Silica Sand Mining Projects
Silica occurs naturally beneath the surface of the Earth as the mineral quartz, which is the most common mineral found in sandstone. Sand silica deposits are mined to provide materials for industrial processes, such as making glass and drilling for oil. Silica is mined around the world, with mining projects found in Michigan and in the Australian region of South Australia.
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Silica
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Silica sand is often described as industrial sand and gravel that has a high content of silicon dioxide. Major deposits of silica sand are found in coastal regions around the shorelines of lakes and oceans. Deposits of silica sand can be found in three distinct types of deposits known as inland dunes, coastal dunes and coastal sand strips. These deposits range in location from the present-day shoreline to inland dunes that can occur up to 30 miles from the present-day shoreline, having formed thousands of years before, when the sea level was higher.
Mining
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Silica sand mining is most commonly completed using the techniques of dredging beneath the surface of water or open-pit mining. Open-pit mining uses techniques including the opening of a large excavated pit that is exposed to the surface environment for the length of time the pit is mined. Silica sand mining has little environmental impact on an area containing the deposit, except on the immediate area of the mine.
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Process
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Silica sand is mined from pits or dredged up before being processed using mechanized systems. In deposits, such as the Glenshera deposit in South Australia, the top surface of sand is removed for use in the production of foundry sand and amber glass, while deeper deposits are mined for use as colorless glass. Sand and gravel are sorted for size using machines such as vibrating screens, and attritioning cells are used to remove surface coatings from the silica sand grains.
Uses
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The uses of silica sand are mostly based on industrial uses, such as the already mentioned uses in different types of glass making. In the oil drilling industry, well-rounded grains of silica sand are used to keep open fissures in reservoir rocks. Silica sand is also used in other industries, such as foundries where sand is used to make molds and cores for metal casting. The mined materials are also used to produce silicon based products, such as semiconductors.
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References
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