FLORIDA’S INDUSTRIAL
MINERALS
Making Modern life Possible
Florida Mineral Map
Since pre-historic times man has utilized the natural materials from the
earth for constructing shelters, tools, utensils, and weapons. The earliest
mining in Florida was carried out by Native Americans, who quarried the
mineral chert from limestone for use in points and tools. Alluvial clay
deposits were also utilized for pots and other cooking utensils. Today
minerals from the earth are the building blocks of our modern society. Florida
ranks fifth in the nation with an industrial mineral production value of $1.92
billion. Florida’s minerals are utilized both locally and worldwide.
Florida’s Mineral Commodities
Phosphate - Florida producers supply approximately one-quarter of the
world's phosphate needs and three-quarters of US domestic needs. Nearly all of
the rock that is mined in Florida, 28.6 million metric tons in 2000, was used
to manufacture fertilizer which, in turn, was used for agricultural purposes.
What was not used in the manufacture of fertilizer was used in a number of
products including feed supplements, vitamins, soft drinks, and toothpaste. In
2000, $1.13 billion dollars worth of fertilizer was exported from Florida
making it another one of Florida's leading export commodities
Stone - Florida ranks second nationally in production and fourth in
consumption of crushed stone (limestone and dolostone). Most of the stone that
is mined in Florida is used for road construction. Limestone of high purity
can undergo calcination (heating) and, together with other ingredients, be
used to manufacture portland and masonry cement. Florida ranks in the top five
states in production and consumption of portland cement and is first in the
production and consumption of masonry cement.
Sand and Gravel - Florida ranks approximately 15th in the
country in sand and gravel used or produced. Sand and gravel is subdivided
into construction and industrial sand, the bulk of which is, in Florida,
construction grade.
Crude Oil and Natural Gas is produced from two primary oil field areas
of Florida. Production began in 1943 in south Florida near Fort Myers, where
the Cretaceous Sunniland Formation yields oil from depths between 11,000 and
13,000 feet. In northwestern Florida, near Jay, oil has been produced since
1970 from the Jurassic Smackover Formation at depths between 14,000 and 17,000
feet. Production peaked in the late 1970s at 48 million barrels of crude oil
and 52 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year. Today the production is
drastically lower at less than 5 million barrels of crude and about 5.4
billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2002.
Heavy Minerals - A variety of minerals are located in the Florida heavy
mineral sand deposits including ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and leucoxene.
Ilmenite and rutile are primary ingredients in the manufacture of titanium
dioxide pigments, used in the manufacture of paint, varnish and lacquers,
plastics, and paper.
Peat - an organic-rich accumulation of decaying plant material.
Although peat departs from the inorganic definition of a mineral, it is
generally considered an economic mineral. Florida ranks in the top five states
nationally in the production of horticultural peat.
Clay - Fuller's Earth, common clay, and kaolin are mined in few
locations in Florida. Fuller's Earth is typically used as an absorbent
material, while kaolin is used in the manufacture of paper and refractories.
Common clay, mined in small quantities from various locations throughout the
state, is used in the manufacture of brick, cement and lightweight aggregate.
Florida’s Mineral History
In the 1500’s, Spanish settlers and soldiers quarried coquina limestone
near St. Augustine to form building blocks for their forts and homes.
Pebble phosphate was discovered in the late 1880’s in central Florida
near Ft. Meade, Polk County. Its discovery eventually led to the demise of the
hardrock deposit mining. Today the region is known as the Central Florida
Phosphate District. Several companies operate mines in the district.
Fuller’s earth was discovered near Quincy, Gadsden County, in 1893.
Originally used by Fullers to remove oil from wool, its later usefulness in
processing mineral oils made Fullers earth an important industrial commodity.
Mining continues in the region today.
Limestone has been used in Florida as a building material and source of
lime and cement since Spanish times. High-purity limestone has been quarried
near Ocala, Marion County, since the turn of the century Limestone is still an
important industry in Florida, supplying raw materials for cement and roadbase.
Heavy mineral mining began in 1916 near Mineral City (now Ponte Vedra
Beach) to supply ilmenite for WWI titanium tetrachloride production. In the
mid-1920s, zircon and rutile were also produced in this area. Other beach
deposits near Jacksonville, Melbourne, and Vero Beach were worked through the
WWII years. Today production is limited to inland mines in northeastern
Florida and along the Trail Ridge.
More Information from the U.S.
Geological Survey:
Mineral information and Map for Florida.