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To: Haim R. Branisteanu who wrote (107467)	9/7/2014 3:18:31 AM
From: Snowshoe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 218074

>>I assumed that it is not just "sand" but refined and standardized for special targeted use<< Yes, but they seek out material that is already "pre-processed by nature" to greatly reduce the amount of refining needed. See my underlining below... Petroleum industry proppants must meet very demanding specifications. The characteristics of a high quality frac sand include: high-purity silica sand grain size perfectly matched to job requirements spherical shape that enables it to be carried in hydraulic fracturing fluid with minimal turbulence durability to resist crushing forces of closing fractures Frac sand is produced in a range of sizes from as small as 0.1 millimeter in diameter to over 2 millimeters in diameter depending upon customer specifications. Most of the frac sand consumed is between 0.4 and 0.8 millimeters in size. Rock units such as the St. Peter Sandstone, Jordan Sandstone, Oil Creek Sandstone and Hickory Sandstone have been potential sources of frac sand material. These rock units are composed of quartz grains that have been through multiple cycles of weathering and erosion. That long history has removed almost all mineral grains other than quartz and produced grains with very round shapes. This is why sand dredged from rivers, excavated from terraces or removed from beaches is unlikely to produce a good product. Where these rock units are produced they are usually soft, poorly cemented and sometimes lightly weathered. This allows them to be excavated and crushed with minimal damage to the quartz grains. High-purity sand from areas such as the Appalachians is often not suitable for frac sand because it has been subjected to tectonic forces which have deformed the rock and weakened the sand grains. Source: geology.com