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There are lots of different kinds of sand, some pretty specialized. In Minnesota, we're losing our beloved Renaissance Festival grounds to sand mining. The san
by beat 12y ago
There are lots of different kinds of sand, some pretty specialized.
In Minnesota, we're losing our beloved Renaissance Festival grounds to sand mining. The sand is uniquely useful for the kinds of drilling and fracking techniques used in the North Dakota oilfields, so it's worth more to strip-mine than to support a multi-decade business that generates millions in income every year. Sigh.
- Shivetya 12y agoAn interesting article to say the least, seems that former areas exploited once by Western powers are they themselves doing the same to countries that are in a position they once were. With regards to Minnesota, there are a number of active "sand mines" down here in Georgia, mostly exploiting old deposits when the ocean was much further inland. I remember visiting one while going for Pecans. They are used for everything from providing construction sand, braking sand (think trains), to extracting other valuable minerals like zirconium and titanium.
- throwaway5752 12y agoIt's the same principle. Sand in MN and WI is from prehistoric shorelines when the inland US and Canada were covered by a shallow sea. Ironically the same sea that produced the shales that the fracking sand deposits are being mined to exploit.
- beat 12y agoThis sand in particular is from a flood-prone river valley (the Minnesota River), so speaking as IANAG (I am not a geologist), I suspect it was brought there from elsewhere upstream and deposited over thousands of years.
- ProAm 12y agoDo they not have reclamation requirements once they are done mining? Most strip mining outfits are required to do that after they take what they want from below.
- burger_moon 12y agoInstead they're providing jobs to thousands year round and generate hundreds of millions in income.
- beat 12y agoBy destroying thousands of jobs.
- DanTheManPR 12y agoOr, you know, providing dozens of jobs and generating under ten million in income, while destroying hundreds of jobs and a cultural gathering place. http://www.manta.com/c/mthg8jf/bryan-rock-products-inc http://www.manta.com/c/mthg8jf/bryan-rock-products-inc I don't blame the mine owners - they'll make more money exploiting the land than continuing to rent it to the Ren Fest. But I'm not convinced that it's a net benefit for the community.
- dreamweapon 12y agoInstead they're providing jobs to thousands year round and generate hundreds of millions in income. He said, providing no hard data whatsoever.