News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, Nov. 30, 2007
Construction materials inventories (CMI) provide information on the location, quality, and quantity of natural resources, such as limestone and gravel, that can be used in road and building construction. Inventories for nearly 25 Kansas counties were published between 1947 and 1983. They are helpful but out of date.
Now Kansas Geological Survey researchers have developed a prototype CMI website that provides not only current information but can be easily revised as changes take place and new resources are discovered. The inventory covers Pottawatomie County, an area experiencing population growth and economic development. It features an interactive map with overlays showing where limestone, sand, gravel, clay, and other materials have been found; KDOT bridge and highway-construction sites; water wells; roads; rivers; geology; and aerial photography.
KGS developed the Pottawatomie County website pilot project with funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Information was collected from KDOT project records, geological literature, fieldwork, and KGS and U.S. Army Corp of Engineer core holdings. Data on the website include the location and type of about 120 commercial quarries, both active and abandoned, and measured and described cross sections of more than 100 rock outcrops.
The website also provides an overview of the county’s geology and stratigraphy, photographs of outcrops from road cuts and quarries, oil and gas and water well data, a bibliography of publications on the area’s resources, and links to the original KDOT and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) CMI for Pottawatomie County and several other Kansas counties. It is an important resource for a variety of users, from government agencies and public works departments to aggregate producers, construction companies, and the general public.
The CMI corresponds with the KGS geologic mapping project. Future interactive website inventories will be developed first for areas where updated information is most needed, such as those with abundant natural resources or population growth.
To access the CMI website, which includes the new Pottawatomie County report and map, go to http://www.kgs.ku.edu/CMI/index.html.