Page 291

  291The Mineral Industry of 
Mississippi 
This chapter has been prepared under a Memorandum of Understanding between
the 
Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Geology
and Energy 
Resources, Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, for collecting information
on 
all nonfuel minerals. 
By James R. Boyle1 and Alvin R. Bicker2 
The value of Mississippi's nonfuel miner. al production in 1978 and 1979
was $96.8 million and $107.7 million, respectively. In 1978, significant
increases in production and value were recorded in most construction materials.
Production in 1979 remained 
about the same as in 1978, with some unit value increases. In 1978, Mississippi
ranked second in the production of bentonite and recovered sulfur; third
in ball clay and fuller's earth; and fifth in the recovery of magnesium compounds
from seawater. 
Table 1.—.-Nonfuel mineral production in Mississippil 
 1977 1978 1979 
Mineral Value . Value . Value 
Quantty (thousands) QusIi~ (thousands) ~1au1~, (thousands) 
aays~ thousand short tons~. 2l~3 ~$8,841 1,960 $19,623 1,820 $21,841Lime
do~ 49 1,079 49 1,108 70 1,571Sandandgravel' do.~_ 13,313 25,375 15,950 33,520
16,940 37,797Stone(crushed) do~._ 2,176 3,933 2,409 5,176 W WCombined value
of cement, clays (ball 
clay and fuller's earth, 1977), magnesium compounds, sand and gravel (industrial),
and values indicated 
 bysymbolW XX 38,240 XX 37,397 XX 46,480 Total XX 77,468 XX 96,824 XX 107,689
 W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary dats, value included
in "Combined value" figure. XX Not applicable. 
 Production as measured by mine shipments, sales, or marketable production
(includingconsumption by producers). 
 ' Excludes ball clay and fuller's earth; value included in "Combined
value"
figure. 
 ' Excludes industrial sand value included in "Combined value"
figure.