1966 
Use Value 
Short tons—-—-~ 
Total 
 
1967 
 
 
Value 
——— Short tons 
Average Total Average 
per ton per ton 
 
 
THE MINERAL INDUST'~Y OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 
Table 6.—Ground mica sold or used by producers, by uses 
603 
 
 
 
 
 
Roofing   18,491 
Paint   8,700 
Rubber   5,314 
Plastics   503 
Other uses 1  19,159 
 $621,298 $33.60 19,872 $666,671 $33.55 
 1,155,985 132.87 7,324 979,369 133.72 
 684,620 128.83 4,538 607,899 133.96 
 68,400 135.98 570 76,115 133.54 
 1,016,778 53.07 16,385 862,014 52.61 
 Total 52,167 3,547,081 67.99 48,689 3,192,068 65.56 
 
1 Includes wallpaper, well drilling, textile coating (1967), and other uses.

 
 
 Olivine.—Output of olivine increased 20 percent in tonnage and 21
percent in value. This set a new production record for the second consecutive
year. The material was used for refractories, molding sand, and slag conditioner.
Two mines were active in Jackson County and one in Yancey. 
 
 Perlite.—Carolina Perlite Co., Inc. expanded perlite at Gold Hill,
Rowan County, using crude material from other States. Quantity and value
remained about the same. 
 
 Phosphate Rock.—Production of phosphate rock at the Lee Creek fertilizer
complex of Texas Gulf Sulphur Co., which went into production in April 1966,
increased by about 58 percent. The first of two trains of the company's wet
processs phosphoric acid plant, a key unit in the fertilizer manufacturing
operation, was started up at the beginning of the year. The phosphoric acid
plant has a designed capacity of 1,945 tons per day of 54 percent phosphoric
acid and uses phosphate rock mined at Lee Creek and sulfur from Texas Gulf
Sulphur's Frasch mines in Texas. The sulfuric acid plant is designed to produce
3,050 tons per day. Other units of the fertilizer plant complex produce diamonium
phosphate, 720 tons per day capacity; triple superphosphate, 800 tons per
day; and superphosphoric acid, 285 tons per day. All of the plants have been
so designed that production can be readily increased by the addition of parallel
facilities when needed. About half the phosphate rock mined is processed
at the complex, and the remainder is sold. 
 Other companies having interests in the North Carolina phosphate field include:

North Carolina phosphate Corp. a firm organized by Agrico Chemical Co., a
division of Continental Oil Co. and Kennecott Copper Co.; Dresser Magcobar
Division of Dresser Industries Inc., in which Borden Chemical Co., and Dresser
Industries have an interest; and FMC Corp. 
 
 Sand and Gravel.—Sand and gravel continued to be the second leading
mineral commodity produced in the State. Tonnage decreased 14 percent and
value decreased by 11 percent from that of the previous year. Sand and gravel
was produced in 81 of the State's 100 counties. Commercial sand and gravel
was 66 percent of the total; the remainder was government-and-contractor
production. There were 48 commercial and 72 government-and-contractor operations.
The commercial operations provided all of the sand and gravel used for building
purposes, 48 percent of that for paving, and 21 percent of that for railroad
ballast, fill, and other purposes. Of the total construction sand and gravel,
68 percent was sand. Nine percent of the total sand and gravel was sold as
unprocessed material. Industrial sand was less than 1 percent of the total
and included blasting and filtration sand. Forty-eight companies produced
sand and gravel in 1967, compared with 47 in 1966. Five of the 48 companies
produced 60 percent of the tonnage of commercial sand and gravel; commercial
pits were located in 29 counties. Transportation of commercial sand and gravel
was 59 percent by truck and 41 percent by railroad.