Cambrian Enterprises has registered mining claims near Deadwood, Rapid City, and Custer in South Dakota. While much of the frack sand used around the country comes from Wisconsin, we might begin to see supply coming from our neighbor, South Dakota, before long.
"This is the closest known claim to the Bakken. I think this is an excellent idea for participating in the economic event called the Bakken," Ganje said.
Sand is the proppant of choice across much of the Bakken and that isn't expected to change. It is estimated that more than 2 million tons of sand were consumed completing wells in the Bakken in 2012.
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While sand will stay in high demand, there are areas where the play is deeper and parts of the Three Forks where operators prefer to use a blend of ceramic proppant. Ceramic proppant is more expensive, but holds up under high pressure and high temperature better than sand.