2.2 Commodities
Table 2 (below) is a list of the commodities produced in Canada in the 21st Century, based on the 900A maps and the Mines Handbook editions. There are a total of 94 commodities listed although there is some overlap between them. For example, coal is describes as metallurgical, thermal, lignite or type unknown. The commodities are sorted by nine provinces and three territories. Canada is a global leader in mining.
According to Facts & Figures (2014), there were 1192 mining establishments. One can compare yearly versions of annual reports to see changes over time. This is a reference that provides excellent statistics related to the commodities in Canada, and it shows that Table 2 is by no means complete. The publication states there were 720 sand and gravel quarries, 285 stone quarries and 7 peat mines. Additional facts of interest from the publication include (page 13):
- “Northwest Territories is the country’s dominant source of diamonds
- Ontario and Quebec lead in the production of gold
- Saskatchewan produces all of Canada’s uranium
- The potash reserves in Saskatchewan are world class
- British Columbia is prominent in steelmaking coal production
- Newfoundland and Labrador produce virtually all of Canada’s iron ore”
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (Carr, 1994) publishes an excellent reference book that provides an overview of the industrial mineral including their properties and uses. The uses which require the extraction of commodities, as taken from the 6th edition include:
- Abrasives
- Agricultural materials (fertilizer, additives)
- Biotechnical materials
- Catalysts
- Chemicals
- Construction Uses
- Bricks and similar materials
- Aggregates: markets and uses
- Cement and cement raw materials
- Clay-based ceramic raw materials
- Gypsum plasters and wallboards
- Insulation
- Lightweight aggregates
- Roofing granules
- Stone, conservation
- Stone, decorative
- Electronic and optical materials
- Environmental uses
- Asbestos substitutes
- Clay liners and barriers
- Neutralization
- Water and sewage treatment
- Fillers and coatings
- Filters and absorbents
- Glass raw materials
- Lime
- Metallurgy uses
- Flux for metallurgy
- Fluxes for soldering, brazing, welding
- Foundry sands
- Pigments, iron oxide
- Refractories
- Well drilling materials
Commodities of Canada in the 21st Century
Table 2 commodities tabulated using Mines Handbooks, 900A Maps, and provincial databases:
|
Commodities A-F |
Commodities G-P |
Commodities Q-Z |
|
Actinolite |
Gabbro |
Quartz |
|
Agate |
Gadolinium |
Quartzite |
|
Aggregate |
Gallium |
Radium |
|
Agricultural Limestone |
Garnet |
Rare Earth Elements (REE) |
|
Albertitie |
Gemstones |
Rare Metals (RM) |
|
Aluminum |
Germanium |
Rhodium |
|
Amblygonite |
Glaciolacustrine Clay |
Rhodonite |
|
Amethyst |
Gneiss |
Rhyolite |
|
Ammonite |
Gold |
Rubidium |
|
Andesite |
Granite |
Rubidium |
|
Anhydrite |
Graphite |
Salt |
|
Anorthosite |
Gravel |
Samarium |
|
Anthraxolite |
Gypsum |
Sand |
|
Antimony |
Halite |
Sandstone |
|
Apatite |
Helium Gas |
Scandium |
|
Arsenic |
Hematite |
Scapolite |
|
Asbestos |
Holmium |
Selenium |
|
Asbestos-chrysotile |
Hornblende |
Serpentine |
|
Ball Clay |
Ilmenite |
Shale |
|
Barite |
Indium |
Siderite |
|
Barium |
Intermontane |
Silica |
|
Barium sulphate |
Iridium |
Silica Flux |
|
Barytine |
Iron |
Silica Sand |
|
Basalt Granules |
Jasper |
Silicon Carbide |
|
Bentonite |
Kaolin |
Sillimanite |
|
Beryllium |
Kaolinite |
Silver |
|
Biotite |
K-Feldspar |
Slate |
|
Bismuth |
Kyanite |
Soapstone |
|
Brick |
Labradorite |
Sodium Chlorate |
|
Brucite |
Lanthanum |
Sodium Sulphate |
|
Building Stone |
Lead |
Spodumene |
|
Cadmium |
Leonardite |
Steatite |
|
Calcite |
Lepidolite |
Stone |
|
Calcium Carbonate |
Lime |
Strontium |
|
Celestite |
Limestone |
Sulphur/Pyrite |
|
Cerium |
Limestone flux |
Sylvite |
|
Cesium |
Lithium |
Talc |
|
Chert |
Lutetium |
Tantalum |
|
Chromite |
Mafic minerals |
Tellurium |
|
Chromium |
Magnesia |
Terbium |
|
Chrysotile |
Magnesite |
Thorium |
|
Clay |
Magnesium |
Thulium |
|
Clinker |
Magnesium Sulphate |
Tin |
|
Clinker (Coal-Fired Shale) |
Magnetite |
Titanite |
|
Coal |
Manganese |
Titanium |
|
Cobalt |
Marble |
Topaz |
|
Columbium |
Marl |
Tourmaline |
|
Copper |
Mercury |
Trap rock |
|
Copper Cathode |
Mica |
Tremolite |
|
Corundum |
Molybdenum |
Tungsten |
|
Diamond |
Monazite |
Tyndall Stone |
|
Diatomite |
Neodymium |
Ultra Mafic Jade (Nephrite) |
|
Dimension Stone |
Nepheline Syenite |
Upgraded Crude Oil |
|
Diopside |
Nickel |
Uranium |
|
Dolomite |
Niobium |
Vanadium pentoxide |
|
Dolomitic Lime |
Ochre |
Vermiculite |
|
Dolostone |
Oil Sands |
Wacke |
|
Dyprosium |
Olivine |
VMS |
|
Eribium |
Osmium |
Virginite |
|
Europium |
Palladium |
Wollastonite |
|
Expanding Shale |
Peat |
Ytterbium |
|
Feldspar |
Perlite |
Yttrium |
|
Ferrosilicon |
Phosphate |
Zeolite |
|
Fire Clay |
Plagioclase |
Zinc |
|
Flagstone |
Platinum |
Zircon |
|
Fluorine |
Platinum group metals (PGM) |
Zirconium |
|
Fluorite |
Potash |
|
|
Fluorspar |
Potassium Sulphate |
|
|
Praseodymium |
||
|
Precious Metals |
||
|
Promethium |
||
|
Pumice |
||
|
Pyrite |
||
|
Pyrophylite |
||
|
Pyroxene |
Lesson List
Module 2- Canadian Mines in the 21st Century
Teachers Info
Donna Beneteau
- Specialist: Geology
- Experience: Over 20 Years
- Website: http://beyondgeology.com
-
Her career and volunteering since she graduated from Geological Engineering in 1990 has been related to the mining industry.