Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 229
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TEXAS MINERALS. 229
was being used during 1951 by the Unvlyersity
of Texas as a part of its engineering labora-
tory work.
Magnesium sulphate occurs in the brines of
the shallow lakes of the High Plains and
there is commercial production at several
points, notably near O Donnell in the south-
ern part of Lynn County. Magnesium chloride
is found in shallow brines in the playa lakes
of the High Plains and in the Pecos Valley
and there has been commercial production of
magnesium compounds in Ward County.
Recent Texas production of primary mag-
nesium, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Mines :
Production
Year- (Tons). Value.
1946 ..............8,498 * $3,484,000
1947 54.........524
1948 ............... 8,489 3,480,496
1949 . .......... 12,977 5,320,689
LEAD
Lead is produced in small amounts in
Texas, largely in connection with the process-
ing of ores for' other metals. (See table be-
low.) There are evidences of lead over suffi-
ciently wide areas to have interested geolo-
gists and mining engineers for a number of
years. Lead is found widely in the Trans-
Pecos region, though really significant pro-
duction has never been attained. It is found
also in Burnet, Llano, Blanco and possibly
other counties of the Central Basin. There
has been small production in former years
in various places, notably from the Pavitte
mine in western Burnet County. The quan-
tity and quality of lead resources of Texas
are still relatively unknown, Texas lead ore
production was 891 tons in 1949 and 893 tons
in 1948.
Texas lead production and value in recent
years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Mines:
Production
Year- (Pounds). Value.
1946 . ..............94,000 $10,246
1947 ......... ....... . 156,000 22,464
1948 ....... ... 340,000 60,860
1949 .. ... . . . 264,000 41,712
OTHER TEXAS METALS
A wide range of metals are found in Texas,
of sufficient quantity to sustain hope that
there may be commercial production in the
future. In some instances there has been, or
is today, small commercial production.
Gold.-Though the production is insignifi-
cant, Texas has been a steady producer of
gold for a number of years, primarily as a
by-product of. operations of the silver mine at
Shafter, Presidio County, and the copper-
silver ores of the Van Horn area. A small
production has come also from Llano and
Gillespie Counties. Occurrence of gold has
been reported also in the Quitman Mountain
district of Hudspeth County, in the sands and
gravels of Howard and Taylor Counties and
in limestones of Uvalde, Irion and Williamson
Counties, according to report of the Bureau
of Economic Geology of the University' of
Texas. In 1949 Texas gold production was
forty ounces, valued at $1,400; in 1948 it was
fifty-seven ounces, valued at $1,995.
Manganese.-A number of other metals are
known to exist In Texas. One of them,
manganese, is among the "strategic minerals"
on which attention was focused during the
war. Manganese is essential to the manufac-
ture of a steel that is tough, but practically
all of the United States supply has been im-
ported. - Manganese ores have been found in
Presidio, Brewster, Terrell, Maverick, Mason,
Llano. Jeff Davis, Dickens and. Burnet Coun-
ties. During the First World War, 1914-1918,
when there was a great premium on man-
ganese, several hundred carloads were shipped
from Texas, but this movement was not jus-tified after prices declined. There were small
shipments during the Second World War.
Other ferroalloys found in Texas are molyb-
denum, tungsten and chromium. Molybdenum
is found in Llano County and the Quitman
Mountains of Hudspeth County. Tungsten is
found in these two counties and also in the
Van Horn region of Culberson County. Chro-
mite has been found in Gillespie and Blanco
Counties. There has been experimental mining
of these three minerals, but real extent and
quality are still unknown.
Tin.-Tin ores are found in the Franklin
Mountains of El Paso County, in the Streeter
area of Mason County and in many localities
of the Central Basin. An extensive survey by
the Bureau of Economic Geology of the Uni-
versity of Texas failed to discover any deposit
of commercial value but the Franklin Moun-
tain deposit was listed as worthy of further
investigation.
A large tin smelter was built at Texas City
during World War II but it consumes Im-
ported ores, largely from Bolivia.
Zinc.-Zinc ores are found, usually in asso-
ciation with silver and lead, in Presidio.
Hudspeth, Culberson and Brewster Counties.
There has been only experimental produc-
tion. There is a large zinc smelting industry
in Moore County, but ores are shipped from
other states to the source of cheap natural
gas in this area. A small amount of zinc ore
is produced in Texas but it is not reported
separately by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.
Texas Building Materials
The presence in Texas of a large quantity
and wide range of minerals suitable for
making construction materials has contributed
to the state's economic development in far
greater degree than is indicated by the an-
nual sales values of these materials. Large
and diversified deposits of stone, clays, Port-
land cement materials, and gypsum are found
In many parts of the state. Since construction
material minerals, because of their weight,
are influenced in their marketing by the
rates on their transportation, the availability
of these materials in Texas has been of great
benefit in the rapid construction of homes,
commercial and industrial buildings that has
accompanied the expansion of the Texas
economy.
STONE
Both igneous and sedimentary stone adapt-
ed to construction purposes is found in large
quantities in many parts of Texas. About 120
of the 254 counties of Texas report stone
either in production or in deposits of potential
value.
In the Burnet-Llano-Gillesple County region
are large deposits of granite of varying qual-
ity and color, including pink, red, gray and
opaline. The Texas granite is usually of ex-
cellent quality with high crushing resistance.
In fact, the toughness of Texas granite has
been detrimental to it in the market in some
instances in competition with the softer, more
easily processed granites of other states.
Texas granite is found in Burnet, Llano,
Mason, Gillespie and San Saba Counties of
Central Texas and in Brewster and Presidio
Counties in the Trans-Pecos. Most notable
quarry has been the one at Granite Mountain
near Marble Falls which was opened in the
early eighties to supply granite for the State
Capitol. Probably more stone has been pro-
duced from this deposit than from any other
in Texas. In recent years it has been inoper-
ative, but was being put in operation again
early in 1951. There has been consistent
production of granite also from several
quarries in Llano and Gillespie Counties. The
granite resources of the 'state, of great
variety and fine quality, are very large,
notably in such exposed Igneous intrusions as
Granite -Mountain mentioned above and En-
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Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/231/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.