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By B. B. Zavoico

During 1936 the Russian oil industry made very satisfactory progress and, while not all difficulties of organization have been ironed out, the country is now assured of a supply of petroleum products in sufficient quantities and of quality demanded by modern motor equipment. The year 1937 promises to better by a wide margin the good showing of 1936. The statistics given in this paper for the first time take into consideration the varying gravities of crude oils of the several Russian oil fields instead of using a flat conversion factor of 7 bbl. per metric ton. It was found from the detailed study that the generally used average conversion factor should be increased from 7 to 7.25 bbl. per metric ton, the figure varying, of course, with the gravity of oil in the individual fields. Crude-oil production during 1936 is estimated at 201,500,000 bbl. as compared with 182,970,000 bbl. produced in 1935, an increase of 9.4 per cent. The greatest increase was again recorded in the Baku district, which increased its production by 10.9 per cent, from 141,257,000 bbl. in 1935 to 158,300,000 in 1936. Grozny district maintained its production at a level of about 23,000,000 bbl., but its old fields continued to decline and production was sustained by the development of newer fields. A great advance was made in drilling speeds and the total footage in 1936 reached 6,694,200 ft. as compared with 4,926,600 ft. drilled in 1935, an increase of 26.4 per cent. In older deep fields, producers were being completed at over 8000 ft.—a great depth for Russian drillers but two years ago. Several major discoveries were made in 1936. Northeast Caucasus.—Izberbash, east from Grozny and on the Caspian Sea, was the outstanding discovery, the initial production of the discovery well being around 3000 bbl. per day from about 5000 ft. The importance of the field is due to the large area of the structure, half of which, however, is under the sea, and also to its strategic location on the shores of the Caspian and near a trunk pipe line to the Grozny refining center. An active development program is being pursued in Izberbash and its 1937 production quota is set at 7,500,000 bbl. Achi-Su field, near Izberbash, also discovered during 1936, while not as prolific as Izberbash, is thought to cover a very large area and the small

Jan 1, 1937

By Henry Lloyd Smyth

In 1891-92 1 was entrusted with the geological survey of part of the large area lying between the Marquette and Menominee iron-ranges in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and extending from the Republic trough on the north, through portions of the valleys of the Michigamme and Fence rivers, to and including the intermediate Felch mountain range on the south. Until a few years back the larger part of this area has been very difficult of access, and much of it is difficult still. The rock-surface is for the most part covered with swamp, forest and glacial deposits of various kinds, and therefore has not invited geological study. For these reasons the district, as a whole, with the exception of the Felch mountain range, remained almost unknown from a geological standpoint until our work in 1892. Our main object was to map the pre-Cambrian rocks, particularly the iron-bearing formations of Algonkian or Huronian age, and to obtain as much information as possible with reference to their sequence and structure, In carrying out this purpose, the use of simple magnetic instruments was found to be of the greatest assistance, and indeed indispensable. In this paper the results of our experience in tracing magnetic rocks by means of the disturbances produced in these instruments, have been brought together in systematic form, with such references to the particular area as are necessary in order to illustrate general principles, with the hope that they will prove useful to other workers in the same region, or in other regions where similar conditions may be encountered. The writer was efficiently aided in the field-work by Messrs. Samuel Sanford and Charlea N. Fairchild for nearly the whole period, and E. B. Mathews and H. F. Phillips for part of it,

Jan 1, 1897

By K. A. Grace

Reserves are the basic foundation of any mining enterprise, but a lack of understanding of the concept of resources and reserves is still a frequent cause of failure in mining ventures. A review of the development of the resource-reserve concept emphasizes the necessity for a common language, and the classification system as set out by the US Geological Survey and Bureau of Mines is advocated as the basis for this. Because of its strong economic connotation, the term reserves should be severely restricted in its use, and should encompass mining and processing factors. Modifications to the basic definition of reserves to accomplish this are proposed. Caution must be used in the quantification of undiscovered or hypothetical resources, particularly in juxtaposition with known resources data.

Jan 1, 1985

By Joseph F. Shirley

A froth flotation plant to recover byproduct molybdenite must be designed specifically for the selected separation process and the type of ore being treated. However, some general rules concerning byproduct molybdenite plant design can be suggested that would be valid for most processes. The term byproduct molybdenite in this paper is limited to the recovery of molybdenite from copper porphyry ores, which essentially amounts to selectively separating molybdenite from copper and iron sulfide concentrates. In addition, most of the discussions would apply only to the almost universally used approach of floating the molybdenite and depressing the copper and iron sulfide minerals. Thickener It is considered essential that the feed to a byproduct molybdenite plant be thickened prior to being treated for molybdenite recovery for the following reasons: 1) Thickening allows the rougher and any preconditioning stages to be operated consistently at the optimum percent solids. 2) Generally, the size of equipment used for pretreatment and the rougher flotation is considerably smaller and less expensive than if the copper flotation concentrates were treated directly. 3) The removal of as much water as practical by thickening removes flotation reagents added in the copper flotation circuit, especially frother which can be quite troublesome in a byproduct molybdenite plant. Although thickening of the molybdenite plant feed has long been recognized as necessary to optimum metallurigcal results, very often this area has been designed poorly. The thickener should be sized so that it can produce a consistent thickened product containing 60 to 65% solids without the use of flocculants. Some plants are only able to thicken to 45 to 50% solids consistently while other plants let the percent solids vary from 45 to 60% over a 24-hr period. While the former is more desirable than the latter, in many cases better metallurgical results could be obtained if the percent solids could be held consistently close to 60%. Probably the simplest and most satisfactory system of handling the thickener underflow is to spigot it into a sump, using a sphincter type valve for the orifice, controlled by a density meter. Another satisfactory approach is to use an ODS type pump to meter the underflow. There are other methods of handling thickener underflow which work satisfactorily as long as the amount of copper concentrates entering the thickener is relatively uniform. However, they often fail to operate satisfactorily when there are large fluctuations in the thickener feed rate due to fluctuations in ore tonnage and/or copper grade. If the percent solids in the plant feed could be held close to 65%. There is the possibility the molybdenite plant tailing would not have to be thickened prior to the copper filter plant. This means that the molybdenite rougher float would have to be conducted at 45 to 50% solids with all the cleaner tailings returned to the rougher for dilution. Admittedly, in some situations this approach would be impossible, but if capital or plant area is limited, it should be considered.

Jan 1, 1981

By Leon Eliel

TEN years ago a broad knowledge of aerial mapping, coupled with a smattering of geology, qualified one to speak on the subject of the appli-cation of aerial mapping to geology. Today, with aerial maps a common tool in the hands of expert geologists on every continent throughout the world, it would be nothing short of presumptuous for the author of this paper, who is not a geologist, to give any geological statements on his own authority. Relatively, today we are only purveyors of general geological gossip, with a definite case here and there by way of illustration. But we can present a story of the really marvellous strides that have been made in the evolution of aerial mapping, built around a skeleton of geological tidbits, from which some useful conclusions may be drawn. The average geologist goes about reading his aerial maps much as one would approach the problem of deciphering a cryptogram. To begin with, typical key expressions appear in recurring sequences and under certain conditions. If once the meaning of these isolated bits of infor-mation can be ascertained, the message begins to take meaning. In a similar fashion, the geologist works out his key from aerial maps of territory with which he has some familiarity. He learns that a certain type of thin, white line may mean a vein of quartz. He sees that a certain change in the photographic tone of vegetation on the ground reflects two kinds of soils on opposite sides of, a contact. He sees that a certain type of alignment of topographical features often means a fault. He learns that by the erosion pattern .he can frequently distinguish soft formations from harder ones. And so, bit by bit, he ties together the information of the picture with his experience on the ground until he develops a reasonably creditable capacity of interpretation. Through the complete gamut of surface conditions, ranging all the way from flat, arid, exposed desert terrain to dense jungle, or rugged mountains, the evidence from which the geologist must make his inter-pretation varies with bewildering profusion. The quality of photographs which are obtainable may range from perfect pictures in the desert to almost useless smudges in the steaming jungles. One thing he has learned with certainty-the airplane carrying its mapping camera is a superb reconnaissance tool, only awaiting his ingenuity in correlating the pictures with the ground to simplify most exploratory problems.

Jan 1, 1936

By Hans Lundberg

IN ORDER to comprehend the help and information that may be expected from electrical prospecting, it is necessary to have at least a general knowledge of the methods and principles involved in preparing and interpreting results obtained in the field. Electrical prospecting is rather complicated, both in theory and practice, and in order to make a brief description clear to the practical mining man it has been necessary to idealize and generalize the problems, at the risk of having such simplification criticized by the theoretical man. This simplification must not be misinterpreted as showing a lack of theoretical knowledge. FIG. 1.-FLOW OF CURRENT IN AND AROUND A CONDUCTING BODY. For its operation, electrical prospecting mainly, depends on the fact that most metallic ores conduct an electric current much more readily than barren rocks. If an electric current flows through a block of ground within which a body of chalcopyrite is enclosed in country rock of. schist, the current will find less resistance to its passage through the chalcopyrite than through the schist, even though the passage through the latter be much shorter. This is because the longer path through the chalcopyrite offers less resistance, owing to the superior electrical conductivity of the chalcopyrite (Fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1928

By W. J. Schuster

*Original Pages Missing From Book HANNA COAL CO., Division of Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Co., operates three large under- ground mines in eastern Ohio. The section of Pitts- burgh No. 8 coal seam in which these mines are located varies in thickness from 52 to 64 in. It is immediately overlain by a stratum of shaly material 12 to 15 in. thick locally known as draw slate, which is structurally very weak and which disintegrates rapidly upon exposure to atmosphere. Immediately above the draw slate as it is normally found is a band of extremely high ash material 6 to 12 in. thick known as roof coal or rooster coal, and above this is a stratum of conglomerate material varying from 4 to 10 ft in depth. Overlying the conglomerate is' a relatively thick stratum of limestone, the first stable material above the Pittsburgh coal seam in eastern Ohio. With the method of full-seam mining that has been adopted, draw slate is shot down, loaded with the coal, and removed in the preparation plants. The roof coal then becomes the permanent roof. The major problem in mining the No. 8 seam in eastern Ohio is control of the roof. Since the strata above the draw slate contains no material with a structure firm enough to provide self-support, the roof begins to sag in a relatively short time after the coal and draw slate have been removed. The problem thus becomes one of getting temporary safety posts under this roof as quickly as possible to prevent a break or separation from occurring either in the roof coal or in the conglomerate above it.

Jan 5, 1954

By Raymond H. Young, Paul Sennett

INTRODUCTION Kaolin clay, consisting largely of the mineral kaolinite, is widely used as a white pigment. In the United States, for instance, pigment kaolin production was nearly 6,000,000 tons in 1976 (1). Production for this year should be significantly above this level. Current prices for kaolinite 'pigments range from about $20.00/ ton to$260.00/tony,depending on the amount of processing needed to make the final product. Although much of this pigment kaolinite is used as an inert filler where product specifications are not very rigid, a large quantity of kaolinite is converted to products where very restrictive specifications exist. These specifications set severe limits on such properties as viscosity in a water suspension, particle size distribution, color, and brightness. This discussion will concentrate on methods available to improve the color and brightness of pigment kaolin and will review the advantages and problems associated with these various methods. The term "brightness" refers to the reflectance of the pigment to blue light (2). Since even the brightest commercial kaolins have a somewhat yellowish color, the blue reflectance (or brightness) is a reasonably good measure of their nearness to a perfectly white material. I KAOLINITE STRUCTURE AND SOURCES The mineral kaolinite is an aluminum silicate and can be represented by the formula (OH) 8Si4A14010. The formula is frequently written

Jan 1, 1979

By Carl Beal

THE most important factors that should be given consideration in valuation of oil land are: (1) the amount of oil the property will produce; (2) the amount of money this oil will bring (based upon the future prices of oil) ; (3) development and production costs; (4) the rate of interest on the investment; (5) the retirement or amortization of invested capital; and (6) the salvage or "scrap" value of the equipment when the property is exhausted. These factors are of varying importance, and some of them may not enter all valuation problems, but most of them should be given consideration in any valuation even though only a rough estimate of the value of the property is desired. The value of a property may be changed over-night by the completion of important test wells, by the sudden water flooding, or by a change in the price of oil. The best a petroleum engineer can give is the value of the property under the conditions existing at the time the appraisal is made with a fair forecast of future action of the wells and of the price of oil. Our experience in the scientific valuation of oil lands is not broad and there is very little published information on the subject; it, therefore, becomes necessary in studying such problems to form comparisons with the factors involved in the valuation of mines-the closest parallel. One of the reasons for the lack of substantial progress in oil-land valuation methods has been the necessity of making an estimate of the future production of the oil property to be valued. Oil men and accountants have not generally conceded that such estimates could be made with any degree of accuracy. It has been shown, however, in several recent publications that with certain data available reasonably close estimates can be made. The accuracy of an appraisal depends chiefly on the accuracy of the estimates of future production and of the future price of oil. The accuracy of the former is sometimes necessarily based on geological inferences. Geology is not an exact science and geological data in connection with oil production cannot always be mathematically evaluated.

Jan 9, 1919

Montreal, April 6-7. "Resilient" and "bullish" were the terms used by R. D. Mushlitz of Asarco and K. C. Hendrick of Noranda Sales Corp. respectively, to describe the near term prospects for lead and zinc. The two men delivered their predictions at a joint meeting of the Lead Industries Association and the Zinc Institute held here. In speaking before a packed audience, Mushlitz insisted that "the lead industry is far from the sedentary one which many would have us believe, and although it may be slow and tortuous at times, . . . it is a viable and progressive industry which won't give up easily to the various pressures. . . . and, in the long run, will prevail."

Jan 5, 1972

By C. Q. Payne

The art of crushing ores and other materials by means of rolls is a comparatively recent one. While the first record of rolls using iron crushing-surfaces dates hack to the year 1806, when they were employed in Cornwall, their principal developmcnt has taken place during the past 30 years. To Stephen R. Erom belongs the credit of the pioneer in introducing the belted high-speed roll, which has had its origin and a marked development in this country. His notable contrib'ution to the art was in the use of a single bed-plate or frame supporting the roll-shafts, and to which levers holding the mova, ble roll-bearings were pivoted. He also made use of steel tension-rods to support the crushing-strains, and of hammered-steel tires for the crushing-surfaces. These changes brought the design of crushing-rolls to a high level. Following closely thereon, about 1885, W. R. Eckart conceived the idea of the swivel or ball-and-socket support for the roll-shaft bearings. This is an excellent mechanical conception, especially for bearings held against a spring pressure, and while it may not be necessary for all types of rolls, yet it has been quite generally adopted by other roll-designers, and illustrates the refinement which roll-construction has now reached. Other engineers, as, for example, Argall, Vezin, Roger, and Sturtevant, to mention only a few among many, have also given the closest attention to the various details of rolls, such as the frame, springe, bearings, and shafts, and have developed many novel and original designs. It has remained, however, for the boldness and originality of Mr. Edison to extend the field of crushing-rolls in two new directions, and to cause them to ex-

Jan 1, 1913

By B. M. Larsen

SEVERAL articles have recently been published discussing the conditions necessary for accurate measurements of temperatures in the open-hearth steel furnace. In the course of a study of refractories service conditions in steel furnaces, the present writers have taken tempera; tunes in several open-hearth shops in the Pittsburgh district. The conclusions, as to conditions necessary for accurate measurements of temperature, are somewhat at variance with those of other investigators. The subject is closely connected both with the close-control of steel-making and the prevention of overheating of the silica refractories used in roofs and walls. It is becoming more and more important to obtain furnace temperatures of fairly definitely known accuracy. At present, the most useful instrument for such measurements is the disappearing-filament type of optical pyrometer. This method of measurement has formed the basis of most other discussions on the. subject and was also used by the writers.

Jan 8, 1926

By H. P. Willard, Conrad Martin

SINCE the deposits were found in 1927 in the Paradise Range of western Nevada, more than 1 mil- lion tons of magnesite and half a million tons of brucite have been mined and processed into a variety of granular refractory materials used as furnace linings by the steel industry. An additional million tons of magnesite were used during World War II to produce magnesium metal, and some magnesium oxide from the area is going into magnesia cements. Located near Gabbs, Nev., on the west flank of the Paradise Range, the principal bodies occupy an area a mile long by half a mile wide, and lesser occurrences have been found in a belt more than four miles long and in places almost two miles wide. Magnesite reserves containing less than 5 pct lime are estimated at more than 25 million tons. Reserves of better grade material are considerably less.

Jan 4, 1957

By H. H. Clark

ELECTRICITY must be safeguarded everywhere that it is used. The conditions that exist underground make the use of safeguards more essential there than almost anywhere else. Electric Shock Electric shock is the greatest danger in connection with the use of electricity in mines, because conditions existing underground are so favorable to its occurrence. Men are often obliged to work in more or less uncertain light near bare wires that are carrying dangerous potentials. The fact that the men are standing on the earth practically connects them to one terminal of the electric generator. The most dangerous piece of electrical equipment underground is the trolley wire. It is necessarily bare and extends for long distances throughout a mine, often less than a man's height from the track rail. Sometimes the making up of trips of cars must be done near low-hanging trolley wires. All bare wires offer the same danger that trolley wires do, although not to the same extent. Apparatus that has accidentally come in contact with the ungrounded side of an electric circuit is almost as dangerous as the trolley wire. A severe and even fatal shock may be obtained by coming in contact with the frame of a motor or a switch box that has become charged with electricity, or "alive," as it is usually termed. It is also possible to obtain shocks from the frames of locomotives and cars if track. sanding, poor bonding or a similar cause has put a high resistance to earth in the path of the current.

Jan 4, 1914

By Sherwin Kelly

The prime objective of geophysical exploration is to promote the economical and rapid dis-covery of mineral or oil deposits of commercial value. To a few this concept as applied in min-ing may signify the direct discovery of ore-bodies, but to the geophysical engineer this latter Idea is one of the most insidious and detrimental misapprehensions which he has to combat. The destruction of this annoying obstacle to the progress of geophysical exploration reveals the kernel of truth behind it, that the exploration geophysicist has for the better part of two decades been concerned primarily with the discovery of mineral formations favorable to the occur-rence of commercial ore. There is a very real distinction here, since geophysical methods are capable of discovering certain mineral formations such as sulphide bodies or quartz veins, but are totally incompetent to predict whether or not they constitute ore; that is. whether or not they contain minerals of economic value in the amounts requisite to repay extraction. The art of geophysical exploration is now, however, rapidly outgrowing these early limita-tions. The rate of this growth will in large measure depend on the recognition by the mining industry of the fact that geophysics can play a role far wider and more important than it usual-ly does now, in guiding the future exploration and development of mineral deposits. It is my own firm conviction that as time marches on we will see the methods of applied geophysics turned more and more to the delineation of both minor and major structural features. The outlining of such features having a bearing on the probable loci of mineral deposition will be of inestimable value in guiding the development of a mining district. It is in this field that there will In-evitably occur a meeting and overlapping of the activities of the exploration geophysicists and

Jan 1, 1940

By Louis Doremus Huntoon

HAVE been asked many times by financial men in New York as to the best way of securing an interest or control of a gold mine in Canada. It must be understood at the start that prospectors and early owners will not sell a 100 per cent interest. They not only retain from 10 to 25 per cent interest, depending upon the work done, but usually demand more or less cash to reimburse them for expenses. These conditions are accepted by Canadian capital and operating mines looking for new properties. The winter is not a hindrance to work but may be of great advantage. The overburden of soil and gravel is generally wet and most difficult to trench in the summer time especially if at all deep. The snow also permits easy transportation of freight. Properties distant from rail transport all of their machinery and supplies during the winter months.

Jan 1, 1933

By William Phillips

THE possible sources of potash salts in the United States have been considered from many points of view during the last several years, but it is only within the last two or three months that the situation has become acute. We import from Germany, the only source of large supply, more than $10,000,000 worth of potash salts annually, and this business has been badly crippled by the European war. If there was ever a time in our industrial existence when the necessity of providing for our own needs was more acute than it is now, we are not aware of it. One has only to study the price, lists of chemicals sent out by the large supply houses to see the change wrought within a very short time. Whether or no these prices are to maintain for a considerable time, no one can say; but it appears to be probable that we shall not see prices materially lower for a period of uncomfortable length, to say the least. It is not my purpose at this time to discuss the various sources of supply of potash salts that have been suggested or recommended. Some of them might afford a pleasing relief but all of them combined would not affect the situation seriously. If we are to have our own sources of potash salts, they will have to compare, in some efficient manner, with the sources upon which we have drawn during the last 20 or 30 years; i.e., they must exist-in minable quantities. It seems to me to be quite idle to speculate upon our domestic sources of potash if those sources are not of a character similar to those upon which we have so long depended. A few thousand or, perhaps,, a few hundred thousand dollars' worth of chemically derived 'potash may be produced under the stress of present conditions, but when we consider that each year demands more than $10,000,000 worth, we must look to underground sources; we must look to mines similar to the famous Stassfurt and Halle deposits. If we cannot mine potash salts, we shall have to do without them for a while.

Jan 2, 1915

By I. N. Zavarine

AUSTENITE is often defined as a solid solution of carbon or carbide in a nonmagnetic form of iron. Conversely, magnetic measurements are often used by investigators for the purpose of detecting the degree of austenite decomposition after an iron alloy has been subjected to certain thermal or mechanical treatments. Association of the magnetic state with the gamma-phase decomposition is often extended to the alloys of iron with elements other than carbon. Definition of austenite as a nonmagnetic solid solution cannot be accepted in the light of available information without certain reservations. The relation of magnetic transformations with the gamma-phase decomposition in the complex alloys of iron has never been rigorously proved. The present investigation deals primarily with the magnetic trans-formation that occurs in carbon steels during the quenching process. The work was further limited to a study of magnetic transformation in carbon steels quenched at such rates as are necessary to retain the product of austenite decomposition in a martensitic state.

Jan 1, 1934

By Frederic H. Wright

The secondary metals industry might well be defined as the group of remelters, smelters, refiners, and manufacturers that convert scrap metals or residues to commercial forms. In this industry, scrap metals and residues are processed to pro- duce refined metals, ingot alloys, fabricated shapes, and chemical products. Secondary metal is defined as metal recovered from commercial scrap, that is, scrap that has entered the processor's plant in scrap form. Metal recovered by a manufacturer from "home scrap" generated in his own plant is not considered to be secondary, because it represents part of the original stock that simply requires additional treatment before emerging as a finished product. In any economic study, a basic point of measurement must be chosen, and in the case of secondary metals, the melting pot or its counterpart represents the stage in which metal is converted from scrap to some more usable form. Beyond this point there is often no means to distinguish between secondary metal recovered from scrap and virgin metal produced directly from ore. In the last fifteen or twenty years the secondary metals industry has grown to major importance. Some consumers distrust secondary metals, but frequently this distrust serves only to prove an inability to keep up with the times. A rapidly decreasing number of manufacturers like to boast that they use only virgin metals, but a little investigation would show them that more than one third of all

Jan 1, 1943

By C. E. Abbott

THE Birmingham district, Alabama, is distinctive in the proximity to one another of its deposits of iron ore, coal and flux. These three basic requisites for the making of iron and steel are found within a radius of 10 miles. Both dolomite and limestone are produced, the former for blast-furnace flux and the latter for basic open-hearth operations. The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co., a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, operates a limestone mine at Muscoda, near Bessemer, 12 miles southwest of Birmingham, served by its own railroad transportation system. The mine has a capacity of 130 tons per hour. Average analyses of a recent month's production are as follows: Fe2O3 Si02 A12O3 CAC03 MGCO Lump, per cent 0.51 0.22 98.63 0.14 Crushed and washed, percent 0.70 0.26 98.36 0.18 Lump stone, 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 in., is used in open-hearth operations at Fairfield Steel Works. Fine crushed and washed stone, 1 ¼ to 0.063 in., is calcined at the, lime-burning plant and used for lime charges at the Ensley open hearths.

Jan 1, 1936