however, some silver approximately 375,000 fine 02. less than 1% of the 1950 U.S. production is obtained as a by-product from other metallurgical processes. Two states are primarily responsible for the area’s production, Missouri (from lead smelting) and South Dakota (from gold ore extraction). Gold. Gold mining, although carried 0x1 in several of the West S o r t h Central St,ates, is of significaxicc only in South Dakota. Three principal types of gold and gold-silver deposits are found in the area, vein and shear zone deposits formed by filling opeiiings in the country rock with minerals precipitated from volcanic: solutions, replacement deposit,s formed by replacing t,he country rock with metals derived from volcanic solutions, and placer deposits mechanical concentrations of gold in the channels of ancient and modern streams. South Dakota iE the leading gold producing state in the United St,ates, accounting for approximately 35% of the yearly Ti. S. production and 27, of ~ o r l dproduction. 111 1950, 570,000 oz. of gold valued at nearly %20,000,000were mined in South Dakota. NONMETALLIC MINERALS Limestone. Limestone is TTidely distributed in the Cnited States. Some limestone production is reported by 44 states and 15 to 2070 of the entire country is estimated to be underlain with limestone. Because of it,s widespread distribution, limestone is consumed in greater tonnages than any other stone quarried or mined. “Either directly or indirectly, limestone or its derivative lime. is probably employed in more industries than any other natural substance” ( 5 ) . Both mat,erials, limestone and lime, itre used most extensively in agricultural, building, and chemical industries. In the broadest sense, limestone includes any calcareous initterial; ho-ivever, it is generally considered to be a stratified calcareous rock, composed chiefly of calcite ( CaCO8) ox’ dolomitt: (the double carbonate of calciuni arid magnesium). There is some limestone production in all seven of the West North Central States. Missouri, however, is the leading limestone producing state of the area and annually ranks froin fourth to sixth in production among the states of the nation.
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As is the general practice, the majority of thc limestone obtained in Missouri is obtained from open-pits or quarries. Missouri alone produces 8,000,000 to 9,000,000 tons of limestone and 1,000,000 tons of lime out of a total annual domestic: production of 225,000,000 to 250,000,000 tons of limestone and 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 tons of lime, Clays. Defined broadly, clay is a fine-grained, earChy material composed of various minerals but usually high in hydrous aluminum silicates. Two clays, fire clay and bentonite, are produced in the West North Central St,ates in quantities large enough to be significant. Fire clay, found in appreciable quantities in Missouri and to a lesser extent in the other six states, is utilized principally in th(a manufacture of firebrick and related products. Missouri produced over 1,200,000 tons of fireclay in 1950 or approximately 12% of the annual domestic production. The bentonite or volcanic ash, obtained chiefly from South Dakota, is the swelling, rionbleaching type. Principal uses aro as a foundry-sand bonding agent and as a rotary drilling mud in the petroleum industry. In 1950 South Dakota produced o w r 190,000 tons of bentonite which accouutcd for 20% of the domwtic production. Salt. Common salt, or halite, is composed of sodium chlorido together with various impurities. The greatest reserves are in ocean waters but vast amounts are stored as layers of rock and large quantities are present as part of nat,ural brines in deeply buried porous rocks. Kansas makes t,he principal contribution of the West North Central States to our annual salt production. Salt is, in fact, one of the most abundant, although relatively undevcloprd, minerals of Kansas, with an estimated 9 trillion tons underlying a large area in the cent,ral and southwcstern part of t,hc wt,atc,. These reserves are in t,he forin of layers of rock salt and iircl i n some places over 500 feet in thickness. Annual salt production from Kansas has been relatively consistent, ranging from 600,000 to 900,000 tons since 1925. In 1949, Kansas produced 890,000 tons or over 5% of the itnnual domestic production (9). Sand and Gravel. Sand and gravel are rock grains, pebbles, 01’ boulders obtained chiefly from loose or semiconsolidated sand antl gravel inasses. Sand is defined as any material betmen 1/16 and 2 millimeters in diameter and gravel as anyt,hing over 2 millimeters. The uses of sand and gravel are numerous but are mainly used in foundry work, as a roofing material, as railroad ballast,, as concrete aggregate, in glass and refractory products, and in grinding and polishing. There is sand and gravel production in a11 t,he West North Central States. The tot8alproduction of the area in 1950 wits nearly 55,000,000 tons or 18% of the 1950 domestic product,ion. Minnesota is the leading state of the area and annually accounts for approximately 5% of the United States total production. Barite. Tiff or barite (BaSO4) is a! heavy, white or creamyellon. mineral employed chiefly in the petroleum industry as a welldigging mud. Other major uses include barium chemicals antl lithopone with minor quantities employed in the glass, rubbei~, and paint industries. Missouri, to date, has produced more barite than any other single state and usually supplies approximately 30% of the annual domestic production. Production from Missouri in 1950 exceeded 200,000 short tons.
PORESTS Thr contribution of the West North Central States to the woodproducts industry is relatively minor. Missouri and Minnesota are responsible for the majority of the area’s present wood production and likewise contain the majority of the reserves. The history of the area with respect to its forests is typical.
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Resources Clearing of the land for agricultural purposes, inefficient utilization of forests b y poor harvesting practices, and wanton destruction by fire were the major factors in depletion of the forest resources. Combined production of the area for 1951 totaled approximately 800,000,000 board feet or a little over 2% of the annual domestic production. Reserves and present production are generally of inferior or second growth quality. Major uses are as pulpwood and fuel rather than lumber. WATER The availability and supply of fresh water, always a necessity for man individually, has become increasingly important for the maintenance of his present industrialized civilization and must, therefore, be included in any discussion of natural resources. It has been estimated that the deliberate use of 1500 tons of water annually is necessary to maintain a U. S. citizen in the manner t o which he is accustomed and this does not include the 10,000 tons per capita which are annually channeled through hgtlroelectric plants ( 1 ) . The availability of water for industrial utilization in the West North Central States varies with the topography and climate. Few generalizations which apply t o the entire area can be made. The nort,hwest portion of the area is most deficient in water and must depend primarily upon surface water from the Missouri River and tributaries. Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, and to a lesser extent Iowa and Minnesota, have an appreciable amount of available ground water although only a small percentage is utilized for other than agricultural uses at the present time. Quantitative information on the availability and supply of water for the area is sadly lacking; however, it has been estimated that the total storage of the Nebraska-Kansas reservoir alone is 300 trillion gallons, with an annual recharge of 30 trillion gallons. Present usage from this reservoir amounts to only 1.13 billion gallons per day while from 75 t o 100 billion gallons per day are available without causing serious depletion (6). Further completion of the Missouri River Basin Development Program and subsequent efficiency increase in water utilization will not only add to the quantity of water available b u t also to the quality (S). CONCLUSION The natural resources of the West North Central States, including mineral raw materials coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron, lead, manganese, zinc, limestone, salt, clays, barite, and sand and gravel, are sufficient to be eminently attractive to industries, particularly the chemical industry. I n addition t o the raw materials mentioned there are specific cases in which deposits of individual raw materials may attract a strategically located industry. The tripoli deposit and plant for its production in Seneca, Mo., is an excellent example of such special deposit’s. The most limiting material in this area which, of course, is an essential requirement of any industry is the water supply. However, if plants are located strategically and particularly on one
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of the major rivers or its tributaries there would be no question of the supply of water to meet most any ordinary plant requircment. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors are indebted t o the following state departments and institutions for reference material employed in the preparat,ion of this paper: Department of Business and Atiniinistration Missouri Division of Resources and Development Jefferson City, Mo. Minnesota Department, of Business Research and Development 6t. Paul, Minn. Iowa Development Commission Des Moines, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Inspection Division of Resources Lincoln, Neb. University of Kansas Publications Lawrence, Kan. South Dakota Natural Resources Commission Pierre, S.D. Korth Dakota Research Foundation Bismarck, N. D. Leo M. Christensen Omaha Industrial Foundation Omaha 2, Iieb. REFERENCES ( I ) Bello, F., Fortune, 49, 120 (1954). ( 2 ) Brenan, J. H., and Longenecker, C., Encyclopedia of Chemical
Technology-Manganese and Manganese Alloys, s’ol. 8 , Interscience, New York, 1953. ( 3 ) Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior (Regions 6 and 7) Billings, Mont.; Denver, Colo. “Power, Reserves, Requirements and Supply-Missouri River Basin,” 1951. 4 (4) Burr, A. C., North Dakota Research Foundation, Hismai~ok, S . D:, “Mineral Resources of North Dakota,” 1952. (5) Carrol, W., Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology-lron, Vol. 8, Interscience, New York, 1953. (6) Christensen, L. M., private comniunication on water resources, (7) Department of Business Research and Development, St. Paul, hlinn., “Minnesota at Midpoint,” 1950. (8) Gist, N. P., Rlorelock, and associates, Curators of the University of Nissouri, Columbia, hlo., “lIissouri, Its Resources, People and Institutions,” 1960. (9) Innian, A. E., “Salt, An Industrial Potential for Kansas.” University of Kanqas Research Foundation, Lawrence, Kan., 1951. (10) IAott, F. Y., Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology-Xatural Gas, Vol. 7, Interscience, Sew York. 1951. ( I 1 > Rose, H. ,I., Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology-Coal, Vol, 4, Interscience, New York, 1949. (12) South Dakota Natural Resources Cominission. Pierre, 5. D., “Mineral Resources of South Dakota,” 1952. (18) South Dakota Natural Resources Commission, Pierr?. S. D., Resources Bull. VI, No. 7, 1953. (14) Thiel, G. A,, Minnesota Department of Conservation, S t . Paul Minri., “hlinnesota’s Mineral Heritage,” 1947. (15) U. S. Bur. Mines, Washington 25, D. C., “Minerals Yearbook of 1950,” 1953. (16) Ver Wiebe, W. A., Goebel, and associates, “Oil and Gas Developments in Kansas During 1952,” University of Kansas I ’ i i b lications, Lawrence, Kan., 1953. RECEIVEDfor review April 9, 1064.
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ACCEPTEDSeptember 7 , 1954.
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