June 2016 tour of frac sand mining operations in LaSalle County, Illinois. Aerial support provided by LightHawk: https://www.lighthawk.org.
Muriel Lord writes:
I knew about Wisconsin and Michigan, but hadn't realised Illinois was being dug up A similar fate in prospect for Cheshire, source of the best quality silica sand in the UK, if fracking in gets going in the northwest or indeed in areas further away. Unless they import sand or manufacture ceramic pellets (still have to dig up clays presumably). Sibelco is the company to watch. 2 applications already in the pipeline in Cheshire. In Dec 2014, I queried the potential destruction of Cheshire's farmland by silica sand quarrying, in Q and A after a lecture by Prof Ernest Rutter on fracking His response -- "they will probably be glad of the jobs". Clive Mitchell, BGS, writes articles about silica sand. eg - this good survey of the UK resources. http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/501752/1/UK_silica_sand_resources_for_fracking_submitted_26-04-13.pdf However the last line in that 2013 presentation is rubbish. I spoke to him at the BGS "drop in" event at Treales recently. He hadn't a clue about the amounts used for the small test fracks in the one vertical well at Preese Hall.
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