Twin Cities aggregate resources

A joint project of the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Aggregate Resources Inventory of the Seven-County Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, is the report from a project funded jointly by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Council, and the Minnesota Geological Survey. It was released on May 9, 2000 as Minnesota Geological Survey Information Circular 46.

Among its conclusions, the report shows that the Twin Cities region was originally endowed with a total of 5.7 billion tons of sand and gravel, and dolomitic bedrock that meet present-day industry standards for construction aggregate resources. Only 1.7 billion tons of these resources remained as of 1997. With the continuing expansion of developed areas, possible zoning restrictions, and other factors, aggregate supplies may be exhausted as early as 2028. Local and regional decisions will have important implications for future supplies and costs of aggregate materials.

Report Abstract

Download entire report (IC-46) in PDF format from MGS website (1.1 mb)

Purchase hardcopy report/geological maps (at MGS)

Digital maps, data sets, and metadata (at MGS)


Recommended citation: Southwick, D.L., Jouseau, M., Meyer, G.N., Mossler, J.H., and Wahl, T.E., 2000, Aggregate resources inventory of the seven-county metropolitan area, Minnesota: Minnesota Geological Survey Information Circular 46, 91 p.)

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