Particle Size Characterization of Waste Crushed Rhyolite at a Roofing Granule Operation in Southeastern Missouri

摘要

Rhyolite is commercially quarried in southeastern Missouri at three locations: Iron Mountain, Annapolis, and Piedmont (figure 1). At the latter two locations, the rhyolite is crushed and size-selected for making roofing granules. Crushed material too small for use as roofing granules is discarded into outdoor waste piles. At their Annapolis facility, ISP Minerals, Inc., has two such waste piles (figure 2). Reportedly, one covers about 27 acres, the other covers about 20 acres, and both are about 100 ft in height. The rhyolite is Protero-zoic Precambrian in age (Kisvarsanyi, 1981) and contains phenocrysts of feldspar and quartz in an aphanitic matrix. The purpose of this study is to make available particle size analyses of the waste material at the Annapolis facility. This information may indicate potential industrial, agricultural, or other beneficial uses of the waste.