Frac Sand Mining

Introduction:

For many years frac sand has been used for multiple things such as glass manufacturing. With new developments in technology, there are now more advanced ways to extract oil from the earth. That is where the frac sand boom comes into play. This new process used for extracting oil is called hydraulic fracturing. It splits rock and then sand is then used to keep the cracks open underground.   The sand that is needed has to meet very specific criteria. It has to be nearly pure quartz and rounded in shape. Wisconsin has an abundant amount of this particular type of sand. Many of the deposits range from the northwest part of the state all the way to the south central part of the state near Marquette and Adams counties. 

With the recent demand for frac sand, Wisconsin has been a hot spot for sand to be obtained. It has the highest amounts of sand necessary for hydraulic fracturing. With all of this sand available, there has been a need for many frac sand mines. According to the Wisconsin DNR, as of May 1^st, 2014, there were 121 sand mines in the state. Of those 121 mines, 63 were currently actively mining.  The figure below (1.1) shows where the sand is located in the state of Wisconsin. It also details where different frac sand mines were located. This map is from 2011 so it is slightly dated, but it gives a good outline of the locations of where all the sand deposits are positioned.

Figure 1.1 shows the locations of Wisconsin's frac sand mines as of 2011.
Source:http://wcwrpc.org/frac-sand-factsheet.pdf 

The figure below (2.1) shows why frac sand mining is so popular in the state of Wisconsin. Out of the whole United States, Wisconsin has the highest percentage of the sand that is needed for hydraulic

fracturing.

Figure 2.1 This map is showing where the best frac sand is located. Wisconsin has a large amount of this type of sand.
Source: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/documents/SilicaSandMiningFinal.pdf

Consequences:

These sand mines benefit the local area in many different ways.  They help to provide jobs for many different people. It will also help to boost the local economy. Since technology has allowed for different ways to extract oil from the earth, this sand is beneficial to help extract this resource from many new places. 

Although this sand allows for more oil to be extracted, it comes with a price. Frac sand mining has many negative environmental impacts. Some of the most prominent are the impact on soils and air quality. Since the sand is below the surface of the earth, topsoil has to be displaced. This causes acres of productive farmland to be taken out of production. With the soil being disturbed, it can also cause erosion. The loose soil is not held together by anything anymore, so if a strong rain falls, erosion can easily occur. The transportation of the sand also causes lots of dust to blow around the locations of the mines. This dust contains crystalline silica, which can cause cancer at elevated levels. This is an area of concern with more mines being built and more sand being hauled away.

GIS technologies can be extremely helpful in the future implementation of frac sand mines. Since sand mining involves many different industries, such as railways, roadways and the locations of the different mines, GIS will help tremendously. It will allow for the best transportation routes to be made from the mine to its destination determined by different parameters. 

Sources:

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/ISMMap.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/documents/SilicaSandMiningFinal.pdf

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fracking-debate-turns-to-wisconsin-as-sand-mining-for-drilling-booms/