Mined Land Reclamation Information For Students And Teachers
New York is rich in minerals -- oil, gas, solution salt and hard minerals mined for industrial and construction uses. Extraction of minerals by surface or underground mining occurs through New York State. Protecting the environment when minerals are extracted is an important responsibility of DEC, carried out by the Division of Mineral Resources.
The division maintains regulatory files and databases, as well as information about the minerals found during exploration or mining.
This information forms a picture of mineral resources in New York, their extraction and use, and mitigation techniques that help protect the environment, including:
* Geology and location of mineral deposits in New York
* Reclamation of land affected by surface mining
* New York State geology and its relationship to surface or underground mining
* Economics of mineral extraction
Another source of information about New York's mineral resources is the New York State Geological Survey at the State Museum in Albany, where many geological records and maps are on file, along with the world's oldest and largest collection of New York rocks and minerals, and an extensive list of geological publications. A complete list of Survey publications may be obtained from: State Science Service 3140 Cultural Education Center Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12230.
The Empire State Oil & Gas Information System (ESOGIS), is a searchable online database of information pertaining to the Oil & Gas Wells of New York State. It includes information on Geophysical logs, which are depth registered graphical representations of the rock properties in a given well. ESOGIS also has a Core collection from over 400 wells across the state which are available for sampling and viewing upon request. Some of the core images are available in their Virtual Core Library as well.