Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin--Overview

Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin

Background Information:
        Recently, sand mining in Wisconsin has had a dramatic increase in popularity. The sand mined in Wisconsin is ideal for hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of cracking or fracturing the rock formations beneath the surface of the earth to extract natural gas or crude oil. Water is blasted at high speeds to crack the rock. This is where the sand comes into play. Once the fissures, or small cracks in the rock have been formed, sand is sent into the cracks made in the rock and is used as a wedge to keep the crack open. The smaller the sand particles the better because they can get wedged into smaller cracks compared to the large particles. The image below (figure 1) shows how the drilling and fracturing works. The small white dots in the image represent the sand that holds open the newly formed cracks.

Figure 1: An animated picture of the hydraulic fracturing process

What is frac sand mining?
        Frac sand mining is the mining of sand the fracturing companies use to hold open the fissures they make in the rock. Frac sand is actually very small pieces of quartz, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2) which is more commonly known as silica sand. The individual particles of sand are spherical and extremely durable as seen in the picture below.


Figure 2: An up close image of silica sand. As you can see,
the individual granules of sand are very spherical.

Since the sand needed for fracking is very specific, it is only found in a few places. In the United States, the Midwest (specifically Wisconsin and Minnesota) contain vast deposits of the sand. In order to reach the sand, the mining companies must clear the overburden (topsoil, clay, silt, and/or loam). The actual extracting of the sand is then done with a possibility of blasting depending on how hard the silica is. After the sand is extracted, the sand is then washed with water and chemicals, dried in large rotating drums, and finally screened and sorted for selling.

Where is frac sand mining in Wisconsin?
       The image below is a map of where frac sand mines are in Wisconsin. The red squares are frac sand mines as of December 2011. The area shaded in beige is the area where there is sandstone to possibly be mined. Wisconsin has some of the best frac sand because of geologic formations that are close to the surface. Wisconsin hold 75% of the frac sand mining market in the United States.

Figure 3: A map of the frac sand sites in Wisconsin

Issues associated with frac sand mining:
      There are many issues with frac sand mining, the biggest being public health and air/water quality. Since hydraulic fracturing and frac sand mining is a new industry, it is very poorly regulated. There are very few rules and regulations that hold the companies accountable.
      With Wisconsin's open-pic sand mines, it exposes surrounding citizens to toxic chemicals and airborne matter that is damaging to lungs. Inhaling silica can cause silicosis which is an incurable disease and can cause cancer. The mine workers are exposure is regulated by the government because of this danger, but there is no limits or regulations for the general public.
      Another issue with frac sand mining is the damage the trucks and machinery do to the surrounding infrastructure. With large trucks, semis, and machines driving to-and-from the sand sites, the local roads, which were not built to hold extreme amounts of weight, are deteriorating at a rapid rate.

How can GIS be used to further explore issues with frac sand mining?
     Geographic Information Systems, GIS, can be used to help elevate some of the current problems with frac sand mining. Along with mapping where the actual mining sites are, GIS can be used to show potential problem areas. One issue GIS could help solve is the problem with infrastructure. With GIS one could map out the best and most practical route to take to and from sand mining sites to railways. A GIS could also map out a potential buffer around sand mining sites to showing the public the health risks associated with being close to a site.

Sources:

• https://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/frac_sand_mining#.Vs8y7fkrJQI
• http://wcwrpc.org/frac-sand-factsheet.pdf
• http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/documents/SilicaSandMiningFinal.pdf
• http://api.ning.com/files/pwNUcGVK-dU9AU77uxjp0Df0C*idIiwlUuSYFPpJNd6xVcsTwjcRY8phE6vI-fmYaMrnTJQuIDHn1SDL4VfvMVzIMw9LEt2P/Fracking_diagram_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg (figure 1) 
• http://venusflytrap.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/silica-sand.jpg (figure 2)