Publications

An overview of the industrial diamond industry is provided. More than 90 percent of the industrial diamond consumed in the U.S. and the rest of the world is manufactured diamond. Ireland, Japan, Russia, and the U.S. produce 75 percent of the global industrial diamond output. In 2000, the U.S. was the largest market for industrial diamond. Industrial diamond applications, prices for...

US ammonia production in 2000 declined by about 7% from 1999. The largest decline occurred in the second half of the year. High natural gas prices caused many plants to close or curtail production near the end of the year. By year-end, about one-third of the US ammonia production capacity was shut down.

A general overview of the fluorspar industry is provided. The U.S. had no reported mine production in 2000. Imports, sales from the U.S. National Defense Stockpile, and small amounts of synthetic fluorspar met domestic fluorspar needs. According to the U.S. Geographical Survey, 509 kt of fluorspar was consumed domestically.

Part of the 2000 annual review of the industrial minerals sector. A general overview of the kaolin industry is provided. In 2000, production of kaolin was estimated to be 8.87 Mt, which is less than the amount produced in 1999. Domestic sales of kaolin decreased in 2000, with sales of kaolin for paper filler applications continuing to drop.

Mexico is the leading producer of celestite, the most common strontium ore. Chemical Products is the only major US maker of strontium compounds. It produces all of its strontium carbonate from imported Mexican celestite. Mexico is also a large producer of strontium carbonate, as are China, Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea. There has been no celestite production in the United...

The state of the global industrial garnet industry in 1999 is discussed. Industrial garnet mined in the U.S., which accounts for approximately one-third of the world's total, is usually a solid-solution of almandine and pyrope. The U.S. is the largest consumer of industrial garnet, using an estimated 47,800 st in 1999 as an abrasive and as a filtration medium in the petroleum industry...

Part of the 1999 Industrial Minerals Review. The clay and shale market in 1999 is reviewed. In the U.S., sales or use of clay and shale increased from 26.4 million st in 1998 to 27.3 million st in 1999, with an estimated 1999 value of production of $143 million. These materials were used to produce structural clay products, lightweight aggregates, cement, and ceramics and refractories...

The United States continued to be significant producer and consumer of peat for horticultural and industrial applications in 1999. Florida, Michigan and Minnesota were the largest producing states, in order of output.

This summary of international nonfuel mineral exploration activities for 1999 draws upon available data from literature, industry and US Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. The report documents data on exploration budgets by region and commodity and identifies significant mineral discoveries and exploration target areas. It also discusses government programs affecting the mineral...

Part of the 1999 Industrial Minerals Review. A review of the state of the gemstone industry worldwide in 1999 is presented. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits in 1999 was $13.5 million. The estimated value of U.S. apparent consumption of gemstones in 1999 was $6.88 billion, an increase of 9 percent from 1998...

This report summarizes major findings about water quality in the upper Colorado River basin that emerged from an assessment conducted between 1996 and 1998 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Water quality is discussed in terms of local and regional issues and compared to conditions found in all 36 NAWQA study areas assessed to date...

Part of the 1998 Industrial Minerals Review. Activities in the kaolin industry in 1999 are reviewed. U.S. production of kaolin in 1999 was estimated to be 10.7 million st, an increase of 0.3 million st from the previous year. The paper industry is the largest user of kaolin, accounting for 59 percent of domestic sales. Company activities, announcements, and plans of interest to the...