Intro to Frac Sand Mining

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of using a highly pressured liquid to fracture rock. Sand and water are blasted at high pressure down a wellbore in order to cause oil or other precious resources to surface and become usable. The desired sand is mostly quartz and extremely hard, which makes it great for expanding small cracks in bedrock and replacing the resources after they surface. Due to the unique geological landscape that was created by glaciers, Central and Western Wisconsin have some of the best sandstone formations in the United States. Both the creation of jobs and destruction of natural resources make frac sand mining a controversial issue in Wisconsin.

The mining of frac sand has a number of environmental impacts that affect the life and landscape around us. Before the frac sand is blasted, it must be handled and processed at a facility. This can cause the air to be polluted with harmful dust particles that can travel long distances. Sand mines also come into contact with water frequently, which raises the hazards for Wisconsin’s precious freshwater features. Altering riverbeds can change deposition characteristics and increase erosion, which could ultimately damage aquatic habitats.

It is possible to closely examine and explore the, efficiency, cost and overall impacts of frac sand mining by using GIS.

Sources

http://wisconsingeologicalsurvey.org/pdfs/frac-sand-factsheet.pdf

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/documents/SilicaSandMiningFinal.pdf