Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Geologic Evolution Of Trail Ridge Eolian Heavy-Mineral Sand And Underlying Peat, Northern Florida, Eric Force, Fredrick J. Rich

School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Faculty Publications

The southern portion of Trail Ridge in Clay County, Fla., has been an important domestic source of altered ilmenite, zircon, and other minerals since 1949. The ridge as a physiographic feature extends in a north-south direction over 160 km and is 1 to 2 km wide. The ore is a fine- to medium-grained sand body that extends down from the crest of the ridge about 20 m. Average heavy-mineral content is about 4 percent. Over half of the ilmenite and zircon is contained in thin, dark laminae dipping 26° to 41 ° southwest; these laminae extend deep within the ore …