Rocks And MInerals Of The Nation

Scratching The Surface    

While Italy does not produce a wide range of minerals, the mining of other minerals has made helped it become the country with the 11th highest GDP in the world at $1.87 trillion.
Some of Italy’s highest produced natural resources are cement, clay, lime, marble, and pumice. It is also world leading producer of feldspar at 4.7 million tons. Between 1990 and 2000, mining production of all minerals increased by 12%.

Rocks And Minerals

Pumice

Feldspar

 Since Italy has volcanoes and is on the border of two different plates, a variety of rocks can be found throughout the land. The Alps contribute to a number of rocks such as limestone, sandstone, and white marble while Mt. Vesuvius and Mt Etna produce igneous rocks such as pumice, granite, and tuff. Other rocks found include marble, quartz, and slate. Only a few minerals such as serpentine, flourite, barite, pyrite, copper, and the most abundant one, feldspar, can be found in Italy. Mineral Map of Italy

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The Mineral Industry of Italy