Did You Know?
Limestone is used for:
Construction of buildings, homes, retaining walls and walkways, purifying the water we drink in your community’s water system, water erosion control, aggregate in asphalt, portland cement concrete and ready-mix, granular surfacing of roads, bike paths, baseball fields, Aglime, which neutralizes acid soils on our farm fields, lawns, and golf courses, calcium in feed for livestock, manufacturing of roofing materials, caulking and glass, settling our stomachs, as the main ingredient in antacids, toothpaste, and chewing gum. Limestone is the most used mineral extracted from beneath Iowa’s top soil.
Iowa State – Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
University of Iowa – Department of Geoscience
Smithsonian “Rocks of Gallery”
University of Northern Iowa – Earth Science Department & ILPA
Hidden Harvest
The following 13 minute video provides an excellent overview of Iowa’s crushed limestone industry.
Geology of Iowa Videos
The Iowa Limestone Producers Association is fortunate to be able to share and preserve the following voice over PowerPoint presentations created by Dr. Raymond R. Anderson. Until he retired, Dr. Anderson, was a Senior Research Geologist in the Groundwater and Stratigraphic Study Section of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Iowa Geological & Water Survey. He was also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Iowa, Department of Geoscience; active participant in the Geological Society of America (national and regional meetings), Iowa Academy of Sciences (Academy President), and Geological Society of Iowa (coordinates field trips); peer reviewer for journals and granting institutions.
During his career he authored numerous books, academic papers and maps, most notably on the Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) in Iowa. Dr. Anderson is also well noted for his expertise on the subject of the Manson impact crater, near Manson, Iowa. This is where an asteroid or comet nucleus struck the Earth during the Cretaceous Period, 74 million years ago. We hope you enjoy the following videos created from his original presentations
Dr. Raymond J. Anderson