Page 43

 
Mineral 
1988 
1989 
1990 
. 
Quanttty 
Value 
(thousands) 
. 
Quantlty 
Value 
(thousands) 
. 
Quantity 
Value 
(thousands) 
Cement: 
273 
3,524 
2,282,670 
NA 
1,450 
11,742 
871 
' 29,700 
. 
$16,457 
157,214 
16,039 
5 
66,576 
41,417 
8,507 
°l40,l00 
252 
3,169 
1,878,070 
NA 
1,481 
°10,400 
805 
~3l,737 
$13,852 
130,590 
18,537 
W 
70,361 
°36,500 
8,092 
~l67,332 
262 
3,585 
2,049,776 
NA 
1,526 
14,103 
878 
~36,l00 
$15,462 
165,344 
27,747 
W 
70,816 
50,243 
9,075 
' 202,400 
Masonry thousand short tons 
Portland do. 
CIays~ metric tons 
Gemstones 
Lime thousandshorttons 
Sand and gravel: 
Construction do. 
Industrial do. 
Stone (crushed) do. 
Combined value of bauxite, clays (bentonite, kaolin 1990), salt, 
stone (crushed granite 1989-90, dimension), talc and pyrophyllite, 
zircon concentrates, (1988-89), and value indicated by symbol W 
Total 
XX 
19,552 
XX 
560,639 
ALABAMA—l990  43THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALABAMA 
 This chapter has been prepared under a Memorandum of Understanding between
the U.S. Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Geological
Survey of Alabama for collecting information on all nonfuel minerals. 
By Doss H. White, Jr. ,~ and Lewis S. Dean2 
 Alabama's nonfuel mineral industry produced $560.6 million of mineral commodities
in 1990. This was an increase of $99 million over the 1989 value and a new
State record, a record achieved despite the slowdown in the national economy.
This was the first year that Alabama's mineral value exceeded one-half of
1 billion dollars. The value of stone and cement, the two leading mineral
commodities in terms of sales, increased $71 million over that reported for
1989 and was the primary reason for the new mineral value record. The State
ranked 21st among the 50 . States in total mineral value and contributed
1.68 % of the total U.S. mineral value of $33.3 billion. 
TRENDS AND 
DEVELOPMENTh 
 The year marked the fifth consecutive that the value of Alabama's mineral
production increased. During the past 10 years, value has risen $246 million,
from $314 in 1981 to $560 million in 1990, and the value of nonfuel mineral
production totaled $4. 1 billion. 
 In 1990, capital investments in new and/or expanding mineral-related industries
totaled $266.6 million. Industrial minerals had 3 new and 11 expanding facilities,
while cement and concrete had 6 expanding operations. Fuel minerals had 7
expansions, and primary metals had 4 new and 33 expansions. 
 The industrial mineral sector included new or expanding facilities for the
mining or manufacturing of calcium carbonate, clays, ferroalloys (silicon),
limestone, marble, salt brines, sand and gravel, and talc. 
 The Alabama State Docks at Mobile established a fourth consecutive tonnage
record, and a significant amount of the materials handled were minerals.
The Bulk Materials Handling Plant 
transshipped 1 .9 million short tons of 
~ mineral commodities. Iron ore imports, 
~ 1.2 million short tons, increased 21 % due 
- to increased demand for raw material by Gulf States Steel in Gadsden. Other
mineral commodities passing through the port included copper slag, furnace
coke, gypsum, magnetite, manganese, petroleum, potash, rutile, and talc.
TABLE 1 
NONFUEL MINERAL PRODUCTION IN ALABAMA' 
XX 13,180 XX r15,489 
XX 459,495 XX 460,753 
~Estimatcd. ' Reviscd. NA Not available. W WItb1~1d to avoid discloalng company
proprictaxy data; vah~ melded with .g~ac~j value, figum.XX Not applicable.
' Production as n~asured by rnii~ sbipe~nts, sales, or marketable production
(incltaling conswnption by producers). 
~ certain clays; kiisl aixi value incitsIed with ~ ~ data. 
' Excludes certain stot~s; kind aixl vaha included with ~COmb1ced ~ data.