Surface mineral
resources
M.J. van
der Meulen1, J.W. Broers2,
A.L. Hakstege3, H.S. Pietersen2,4,
M.W.I.M. van Heijst2 & T.P.F. Koopmans2
1TNO Built Environment and Geosciences
– Geological Survey of the Netherlands, PO Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, Netherlands
2Directorate-General of Public Works and Water
Management, Road and Hydraulic
Engineering Institute, PO Box 5044, 2600 GA Delft, Netherlands
3Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management,
Civil Engineering Institute,
PO Box 20000, 3502 LA Utrecht, Netherlands
4Delft Technical University,
Faculty of Civil
Engineering and Geosciences, Stevinweg
1, 2628 CN Delft, Netherlands
Abstract
Dutch
unconsolidated Quaternary
and Tertiary deposits constitute major resources of sand,
gravel and clay, exploited mainly for construction
works and the building-materials
industry. Limited surficial occurrences of Cretaceous chalk and Triassic limestone and dolomite are carbonate resources,
used mainly for the production of cement. From 1999 to 2003, an average amount of 90 Mt of sand, 4.9 Mt of gravel, 3.9 Mt of clay
and 1.6 Mt of carbonate rock was extracted
annually. Between 10 and 14
Mt/a of the aggregates production
was exported; imports of aggregates rose from 30 to 45 Mt/a. For reasons of sustainability, policy has been developed to stimulate the application of secondary building
and construction materials,
i.e. recyclable waste materials
and industrial by-products,
as alternatives for natural materials. Their total use
rose from 7 Mt/a in the early 1980s to
~32 Mt/a in the early 2000s.
Keywords: Netherlands, aggregates,
gravel, sand, clay, limestone, shells, secondary materials, mineral extraction, mineral planning
In: Wong TE, Batjes DAJ, De Jager J (eds): Geology of the Netherlands. Royal
Netherlands Academy of Arts
and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands, in press