;◎⃝‿◎⃝;

"The proliferation of sand mines in Wisconsin is due to the increasing use elsewhere in the country of a natural gas mining technique known as hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking. In this process, fine sand mixed with water and chemicals is used to fracture cracks in rock that contains natural gas. The preferred sand is composed of round, quartzite crystals. Wisconsin boasts extensive deposits of such sand, and dozens of mines, mostly in central and west-central parts of the state, now ship sand out of state for use in hydrofracking operations."