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SACRAMENTO -- For the
second consecutive year, California led
the nation in the production of non-fuel
minerals, most notably sand and gravel.
The state's 1,000 active mines yielded
minerals valued at $3.38 billion in
2000, according to statistics released
by the Department of Conservation's
Division of Mines and Geology and the
U.S. Geological Survey.
Construction sand and
gravel production increased by 13.6
million tons over 1999 and was valued at
about $1 billion. Vulcan Materials
Company/Western Division's Boulevard
operation in Los Angeles County was the
nation's largest sand and gravel
operation. Portland cement was the
state's second-largest industrial
mineral; production totaled 12.1 million
tons valued at about $865 million. Boron
and crushed stone ranked 3-4, with
values of $498 million and $403 million,
respectively.
California was the
nation's only producer of boron, rare
earth concentrates, and asbestos, and
continued to lead the nation in the
production of sand and gravel, portland
cement, diatomite, and natural sodium
sulfate. California ranked third in the
nation in gold production behind Nevada
and Utah.
Other minerals
produced in California include several
types of clay, gemstones, gypsum, iron
ore, lime, magnesium compounds, salt,
silver, soda ash and talc.
Some 2000 mining
highlights:
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Teichert Aggregates
continued its permitting process for a
720-acre aggregate site located about
four miles north of Lincoln in Placer
County. The project calls for the
extraction of 37 million tons of
construction alluvial sand and gravel
and 122 million tons of crushed
granite aggregate over a period of 85
years. The availability of resources
near construction areas is crucial
from a cost standpoint. For example,
for every 30 miles aggregate has to
travel, the cost doubles.
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CEMEX, Inc.
(formerly Transit Mix Concrete
Company) continued its permitting
process for the Soledad Canyon sand
and gravel mining project in Los
Angeles County. If approved,
approximately 56 million tons of
construction-grade aggregate material
will be mined from a 460-acre site
over a period of 20 years. The project
will also include a concrete batch
plant.
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Robertson’s Ready
Mix was awarded the contract to
excavate three pits for the county
owned Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill
expansion in Rialto (San Bernardino
County). The excavated sand and gravel
will be processed on site and sold for
construction-grade aggregate. The
landfill expansion will provide an
estimated 80-100 million tons of
aggregate reserves to the San
Bernardino area over the 25-35 year
life of the landfill.
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Molycorp Inc.’s
Mountain Pass rare earths mine in San
Bernardino County got a temporary
permit to mine bastnaesite ore for a
three-month period starting in
December 1999. The mined ore kept the
plant in operation in a limited
capacity through the year 2000.
Molycorp is in the process of
obtaining a permit to expand its
operation. The Mountain Pass Mine is
the only producer of rare earth
minerals in the United States.
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Newmont Gold
Company's Mesquite Mine in Imperial
County continued to lead the state in
gold production for the year.
Homestake's McLaughlin Mine (Napa,
Lake, and Yolo counties) was No. 2,
followed by Viceroy Gold Corporation's
Castle Mountain Mine (San Bernardino
County). Gold accounted for 4.6
percent of California's non-fuel
mineral production, about $154.8
million. While the Gold Rush is long
over, California’s gold production in
the last 20 years amounted to $4.5
billion.
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DOC's Division of
Mines and Geology is developing a
statewide aggregate resource and
demand map that should be available
this summer.
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