Editing Zeolite (section)

===Ore mining===
[[File:Natrolit, Gracza 2Polska.jpg|thumb|[[Natrolite]] from Poland]]
{{As of | 2016}}, the world's annual production of natural zeolite approximates 3 million [[tonne]]s. Major producers in 2010 included [[China]] (2 million tonnes), [[South Korea]] (210,000 t), [[Japan]] (150,000 t), [[Jordan]] (140,000 t), [[Turkey]] (100,000 t) [[Slovakia]] (85,000 t) and the [[United States]] (59,000 t).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/zeolites/mcs-2011-zeoli.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608074556/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/zeolites/mcs-2011-zeoli.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-08 |url-status=live|title=Zeolites (natural)|date=2011|website=[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Mineral Commodity Summaries|access-date=8 Feb 2019}}</ref> The ready availability of zeolite-rich rock at low cost and the shortage of competing minerals and rocks are probably the most important factors for its large-scale use. According to the [[United States Geological Survey]], it is likely that a significant percentage of the material sold as zeolites in some countries is ground or sawn volcanic [[tuff]] that contains only a small amount of zeolites. These materials are used for construction, e.g. [[dimension stone]] (as an altered volcanic tuff), lightweight [[aggregate (composite)|aggregate]], [[Pozzolana|pozzolanic cement]], and [[soil conditioner]]s.<ref name="Virta-2011">{{Cite web|url=https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/zeolites/myb1-2009-zeoli.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608074402/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/zeolites/myb1-2009-zeoli.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-08 |url-status=live|title=2009 Minerals Yearbook - Zeolites|last=Virta RL|date=2011|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]|access-date=8 Feb 2019}}</ref>