Alluvial Quartzite Pebbles as a Source of Industrial Silica

Size and lithologic analyses of samples of alluvial sediments from present day rivers in Alberta show that highly quartzitic gravels are present in long stretches of some rivers in the western parts of the Plains some distance east of the Foothills. Size analyses and concentrations of quartzite in 45 of the samples highest in quartzite are presented. Partial chemical analyses of fractions of some of these samples and petrographic descriptions of the quartzite pebbles indicate that the quartzites in some of these gravels are a potential source of industrial silica for smelter flux, ferrosilicon, and silica brick uses which do not require quartzite of the highest purity.