The value of nonfuel mineral production in Connecticut in 2001 was estimated by the US Geological Survey to be nearly $104 million. Crushed stone (7 million metric tons, worth $60.9 million) and construction sand and gravel (7.2 million metric tons, valued at $42.7 million), the state's two leading mineral commodities, accounted for nearly all the value. Other commodities produced included clays, industrial sand, and dimension stone. Production of construction sand and gravel was up 23% from 2000, and its value was up 44% from 1999. Crushed stone production (predominantly Jurassic-age basalt, which is commonly called traprock) increased by 8% from the output in 2000. Crushed stone value also rose by almost 14% over the same period. In October 1995, a new law came into effect allowing towns to protect traprock ridges within their borders from development, including quarrying.
Demand for virtually all of the state's mineral output is dependent on a healthy construction industry, the main consumer of aggregates.