Peat is a renewable, natural, organic material of botanical origin and commercial significance.  Peatlands are situated predominately in shallow wetland areas of the Northern Hemisphere, where large deposits developed from the gradual decomposition of plant matter under anaerobic (low oxygen) conditions.  Peat has widespread use as a plant-growth medium in a variety of horticultural and agricultural applications because its fibrous structure and porosity promote a combination of water-retention and drainage.  Commercial applications include potting soils, lawn and garden soil amendments, and turf maintenance on golf courses.  In industry, peat is used primarily as a filtration medium to remove toxic materials from process waste streams, pathogens from sewage effluents, and deleterious materials suspended in municipal storm-drain water.  In its dehydrated form, peat is a highly effective absorbent for fuel and oil spills on land and water.

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Annual Publications

Mineral Commodity Summaries

• Peat
    PDF Format:
       | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |2013 |2014 |2015 |2016 |2017 |2018 | 2019 |
• Appendixes

Minerals Yearbook

• Peat
    PDF Format:
       | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
    XLS Format:
       | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 tables-only release | 
• Archive
       | 1932-1993 |

Special Publications

• U.S. Peat Producers - 2013
• Peat Database -USGS data on peat and related plant/sediment/water chemistry
• Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States
  Data Series 140
  • Peat