St. Peter Sandstone
Encyclopedia
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
formation in the Chazyan stage of the Champlainian series. This sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
originated as a sheet of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
in clear, shallow water near the shore of a Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
sea and consists of fine-to-medium-size, well-rounded quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
grains with frosted surfaces. The extent of the formation spans north-south from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and east-west from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
into Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. The type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
for the formation is St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
. In eastern Missouri the stone consists of quartz sand that is 99.44% silica.
Layer
In MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, the soft St. Peter Sandstone can be observed at the bluffs of the Mississippi River valley beneath a very thin layer of Glenwood Shale
Glenwood Shale
The Glenwood Shale is a thin Ordivician shale formation in the sedimentary sequence characteristic of the upper Midwestern United States. It lies under the Platteville Limestone and above the Saint Peter Sandstone. Together, these three units represent a sequence of sea-level rise during Ordovician...
, which lies below a much thicker layer of Platteville limestone
Platteville Limestone
The Platteville Limestone is the Ordivician limestone formation in the sedimentary sequence characteristic of the upper Midwestern United States. It overlies the thin Glenwood Shale, which overlies the thick Saint Peter Sandstone...
. Examples can be seen at Minnehaha Falls
Minnehaha Falls
Minnehaha Creek is a tributary of the Mississippi River located in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from Lake Minnetonka in the west and flows east for 22 miles through several suburbs west of Minneapolis and then through south Minneapolis. Including Lake Minnetonka, the watershed for the...
in Minneapolis, the bluffs from downtown to Mounds Park in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, and Minneopa Falls
Minneopa State Park
Minneopa State Park is a state park in Minnesota, USA. The park is located on the Minnesota River west of Mankato. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, the largest waterfall in southern Minnesota, which had already been a popular visitor attraction since the 1850s. Minneopa is...
near Mankato.
Commercial use
St. Peter sandstone, also called Ottawa Sand in commercial applications, has a relatively uniform size and shape for each grain. It is used for the manufacture of glassGlass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, for filter
Media filter
A media filter is a type of filter that uses a bed of sand, crushed granite or other material to filter water for drinking, swimming pools, aquaculture, irrigation, stormwater management and other applications.-Filter Design:...
and molding sand, and for abrasive
Abrasive
An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away...
s. Its purity is especially important to glassmakers. It is also important as a "frac sand" in oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
drilling
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
– loose sand is pumped in a liquid mix under high pressure into an well
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
where the sand grains wedge into and hold open any fractures in the rock, enhancing the extraction of hydrocarbons. The uniform particle size also makes the sand useful for laboratory experiments.
Mining locations
St. Peter sandstone is or has been mined- ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
: Guion, ArkansasGuion, ArkansasGuion is a town in Izard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 90 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Guion is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.... - IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
: Ottawa, IllinoisOttawa, IllinoisOttawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
, Sheridan, IllinoisSheridan, IllinoisSheridan is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,411. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Wedron, IllinoisWedron, IllinoisWedron is an unincorporated community in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. Wedron is located along the Fox River northeast of Ottawa. Wedron has a post office with ZIP code 60557....
, and Naplate, IllinoisNaplate, IllinoisNaplate is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 523 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Naplate is located at .... - MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
: Kasota, MinnesotaKasota, MinnesotaKasota is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 675 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and Ottawa Township, MinnesotaOttawa Township, MinnesotaOttawa Township is a township in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 290 at the 2000 census. The abandoned townsite of Ottawa is in this township.-Geography:... - MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
: PacificPacific, MissouriPacific is a city in Franklin and St. Louis counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pacific is located at . The city straddles the Franklin County/St. Louis County line, which lies halfway on the blocks between Elm and Neosho streets. St...
, FestusFestus, MissouriFestus is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,367 at the 2009 estimated census. Festus and its neighbor Crystal City are often collectively known as the "Twin Cities"; however, they are incorporated separately....
, Crystal CityCrystal City, MissouriCrystal City is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,523 at the estimated 2009 census. It was 4,247 at the 2000 census....
, AugustaAugusta, MissouriAugusta is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 218 at the 2000 census. The town boasts wineries, antique shops, retaurants, B&B's, a wood shop, a glass studio, massage therapy, and The Augusta Brewery....
, and PevelyPevely, MissouriPevely is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The 2009 estimated population is 5,883. The population was 3,768 at the 2000 census. Charles S...
The Unimin
Unimin
Unimin Corporation is the American subsidiary of Sibelco and the United States' leading producer of silica sand. Unimin specializes in industrial minerals....
corporation is a large producer of commercial sand and operates the surface mines in many of these locations.