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<br /> <br />Vegetation <br />The diversity of basin vegetation can be attributed to the <br />variation of soil and climate. Climate primarily determined the <br />grassland types over most of the basin, resulting in tall grass <br />prairie in the east, mid-grass prairie in the central portions, <br />and short grass plains in the west. Originally an almost treeless <br />plain,except along major watercourses, there is still little <br />forest in the basin, except along stream courses in the eastern <br />and central parts. Principal trees are cottonwood, oak, elm, <br />willow, ash, box elder, and walnut. <br />outside the Sandhills most of the native vegetation is gone. <br />It has been replaced by corn, sorghums, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, <br />and tame grasses in the eastern part of the basin. In the western <br />part, wheat is grown on the dry lands and sugar beets, corn, dry <br />beans, and alfalfa are grown on irrigated lands. <br /> <br />MINERALS <br /> <br /> <br />Presently the Platte River Basin produces only six of the <br /> <br /> <br />more than 80 minerals on the industrial trade market: clay, gas, <br /> <br /> <br />oil, sand and gravel, limestone, and volcanic ash. In the past <br /> <br /> <br />the basin also produced potash and salt, but commercial production <br /> <br /> <br />of these minerals is no longer economical. <br /> <br /> <br />The dollar value of this nonmetallic mineral production in <br /> <br /> <br />the basin is significant to the state's economy. An estimated <br /> <br /> <br />$32 million was realized from production during 1970. <br /> <br /> <br />Metallic minerals, such as lead, zinc, iron and gold occur <br /> <br /> <br />in small amounts within the basin in various geologic formations, <br /> <br /> <br />but these resources are not suitable for commercial production <br /> <br /> <br />under present economic and technological conditions. <br /> <br />2-14 <br />