Gypsum

2. How is it used?
==== Gypsum is used for wallboard,cement,plaster,and soil conditioning. Gypsum has a hardness of 2, which means that it is very soft. This causes Gypsum to have very few uses because it is not very durable. ====

3. How much is used in the US annually?
==== About 20 million tons of Gypsum are used annually in the United States. About 19 million tons are used for wallboard and plaster products. About 1 million tons are used for cement and about 9 million tons are used for other products. ====

====4. Gypsum is deposited from lake and sea water, as well as in hot springs, from volcanic vapors, and sulfate solutions in veins. Because gypsum dissolves over time in water, gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand. Because gypsum is often found in large thick layers near the Earth's Surface it is easily mined. Large machines will be used to blast and remove the gypsum, usually destroying nearby environment.====

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====[|http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gypsum/mcs-2011-gypsu.pdf] ====