Surface mineral resources

Abstract

Dutch Quaternary and Neogene unconsolidated clastic deposits constitute major resources of aggregates and clay that are used in building and construction. Fine sand is available all over the country (including offshore), and is used mainly for filling, coastal nourishment and land reclamation. Coarse sand, which roughly occurs in the southeastern half of the country, is mainly used in concrete and masonry mortars. Gravel occurs in the southeasternmost part of the country, and is used in concrete and a variety of unbound applications. In addition to home-produced sand and gravel, the Netherlands uses significant amounts of imported and secondary aggregates. High-grade silica sand of Miocene age, occurring in the southeasternmost parts of the country, is used in several process industries. Clay is used for the production of structural ceramics (bricks and rooftiles), dyke building and maintenance, landfill covering and landscaping. Most ceramic clay is extracted from Holocene overbank deposits of the central/eastern Rhine-Meuse Delta. Clay for other applications is available all over the Holocene fluvial and coastal lowlands, except where peat is prevalent. Dutch carbonate resources include Cretaceous chalk in the southeasternmost part of the country, Triassic limestone and dolomite in the central-east, and Holocene shell deposits in the northern and southwestern tidal basins. Until recently, the chalk has been extracted to produce cement. The Triassic carbonates are grinded to powder and used in a variety of industrial and agricultural applications. The shells are used as drainage, paving and insulation material, or grinded for use in animal fodder.