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| | gypsum (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-20) |
 | | Gypsum deposits lie in flat beds of about six to eight feet in thickness, and are often inter-layered with limestone or shale. |
 | | Gypsum deposits were formed millions of years ago when salt water oceans covered most of the earth, and as they receded, may inland "dead" seas were formed which, as evaporation continued, became more and more salty. |
 | | In the early days of gypsum mining, farmers drove their horses and wagons as far as 100 miles to purchase supplies of "land plaster" for use as fertilizer, or soil "sweetener" as it was called at the time. |
| www.geo.msu.edu /geo333/gypsummining.html (2902 words) |
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