are blended together in the initial steps of the subterranean formation treatment process or the preparation for the performance of the treatment process the thermoplastic material may comprise any thermoplastic material capable of softening upon heating or softening at the temperature of the subterranean formation whereby it may adhere to the particulates with which it is introduced examples of suitable materials include polyolefins including polyethylene polypropylene polybutylene polymers and fluoropolymers and copolymers polyimides polyurethanes polysulfones polycarbonates and cellulose derivatives the thermoplastic material may be utilized in substantially any physical form such as for example ground material ribbons flakes and the like the thermoplastic material may comprise ground material having an average particle size of from about 10 to about 150 mesh on the u s sieve series when the material is in the form of a ribbon it may be from about 2 5 to about 250 microns thick from about 0 4 to about 6 5 millimeters wide and from about 5 to in excess of from about 50 millimeters in length when in flake form the thermoplastic material may have a thickness of from about 2 5 to about 250 microns and may have either a regular of irregular shape and will have a surface area in the range of from about 2 to about 325 square millimeters the quantity of thermoplastic material used in the intimate mixture can range from about 0 01 to about 15 percent by weight of the particulate preferably the thermoplastic material concentration ranges from about 0 1 to about.