Minerals and Geology

Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment:
Social and Economic Conditions

Eastern Region
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Milwaukee, WI

North Central Research Station
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
St. Paul, MN

Southern Region
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Atlanta, GA

Southern Research Station
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Asheville, NC

Chapter 7: Mineral Resources

• Key Findings
• Historical Background
• Data Sources and Methods of Analysis
• Limitations of Market Analysis
• Economic Value
• Contributions to National Minerals
• Production
• Lead, Quartz, Gas, and Coal Extractions
• Lead
• Quartz
• Gas
• Coal
• Salaries and Taxes
• Employment
• National Forest Minerals Revenue
• Supply
• Reserves and Potential
• Costs
• Demand
• Price
• Public Consumption
• Imports and Recycling
• Unique Mineral Features of the Highlands
• Implications and Opportunities

Preface

Change is evident across the Ozark and Ouachita Highlands. Whether paying attention to State and regional news, studying statistical patterns and trends, or driving through the Highlands, one cannot escape signs that growth may be putting strains on the area's natural resources and human communities. How people regard these changes varies widely, however, as does access to reliable information that might help them assess the significance of what is happening in the Highlands. The Assessment reports providewindows to a wealth of such information.

The Social and Economic Conditions report is one of five that document the results of the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment. Federal and State natural resource agency employees and university and other cooperators worked together to produce the four technical reports that examine air quality; aquatic conditions; terrestrial vegetation and wildlife; and social and economic conditions. Dozens of experts in various fields provided technical reviews. Other citizens were involved in working meetings and supplied valuable ideas and information throughout the process. The Summary Report provides an overview of the key findings presented in the four technical reports. Data sources, methods of analysis, findings, discussion of implications, and links to dozens of additional sources of information are included in the four technical reports.

The USDA Forest Service initiated the Assessment and worked with other agencies to develop a synthesis of the best information available on conditions and trends in the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands. Assessment reports emphasize those conditions and trends most likely to have some bearing on the future management of the region's three national forests—the Mark Twain, Ouachita, and Ozark-St. Francis. People who are interested in the future of the region's other public lands and waters or of this remarkable region as a whole should also find the reports valuable.

No specific statutory requirement led to the Assessment. However, data and findings assembled in the reports will provide some of the information relevant for an evaluation of possible changes in the land and resource management plans of the Highland's three national forests. The National Forest Management Act directs the Forest Service to revise such management plans every 10 to 15 years, which means that the national forests of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma should have revised plans in the year 2001. Due to restrictions in the appropriations bills that provide funding for the Forest Service, it is uncertain when these revisions can begin.

The charter for the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment established a team structure and listed tentative questions that the teams would address. Assembled in mid-1996, the Terrestrial, Aquatic and Atmospheric, and Human Dimensions (Social-Economic) Teams soon refined and condensed these questions and then gathered and evaluated vast quantities of information. They drafted their key findings in late 1997 and refined them several times through mid-1999. In addition to offering relevant data and key findings in the reports, the authors discuss some of the possible implications of their findings for future public land management in the Highlands and for related research. The Assessment reports, however, stop well short of making decisions concerning management of any lands in the Highlands or about future research. In no way do the reports represent “plans” or land management decisions. instead, the findings and conclusions offered in the Assessment reports are intended to stimulate discussion and further study.

Contributors to This Report

Assessment Team Leader
William F. Pell, Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Hot Springs, AR

Social and Economic Team Leader
Daniel J. Nolan, Jr., Team Leader for Planning and Recreation, USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest, Hot Springs, AR

Authors

Chapter 7: Mineral Resources
John C. Nichols, Forest Minerals Geologist, USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest, Hot Springs, AR.

Executive Summary

This Assessment of the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands area began in May of 1996. It was designed as an interagency effort led by the USDA Forest Service to collect and analyze ecological, social, and economic data concerning the Highlands of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The information compiled will facilitate an ecosystem approach to management of the natural resources on public lands within the Ozark Highlands, the Boston Mountains, the Arkansas Valley, and the Ouachita Mountains. The Social-Economic Team studied a variety of topics related to the people who live in the Highlands and who use, have an interest in, or otherwise are affected by the area's public lands.

The Social-Economic Team, with input from scientists, forest planners, and concerned citizens, identified 16 questions that needed to be addressed in order to understand the social and economic conditions and trends in the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands. Following is a summary of the team's findings.

Chapter 7: Minerals Resources

Question 7.1: Historically, which Highlands minerals have been important to whom and why?

Question 7.2: In Assessment area communities, what are the current reliance on and projected demands for Highlands minerals and mining?

Question 7.3: What are current national and global uses of and reliance on the mineral resources in the Assessment area, and what are the projected demands for them?

Question 7.4: What are the current and projected recreational and educational uses for Highlands minerals?

Key Findings

1. Sixty percent of the mineral resource extraction operations (mining and processing plants) within Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma occurs within the Assessment area, accounting for approximately $1.2 billion in mineral value in 1996.
2. Of 76 known minerals and mineral materials within the Assessment area, 33 are currently being mined.
3. In terms of United States production volume, the Assessment area contains the top 10 production sites for 14 of the numerous mineral commodities produced throughout the United States.
4. The portion of Missouri within the Assessment area contains the largest concentration of lead mineralization in the world. Mines located in the Assessment area are the number one producers of lead in the United States and until recently were also the world's major lead producers. Between 75 and 80 percent of U.S. lead production comes from the Mark Twain National Forest— it is a primary source of the world's lead production.
5. The Assessment area contains three world-class lead and zinc producing districts (in Missouri) and was a past world leader in zinc (Oklahoma) and barite (Arkansas and Missouri) production.
6. The Ouachita Mountains are the only source for electronic grade, high quality quartz in North America. All of the U.S. production is from the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.
7. The Ouachita Mountains and the Ouachita National Forest are a major world producer and the leading U.S. producers of quartz crystal for aesthetic and jewelry uses.
8. Missouri is the leading U.S. producer of fire clay, much of which is mined from within the Assessment area.
9. Coal from the Oklahoma portion of the Assessment area is used to generate power for 150,000 homes in eastern Oklahoma.
10. The Ozark National Forest has 66 producing gas wells in areas that have a high potential for additional exploration and development.
11. In 1996 alone, extraction of mineral resources from the three national forests within the Assessment area generated almost $6 million in Federal revenue.
12. The national forests within the Assessment area have a high potential for discovery of additional reserves of the minerals currently being mined on them and in some cases those mined in the past as well. The demand to access the national forests for mineral exploration is expected to continue and increase.
13. The Assessment area and the three national forests within the Assessment area have unique geologic features that attract people from across the United States and throughout the world for research, education, rockhounding, and mineral collecting.

Geologically, the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands are very diverse and complex— they contain at least 76 known mineral commodities. Thirty-three of these commodities are currently mined and processed at 692 mining and mineral processing operations within the Assessment area. Figure 7.1 displays the number of Assessment area mineral operations in existence during 1996 by commodity group. Figure 7.2 displays the distribution of hard rock and coal operations in the Assessment area by State. While the Assessment area accounts for only 40 percent of the land area and counties of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, it contains 60 percent of the mining activities within the three States. Figure 7.3 presents each State's share of the mines, mineral industry employees, and land acres of the Assessment area.

Several internationally significant mineral deposits occur within the Assessment area on national forest and adjacent lands. These include lead on the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri and quartz on the Ouachita National Forest in west-central Arkansas. In terms of United States production volume, the Assessment area contains the top 10 production sites for 14 of the numerous mineral commodities produced throughout the United States (USDI GS 1997a, b, c). Another 8 mineral commodities from the 3 States that are, in part, from within the Assessment area also rank in the top 10 of national production. The location and development of some of these minerals have influenced settlement and land use patterns in several areas within the Highlands area. However, their social importance and impact extends well beyond the Assessment area through national, and in several cases international, markets. Many of these mineral commodities serve vital human needs such as for energy, health, and communication. The mineral resources extracted from within the Assessment area also provide a significant tax base and employment for local communities and the States.

Historical Background

The mineral resources within the Assessment area have been vital to the people and the social systems that have occupied this area for thousands of years. Indigenous prehistoric cultures mined minerals for thousands of years prior to European settlement; in the Ouachita Mountains, prehistoric cultures extensively extracted novaculite for tools and weapons, developing what is now considered world class prehistoric rock quarries (Early 1997a). From the earliest societies through the European traders and settlers of the 18 th and 19 th centuries and to the present, the location of valuable mineral deposits has shaped the settlement patterns and trade routes of the area's people. Lead in Missouri, quartz and novaculite in Arkansas, and asphaltites and coal in Oklahoma were used by even the earliest occupants of these lands. With the exception of the asphaltites, these minerals are still being mined and used by society today. For a thorough history of mining throughout Arkansas, see Stroud and others (1969). The types of societies within the Assessment area have changed over time, and the uses for the mineral commodities have changed as well. The historic significance of mineral resources is illustrated by the following short history of three of the area's minerals:

• Novaculite — The American Indians who extensively quarried the novaculite ridges and outcrops in the Ouachita Mountains of west-central Arkansas were looking primarily for hard, dense homogeneous grades of novaculite that they could chip and flake into tools and weapons. In the 1800's and early 1900's, settlers who moved into the Ouachita Mountains prized primarily the softer grades of novaculite for their excellent tool sharpening capabilities. They mined and shipped novaculite whetstones and grinding wheels and materials throughout the country (Steuart and others 1984, Engel 1951). Today, novaculite continues to be mined in the Assessment area for a variety of products and uses including stable fillers for paints, plastics, and other products; abrasives; and the traditional whetstones for sharpening tools, knives, and surgical instruments.
• Quartz crystal — Prehistoric peoples sought and used quartz crystal from the Ouachita Mountains for tools, weapons, and ornamental purposes. In the 1800's to the 1930's, it was an eagerly sought, natural curiosity valued primarily for its aesthetic qualities. In the late 1930's and during World War II, this heretofore primarily museum, gem, and lapidary quality mineral was aggressively sought by the military for a totally new use: oscillators in military communications equipment. The quartz industry thrived in the Ouachita Mountains during the war years, providing jobs and producing tons of quartz crystal essential for the war effort. Many new prospects were found and developed during that time, some of which continue to be mined today (Engel 1951). After the war, the industry returned to mining specimen, gem, and lapidary quality quartz crystal primarily for its aesthetic values. In the mid-1980's to early 1990's the appeal in quartzcrystal and jewelry grade quartz increased significantly, with more national and international markets being opened for Arkansas quartz. Quartz crystal continues to be mined for a variety of decorative, jewelry, aesthetic, lapidary, and other personal uses. Also, within North America, high quality quartz primarily for electronic and communication uses is presently mined only from the Ouachita National Forest.
• Lead — Southern Missouri has the richest lead deposits in the world (Seeger 1997). The lead comes from deposits of lead-rich galena ore. Prehistoric American Indians used the cubic and octahedral crystal forms of galena taken from Ozark Plateau outcrops. The soft ore was often carved for ceremonial purposes, and fashioned into beads that, in turn, were widely traded (Wettstaed 1997). Early explorers introduced the tribes to firearms and to methods of mining and smelting the galena to obtain lead for shot. The French used slaves in the early and mid-1700's to remove high grade ore from relatively shallow surface pits, then they shipped most of the ore to France. At the end of the 1700's into the early 1800's, underground mining commenced, drawing upon new mining methods and changing the life of the society there (Seeger 1997). Mining communities were established in support of the industry that now required long-term commitment from those who worked in it. Lead mining has occurred in three different locations within the Assessment area in southern Missouri (and into northeastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas). Today, production continues in the Viburnum Trend, the world's number one lead producer until recent years and still one of the world's main lead producers (Seeger 1997). Many present day cities and communities within the Assessment area such as Viburnum, MO, Bauxite, AR, and Hartshorne, OK, were started as mining communities thriving on the various mineral resources of the region. Several communities annually celebrate the contributions that minerals and mining have made to their social structure and economies. Mt. Ida, AR, lays claim to the title of Quartz Crystal Capital of the World and hosts the Annual Mt. Ida Quartz Crystal Festival each October (Baldwin 1997). Viburnum, MO, celebrates its rich mining heritage with an annual Old Miners' Day festival (Seeger 1997). McAlester, OK, has dedicated a memorial to coal miners called the Pioneer Coal Miner (Suneson 1997). These commemorative actions highlight the influence that mineral resources have had on the history and heritage of communities within the Assessment area.

Data Sources and Methods of Analysis

The State geological agencies for Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma provided reports specifically for the Assessment with detailed information on the mineral commodities, economics, social and historic significance of mining, and mineral resources within the respective States (Howard 1997, Howard and others 1997, Seeger 1997, Suneson 1997).

Another valuable and informative resource developed for the Assessment is the matrix “Mineral Commodities by Counties within the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment Area in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.” It was developed specifically for this Assessment with key input from the three State geological agencies. The matrix displays the 76 mineral commodities plus other minerals and geology related information for each of the 107 Assessment counties and 6 outlying counties. There are over 1,800 entries, each showing the past or present production and potential for future production, for each mineral commodity known to exist in a given Assessment area county.

The State oil and gas commissions for Arkansas and Oklahoma provided information on the Assessment area's producing gas and oil well locations by counties as well as the potential for future development of this resource. There are no producing gas or oil wells within the Missouri portion of the Assessment area.

• The Social-Economic Team compiled information on mining operations and related activities within the Assessment area from the records of:
• The U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety andHealth Administration (USDL MSHA 1997);
• State agencies responsible for permitting, regulating,and overseeing mining operations within each State;
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service records for the Ouachita, Ozark-St. Francis, and Mark Twain National Forests; and
• Verbal communications with officials from various State and Federal agencies and reclamation specialists employed by several major mining companies in the Assessment area.

The team retrieved “ Mining Accident and Injury Statistics” records for 1996 through the Internet at <http//www.msha.gov> (USDL MSHA 1997). This massive data base provides information on mine name, type, ownership, commodity, and employment for mines and mine-related activities under the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) jurisdiction for all 50 States. This data base alone provides continuity in the way information was collected and displayed for this Assessment.

The second key source of mine information is State mine agency records. These records are generally less detailed than the MSHA data base and often duplicate some information in that data base. The team discarded duplicate records in those cases where Federal and State regulatory authorities and record data overlapped. State mine agency records add to the list of mining operations in the Assessment area by including those mines under a State but not under the MSHA authority. Forest Service records provided the final key source of information on mine-related activities by including those mining operations occurring specifically on national forest lands within the Assessment area that, for whatever reason, did not show up on either MSHA or State records.

The Social-Economic Team developed a comprehensive mines data base for the Assessment area from a total of seven separate State and Federal data bases. The comprehensive data base is used throughout this report as the basis for discussions on the number of active mines in the year 1996, the locations of mines by counties, mineral commodities, types of mines, and other mining-related matters within the Assessment area.

Limitations of Market Analysis

A number of factors go into analyzing mineral commodity markets. Most mineral commodity operations go through three very costly and risky phases: (1) exploration, (2) development, and (3) production. Exploration for mineral resources involves techniques designed to detect the presence of mineral commodities in an environment that is often extremely difficult to reach, the subsurface of the earth. Once discovered, further activity and expense must occur to determine if the deposit is valuable and can be successfully recovered at a reasonable profit. An economically valuable deposit is considered ore. The value of the mineral commodity and its future anticipated demand are two factors used to evaluate the potential for exploration, development, or continued production of a given mined material (Seeger 1997). However, this is complicated by a variety of additional, less stable or less predictable factors:

• Changes in laws, regulations, and policies that restrict access to the mineral estate or place additional requirements on the mineral industry, making it more expensive to operate. Known mineral resources often have to be ignored or abandoned because of suddenly increased costs.
• The discovery of a new mineral source, a decrease in demand, and political instability in critical mineral-producing countries all have direct effects on the market value and feasibility of successfully producing a given mineral resource.
• A small fluctuation in price for a mineral commodity can have a major impact on the economic viability of the deposits being mined. For example, a change of 15 cents per pound in the price of lead, as has occurred since 1987, can quickly translate into millions of dollars in gains or losses for the lead industry in Missouri (Seeger 1997).
• The introduction to the marketplace of a mineral commodity that has been subsidized by another government often results in an artificially undervalued and underpriced product that is difficult for mining interests in this country (where a similar subsidy is typically lacking) to compete with.

These are just a few examples of factors that can readily affect market analysis for mineral commodities. A case in point is the mineral barite, successfully mined for many years in the Missouri Ozarks and the Arkansas Ouachita Mountains within the Assessment area. Barite is an essential component of the fluids used to support the drilling of deep oil and gas wells. However, these productive barite mines were forced to close when China suddenly began exporting barite to the United States in the early 1980's. At about the same time, the demand for the product began to decrease. American producers could not compete with a Chinese barite industry that pays low wages and operates essentially free from environmental regulation as compared with operations within the United States. These economic advantages allowed foreign barite to be delivered anywhere in the world at very low prices, easily undercutting American barite producers. One of the American companies so affected had already invested $40 million and about 6 years to develop a state-of-the-art mine and mill complex for a major barite deposit in the southeastern Ouachita Mountains. However, in 1984, just as this project had moved to the production stage, the company had to close the operation and sell off the buildings and equipment before producing any barite. The expectation of major employment and tax revenues associated with this project, much anticipated by several small local communities for which no similar-sized industries existed, never materialized (Seeger 1997, Howard 1997).

Ore reserves can change literally overnight as the many variables affecting mineral commodities change, thereby affecting mine life, investments, employment, tax and other revenues, and mineral production. Any of a number of factors can have an adverse effect on a minerals exploration or development project (Seeger 1997).

Economic Value

Mineral resources have been essential to the growth and development of communities, businesses, and social systems within the Assessment area. However, the benefit from the mineral resources has not been limited to Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Just as early American Indians in the Highlands traded mineral resources they extracted with other tribal nations far beyond their own tribal boundaries, those extracting minerals today move them throughout the Assessment area and world wide for the benefit of millions. Some of the 76 known mineral commodities within the Assessment area have achieved world recognition. Possibly the best known among them are the three historic, world-class lead and zinc producing districts of Missouri, and the quartz crystal deposits of Arkansas (table 7.1). Oklahoma was a past world leader in zinc, and Arkansas and Missouri were past world leading producers of barite.

Table 7.1—Highlights of Highlands mineral resources^a

^aTable 7.2 shows the top mineral resources by national standards within the Assessment area.
^bThe lead bearing mineral being mined is galena.
^cBarite is a heavy dense mineral that is essential to oil and gas drilling operations, also to some medical applications.
^dBauxite is the ore of aluminum.
^eWhetstone grade novaculite used as sharpening stones for knives and other tools including surgical instruments.
^fThese are asphaltites, black solid bitumens that resemble coal but are more closely related to oil.
^gArkansas mineral species: Rectorite, kimzeyite, benstonite, kidwellite, eggletonite, strazcekite, delindeite, lourenswalsite, mahlmoodite.
^hThe Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Pike County adjacent to the Highlands.
Sources: Howard (1997); Seeger (1997); Suneson (1997)

On a national level, the Arkoma Basin of Oklahoma and Arkansas is highly regarded as an important United States exploration and production area for gas resources. The Crater of Diamonds State Park, adjacent to the Highlands in Pike County, AR, is a major attraction to gem enthusiasts and the general public from across the country. Table 7.1 highlights these and other mineral resources in the Assessment area.

Contributions to National Minerals Production

The 1996 Mineral Industry Surveys (MIS) for Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma reported that among all 50 States, Missouri ranked 10th, Arkansas 29th, and Oklahoma 34th in the value of total nonfuel mineral production (USDI GS 1997a, b, c). The total mineral production value for the three States was over $2 billion. Approximately $1.2 billion was from within the Assessment area where 60 percent of these States' mineral activities occur. Combined, these three States account for more than 5 percent of the total United States production value for nonfuel minerals. In 1996, these States also ranked among the top 10 States in the amount of production for a number of mineral commodities (table 7.2). For instance, Arkansas was first in quartz lascas, silica, stone, and quartz crystal. Missouri was first in the nation in the production of lead, fire clay (much of which is mined from within the Assessment area), and lime.

Information on the production and value of the various minerals in the Assessment area has been compiled from the three State geological agency reports written specifically for this Assessment (available at the Assessment Web site, <www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ooha.welcome.htm>). It should be noted that authors of the State reports took differing approaches to discussing and displaying commodity information about minerals.

Table 7.2—Minerals for which Assessment area States were in the top 10 and significant categories for national production in 1996^a

^aBased on USGS estimates of quantities produced in the 50 States during 1996.
^bArkansas is the only State to produce quartz lascas used in high-tech electronic and fiber-optic industries.
^cAdditional significant production ranking below the top ten.
^dMineral commodity is produced either wholly or in part from national forest lands.
^eImplied from the Gemstone and the Arkansas U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Industry Surveys reports for 1996.
^fMineral commodities produced both in and out of the Assessment area.
Source: U.S.D.I., U.S. Geological Survey (1997a, b, c)

Consequently, the information displayed in the tables in this chapter is slightly different for each State. Additional information comes from Forest Service records. For example, the tables also display production and value information for mineral commodities that come from the national forests within the Assessment area.

The 1997 Missouri Geological Survey report (Seeger 1997) presents a detailed discussion of the contributions of the Missouri portion of the Assessment area to national minerals production. Table 7.3 displays some of these contributions. Production in the Assessment area ranges from 402 tons of silver and 7,000 tons of dimension (building) stone to nearly 2.9 and 5.8 million tons of lead and iron ore, respectively. Between 75 and 80 percent of U.S. lead production comes from Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest, a principal source of the world's lead supply (Seeger 1997).

Table 7.4 displays the nonmetallic minerals produced in the Missouri portion of the Assessment area from 1987 through 1995 (with the exception of masonry cement for which figures were available from 1987 through 1989 only). (None of this production was from the Mark Twain National Forest.) The Assessment area of Missouri contributes 27 to 58 percent of the Highlands production of hardrock and other nonmetallic minerals such as crushed stone, cement, lime, sand, gravel, and clay.

The 1997 Oklahoma Geological Survey report (Suneson 1997) describes the contributions the Oklahoma portion of the Assessment area makes to the national marketplace, primarily in the form of energy minerals (gas and coal) and dimension stone materials. The report identifies the mineral resources produced recently and historically from within Assessment area counties (table 7.5). (These minerals are produced outside the Assessment area in Oklahoma as well.) With the exception of a small amount of building stone sales primarily for noncommercial use, none of the Oklahoma Assessment area minerals are being produced from national forest lands at this time. Because the Oklahoma building stone industry ships its products across the United States and is presently operating at a number of locations near the Ouachita National Forest, the industry may look to the national forest for additional commercial sites.

Table 7.3—Production levels of minerals produced from the national forest and private lands within the Assessment Area–Missouri (1987–1995)

^aMasonry cement figures available only for 1987–1989 and displayed as partial data.
Source: Seeger (1997)

The 1997 Arkansas Geological Commission report (Howard 1997) deals with the broadest range of mineral commodities produced from within the Assessment area. The Assessment area in Arkansas embraces three generally recognized geologic regions: the Arkansas Ozarks, Arkansas Valley, and Arkansas Ouachitas. Howard noted mineral production and value by these regions. Table 7.6 displays the minerals produced wholly from within the Assessment area and from the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests. Vital hardrock and industrial mineral resources and unique gemstones are contributed to the national and international marketplace from the Arkansas portion of the Highlands.

Table 7.5-- Production levels of minerals produced within the Assessment Area and on national forests – Oklahoma

BBLS=Barrels; MCF=Thousand cubic feet; MMCF=Million cubic feet
^a81% of total Oklahoma coal production
^b23% of total Oklahoma production; 52 tons produced from National Forest in 1996
^c23% of total Oklahoma production
Source: Suneson (1997)

Table 7.6-- Production levels and value of minerals produced within the Assessment area and on national forests – Arkansas

MCF=thousand cubic feet.
^aLimestone, agricultural and chemical grade.
^bDiamond information from Hall 1997.
^cNovaculite information from USFS records, Ouachita National Forest.
^dQuartz information from USFS records, Ouachita National Forest.
^eSandstone and aggregate on national forests from USFS 1996; national forest stone in "Ozark Region" is for the Ozark National Forest;
        national forest stone in "Ouachita Region" is for the Ouachita National Forest.
^fNatural gas value information from Gates 1997.
Source: Except where otherwise noted data is from Howard (1997)

Lead, Quartz, Gas, and Coal Extractions

Lead

Lead exploration and extraction presently occurs in Missouri in a band approximately 40 miles (mi) wide and 100 mi long within the north-central portion of the Assessment area. The expectation is that future lead exploration and mining will remain within this band where the resource is concentrated (Seeger 1997). Significant exploration is extending southward into north Arkansas (Howard 1997). There are two major companies presently mining galena for lead and associated minerals from underground mines in the Missouri Ozarks. Part of the mining operations occurs on the Mark Twain National Forest. The operations are conducted under State and Federal environmental regulations, permits, and plans that require routine compliance inspections.

Quartz

There are 58 quartz mines currently permitted (data base year 1996) by State and Federal agencies in the Ouachita Mountains of the assessment area. One of these mines is for high-grade quartz used in fiber-optic and other high-tech uses. It is the only mine of its type in North America. Many of these operations, including the high-grade quartz operation, occur on the Ouachita National Forest. Most quartz mines are relatively small, surface-excavation operations. The nature, pattern, and size of typical quartz deposits generally restrict the size of these mines, which normally impact 1 to 5 acres (ac). The two largest quartz mines are approximately 50 ac in size and located on private lands. Most quartz mines have a relatively short mine life of 5 to 10 years. Quartz mining operations proposed to take place on the Ouachita National Forest require extensive review and analysis, stipulation, bonding, and reclamation planning before approval is granted. The likely future trend is that quartz operations will continue to occur within the Assessment area because of the uniqueness of the deposits and the demand for the resource (USDA FS 1996 b).

Gas

Gas exploration operations are typically of short duration, lasting only a few weeks to several months. Exploration and production sites are generally less than an acre to several acres in size. State agencies are involved in the permitting and oversight process for exploration proposals and for producing wells on all lands within the State. Operations proposed to take place on national forests require extensive review and analysis, stipulation, bonding, and reclamation planning before approval is granted. All sites are fully reclaimed upon completion of the operation. The likely future trend is that gas operations will continue to occur within the Assessment area as new gas sources are sought and developed to meet societal demands.

Coal

Coal operations generally impact large tracts in relatively flat-lying areas. The operations take place under State and Federal controls and permitting authorities. Coal in the Assessment area is presently mined on private lands in Oklahoma. There have been coal mining operations in the past on national forests in Arkansas, but they are now closed and fully reclaimed. Currently, there are no coal mining operations on any of the three Assessment area national forests nor are there any proposals for new mines. Although the demand for coal is national in scope, coal mined in the Assessment area is utilized primarily to fuel a power plant in Oklahoma that supplies power for much of eastern Oklahoma (Hatley 1997). The likely future trend is for coal mining to continue as long as there is a demand for it.

Salaries and Taxes

The real value of a mineral resource is not only its usefulness to society, but also its direct and immediate economic benefits to local communities and economies in terms of exploring for, removing, and processing that resource. From this value comes employment and salaries to benefit families and taxes to provide for government services. The State geological reports prepared for the Assessment project include some salary and tax information. The Missouri report provides insight and examples for the Missouri Assessment area minerals industry and its economic effect on local communities (Seeger 1997).

The minerals industry typically pays workers at wage levels above most other industries (also see Chapter 4). Examples from Missouri show the average wage is $16.30 per hour for the metals mining industry and $11.20 per hour for the industrial minerals sector (Seeger 1997). These are significantly higher than comparable recreation, sawmill, and timber labor wages, which range from $7.20 to $9.40 per hour. Salaries at a major mine on the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri range from $20,000 to $80,000 per year. In 1996, Missouri metal mining companies within the Assessment area alone paid salaries totaling $31.2 million (Seeger 1997). State employment data from Oklahoma indicate that 6 of the professions related to the geologic-resources industry (geologists, mining and petroleum specialists, and others) are in the top 25 of Oklahoma's highest paying occupations (Suneson 1997). In Arkansas, the quartz mining industry pays miners in the $7.50 to $11 per hour range, making these among the top wages paid in the rural areas where the mines are located (Coleman 1997).

Contributions to the tax base from mining-related activities are important to local, State, and Federal governments. For example, mining industry employees within the Missouri Assessment area annually pay more than $14.8 million in State and Federal income taxes (Seeger 1997). One major Missouri metals mining company pays approximately $10 million annually in combined taxes. Seven mineral industry companies within the Missouri portion of the Assessment area pay personal property and real estate taxes exceeding $4.3 million to six counties (Seeger 1997). During the time the mines operated, severance taxes from major bauxite (aluminum) mining within the Arkansas Assessment area paid for all the local school district's operating costs, including new construction and teachers' salaries. Even after the mines closed, they continued to benefit the local school district from savings during operational years (Howard 1997).

Employment

Table 7.7 displays the number of mines, gas wells, and mine and gas industry employees for the Assessment area in data base year 1996. The MSHA report includes the number of employees at the mines and mining-related operations (including some minerals manufacturing operations) that MSHA oversees as part of its mine safety permitting and inspection responsibilities. Some mines do not appear in MSHA records, but do appear in records administered by the States or by the Forest Service. The 690 mining-related operations within the Assessment area provide employment to about 9,000 persons. The gas well and pipeline industry employs about 1,600 more persons for over 6,500 producing gas wells in the Highlands. Thus, more than10,500 persons are employed directly by mining-related operations within the Assessment area.

Table 7.7--Number of mines, gas wells, and related industry employees in the Assessment area – 1996

^aProducing gas wells and associated employees within the Assessment area in 1996. These are not in the mine records for USDL Mine Safety
        and Health Administration (MSHA), State, nor Forest Service (FS). Source of information for gas wells and gas industry employees from
        Gates 1997, Claxton 1997, and Suneson 1997.
^bMine Safety and Health Administration and Forest Service mine records contain employee numbers. Employee numbers in State records
        estimated based on size and type of similar typical operations where employee numbers are known.
^cNumbers for Arkansas are based on Oklahoma employee numbers for similar operations (Oklahoma State gas records contain employee numbers).
Sources: USDL Mine Safety and Health Administration (1996); Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology, Mining Division (1997); Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Mining Division (1997); Oklahoma Department of Mines (1997); UDA Forest Service (1996), Gates (1997); Claxton (1997); Suneson (1997)

The secondary companies that support the mining industry and the tertiary businesses that move the mineral resources into society contribute significantly to the overall Assessment area employment that is related to minerals. These are businesses, companies, and jobs that would not exist if the mineral resources were not present or could not be extracted. One source, a 1997 report from the National Mining Association, estimates that the number of jobs directly or indirectly due to mining in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma is over 200,000 (including an estimated 50,000 in the Assessment area) (Leaming 1997). In Missouri, an association of companies that supply goods and services to the mining industry lists 88 member businesses and companies (Seeger 1997). Mount Ida, AR, a Highlands community of just over 1,000 persons and the County seat for Montgomery County, is in the heart of the quartz crystal production in the Ouachita Mountains. The Mount Ida Chamber of Commerce estimates that the quartz mining industry in Montgomery County alone directly affects 400 jobs in various support, supply, and marketing businesses (Baldwin 1997).

National Forest Minerals Revenue

In 1996, mineral exploration and extraction in the Mark Twain, Ozark, and Ouachita National Forests generated revenues of nearly $6 million (table 7.8) from 969 mineral cases administered by the 3 forests. In the past 10 years, the minerals' revenue from the Highlands national forests has totaled approximately $80 million. This includes an exceptional 2-year period of oil and gas lease bid revenues on the Ouachita National Forest that brought in $31 million in 1990 and 1991. Also, in 1989, Congress passed legislation that moved quartz on the Ouachita National Forest from a nonrevenue to a revenue generating program administered by the Forest Service (Public Law 100-446 Section 323).

Supply

Supplies of mineral resources within the Highlands are discussed in detail in State geological reports (Howard 1997, Seeger 1997, Suneson 1997). The three reports also feature discussions of reserves and the discovery potential for many of the mineral commodities within the Assessment area. A mineral commodity spreadsheet matrix displays the past or present production and the mineral discovery potential for each known mineral and mineral commodity for each county within the Assessment area.

Table 7.8—Minerals, number of mines, and revenue generated from the three national forests in 1996

Production

CVMM= Common Variety Mineral Material; MCF= million cubic feet
Source: USFS (1996)

Reserves and Potential

Reserve estimates primarily depend on economic conditions and on exploration for minerals. Estimates of mineral reserves change (1) as the market value for a mineral commodity changes, thereby defining what is or is not considered ore, and (2) as exploration techniques are refined and become more accurate and predictive. The amount and extent of exploration for minerals depends primarily on access— when prospectors can physically enter Federal, State, and private lands, they can use modern equipment and techniques to determine if minerals are present and, if so, at what grade. Such exploration generally does not last long and has a minimal effect on other resources.

Tables 7.9 and 7.10 list the reserve estimates and potential for new discoveries of mineral commodities within the Arkansas portion of the Assessment area.

Table 7.9—Mineral commodities, reserve estimates, and potential for discovery for the Assessment area and national forests—Arkansas Ozark and Valley Regions

^aCoal seam: an identifiable bed or layer of coal.
^bIron at 30% grade, indicating moderate quality.
^cSilver with lead and zinc.
^dCoal field: a region or area with known coal deposits.
Source: Howard (1997)

Table 7.10—Mineral commodities, reserve estimates, and potential for discovery for the Assessment area and national forests—Arkansas Ouachita Mountains Region

^aBarite at 50-70% grade, indicating high-moderate to high quality.
^bKnown deposits, however potential is low for new ore discoveries unless price increases for the mineral, then the potential will be high.
^cTurquoise was mined on the Ouachita National Forest from 1979 to 1985.
^dVanadium was mined from 1962 to 1990.
Source: Howard (1997)

The Ozark National Forest has 66 producing gas wells in areas that have a high potential for additional exploration and development. Similarly, table 7.11 for Missouri and table 7.12 for Oklahoma list the reserves and discovery potentials of mineral commodities within those States. These tables, compiled primarily from the States' geologic reports (Howard 1997, Seeger 1997, Suneson 1997), include information on the mineral resources for the three national forests within the Assessment area. The estimates of reserve and potential are current as of late 1997. The discovery of new economic deposits or the complete extraction of existing ones dramatically affects reserve estimates. For example, the lead industry in southern Missouri indicates there are approximately 13 to 16 years of known ore reserves remaining (Seeger 1997). Similar projection estimates would apply to almost any time period throughout the 270-year mining history of Missouri lead. Over that time, exploration has resulted in the discovery of new ore deposits, mining has resulted in the removal of known deposits, and economics have changed the real value of the commodity. All of these factors have affected the reserve estimates for lead over time. Still, by current estimates, the lead mining industry in Missouri will be gone in 13 to 16 years if exploration is not allowed to take place or if continued exploration does not reveal any new economic deposits. If sufficient exploration takes place, it will likely result in discoveries that will extend the reserve estimates.

The three national forests within the Assessment area include almost 4.4 million acres, the largest land base within the Assessment area managed by one entity. These lands contain important mineral deposits that are currently being mined and equally important mineral reserves and potential for further discoveries as noted in tables 7.9, 7.10, 7.11, and 7.12. While the potential for mineral discovery is specific to the physical evidence for that mineral, minerals development potential is dependent on laws, regulations, policies, and, in the case of private lands, permission for access and development. For example, physical evidence of a mineral deposit may be high, but laws and policies restricting access may render the development potential very low. In some cases— such as on some areas of public land where Federal laws do not allow mineral extraction— this potential may be nonexistent. The minerals development potential is thus one of the major factors affecting access for minerals exploration and development.

Costs

There are many factors involved in the costs of exploring for and developing mineral resources. The overall costs include (1) specialized equipment and structures, (2) uniquely qualified personnel, (3) surface access needs, and (4) considerations associated with environmental and reclamation requirements. The time required to explore for, study, and develop a newly discovered mineral resource can be very lengthy. For example, the exploration phase of a venture that anticipates operating a moderately sized surface mine for metallic or nonmetallic ores (i.e., one that produces 20,000 tons per day) will generally take at least 3 years. If a discovery is made, it may take another 5 years of studies and tests and 3 more years of development before production can begin. In other words, it may take a minimum of 11 years to go from initial exploration to production (USDI BM 1991). The Missouri Geological Survey report for the Assessment discusses exploration and development costs associated with non-Federal and Federal lands (Seeger 1997). Table 7.13 presents the time and costs for the largest mining-related activities within the Assessment area— obtaining permits and developing typical lead mines in Missouri. These operations occur on both private lands and the Mark Twain National Forest.

Federal laws and regulations on national forest lands are independent of State boundaries and contribute to costs regardless of where exploration and development activities take place. Natural resource specialists in the Federal Government are required to thoroughly analyze proposed operations on national forest lands to determine potential environmental effects of surface disturbing activities. Such a Federal environmental analysis can take several months for small, minimal surface impact proposals to a number of years for larger ones. Operators must factor in this process as part of the cost of operating on federally managed lands.

State laws governing mineral development differ in content and language among the three States, but they are similar in intent and in their definition of agency responsibilities. Such laws also have a similar influence on costs throughout the Assessment area. Large-scale mining ventures involving the outlay of millions of dollars will typically require proportionately large operating areas. Table 7.14 lists some typical sizes of operating areas for various mining-related activities within the Assessment area.

Table 7.11—Mineral commodities, reserve estimates, and potential for discovery for the Assessment area and national forests—Missouri Assessment area portion

^aIncludes zinc, silver, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, copper.
^bMafic: dark minerals made up mainly of magnesian rock-forming silicates.
Source: Seeger (1997)

Table 7.12—Mineral commodities, reserve estimates, and potential for discovery for the Assessment area and national forests—Oklahoma Assessment area portion

^aOil field: a region or area with known oil deposits.
^bPast production.
Source: Suneson (1997)

Table 7.13—Comparison between national forests and private land of time and cost for actions to develop a large lead mine in the Assessment area

tpd=tons per day
Source: Seeger (1997)

Table 7.14—Typical operating area size requirements within the Assessment area

Source: Seeger (1997); USFS (1997)

Reclamation costs often are high. A case in point is the reclamation of bauxite (aluminum ore) mines south of Little Rock, AR, where previous mining operations affected several local streams. The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) and Reynolds Aluminum Company are working with State agencies to reclaim the mined lands and mitigate effects to the streams (Durham 1997, Harper 1997, Keith 1997, Williams 1997). As of 1997, the Reynolds Aluminum Co. had committed over $55 million for land reclamation projects that will mitigate effects to 1,200 ac in the Hurricane Creek drainage and Alcoa had obligated $20 million for water treatment, earth moving, and revegetation of 850 ac of company-owned tracts in the Hurricane Creek drainage (Durham 1997, Harper 1997, Keith 1997, Williams 1997).

Demand

A number of mineral commodities produced within the Assessment area enjoy national and international significance. This is particularly true for lead from the Missouri Ozark Mountains and Mark Twain National Forest and for quartz crystal, novaculite used for whetstones and abrasives, and high-quality electronic-grade quartz for fiber optics and other hi-tech materials from the Arkansas Ouachita Mountains and Ouachita National Forest. Other mineral commodities from the Assessment area— such as building stone, coal, and gas from eastern Oklahoma; fire clay and monument grade granite from Missouri; and tripoli and gas from Arkansas— are all marketed nationally as well as within the Assessment area.

Mineral collectors and “ rockhounds” from around the world come to the Assessment area specifically to explore for and collect unique mineral specimens. Local Chambers of Commerce and public information centers receive numerous inquiries and dispense many brochures and pamphlets catering to mineral resource hobby and educational interests. State geological agencies, the Forest Service, university geology departments, mineral organizations, and others provide and assist in mineral and geology theme tours within the Assessment area for schools, educational organizations like Elderhostel, and other professional and lay person groups. In 1995, the State of Oklahoma, recognizing the public interest in rockhounding, hosted a 3-day work-shop for rockhounds, which is described in some detail by Johnson and Suneson (1996). A number of Highlands businesses cater to these interests as well, further adding to the social legacy of the minerals within the Assessment area. Within the heart of the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, the communities of Mt. Ida, Hot Springs, and Jessieville alone have at least 24 shops specializing in gemstones and minerals and at least 10 different commercial mineral-digging locations.

Price

Table 7.15 shows price trends for 19 of the nonenergy and energy minerals in the Highlands. With the exception of silver, which has declined in value, all mineral categories for which trend data are available have increased in price since 1987.

Table 7.15—Prices for 19 non-energy and energy mineral commodities

MCF=thousand cubic feet.
^aInformation from Seeger (1997).
^bInformation from Howard (1997).
Source: Seeger (1997; Howard (1997)

Public Consumption

The annual per-capita consumption of all nonfuel (nonenergy) minerals in the United States totals nearly 22,000 pounds (table 7.16). In addition, the annual per-capita consumption of energy minerals is approximately18,000 pounds (USDI BM 1991). Mineral resources from the Assessment area end up in a wide variety of products and uses. From Missouri comes lead used in car batteries and the lining of hospital X-ray rooms. Arkansas provides quartz used in modern watches, computers, and the fiber optics that help doctors see into minute areas of a human body. Oklahoma coal generates power for 150,000 eastern Oklahoma homes. The Missouri Geological Survey report for this Assessment provides details on public consumption of Missouri minerals from within the Assessment area.

Imports and Recycling

The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-631) declares that it is in the national interest for the Federal Government to stabilize domestic mining and mine reclamation industries. Twenty years later, in a report written at the request of the Federal government, the National Research Council warned of the declining competitiveness of the U.S. minerals and metals producing industry along with other domestic industries (NRC 1990). While the mineral industry periodically adjusts to changes in public policies and other influences, the public demand for products and goods from mineral resources has remained strong and in most cases has increased.

Imports and recycling of mineral commodities affect commodity production. Imports of minerals are due to either (1) the lack of the mineral resource in an area or (2) an imported mineral product being able to compete better economically with products produced locally. Inthe former case, the imported mineral helps make up a supply need for the product and may enhance employment. In the latter case, the imported mineral will likely have an adverse impact on domestic mineral commodity industries. The imported mineral will probably have a negative effect on domestic exploration and development for new mineral resource projects. United States imports of ever-greater tonnages of mineral resources noticeably affect local, regional, and national economies.

Table 7.16—American annual consumption of nonfuel minerals and Americans supplied with Highland minerals

^aInformation from USBM and Seeger.
^bInformation from Seeger.
^cClays and aluminum calculated from USBM, Seeger, and Howard.
Source: USBM (1991); Seeger (1997); Howard (1997)

Within the Highlands are several very good examples of recycling. In 1996, the Missouri lead industry recycled over 100,000 tons of lead, primarily from vehicle batteries (Seeger 1997), representing over 10 percent of the recycled lead in the United States. Nationally, 970,000 tons of lead are recycled annually, which is 56 percent of the apparent consumption of lead in the United States. Since 1989, 53 to 62 percent of the lead consumed nationally has been from recycled lead processed in the Missouri portion of the Assessment area (Seeger 1997). Seeger discusses additional examples of recycling in the Missouri Highlands. In Arkansas, the aluminum and the vanadium industries actively recycle the minerals that they are known for internationally. In all three cases (lead, aluminum, and vanadium) these metals recycle through plants once used almost exclusively for processing newly mined materials.

Unique Mineral Features of the Highlands

The Assessment area boasts a wide range of geologically interesting sites and natural attractions. Many of these are listed by counties in a matrix developed specifically for the Assessment. A spreadsheet titled “ Geologic Interest Sites Within the Assessment Area”
(available at the Assessment Web site, <www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ooha.welcome.htm>) contains information on some of the most interesting geologic features. Features include caves and unusual geologic formations, mineral-collecting localities, and other historic mining and interpretive sites. Several communities within the Assessment area have minerals-related theme celebrations. Others have museums either wholly or partly
devoted to mineral exhibits and local mining histories contributing to the significance of mineral resources in the Assessment area.

Recognizing the educational and scientific values associated with the mineral resources they are recovering, mining companies often contribute quality specimens to museums, schools, universities, and professional geological agencies and organizations across the country. High-quality mineral specimens from the Assessment area are displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington, DC, the National Mining Museum in Leadville, CO, the Natural History Museum of New York City, and other museums. At events surrounding his 1992 inauguration, President William J. Clinton presented guests with special commemorative mementos made by novaculite and quartz crystal companies in the Ouachita Mountains of his home State of Arkansas.

Assessment area mining companies have consistently contributed minerals to the State geological agencies so that mineral kits can be prepared for school children. In Arkansas alone, each year, geologists and schoolteachers distribute over 40,000 of these kits composed of minerals donated by Arkansas mining companies. Missouri mining companies contribute minerals specimens in a similar manner there as well. Some Assessment area companies provide scholarships, help fund research projects of various types, and contribute toward various community events and human resource organizations (Seeger 1997). By opening their mines to professional geologists, researchers, and students, these companies ensure that a wealth of information is documented that might other-wise not be gathered due to cost restraints. This critical
information pertains to the nature and occurrence of the ore deposits and to our understanding of the geologic formations that house them within the Assessment area. This kind of knowledge is important to the understanding of ore deposits in general, improving chances of locating more deposits both within the Assessment area and
elsewhere.

Implications and Opportunities

The Assessment area is a very important provider of mineral resources for local economies, the Nation and the world. The potential for discovery of additional mineral deposits on national forest land and elsewhere in the region ranges from low to high, depending on the resource. With increasing demand for some commodities, land managers will need to address the demand for additional access to explore for new mineral resources.

At 4.4 million ac, the Highlands' national forests comprise the largest land base within the Assessment area managed by one entity— the Forest Service. With known important mineral resources and the potential for new discoveries associated with them, opportunity exists to coordinate minerals program management and policy among the three national forests.

The opportunity also exists to identify and establish mineral resource potential zones, or target areas, on the Highlands national forests and to identify environmentally sensitive conditions or areas to be mitigated in anticipation of future exploration proposals within those zones.

The Ozark-Ouachita Highlands Assessment brought together three State geological agencies to compile important mineral resource information independent of State boundaries. Deposits of many minerals overlap two or more Assessment area States. Opportunity exists for the three State agencies to continue working together with the Forest Service in future joint projects within the Assessment area, including periodically updating the information gathered for this Assessment. By working together, the region's geologists can gain from shared expertise and better coordinated policy development and implementation.

Note: this is the references section for the entire Highlands Assessment not all of the works cited were used in this excerpt.

References

USDA Forest Service

Ouachita National Forest

Box 1270

Federal Building

Hot Springs, AR 71902

Phone: 501-321-5202

FAX: 501-321-5353

For any additional information, contact John C. Nichols
Forest Geologist for the Ouachita National Forest, at 501-321-5285.

USDA Forest Service - Ouachita National Forest
Last Modified: Monday, 12 May 2008 at 16:19:04 EDT