Mick Shmazian

Perhaps no one is more dedicated to, and knowledgeable about, the field of mineral prospecting. Shmazian has worked as a mineral prospector for over two decades, a period of twenty years during which he has had the opportunity to travel all over the world. Shmazian got his start in mineral prospecting by working in the area of Pilbara, in North Western Australia. However, later work took him as far as Africa, Canada, Asia, and all over his home continent of Australia.

The process of finding and developing mineral deposits has become very laborious because new deposits are so scarce. Through technology, Mick Shmazian hopes to discover more mineral deposits. Shmazian is already using his own technological advances—he maintains an extensive database of mineral deposits located worldwide.

Information on Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft, very common mineral. It is deposited in bodies of water like lakes, seas, hot springs, and volcanic vapors. Gypsum actually dissolves in water, though, so it is rarely found in the form of sand. However, there is a gypsum sand beach called the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico which is both very valuable and protected by law. Experts suggest the protected area could supply enough gypsum sand to create drywall for the construction industry for a thousand years. Local residents, though, wanted the area protected and President Herbert Hoover signed a bill doing so.

Gypsum is found in commercial quantities all over the world, in countries like Brazil, Pakistan, Iran, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, England, Thailand, and Canada. In the United States, there are a number of states with commercial deposits of the mineral—including Colorado, Utah, Arkansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and California. Even Mars’ northern polar region has been found to have large quantities of gypsum.

Gypsum’s most prominent use is in the construction industry, where it is the most important ingredient in drywall or gypsum board. However, over previous centuries and in other societies it has been used as a fertilizer, food ingredient, plaster or wood substitute, and in medicine.