Contract

EXHIBIT 10.6        

            Severance Agreements have been executed by the Company and the indicated employees, each substantially identical in all material respects to the form of Severance Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Company's 2000 Annual Report on Form 10-K except as noted below.

EMPLOYEE	POSITION	DATE OF AGREEMENT
▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Vice President - Finance Chief Financial Officer	August 1, 1998
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Vice President, Organization     and Human Resources	March 15, 2002
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-Aubertot	Senior Vice President - Minteq	November 25, 2002
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Controller and Chief Accounting Officer	March 1, 2001
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Senior Vice President, Minteq (Senior Vice President -  Technology and Logistics as of November 25, 2002)	March 15, 2002
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇	Chief Operating Officer	January 1, 1997
S. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇	Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary	March 1, 2001
D. ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Vice President and General Manager,     Performance Minerals	March 15, 2002
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Vice President - ▇▇▇▇▇	▇▇▇▇▇ ▇, ▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Senior Vice President,  Paper PCC	March 15, 2002
▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇	Chairman, President and         Chief Executive Officer	January 1, 1997
▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇	Senior Vice President, Corporate     Development and Finance (Senior Vice President - Finance, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer as of November 25, 2002)	March 15, 2002