South Dakota Minerals Industry

Minerals Industry Report for South Dakota View/Print/Download the complete report in PDF format In 2007, South Dakota’s nonfuel raw mineral production was valued at $270 million, based upon annual U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data. This was a $40 million, or 17.4%, increase from the State’s total nonfuel mineral value for 2006, which also had increased by $13 million from 2005 to 2006. South Dakota ranked 39th among the States in total nonfuel mineral production. On a per-capita-basis, the State ranked 13th in the Nation in the value of its mineral industry’s nonfuel mineral production; with a population of slightly more than 796,000, the value of production was about $338 per capita.  Portland cement production, by value, continued to be South Dakota’s leading nonfuel mineral commodity in 2007, after overtaking gold in 2002; prior to 2002, gold had been the State’s leading mineral commodity for more than 4 decades. Portland cement was followed (in descending order of value) by construction sand and gravel, crushed stone, gold, granite dimension stone, and lime. The State’s production of construction materials, which mainly included (in descending order of value) portland cement, construction sand and gravel, crushed stone, granite dimension stone, common clays, and gypsum, accounted for 80% of the State’s total nonfuel mineral production value.  Portland cement and gold had the largest increases in production value of all the State’s nonfuel mineral commodities. An approximate 10% increase in portland cement production led to an estimated increase in production value of nearly 20%. With about three times more production in 2007 than in 2006, gold’s production value more than tripled in 2007. Also showing a significant increase in value was crushed stone, up by $3 million, and lime. The largest decrease took place in construction sand and gravel, down by $9.5 million (table 1). In 2007, South Dakota continued to rank sixth in the quantity of gold produced of 10 producing States and second of five mica-producing States while remaining a significant producer of construction sand and gravel and granite dimension stone (11th in rank).