The purpose of the Profile is to enhance the State Industry of the Future Program. It defines the present status of the Mining Industry in North Carolina and contains a comprehensive overview of the individual sectors of the mining industry of North Carolina.

The three sectors of the mining industry are the industrial minerals, aggregate minerals and clay and brick. The industrial minerals mined in North Carolina include feldspar, phosphate, mica, pyrophyllite, olivine, peat, gemstone and industrial sand and gravel. Aggregate minerals mined in the State include crushed stone, construction sand and gravel and dimension stone. Clay minerals for brick manufacture include common clays and shale.

Collectively, theses three sectors produced 131.3 million metric tons of product at a value of $779 million in the year 2000. In 1997 the mining industry of North Carolina contributed $743.6 million to the gross state product (GSP) from the sale of 87 million metric tons of products.

Statistics for the fiscal year 2000 or the most recent data available are compiled for the industry and included in the profile as Mining Industry Statistics - Tables.

All sources are documented using the NAICS/SIC codes for the information. All the information is compiled and stored in Excel or Access Data files.

A mailing list of the companies is compiled and categorized according to the sector industry. A mailing list of associations and trade groups associated with the mining industry is also included in the profile.

The economics section of the profile describes the impact of the mining industry on the economy of North Carolina State by presenting the statistics of the total production, the value and the financial contribution to the state.

Total energy consumption in BTUs for the mining industry is addressed and compared with the overall energy consumption for the state. Employment statistics for the mining industry of the state is included in the profile.

A section under geography describes the location of the mining companies and their impact on the localities especially in rural areas. A map of the permitted active and inactive mines in North Carolina as of May 2002 is included in Figure 1. Finally a section of the profile describes the markets for the minerals mined in North Carolina and how these commodities are used by other industries.

The industry segmentation is listed in the profile in the following order: Industrial Minerals, Aggregate, sand and stone industry and clay and brick industry. Organizations related with the mining industry are listed next and related suppliers and service groups are listed in the last section.