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By J. F. Poland

Location of Basins and Geologic Features of Occurrence: The major ground-water resources of California occur and are stored in the many large alluvium-filled valleys of the state. The deposits of Quaternary age which hold the ground water commonly are called valley fill. Meinzerl has discussed the characteristic features of this fill and showed that for western United States its distribution is concentrated chiefly in western Utah, Nevada, central Oregon, California, southern Arizona, and central New Mexico (see fig. 1). For California the principal ground-water basins are shown on fig. 2. Except for the Mojave Desert and the "Basin and Range" Valleys (fig. 2, Nos. 23 and 23A), which are not shown individually, the basins outlined on fig. 2 contain all the large reservoirs in valley fill within the state. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys (fig. 2) together comprise the Great Central Valley of California, which has an area of about 18,000 square miles. The Sacramento Valley contains about 5000 square miles of valley lands, approxi- mately equal to the area of Connecticut; the San Joaquin Valley embraces about 13,000 square miles, equivalent to the areas of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. Both the area and the ground-water use in the Central Valley is far greater than for all the other shaded alluvial basins of fig. 2 added together. Except for the Sacramento Valley, all the major ground-water basins of the state are south of Sacramento. The valley fill in these ground-water basins has been transported by streams and most of it has been laid down in alluvial fans, producing the typical alluvial-fan structure of aquifers radiating as tongues from a prismatic pile of coarse, permeable debris at the canyon mouths; these aquifers are encased down slope by poorly sorted materials consisting of a clayey matrix with imbedded pebbles and boulders, interbedded with flood-plain silt. In the deeper inland structural valleys, the alluvial deposits interfinger at depth in the valley bottoms with horizontally bedded lacustrine sand, silt, and clay. The San Joaquin Valley is a good example. In the coastal valleys exposed to the sea, such as the Los Angeles coastal plain, the alluvial fans pass coastward into lagoonal and thence to shallow marine deposits. In all these basins, the gravel is coarsest and most permeable near the apexes of the fans, but tongues or lenses of clean gravel and sand may extend for many miles down the fan. Thus, these water-bearing structures are in a position to absorb stream flow near the canyon mouths and to transmit it through the buried radiating conduits.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. F. Poland

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951

By J. F. Poland

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951

By M. T. Worley

This paper reports investigative work conducted to develop a method of estimating the groundwater influx from a homogeneous permeable formation into a vertical mine shaft during sinking. A method of analysis was developed using data obtained from pumping tests and a modification of the Theis non-equilibrium interpretation technique. Excess influx of groundwater into mine shafts has long been one of the more important problems encountered in the development of a mining property. Much work has been done on methods of preventing such influx and on pumping schemes to control inflow if preventive measures fail. The fundamental aspects of the problem, on the other hand, seem to have been neglected. The purpose of this paper is to review the fundamentals of groundwater flow and to propose a rapid method of analyzing hydrologic data in order to estimate influx from a homogeneous permeable formation into a mine shaft. Such an estimate of the quantity of water to be encountered is of value in planning grouting, pumping and other programs designed to control that influx. It is emphasized that the proposed method of analysis should be regarded only as a tool to be used in evaluating the problem before investing the capital necessary to begin development of a property. FUNDAMENTALS OF GROUNDWATER FLOW In order to effectively approach the problem of estimating influx into a mine shaft, a knowledge of the fundamentals of fluid flow through a porous medium is necessary. Darcy, in 1856, developed an empirical relationship to explain the flow of water through sand filters. This relationship V = k (dh/dl), is the basis for all other flow formulae. It has been shown that Darcy's relation is a solution of the Laplace equation and thus is analagous to other natural phenomena such as heat flow. Theis, using the analogy of heat flow by conduction, developed an expression for determining the transient or time-dependent groundwater flow through a homogeneous, isotropic medium. The resulting equation Was also derived by Jacob using hydrologic considerations alone.' The individual terms in the equation are described in Table I. It is important to understand the assumptions upon which this equation is based. 1) The medium through which the fluid flows is infinite in areal extent, homogeneous and isotropic. 2) The well into which the fluid discharges completely penetrates the medium. 3) The characteristics of the medium remain constant at all times. 4) The initial pressure surface is horizontal. 5) The confining media are impervious and horizontal. 6) Fluid is removed from storage instantaneously by a decline in pressure. 7) The diameter of the discharge well is infinitesimal with respect to the drainage radius of the medium.

Jan 1, 1962

By Blandford C. Burgess

Mica is an orchid among minerals. It is formed in pegmatites, one of the most bizarre of igneous formations, and is exceeded by few other minerals in the perfection it may attain as to size, color, and cleavage. First used for window glazing, as an ornament and article of trade, it has become one of the most essential insulators of electricity, heat, and shock. Most internal combustion engines use mica condensers or capacitors and such machines of war as planes, tanks, and submarines are immobile without it. The original manuscript of this guide was written in April 1943 at the peak of war emergency. It was not used because shortly thereafter a decision was made to buy on a one price basis eliminating differentials for both quality and size. This is now presented with the thought that from the standpoint of preparedness we can only consider another war imminent and every effort should be made to set up in usable form the experience gained during the Second Morld War. Colonial Mica Corp. was set up by Metals Reserve Co. as a wholly owned government agency to encourage production of domestic mica and to purchase it. It soon became the exclusive buyimg agency for such mica. The writer as Southern Manager called on all the private agencies buying mica to assist in formulating buying policies, methods, and prices. A meeting was held for that purpose in Asheville, N. C., July 20, 1942. In the general discussion the first two hours of the meeting it was decided that the following factors should be considered in pricing strategic mica: clearness, flatness, trimming, color, classification (size and quality), free splitting, hardness, and air inclusions. Most of the mica miners have been buying strategic mica, according to the mine, as No. 1, No. 2, or Nos. 1 and 2 combined. In addition to these grades of strategic mica they have been buying three lower grades of mica, electric (vegetable-stained), black-spotted and black-stained. A number of mines were named one by one and the buyers present gave their opinions as to the basis they would use in buying the sheet mica from each. It was suggested that in addition to the prices already published, prices be posted up to 10 pct higher for special quality and preparation and prices be posted 25 pct lower than the published prices for the lowest acceptable grades of strategic mica, giving the buyers authority to make intermediate prices according to the quality and preparation. It was thought desirable at the same time to announce prices for nonstra-tegic mica where such quality is being obtained in mines producing strategic mica and where it would be necessary to take the output in order to get the strategic mica. It was also suggested that the price of electric and black-spotted mica be 50 pct below the price of the lowest grade of strategic mica and the price of black-stained mica be 60 pct below the price of lowest grade strategic mica. The few experienced buyers available were employed but they were inadequate for the job and others had to be trained. All needed a guide or primer of some kind to attain systematic procedure and consistent prices in their respective buying areas. The Mica Buyers Guide was formulated for that purpose based on experience gained in the first six months of buying. The Preface to the original guide was as follows: The purpose of this guide is to serve as a text in training beginners and as a handbook for experienced buyers of the instructions which have been issued up to this time. At the meeting of prospective buyers last summer, it developed that the first essential to attain uniformity must be some kind of check sheet. Our "Mica Buyers Report" was developed for this purpose and forms the backbone of this guide. Price is determined according to size, quality and preparation. Size can be measured, but no system of measurement or machine has been devised which can be substituted for the trained eye of the buyer to deterrnine quality and preparation. Although the "One Price" system was instituted and the "Guide" not used, the buyers were required to continue making out a "Mica Buyers Report" (Fig1) with each lot of mica purchased. The form proved its value and there is no doubt that in another such emergency some similar form should be

Jan 1, 1950

By L. F. Rooney

In June 1964 the Indiana Geological Survey discovered gypsum beds more than 10 ft thick in rocks of Devonian age in La Porte County, Ind. Although the extension of the Michigan Basin evaporites into northern Indiana has been recognized for some time, the gypsum beds have been regarded as either too thin or too deep for exploitation. Current Survey research, however, indicates that exploration by industry might find commercial deposits of gypsum less than 50 miles from Chicago. In four cores taken by the Survey within 1 sq mile in La Porte County, the maximum thickness of inter-bedded gypsum and anhydrite is 35.8 ft. Both gypsum and anhydrite beds contain irregular masses of limestone and dolomite that average a few inches in cross section and total about 20% of the rock by weight. The maximum thickness of gypsum in one minable unit verified by core is 12.5 ft, and its purity is 81.3%. Chloride content of the gypsum beds is less than 0.005%. Depth to the gypsum in La Porte County is 330 to 500 ft, about the same depth as the gypsum being mined in Martin County, Ind. In June 1964 the Indiana Geological Survey discovered gypsum deposits of probable commercial thickness near La Porte, Ind. (Fig. 1). This article presents preliminary data on the distribution, thickness, depth and chemical composition of the gypsum, the possible causes of gypsification, and economic considerations of immediate interest to industry. Because of the preliminary nature of the work, only a few geologic relationships concerning the genesis of the deposits will be mentioned. DEFINITIONS The following terms used throughout this article have been restricted to the following definitions: evaporites: anyydrite (CaSO4) or gypsum (CaSO4 . 2H2O). minable evaporites: any evaporite unit which may contain more than 80% evaporites, which is more than 10 ft thick, and which in places may be completely gypsified. PREVIOUS WORK The presence of gypsum and anhydrite in the Devonian rocks of northern Indiana has been recognized for at least 70 years1-4 and can be inferred from a number of reports on the geology of Michigan. For example, in a cross section from southwestern to central Michigan, Ells5 indicated the presence of

Jan 1, 1965

By N. H. Fisher

Geographical Distribution 'he most important known deposits in Australia of what are commonly referred to as the beach-sand minerals are along the most easterly part of the Australian coast, between Southport, 17 miles north of the Queensland-New South Wales border, and Ballina, 50 miles south of the border, and most of the production has come from this area (Fig I). Smaller deposits are known to occur farther to the south at intervals for several hundred miles, and beaches have been worked at Yamba, 96 miles south and Woolgoolga, 150 miles south of the border and at Swansea, 60 miles north of Sydney. Important deposits have been shown to exist on north Stradbroke Island and others have been located farther to the north, as far as Tin Can Bay at the south end of Frazer Island. (Fig 2). Table I gives the list of operators with the location of their deposits and workings, their approximate maximum monthly capacity expressed in tons of heavy mineral produced by their concentrating plants before separation into individual mineral concentrates, their methods of mining and concentrating the minerals, and the products obtained. This table applies as of June 1948, but all the operators are remodeling or improving their plants and plant practices will be modified accordingly. In addition, active boring campaigns have been carried out by Alluvial Gold, Ltd., of Sydney, in the Cudgen-Cudgera area, and by Zinc Corporation Ltd., of Melbourne, on Stradbroke Island, and in other places. Physiography Submergence of the order of 100 to 200 ft at the close of the Pleistocene period left the pre-existing hills as promontories and the valleys as deep inlets. Wave action has built bay-bars and sandspits in a northerly direction from the headlands, and lakes and marshes have formed between these bars and the initial post-submergence coast line. These lakes and swamps have been or are being filled in by river-borne sediments or wind-blown sand. Beasley1 has presented evidence that suggests a recent emergence of the coast line of about 10 ft. The evidence for this belief is the presence of a black sand seam 1/3 mile inland and 17 ft above sea level (Fig 3), and although it is not entirely certain that this seam is of beach formation and owes nothing to windblown concentration, other evidence supports the suggestion of recent emergence. Such emergence would undoubtedly aid the formation of bars and sandspits and the easterly progress of the beach front, leaving a series of parallel dunes (Fig 4). This belt of north-south coastal dunes ranges up to 56 mile in width and as many as 15 lines of dune have been counted (Fig 3). The foredune is generally the highest, upto 25 ft high, and there is in many places a flat platform in front of the dune known as the berm. The dunes behind the foredune are lower and less well defined

Jan 1, 1949

By Hugh H. Waesche

Of all the military services, the Signal Corps is the most concerned with piezoelectric minerals because of its function as a supply service to the strategic and tactical military forces. Consequently this paper is written from the point of view of one associated with that organization. The Signal Corps is responsible for the research, development, and supply of communications, radar, and components to the using services of the Department of the Army and to some extent the Other branches of the National Defense Department. Their work therefore includes the study of the sources* characteristics, and application of quartz and other piezoelectric materials. These materials have become a vital consideration in strategic planning and are essential for efficient tactical operation by all the Armed Forces. The Signal Corps at the beginning of world War 11 Was respon-sible for both Army Ground and Air Force electronic equipment. Since that time this Army service organization has probably done more in the development of frequency control devices using piezoelectric materials than any other group. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Minerals yearbook of 1945, shows that during the four war years, 1942 through 1945, 9,598,-410 Ib of quartz crystal were imported for all uses and of this total, 5,168,000 lb were consumed to produce 78,320,-000 crystal units for electronic application. Other government records confirm these data which conclusively show that approximately 53 pct of the crystalline quartz imported was consumed in the production of electronically applied quartz crystal units. It may be assumed that some effort was made to maintain a stockpile over demands for all purposes. and this would mean that the actual percentage of quartz used electronically was considerably over the 53 pct figure. These data only emphasize that electronic application of crystalline quartz was the greatest requirement, and per- haps the actual value in this application to national defense is many times greater in importance than is apparent on first inspection. Current electronic research and development programs of the Armed Forces are planned around the fundamental use of piezoelectric minerals for frequency control and this at present, at least, means quartz. Definition and Early Development The word piezoelectricity is formed from combination of the Greek word "piezein". meaning "to press," and "electricity." It is that property shown by numerous crystalline substances whereby electrical charges of equal and opposite value are produced on certain surfaces when the crystal is subjected to mechanical stress. It appears to be intimately associated with the better known property, pyro-electricity and in fact, the two may be manifestations of the same phenomeuon. This property was discovered by Pierre and Jacques Curie in quartz, tourmaline, and other minerals in 1880 while studying the symmetry of crystals. The converse effect, that is, mechanical strain in the crystal when placed in an electrical field, was predicted by the French physicist, G. Lippman, in 1881, and verified by the Curies almost immediately. As has been the case with many discoveries of similar character in the basic sciences, not much attention was paid to this property for man)- years except as an entertaining curiosity. Between 1890 and 1892 a series of papers was published by W. voigt in which the theoretical physical properties were put into mathematical form. The first practical application of piezoelectricity occurred during World War I when professor P. Langevin of France used quartz mosaics to produce underwater sound waves. The same mosaics were used to pick up the sound reflections from submerged objects which were in turn, amplified by electronic means and used to determine the distances to such objects. This device was intended for use as a submarine detector but development was not completed in time for war service although it was used later for determining ocean depths. About the same time, A. M. Nicholson, of Bell Telephone Laboratories, developed microphones and phonograph pickups using Rochelle salt crystals. A major step in the application of piezoelectric quartz came in 1921, when professor W. G. Cady, of wesleyan university, showed that a radio oscillator could be controlled by a quartz crystal; from that date, this use of quartz has increased steadily, reaching its peak in world war 11 as is shown by the figures previously given. Essentially all American electronic equipment for communication, navigation, and radar, utilized quartz crystals for the exacting frequency control required. Crystalline Minerals with piezoelectric Properties QUARTZ Hundreds of piezoelectric crystalline materials are known, most of which are water soluble. Of these, quartz appears to be without a peer for electronic frequency control. Unfortunately, the quartz must be of superior quality. It must be free of mechanical flaws, essen-tially optically clear, free of both Brazil and Dauphiné twinning and must be, for average uses, over 100 g in weight. Because of these stringent requirements, raw quartz of the quality desired is of rare occurrence. In addition to quartz, several other naturally occurring crystalline materials are known to have the piezoelectric property and could perhaps be substituted for quartz in some applications. These

Jan 1, 1950

By D. R. Irving

Prior to this time, ample supplies of high grade mineral fillers, such as clay, have been available close to consuming centers. Now depletion of these accessible deposits, coupled with other factors such as increasing demand due to population expansion and standard of living rise, has made development of upgrading techniques attractive to producers. Various investigations being carried out by the U.S. Bureau of Mines are described. Factors making the development of improved methods for upgrading clays attractive to producers include: depletion of accessible deposits of high-grade clays, rising transportation and labor costs, more exacting specifications, and increased demand resulting from an expanding population and a constantly rising standard of living. Industry recognizes the need for upgrading presently unusable materials and has cooperated with the U.S. Bureau of Mines by providing samples from submarginal deposits and by evaluating the products that USBM upgrades. Following are some examples of recent clay beneficiation work by the Bureau. FIRE CLAY BENEFICIATION At the Rolla Metallurgical Center, Rolla, Mo., the Bureau is conducting research to develop technically and economically feasible mineral-dressing methods to remove quartz, pyrite, and other impurities from submarginal fire clays. The research has been spurred by the growing shortage of high-grade bur-ley, flint, and plastic clays in the Missouri fire-clay district resulting from increased consumption and the low rate of discovery of new deposits of adequate quality. There apparently is ample tonnage of submarginal flint and plastic clays to maintain the industry for many years if such material can be upgraded to commercial quality. Samples have been submitted to USBM by several major producers of refractories, including A. P. Green Fire Brick Co.; Harbison-Walker Refractories Co.; Mexico Refractories Div., Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp.; and Wellsville Fire Brick Co. Research on some samples has been completed and still is in progress on others. The Bureau has found that specimens containing quartz or pyrite in grains coarser than the accompanying clay generally can be upgraded either with a gravity table or hydraulic cyclone. The improvement in quality is notable not only in chemical analysis but in an increase in pyrometric cone equivalent (PCE) of one or more cones. As an example, consider the results attained on a sandy flint—a fine-grained mixture of kaolin and halloysite with quartz and minor quantities of iron and manganese oxides. Chemical analysis was: 35.4 pct alumina (A12O3) and 47.8 pct silica (SiO2). The sample contained 9.2 pct free silica as quartz. The PCE was 33. The sample was crushed to -10-mesh, blunged with water, and then stage-ground to -48-mesh. The ground sample was tabled to yield a clay fraction containing 37.6 pct A12O3, and 45.3 pct SiO2 of which 2.4 pct was free silica. The PCE was 34. Recovery of alumina by this process was 73.6 pct. Concentration of the same clay in the hydraulic cyclone was even more effective in respect to quartz removal. The clay fraction analyzed 38.6 pct A12O3, 45.0 pct SiO2 of which 0.5 pct was free silica as quartz, and had a PCE of 34. Recovery of alumina was 71.9 pct. The hydraulic cyclone was also effective in reducing the pyrite content of a plastic clay which likewise was a mixture of kaolin and halloysite, plus some pyrite, quartz, and carbonaceous material. It analyzed 30.6 pct Al2O3, 52.3 pct SiO2, 2.3 pct Fe2O3, and 0.76 pct S. The sample was blunged and screened through 10-mesh to remove some coarse pyrite, then ground to -65-mesh and cycloned to remove most of the remainder. The final product recovered 81.8 pct of the alumina at a grade of 32.3 pct A12O3, 50.9 pct SiO2, 1.4 pct Fe2O3, and 0.1 pct S. The PCE was 32-1/2, compared with a PCE of 31-1/2 for the crude clay. The fine beneficiated clays, of course, must be pelletized and dried or fired to meet commercial acceptance. This operation has already been solved by industry. Little progress has been made on two remaining problems. One is that of fine-grained impurities, not separable by table or cyclone. Flotation is being investigated to solve this. Although fine pyrite is readily rejected, a satisfactory quartz-clay separation has not been attained. The second problem, a stubborn one, is that of alkali. Samples containing as much as 5 pct potas-

Jan 1, 1961

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

T is unfortunate that the word "economics" has -¦¦ come to mean, in the minds of many people, a sort of half-baked mixture of New Deal philosophy and bookkeeping. It may mean anything from mine cost keeping to the theory of gold as a monetary standard. As applied to the industrial mineral industries as a whole it means to us an integrated study of all of the technical, geographical, market, financial, and other factors which determine whether or not a given enterprise has a sound chance of making a business success. Of course it is impossible to generalize too freely in this large group of industries which go to make up the nonmetallic minerals. This group includes such dissimilar products as crushed stone and ca- pacitor mica, phosphate rock and spinning fiber asbestos, roofing granules and potash salts, borate minerals and monumental granite. Yet in many respects their economic problems are similar and, at the same time, far different from those of the metals and of petroleum and coal. These basic differences are almost never recognized by people outside the industries and are rarely appreciated even by metal mining engineers. But in many instances these economic factors are fully as important as, if not more important than, technologic problems. It has been a long fight to get an intelligent and wide-spread appreciation of sound technology in the nonmetallic mineral industries. The importance of the economic side of the problem has yet to be widely understood and appreciated. The problem was outlined in considerable detail by one of the authors some 18 years ago in a long series of articles* and he has since prepared numerous talks

Jan 1, 1951

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

T is unfortunate that the word "economics" has -¦¦ come to mean, in the minds of many people, a sort of half-baked mixture of New Deal philosophy and bookkeeping. It may mean anything from mine cost keeping to the theory of gold as a monetary standard. As applied to the industrial mineral industries as a whole it means to us an integrated study of all of the technical, geographical, market, financial, and other factors which determine whether or not a given enterprise has a sound chance of making a business success. Of course it is impossible to generalize too freely in this large group of industries which go to make up the nonmetallic minerals. This group includes such dissimilar products as crushed stone and ca- pacitor mica, phosphate rock and spinning fiber asbestos, roofing granules and potash salts, borate minerals and monumental granite. Yet in many respects their economic problems are similar and, at the same time, far different from those of the metals and of petroleum and coal. These basic differences are almost never recognized by people outside the industries and are rarely appreciated even by metal mining engineers. But in many instances these economic factors are fully as important as, if not more important than, technologic problems. It has been a long fight to get an intelligent and wide-spread appreciation of sound technology in the nonmetallic mineral industries. The importance of the economic side of the problem has yet to be widely understood and appreciated. The problem was outlined in considerable detail by one of the authors some 18 years ago in a long series of articles* and he has since prepared numerous talks

Jan 1, 1951

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By Thomas G. Murdock

EthIopia, the first country to be liberated from Axis domination, has recovered remarkably from the ravages of occupation and war. Mineral production has contributed significantly towards this recovery, as it has provided a means of obtaining foreign exchange and has given employment to hundreds of workmen whose maintenance otherwise would have presented a problem. Although primarily an agricultural country, never with a large mineral production, Ethiopia has within its borders a variety of minerals, both precious metals and nonmetallics. Some of these are important to the country as a national asset and others contribute greatly to local economy and can be expected to do so even to a greater extent in the future1 (Fig I). Physiography and Geology The Empire of Ethiopia is essentially a mountainous and volcanic country, in northeast Africa, situated principally between latitude 4° and 15°N and longitude 34° and 44°E. It is bounded on the north by Eritrea, on the northeast by French Somaliland, on the southeast by Italian Somaliland, on the south by Kenya Colony, and on the west by Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. These European possessions thus completely surround the country. Its access to the Red Sea is through Eritrea; to the Gulf of Aden, through French or British Somali- land ; and, to the Indian Ocean, via Italian Somaliland. These routes range in length from 40 to 250 miles. Ethiopia has an area of approximately 350,000 square miles, with a width from north to south of 625 miles, and a maximum length from east to west, along latitude 8°N, of about 875 miles. Physiographically the country is characterized by two very extensive sub-tabular plateaus: the Ethiopian Plateau to the northwest and the Somaliland Plateau to the southeast, separated by a long tectonic graben—the Rift Valley of the Galla Lakes and Danakil. The Ethiopian Plateau, deeply cut and notched by the drainage, slopes in a general northwest direction toward the Sudanese Plains and the valley of the Nile; the Somaliland Plateau slopes to the southeast, toward the Indian Ocean. The valley of the Galla Lakes and its extension to the northeast—the Awash River Valley, separates the plateaus, from Lake Rudolph to Danakil. This depression which constitutes a continuation or ramification of the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa joins in turn the trough of the Gulf of Aden and the Danakil-Eritrean Rift, continuations of the Red Sea and the Jordan Valley. The general basement of Ethiopia is made up of very old rocks, usually considered as Archaen.2 These rocks are represented by the metamorphic crystallines, such as gneisses, different kinds of schists, included lenses of crystalline limestone, and massive intrusives such as granites, diorites, and syenites, all cut by

Jan 1, 1949

By J. L. Stuck

Geological investigation and research have contributed greatly in making industrial minerals the basis of an important industry in the state. North Carolina contains a wide variety of industrial minerals and rock. Mica, feldspar, kaolin, halloysite, talc, pyrophyllite, silli-manite, and spodumene are used to illustrate the progress being made. IN a previous paper1 an attempt was made to indicate the importance of industrial minerals in North Carolina and the wide variety of such materials present. The present paper is concerned with geological investigation and research which have made industrial minerals the basis of an important industry in the state. Geological mapping has gone through three stages in North Carolina during the present century. The first stage is represented by excellent reports of which Corundum and the Peridotites of Western North Carolina,2 Volume I, now a classic, is representative. In this report, a geologic map of the western third of the state is shown on a scale of 10 miles to the inch. The next stage is represented by folios" of the U. S. Geological Survey published between 1902 and 1932. Most of these contained 30 min quadrangle maps on a scale of 2 miles to the inch. The third step is represented by reports prepared during the past 10 years which contain geological maps4 on scales varying from 500 ft to 1 mile to the inch, while many mine maps have been prepared on scales varying from 20 to 150 ft to the inch. As the scale on which geological mapping has been done has decreased, the amount of information secured has increased. Pratt and Lewis did excellent work on the peridotites of western North Carolina, but their maps lacked details. Keith and others added

Jan 1, 1952

By J. E. Ryan

TRONA, Calif., is a miniature urban community of some 3500 people, located on the northwest shore of dry Searles Lake in the extreme northwest corner of San Bernardino County, approximately 186 miles north and east of Los Angeles. Since it is situated on the Mojave Desert, a typically desert climate prevails with wide variations in temperature between day and night, extreme daytime summer heat, and cool to cold winters. Rainfall averages somewhat less than 4 in. per year, and dust storms are common. The rate of evaporation, .however, is great, amounting to 6 to 9 ft of water per year. The extremely low humidity makes the summer heat of 110°F tolerable with only a mild, temporary discomfort. Nature of Deposit During the periods when Searles Basin was flooded, the waters that passed through Indian Wells Valley spread out to form a broad, shallow lake providing, in effect, a settling basin for suspended sediment. The drainage into the deeper and more isolated Searles Basin thus was clarified to a great degree before concentration began. Today, the elevation of the dry surface of Searles Lake is 1618 ft, and the salt deposit measures 5x7 miles. At the eastern and northeastern margins of the main playa zone and just at the foot of the alluvial slope of sand and coarser wash from the Slate Range mountains, a rim of crusted salts rises a few feet above the level of the flat. The deposit is a saline efflorescence composed of salts that were presumably brought up with rising ground waters to be deposited at the surface by solar evaporation. This deposit consists chiefly of trona, and it is after this Trona Reef that the town Trona was named. Strip mining operations have been conducted in the past at infrequent intervals for the recovery of crude trona salts. The main focal point of interest in Searles Lake from a commercial standpoint is the main salt body located almost centrally in the basin. The exposed portion of this porous saline deposit covers approximately 12 sq miles and averages 71 ft deep. Its interstitial voids, which constitute 50 pct of the total volume, are permeated with a brine, which is in equilibrium with the soluble salt deposits. The brine is the raw material for the operations of the American Potash and Chemical Corp. plant at Trona, shown in Fig. 1. The soluble salt deposits are of interest for their potential values in future technologic development. The brine, which is stratified according to slight differences in density, stands usually within 6 in. of the surface of this exposed, firm, salt body. The surface is usually dry and will support the weight of heavy mobile units and drilling equipment. Occasionally, however, surface waters from the higher watersheds encroach upon the main salt body during infrequent periods of precipitation on the surrounding mountains. This water dissolves surface salt, becomes a dilute brine, and has been observed to stand as high as 18 in. above the salt surface when undisturbed. Windstorms will shift the water back and forth across the lake surface. The exposed salt body is surrounded by additional submerged areas of commercial soluble salt deposits covering some 20 sq miles, hidden from view by marginal playa mud. These vary in depth up to as much as 30 ft. Thus, the outline of exposed and submerged salt deposits of commercial value is estimated to cover a total area of 32 sq miles, which is roughly circular but slightly elongated from northwest to southeast. It has been estimated that each square mile contains about 100 million tons% f alkali salts. The results of drill borings in the past 15 years have brought to light the interesting fact that the main salt body lies superimposed on an impervious mud deposit from 10 to 15 ft thick containing relatively little soluble salt. Under this deposit lies a second soluble salt body 35 ft deep. The lower salt body is interspersed with numerous insoluble mud lenses and its composition is considerably different from that of the primary, or main salt deposit. Recent drill borings have not penetrated beyond 300 ft. They have, however, revealed that underlying the lower salt body, the mud sediments carry deposited minerals of trona, nahcolite, mirabilite and much less soluble carbonates or sulphates of calcium and/ or magnesium. This structure is shown in Fig. 2. Current Lake Survey Program Several hundred holes have been drilled in the deposit. However, to carry out a thorough and carefully correlated study of the composition of the soluble salts and other minerals in the dry lake basin, a drilling program was inaugurated recently and is now nearing completion. In this survey, pattern drill holes are sunk at regular lh-mile intervals to a depth of approximately 150 ft. Drilling equipment consists of a No. 51 C. P.

Jan 1, 1952

By Thomas B. Douglas

INSTRUMENTATION in the process industries can no longer be regarded as a convenience, but rather an absolute necessity. Although many chemical processes must already be conducted with instruments, every properly designed application of automatic process control will improve operation: 1) the product will be more uniform and of higher quality; 2) the manual labor saved will reduce cost; 3) uniformity of flow and uniform control of process will increase production; and 4) surges will be eliminated, making it possible to operate equipment near ultimate capacity at all times. Industrial instruments fall into two general classifications—those that measure and those that measure and control. The cement industry has been using instruments for a number of years, particularly in the burning process, primarily for indicatlng and recording. Automatic process control makes additional use of these instruments, and others, to control variables. Assisted by the instrument manufacturers, engineers at Ideal Cement Co. achieved considerable progress in determining how well the usual recording instruments could be made to control various phases of cement-making. The results of these experiments were used to make the new plant at Houston as wholly automatic as possible. The original Houston plant, built in 1937 by Gulf Portland Cement Co., consisted of only one 8 x 220-ft kiln and the necessary grinding mills and accessory equipment and had a capacity of 900 bbl per day (300,000 bbl annually). Ideal Cement Co. purchased this plant in 1940 and almost immediately started plans to increase its production. In 1941 a 9 x 220-ft kiln was installed and grinding and storage capacity were increased. The growing demand for cement in the Houston area necessitated a third kiln (9 ft 6 in. x 250 ft) in 1947. This brought the plant up to its present capacity of about 1.3 million bbl per year. Calcium silicates in cement are produced in a burning operation at high temperatures from raw mix of argillaceous and calcareous materials that have been crushed, mixed, and ground to a fine powder. The composition of this mixture must be kept consistent within narrow limits. Raw mixing and grinding may be done either wet or dry, but in both instances the materials must be correctly proportioned, finely ground, and thoroughly intermixed before entering the kiln. As the raw mix passes through a long horizontal rotary

Jan 1, 1959

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By O. G. Lellep

Modern shaft kilns in Europe are fully mechanized and burn cement of acceptable quality at 700,000 Btu per bbl and lime at 3.2 million Btu per net ton. Rotary kilns for cement have increased in thermal efficiency by using exit gas heat for preheating incoming raw material and by recovering heat from outgoing clinker in air-quench coolers. The dry process Lepol or ACL kiln has the lowest fuel consumption, 580,000 to 630,000 Btu per bbl, and very low dust loss, about 1 pct weight of clinker. The Holdebank-Gygi system reaches 720,000 Btu per bbl. The calcinator kiln for the wet process consumes 1.1 million Btu per bbl. IN every country economic circumstances prescribe the method used to produce a commodity at lowest cost. In Pennsvlvania a man's wages for working 4 hr buys a ton of coal wholesale; in Germany a laborer must work 40 hr, or ten times as long. In western Europe, therefore, conservation of fuel is of primary importance, and recent practices of burning lime and cement differ from those employed in the United States. 'This Paper presents data collected during a trip through western Europe in 1953. Considered uneconomical, shaft kilns for burning

Jan 1, 1955