Directory of Nebraska Quarries, Pits, and Mines (1971)

NUMBER 5

RESOURCE REPORT

MARCH 1971

DIRECTORY OF NEBRASKA QUARRIES, PITS, AND MINES

By R. R. BURCHETT

PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA CONSERVATION AND SURVEY DIVISION, LINCOLN

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

D. B. VARNER, Chancellor JOSEPH SOSHNIK, President Lincoln Campuses and Outstate Activities

BOARD OF REGENTS

ROBERT RAUN, Minden, Pres.

ROBERT R. KOEFOOT, M.D., Grand Island

EDWARD SCHWARTZKOPF, Lincoln, Vice Pres.

J. G. ELLIOTT, Scottsbluff

JAMES H. MOYLAN, Omaha

ROBERT J. PROKOP, M.D., Papillion

KERMIT R. HANSEN, Omaha

KERMIT W AGNER, Schuyler

G. ROBERT Ross, Corporation Secretary

CONSERVATION AND SURVEY DIVISION

V. H. DREESZEN, Director and State Geologist M. P. CARLSON, Asst. Director and Principal Geologist

J. A. ELDER, Principal Soil Scientist R. R. BURCHETT, Research Geologist H. M. DEGRAW, Research Geologist

J. W. GOEKE, Hydrogeologist R. W. HANSEN, Basic Data Supervisor

P. W. HUNTOON, Hydrogeologist R. K. PABIAN, Mineralogist

E. C. REED, Research Geologist V. L. SOUDERS, Hydrogeologist F. A. SMITH, Hydrogeologist J. B. SWINEHART II, Research Geologist

J. P. LEACH, Chief Cartographer

P. L. POYNER, Cartographer E. P. DEBUS, Drill Machine Operator MARJORIE SEIDEL, Asst. to the Directors

DORIS PEABODY, Secretary ARDETH STEINHAUER, Secretary

The Conservation and Survey Division of the University is the agency designated by statute to investigate and interpret the geologically related natural resources of the state, to make available to the public the results of these investigations, and to assist in the development and conservation of these resources.

The Division is authorized to enter into agreements with federal agencies to engage in cooperative surveys and investigations in the state. Publications of the Division and the cooperating agencies are available from the Conservation and Survey Division, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68508.

Publication and price lists are furnished upon request.

Directory of Nebraska Quarries, Pits, and Mines

By R. R. Burchett

Introduction This resource report is a revised directory of the known producers of stone, sand and gravel, clay and shale, and volcanic ash in Nebraska. It has been prepared to assist those interested in producing or utilizing the rock and mineral resources of the state. Individual tables have been prepared for limestone (table I), sand and gravel (table II), clay and shale (table III), and volcanic ash (table IV). In these tables locations are listed by county and legal description. Quarry names and producers have been added to avoid confusion when making reference to specific quarries. The tables also include the formations quarried or mined and their principal uses. A map showing the location of the quarries, pits, and mines in the state as of January 1st, 1971, is included as figure 1.

Stone Limestone, the principal stone quarried in Nebraska, is a major industrial mineral and is utilized for aggregate in concrete, for roadstone, cement, riprap, ag-lime, wallstone, and fillers in various products. Limestone is present under almost all of Nebraska but at considerable depth, except for the eastern portion of the state

where limestones of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age are exposed.

All producing quarries are shown in figure 1 and in the following tables. Some quarries, although not producing at the present time, may have produced in the last few years and are listed in the tables with a designation of inactive.

Sand and Gravel Sand and gravel is an important natural resource that occurs in many places in Nebraska. Principal sources of sand and gravel are the Recent and Pleistocene deposits associated with streams and their flood plains. Other sources include upland terrace deposits of Pleistocene and Tertiary age. Sand and gravel is used principally as aggregate in concrete for building or paving. Other uses include roadstone, fillers, railroad ballast, and industrial sands. A listing of the locations of sand and gravel pits, whether they are presently active or have been active in the past few years, is presented as table II. Although there are probably more pit locations than the directory indicates, complete and current information regarding every possible location at any given time and place is not available. A column has been added to table II showing the year when testing by the Materials Division of the Nebraska Department of Roads was performed. Further information on these tests may be obtained from the Materials Division of the Nebraska Department of Roads.

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Clay and Shale Clay and shale are used for a variety of different products. In Nebraska, these materials are used in the manufacture of cement, brick, tile, lightweight aggregate, and pottery. Clay and shale of Cretaceous age are mixed with limestone to produce cement at plants near Superior and Louisville, Nebraska. Brick companies near Endicott, Lincoln, and Omaha utilize clays and shales of Cretaceous age. Shales of Pennsylvanian age are used for brick and lightweight aggregate manufacture near Nebraska City.

Volcanic Ash The only active volcanic ash mine in Nebraska is near Arnold, as shown in figure 1. The processed ash is used principally in cleansing and scouring compounds.

Production Mineral production from quarries, pits, and mines is summarized in the Nebraska chapter of the Minerals Yearbook. This chapter has been prepared under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of

Mines, u. S. Department of the Interior, and the Geological Survey

of the Conservation and Survey Division.

Acknowledgments The assistance of many persons who have supplied information for this directory is gratefully acknowledged. Special recognition is due the Materials Division of the Nebraska Department of Roads for furnishing information on sand and gravel operations.

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