Page 1359

  1359Minor Nonmetals 
By Staff, Division of Nonmetallic Minerals 
CONTENTS 
 Page - 
Greensand - 1319 
Iodine 1359 
Lithium 1362 
Meerschaum 1365 
  Page 
Quartz crystal  1365 
Staurolite  1367 
Strontium  1367 
Wollastonite  1369 
GREENSAND 1 
 Greensand (glauconite, essentially a hydrous silicate of iron and potassium)
was produced in 1972 only by Inversand Co., Clayton, N.J. Production and
sales data are withheld to avoid disclosure of company confidential data.
However, it may be of interest to know that the average annual production
for the period 1967 to 1971 was 3,437 tons valued at $233,000. During this
period, there were two producers of greensand. 
 Greensand was used by various water treatment manufacturers. 
 A cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the Delaware State
Geological Survey to sample and evaluate Delaware greensand for potential
uses was continued. Forty samples of greensand were analyzed and the results
were being evaluated for additional work. 
IODINE 2 
 Consumption of crude iodine did not change appreciably from that of 1971,
but there was a surplus for most of -1972. Industry stocks were particularly
high in early 1972 because of record tonnages of iodine imported during the
previous year in anticipation of higher prices. Domestic output which represented
a small part of overall supply, increased somewhat compared with 1971, whereas
imports declined by more than 1 million pounds. 
 Crude iodine production in the free world rose by possibly 700,000 pounds,
or 3 to 4 percent, almost all accounted for by Japan, which more than made
up for the slight decline in output by Chile, the world's second ranking
iodine producer. Japanese iodine was priced at $1.86 per pound all year and
Japan was the sole supplier of iodine to the United States. On the other
hand, Chile was selling at $2.27 and, in effect, temporarily priced itself
out of the U.S. market. Domestic iodine was 
also quoted at $2.27, but this did not cause difficulties in marketing, since
the iodine was converted into downstream products before sale. At yearend,
pressure was being built up for another round of upward evaluation of the
Yen, which in turn would mean higher prices for Japanese iodine. 
 Legislation and Government Programs. 
—On December 31, 1972, the Government strategic stockpile contained
2,955,692 pounds of crude iodine, and the supplemental stockpile, 5,056,122
pounds for a total of 8,011,814 pounds. The stockpile objective for iodine,
established by the Office of Emergency Preparedness, was reduced from 8 million
to 7.4 million pounds in October. However, there were no stockpile withdrawals
or deliveries of iodine in 1972. 
 1 Prepared by Donald E. Eilertsen, physical scientist. 
 2 Prepared by K. P. Wang, physical scientist.