528The Mineral Industry of 
North Dakota 
This chapter has been prepared by the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of
the Interior, and the State Geological Survey of North Dakota under a cooperative
agreement for collecting information on all minerals except fuels. 
 
 
By Joseph B. Huvos1 
 
The total value of mineral production in North Dakota was $98.1 million in
1972, a decline of 1.8% from that of 1971. The value of fossil fuel production,
excluding natural gas liquids, was $86.5 million, $1.5 million less than
that of 1971. Changes in value in 1972, in million dollars, were as follows:
crude petroleum decreased 3.2, lignite increased 1.8, and natural gas decreased
0.2. 
The total value of sand and gravel output, the only major nonmetallic mineral
value publishable, was $5.8 million, $0.4 million less than that of 1971.
Among items the value of which was withheld, the value of natural gas liquids
decreased 4%; that of clays, 9%; lime, 3%; stone, 95%; the value of salt
increased 97%. No peat was produced in 1972. 
Legislation and Government Programs.— In 1972, no bills of interest
to the North Dakota mineral industry were signed into law. There were however,
several bills in various stages of processing. The North Dakota Senate passed
and sent to the House a bill on reclamation of strip mined areas. 
One of two other bills that imposed a severance tax on coal was rejected
by the Senate. The Senate Business, Industry and Labor Committee recommended
that a bill imposing a 5% tax on coal be rejected so that the ' bill imposing
a 5c~-per-ton tax could be passed. The Senate rejected the 5% bill and passed
the 5~ bill. 
 
There were several Federal and State government publications issued in 1972
that could be of interest to the mineral industry.2 
Employment and Injuries.—Statistics on employment and injuries in the
mineral industries, exclusive of the petroleum industry, are presented in
table 4. Information for 1971 data is final data; that for 1972 is preliminary.

 
 1 Foreign mineral specialist, Division of Fossil Fuels, Assistant Directorate—Mineral
Supply. 
 ' Arndt, B. M. Environmental Geology and North Dakota. NDGS Misc. Series
MS—48, 1972. 
 Arndt, B. M. Geology for Planning at Langdon, North Dakota. NDGS RI—50,
1972. 
 Bluemle, J. P. Part I—Geology of Nelson and Walsh Counties, North
Dakota. NDGS Bull. B—57, 1972. 
 Croff, M. G. Part Ill—Ground Water Resources of Mercer and Oliver
Counties, North Dakota. NDGS Bull. B—56, 1972. 
 Deal, D. E. Geology of Rolette County. NDGS Bull. B—58, 1972. 
 Feldmann, R. M. Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of the Fox Hills Formation
(Upper Cretaceous) of North Dakota. NDGS Bull. B—6l, 1972. 
 Folsom, C. B. North Dakota Crude Oil Inventory as of January 1, 1972. NDGS
Misc. Series MS—46, 1972, 10 pp. 
 
 Folsom, C. B. North Dakota Crude Oil Inventory and Stripper Well Survey
as of January 1, 1973. NDGS Misc. Series MS—51, 1973, 5 pp. 
 
 Hutchinson, R. D. Part Il—Ground Water Basic Data of Cavalier and
Pembina Counties. NDGS Bull. B—62, 1972. 
 
 Kube, W. R., and J. L. Elder. Technology and Use of Lignite. BuMines IC
8543, 1972, 145 pp. 
 
 Marafi, H. Newburg-South Westhope Oil Fields, North Dakota. NDGS Misc. Series
MS-47, 1972, 8 pp. 
 
 Moran, S. R. Subsurface Geology and Foundation Conditions in Grand Forks,
North Dakota. NDGS Misc. Series MS—44, 1972, 18 pp. 
 
 Pollard, B. C., J. B. Smith, and C. C. Knox. Strippable Lignite Reserves
of North Dakota. BuMines IC 8537, 1972, 37 pp. 
 
 Scott, M. W. Annotated Bibliography of the Geology of North Dakota, 1806—1959.
NDGS Misc. Series MS—49, 1972. 
 
 Ting, F. T. C. Depositional Environments of the Lignite-bearing Strata in
Western North Dakota. Geology Department NDGS Misc. Series MS-50, 1972.