West Virginia currently has three companies which together produce between
250,000 and 350,000 tons of clay and shale each year. Nearly all of this
production is consumed near the mine sites for the manufacture of brick,
cement, or clay dummies for blast hole stemming. The brick and cement
manufacturers use shales of the Ordovician-age Martinsburg Formation and the
clay dummies are produced from the Pennsylvanian-age Bolivar Fire Clay.
West Virginia's clay and shale resource base is enormous and capable of
supporting additional brick or cement plants. In addition, deposits suitable
for the manufacture of lightweight (expanded) aggregate, refractories, and
other products are present in many parts of the State. In the eastern part
of the State, the Martinsburg Formation and shales of Mississippian and
Devonian age have economic potential. In the western part of the State,
the Pennsylvanian-age shales and coal seam underclays have the greatest
potential for development.
(adapted from a compilation by Hobart M. King and Claudette M. Simard, updated September 1996)
Page last revised: July 16, 2004
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