Industrial Sand

Industrial sand refers to sand with a high percentage of quartz, thus having a fairly pure SiO₂ content.  Many industrial uses for sand require that it be pure, inert, and resistant to high temperatures.  High purity industrial sand is used in glass making, ceramics, filtration, hydraulic fracturing, and in chemicals.

In 2003, Unimin Corporation, produced about 432 thousand tons of industrial sand from its mine near Gore in Frederick County.  Production of industrial sand has remained fairly constant over the past five years.  The high silica purity of this sand makes it suitable for glass production.  The sand comes from the Devonian Ridgeley Sandstone.

Industrial sand production and value, 1983-2003.

Selected References:

Gilmer, A. K., Enomoto, C. B., Lovett, J. A., and Spears, D. B., 2005, Mineral and fossil fuel production in Virginia (1999-2003): Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Open-File Report 05-04, 77 p.

Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 1993, Geologic Map of Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, scale 1:500,000.