Information Sheets on Tennessee Resources

Tennessee has quite a variety of rock and mineral resources. We will provide information sheets on the most important ones.

• Barite
• Chattanooga Shale
• Chert
• Clay
• Chalcopyrite - (Copper)
• Coal
• Fluorite
• Galena (lead)
• Gypsum
• Ilmenite
• Iron ores - (magnetite, hematite, limonite, and pyrite)
• Limestone / "Marble" / Crushed Limestone
• Mussel Shells
• Oil/Natural Gas
• Phosphate
• Saltpeter
• Sand & Gravel
• Sandstone
• Zinc (sphalerite)

Mineral resources form at many points in the rock cycle, and plate tectonics play an important role in the deposition of many minerals. This site from the University of Texas presents information on the formation of minerals. The page on the role of hydrothermal and aqueous solutions in the formation of minerals is particularly interesting.

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