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SACRAMENTO --
California led the nation in the
production of non-fuel minerals for the
third consecutive year, according to
statistics released jointly by the
Department of Conservation’s California
Geological Survey and the U.S.
Geological Survey.
The state's 1,000
active mines, which employ more than
9,000 people, produced minerals valued
at $3.27 billion in 2001, slightly down
from 2000’s total of $3.30 billion.
California’s production accounted for
about 8.4 percent of the nation’s total.
Thirty-two industrial minerals made up
96 percent of the total value; gold and
silver accounted for four percent.
Construction sand and
gravel was the state’s leading
industrial mineral with a total value of
$953 million, a one percent increase
from 2000. 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 commodity. The 11.2 million tons
produced was valued at $768 million.
Boron was the No. 3 mineral with a value
of $557 million, followed by crushed
stone with a value of $380 million.
California was the
nation's only producer of boron, rare
earth ore and asbestos, which in some
forms can cause cancer but nonetheless
is indispensable in the making of
heat-resistant fabrics, such as those
used by firefighters. The state
continued to lead the nation in the
production of sand and gravel,
diatomite, and natural sodium sulfate.
California ranked second in the nation
in the production of Portland cement and
fourth in gold production behind Nevada,
Utah and Alaska.
Other minerals
produced in California include several
types of clay, crushed stone, gemstones,
gypsum, iron ore, lime, magnesium
compounds, salt, silver, soda ash,
sodium bicarbonate and talc.
Some 2001 mining
highlights:
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Gold production
totaled 449,200 troy ounces (slightly
larger than a standard ounce and only
used for precious metals), valued at
$122.3 million. That’s a 19 percent
decrease in production and 21 percent
decrease in value. In the next 2-3
years, California’s gold production is
expected to drop by about 70 percent.
Many facilities are closing for a
variety of reasons, mainly economic.
Some of the state's largest gold mines
are reaching the end of their economic
lifespan as the ore bodies no longer
contain sufficient gold content for
mining to be profitable. The price of
gold is relatively low, ranging from
$270 per ounce a year ago to a recent
high of $310 per ounce. Were the price
to rise significantly to a sustainable
level, interest in exploration and
mining might also increase, and this
would likely result in an increase in
future gold production.
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The Shasta County
Planning Commission approved an
expansion for Lehigh Southwest Cement
Company’s Gray Rock limestone quarry
that allows an additional 48 million
tons of high-quality limestone to be
mined over a 50-year period from the
existing site that has operated since
1960.
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Teichert Aggregates
submitted its final Environmental
Impact Report for a 720-acre aggregate
site located about four miles north of
the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln in
Placer County. The project calls for
the extraction of 37 million tons of
construction sand and gravel and 122
million tons of crushed granite
aggregate over 85 years.
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Mining began at
Calaveras Materials Inc.’s
Woolstenhulme Ranch sand and gravel
mine in Merced County. About 15
million tons of aggregate will be
mined at the site over the next 25-30
years.
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CEMEX Inc.’s newly
acquired Victorville cement plant (San
Bernardino County) completed a
one-million-ton-per-year expansion,
increasing the plant capacity to 3.2
million tons per year.
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After 75 years of
operation, Hansen Aggregates Mid
Pacific, Inc.’s Radum operation near
Pleasanton (Alameda County) ceased
mining in November 2001. It was the
largest alluvial sand and gravel
producer in Northern California,
accounting for roughly 25 percent of
the aggregate used in the South San
Francisco Bay area. Hansen is making
up a portion of the deficit by
shipping aggregate about 1,000 miles
from British Columbia to the Bay area.
Aggregate is also shipped by bulk
cargo ships from Canada to San Diego
and Long Beach.
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California’s
fourth-largest gold producer, Viceroy
Gold’s and MK Gold’s Castle Mountain
Mine in San Bernardino County, ceased
mining. The mine has produced about
1.15 million troy ounces in 10 years
of operation. The operators will
continue to extract gold from ore that
has already been mined until 2004.
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Barrick Gold
Corporation acquired Homestake Mining
Company for $2.2 billion in December
2001. Homestake owned the McLaughlin
Mine (in Napa, Lake and Yolo
counties), California’s largest
producer of gold. Mining operations
ceased at McLaughlin in 1996, but gold
processing will continue through
spring.
The California
Geological Survey completed a Mineral
Land Classification report in Lassen
County and continues similar projects in
Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, San
Bernardino and Riverside counties. The
CGS’ Mineral Land Classification Project
has classified a little over one-third
of the state for mineral resources, a
service that helps local governments in
land-use planning and mineral resource
conservation.
In addition to
studying and mapping mineral resources,
the Department of Conservation ensures
the reclamation of land used for mining;
promotes beverage container recycling;
regulates oil, gas and geothermal wells;
studies and maps earthquakes and other
geologic phenomena; and administers
agricultural and open-space land
conservation programs.
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