Aggregate Resources
Aggregates are raw materials such as clay, sand, gravel and crushed stone that are a vital economic resource to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia Energy’s web site hosts an interactive story map “Aggregate in Virginia”. This map identifies different types and uses of aggregate across the state. Aggregate materials are used to build structures, maintain roads, control erosion, elevate low-lying areas, and restore habitats, among other many uses (see our Mineral Resources web page for more information). Aggregate is a high-volume and low-value commodity, so transportation costs increase significantly when the material is sourced far from where it is needed. By identifying local sources, potential projects can save money and plan more efficiently and equitably for the long-term.
Why the Coastal Plain?
Aggregate-specific mapping has not yet been completed in the Virginia Coastal Plain Province. In response to this need, Virginia Energy’s Geology and Mineral Resources Program is mapping aggregate resources at the 1:100,000-scale across the Middle Peninsula. Federal funds for this grant were awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and are managed by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program (CZM FY23 Project List).
Current coastal flood hazard models predict that a significant portion of the Rural Coastal Virginia Master Planning Region will be impacted by daily flooding by 2080 (VA Coastal Resilience Master Plan). Flooding will disrupt communities and erode land, increasing the need for a local supply of aggregate that can be used to elevate and restore infrastructure and natural systems. Planners and contractors will need to find new sources of material to meet this need.
Figure 1: Permitted and orphaned aggregate mine sites in the Coastal Plain. 10-meter Digital Elevation Model base.
Mineral resources are an important consideration for local comprehensive planning, and recognized in the Code of Virginia §15.2-2224. It is mutually beneficial to municipalities, aggregate producers, prospective developers, and conservation professionals to have these aggregate data available for effective long-term planning. This project provides an opportunity to apply well-established geologic mapping and compilation methods in the Coastal Plain to localities that are threatened by significant loss of land and infrastructure due to increased flooding hazards. The current project area includes Essex County, Middlesex County, Mathews County, Gloucester County, King & Queen County, King William County, and all towns within these counties (Figure 2). In the future, these same methods could be applied to other localities across the Commonwealth to help create seamless aggregate resource potential maps in a digital format.
CURRENT WORK
Figure 2: Middle Peninsula with published geologic map units and aggregate sites. Geology and unit descriptions are available on the 1:250,000-scale digital geologic map of Virginia (Witt et al., 2021).
The first phase of the project started in October 2023 and is funded through September 2024. This project is designed to produce usable data to support research needs outlined in the 2021 Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan which seeks to minimize impacts due to rising sea level and increased flooding to Virginia’s coastal communities. (VA Coastal Resilience Master Plan).
Geologists assigned to this project will review existing geologic maps and 1-meter LIDAR elevation data, assemble information about active and historical mineral mines, boreholes, land use, and sediment characteristics to inform resource potential for unconsolidated deposits within the Middle Peninsula. Geologists will carry out field work to verify mine site features and collect existing aggregate pit stockpile and excavated materials to test for grain-size and geochemistry.
Virginia Energy is working closely with the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, the Virginia CZM Program, industry, and other state agencies to improve the usefulness of the mapping and identify appropriate end-uses for the products. Year 1 deliverables will include an ESRI ArcGIS geodatabase, a 1:100,000-scale aggregate resources map for the Middle Peninsula, and an interpretive summary report. For questions regarding this project, please contact david.hawkins@energy.virginia.gov.
Other Links:
Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program
Virginia CZM Program Focal Areas
Virginia CZM Program FY 2023 Grant Project List
Selected References:
DCR, 2021, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan, Phase One, December 2021, https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/crmp/plan.
Witt, A.C., Heller, M.J., Occhi, M.E., Spears, D.B., Lang, K.E., Berquist, C.R. Jr., and Prince, P.S., editors, 2021, Statewide Geologic Map Database of Virginia: Virginia Department of Energy, Geology and Mineral Resources Program, Open-file report 2021-12, scale 1:250,000.