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By L. M. Cathles, W. Joseph Schlitt

A mathematical model describing the leaching of low grade industrial waste dumps in developed and solved by finite difference techniques. The leaching behavior of model dumps of different sizes, permeabilities, and waste characteristics, under different operating conditions, is then investigated using the model. It is shown that leaching is fastest for dumps 50-100 feet (15-30m) high, that permeability is very important for the effective leaching of large dumps, that slow leach kinetics of the waste may not be detrimental, and that the leaching of large dumps may be facilitated if leach solutions are preferentially applied to the hot, near-edge portions of the dump.

Jan 1, 1980

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members who registered at Institute headquarters during June: Ralph H. Sweetser, Columbus, Ohio. O. M. Bilharz, Rivermines, Mo. Etienne A. Ritter, Colorado Springs. Colo. Joseph A. Holmes, Washington, D. C. Dwight E. Woodbridge, Duluth, Minn. Francis Church Lincoln, Urbana, III. Arthur Chippendale, Mexico City, Mex. William E. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pa. E. T. Miller, Louisville, Ky. E. P. Ross, Johnson City, Tenn. Jesse Scobey, Denver, Colo. H. M. Boylston, Cambridge, Mass. Charles Rhodes, Auckland, N. Z. Edward Keller, Perth Amboy, N. J. John W. Finch, Denver, Colo. F. G. Cottrell, San Francisco, Cal.

Jan 7, 1913

By H. E. Wilborg

This chapter deals with those sands employed by the foundries for the manufacture of cores and molds used in the casting of such common metals as steel, gray iron, ductile iron, aluminum-based alloys, and copper-based alloys. Most metal is cast in "green sand" molds in which the sand mixture, consisting primarily of silica, clay, and water, forms a plastic material. This plastic material is rammed around a pattern in a split box called a flask, then the box is separated, the pattern is withdrawn, and the metal poured. These green sand molds are broken apart when the metal has solidified. The sand is then remixed and a new mold made for the next casting. To a lesser extent silica sand is mixed with resins or oils and, after forming, the mixture is hardened either by heat or chemical reaction. In any case, the foundry mold or core is used just once before being broken up and remixed for manufacturing another core or mold. By far the greatest consumption in the foundry is of those types of sand high in silica, low in clay (under 0.5%) and occurring in numerous locations thoughout the United States.

Jan 1, 1975

By Evans B. Mayo

This study examines the structural framework of the Southwest for evidence of the four principal trends of lineament tectonics. It attempts to classify their intersections and compares the positions of those trends that appear most favorable with the positions of the presently known mining districts. This is a controversial topic. The author, in presenting his analysis, is aware that the study of lineament tectonics and relation of ore districts to regional structure is complicated by insufficient data and, unavoidably, by personal bias. The development of lineament tectonics has been summarized by Umbgrove.' Early attempts to fit ore districts into the Cordilleran framework were made by Billingsley and Locke, who do not refer to lineament tectonics, although their appoach is similar; they observe that heat and fluids, including the ore-depositing fluids, are most likely to rise at or near intersections of major structures where the crust is fractured, or weakened, to great depth. As a result of studies distributed over the earth-including ocean basins as well as continents— some tectonists recognize four dominant structural trends: 1) northwest; 2) northeast; 3) nearly east-west, or equatorial; and 4) nearly north-south, or meridional. Baker' proposed a theory to account for these trends and Sonder" called their world-wide arrangement the regmatic shear pattern. Moody and Hill proposed a much more complicated shear network which, although fascinating and perhaps ultimately useful, will not be followed here. In a recent review of deformation within the Cordillera, Wisser mentioned the four fundamental directions. The fact that many geologists deny the existence of the regmatic shear pattern implies that the fundamental structures are far from obvious. It may mean, also, that some geologists are not accustomed to examine regional and world maps analytically. The maps require much study, and certain features should be isolated on overlays. Even so, with the present limited knowledge, uncertainties remain. The following analysis is a qualitative experiment, subject to change as information accumulates, and should be supplemented by the western sheet of the Tectonic Map of the United States.' Many have probably gained the impression that the Cordillera of the West is oriented northwest-southeast and from this, unless experience rules otherwise, it is natural to assume that the structure likewise trends northwest-southeast. To an important extent this is true, yet anyone tracing off the western sheet of the Tectonic Map all the recorded north west-southeast structures may be surprised to see what a small part of the entire area they occupy. In southwestern U. S. (Fig. 1) the northwest-southeast structures are mostly restricted to the eastern, southern, and western parts. The eastern margin of the Cordillera from northern Colorado to the International Boundary near El Paso, Tex., is obviously determined by some structure other than northwesterly ones. In eastern Nevada and far southward toward the Gulf of California many mountain ranges, valleys, and faults are meridional. In the Rocky Mts. of Colorado, and at many places in southern Arizona, the crystalline Pre-Cambrian is foliated northeast-southwest. The Uinta Mts. of Utah trend approximately east-west, in much the same way as a broad belt of transverse, west-northwest structures—the Texas lineament of Hill",' and Ransome10 in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and southern California. It seems, then that there are four regmatic shear directions in the Southwest, but at many places they are discontinuous, and their projections must be inferred. To clarify these trends the four sets have been isolated into two systems: 1) northwest-northeast and 2) east-west-north-south (Figs. 2 and 3). Northwest-Northeast System: A number of prominent northwest-trending zones of structure are easily recognized. They are designated by circled Roman numerals, the northeast-trending structures by circled capital letters. Perhaps no two geologists would agree completely on the positions of all these belts. Names given below are for convenience only, and may be discarded where other names have priority. (I) The Sierra Nevada-Lower California belt contains the Jurassic-Cretaceous granitic massifs of the Sierra Nevada and Lower California. These

Jan 1, 1959

By JOHN A. MALONEY

AS noted in the February issue of MINING AND METALLURGY, an advisory committee to the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago was authorized by the Institute's Board of Directors, with W. R. Wright of Chicago, former Director of the Institute, as chairman. Since that time the committee has been undergoing organization, and held its initial meeting at the Museum offices in Chicago on April 11 and 12. Functioning as consultants to the Geology and Mineral Industries branch of this new institution, the advisory committee is aiding in building an exhibit which will tell the story of geology, mining, and metallurgy to millions of visitors a year. Although patterned to some extent

Jan 1, 1932

By S. H. Moll, R. E. Ogilvie

The investigation of solid-state diffusion phenomena may lead to much information concerning binary alloys. In particular, a study of the concentration gradients present in multiphase diffusion couples can lead to the determination of the solubility limits of the single-phase fields in the phase diagram. The specific concentration gradient which results from the heat treatment of a diffusion couple depends not only upon the time and temperature of diffusion, but also upon the number of phases existing in equilibrium at the diffusion temperature. Such concentration gradients possess sharp discontinuities whose terminal points correspond to the solubilities existing at the limits of the two-phase field in the phase diagram at the diffusion temperature. In general, there will be a discontinuity in the concentration curve for each two-phase field which exists in the phase diagram between the concentration limits of the couple. A number of investigators have analyzed the gradients present in multiphase diffusion couples. 1-8 The iron-titanium phase diagram exhibits a y loop in the temperature range from 900" to 1400°C, and the limit of the a + y field lies at some composition which is less than 1 wt pct Ti for any temperature. It was felt that a diffusion study could yield values not only for the diffusion coefficients involved, but also for the chemical solubilities in the phase diagram. The concentration gradients were analyzed by an X-ray absorption technique developed by Ogilvie.6 The absorption of a monochromatic X-ray beam is measured in steps parallel to the diffusion direction and the resulting intensity gradients are transformed into concentration gradients by applying the laws of X-ray absorption in a binary system. This technique has been applied by ogilvie6 to the systems Ni-Au, Cu-Au, Fe-Cr, and Ni-Cr; by Gelles7 to the systems Be-Fe, and Be-Ni and by Hilliarde to the system Al-Zn. Linear X-Ray Absorption Analysis—The use of X-ray absorption analysis as a tool for determining concentration gradients arises from the fact that the beam is absorbed according to the quantity and species of elements present in the sample and not according to their state of aggregation. This method is more advantageous than the chemical analysis of machined layers since it is less time consuming and less expensive and can analyze a very small area. IF a homogeneous binary alloy (A + B) is analyzed with two different monochromatic X-ray beams I0(2) and lo(2) the following relation between the transmitted intensities, the intrinsic absorption coefficients of A and B for the two different radiations and the weight fraction of each element may be derived.' In (I/Io) (a+b) xa(u/p)a(2) + xb(u/p)8(2) Eq. [1] is independent of specimen thickness and density, but requires that either element A or B possess an absorption edge between the wavelength limits of the two monochromatic beams. I, is evaluated for each radiation by measuring the transmitted intensity through a varying number of foils of a suitable absorber. A plot of the natural logarithm of the transmitted intensity as a function of the number of foils, when extrapolated to zero foils, yields the value of I,. If a plot of the ratio in Eq. [ I] is calculated as a function of xA, then a master curve results. From

Jan 1, 1960

By W. Bradley, R. G. Hall

This paper will attempt to show how a metallurgical problem at one California quicksilver mine was solved, and how the solution was applied successfully at another mine. The pronouns "we" and "our," as used below, refer '0 the Bradley 'lining Co. of San Francisco. The term "concurrent firing" for the purpose of this paper can be defined as feeding and firing a a kiln at the same end—that is, of course, the upper end' This is as opposed to "countercurrent firing," the orthodox method, in which a kiln is fed at the upper and fired at the lower end. The terms "quicksilver" and "mercury" are used interchangeably. Early References The earliest work on nonferrous metallurgy, we believe, was The Pirotechnia of Vannocio Biringuccio,l its first edition having been printed in Italy in 1540. Quoting from its chapter entitled "Concerning Quicksilver and Its Ore": Quicksilver ... is one of the gods and has divine strength in itself, and also, to the annoyance of the alchemists, it is winged. Hence, when it sees that it is in gravest danger, it loosens itself from . . . every bond . . . and fies away into the heavens, escaping from the hands of those who crucify it. Almost laughing, it leaves all its adversaries mocked and scorned, with their phials and filters empty . . . How thorough a job, under certain conditions, it can do of mocking its adversaries and leaving their phials and filters empty, was found out four centuries later at the Sulphur Bank mine, on the east shore of Clear Lake, in Lake county, California, The other mine mentioned in the title is the Reed, in Yolo County, California, 35 miles by road southeast of Sulphur Bank, Reed and Sulphur Bank ranked respectively Nth and seventh in U. S. production in 1943. The earliest direct reference we can find to furnacing troubles at these mines was by Thomas Egleston in 1890.2 Speaking of Sulphur Bank, Egleston says: of there is more sulphur than cinnabar in the ore, which is a detriment to both . . . making the sulphur impure, and rendering the cinnabar difficult to work on account of the soot. In some of the early . . . furnaces the accumulation of soot from the excess of sulphur has been known to penetrate as far as the fan blower at the end of the . . . condensers, and completely prevent its revolution. In order to get rid of the inconvenience of this accumulation . . . , as well as to get a commercial value from the sulphur, it (the sulphur) is now separated by steam and sold. It is claimed that the sulphur alone pays all the expenses of ... the mine. The mine was first worked for sulphur, and the cinnabar it contained was considered to be an inconvenience, and was carefully picked out and thrown away, as its richness and value were not

Jan 1, 1949

By E. S. Machlin, C. W. Chen

THIS investigation is concerned with the origin of the intercrystalline voids and cracks formed in metals and alloys subjected to stress at elevated temperature. There have been many suggestions in the recent literature relating to this problem. Greenwood' suggested that the voids may be produced by vacancy condensation. Zener has stated that shear-stress relaxation across grain boundaries could initiate high tensile stresses at the regions blocking grain boundary slip and thereby cause the formation of cracks. Chang and Grant3 have described the formation of cracks at grain boundary triple points and have experimentally verified Zener's mechanism for the grain boundary regions in the vicinity of a triple point. Subsequent to the completion of this investigation, Gifkins4 developed a model which made use of Stroh's5 mechanism of fracturing to produce sub-microscopic fractures that subsequently grow by grain boundary slip. Chen and Machlin,6 in answer to Gifkins, described a model deduced from the present investigation, in which grain boundary slip provides both the stress to fracture at grain boundary jogs and the deformation required to separate fractured jog surfaces. The possibility of gas condensation to form intercrystalline voids and cracks is eliminated as a basic mechanism because such voids and cracks are developed in vacuum melted material containing minute amounts, if any, of gaseous impurities. In a theoretical evaluation of this problem, Machlin7 concluded that void nucleation by vacancy condensation during creep-rupture is improbable but that vacancy condensation on supercritical sized voids to produce growth is probable. This investigation was begun to evaluate the suggested mechanisms for intercrystalline fracture. In particular, in order to correlate vacancy supersaturation ratios produced in creep with those determined by Bal-luffi and Seigle8 as critical for , the nucleation of voids, specimens were obtained from the same heat of brass as used by the latter authors, through the courtesy of Dr. Seigle. The experiments conducted in this investigation fall into the following categories: 1) Brass—observation of voids produced under a variety of conditions, including creep under compression, to evaluate the mechanisms of void nucleation and growth. 2) Bicrystal experiments to check the mechanism of void nucleation deduced in this investigation. 3) Morphology of intercrystalline voids produced in a variety of metals. Each set of experiments will be described and discussed separately. Experimental Techniques A special creep-rupture test rack was constructed which made it possible to apply the stress to the specimen in a controlled atmosphere of inert gas, reducing gas, or vacuum. All the creep-rupture tests on a-brass (30 pct Zn) were conducted in nitrogen under a pressure slightly above atmospheric. Either dead weight loading or constant elongation rate loading could be applied with the load measured by means of a strain gage dynamometer. In order to obtain a coarse-grained crystal structure stable at

Jan 1, 1958

By H. Warlimont

In recent investigations of the microstructure and crystallographic features of martensite by electgon microscopy,', '9 thin films (about 50 to l000A in thickness) have been used as specimens. It was found by W. Pitschl ,2 that the lattice relationships between the supefiaturated fcc matrix and the martensite formed in thin films were different from those observed after transformation in bulk material. Corresponding differences are to be expected in nucleation and in reaction kinetics in the formation of martensite in thin films, but have not yet been reported. In the course of the preparation of thin films of iron-base alloys for investigation by electron microscopy it was observed that films of alloys, whose martensite formation temperature (Ms) was below room temperature, formed martensite during the electrochemical thinning process conducted at or above room temperature. The chemical compositions and approximate bulkM,-temperatures of the three materials on which this observation was made are listed in Table I. The alloys were vacuum-melted from high-purity metals. It can be seen that the effect occurred in alloys that contain only sub-stitutional components as well as in alloys that contain carbon as an interstitial solute. The appearance of martensite formed in this manner is illustrated in Fig. 1, which represents a polished film of alloy No. 1 at XI0 magnification. The martensite plates can be recognized by their surface relief effects. In addition, heavily strained (owrinkledo) austenite can be seen near the edges of the film where it is thinnest and transformation stresses or strains can be accommodated by plastic deformation most easily. The nonuniform distribution of transformed regions is probably due to the varying thickness of the film. These observations were common to all materials listed in Table I. Because effects of supercooling or straining can

Jan 1, 1962

By R. E. Head, E. L. Tucker

In the metallurgy of precious metals, it has been standard practice for years to use cyanogen compounds, so it was but natural that early investigators in the field of flotation should consider these compounds as possible flotation reagents. In Australian Patent 9508, of 1913, alkali cyanides were described as suitable reagents for the separation of heavy sulfide minerals, the reagents being employed either in an alkaline or neutral circuit. In U. S. Patent 1236501, of 1917, to John M. Tibbet, the use of cyanide in conjunction with soda ash or lime is described. One of the claims of this patent reads, "An improvement in the cyanide process for the treatment of ores comprising, mixing the ore with cyanide solution and oil and alkali: emulsifying the oil in the presence of the ore, the alkali and the cyanide solution, floating a portion of the values in the pulp by producing gas bubbles in the mixture and removing the values floated." More recently, Sheridan and Griswold, in U. S. Patents 1421585 and 1427235, describe a somewhat similar process and have successfully introduced it in the mill of the Timber Butte Milling Co. U. S. Patent 1429544, of 1922, to Stevens, describes the use of double cyanides of copper, zinc, and lead. The success of cyanide as a reagent in the differential flotation of lead and zinc sulfides in highly complex ores is proof that these patents have a solid foundation. Although the technique of their application to particular ores has been worked out in many cases, no one, so far as is known, has attempted to describe the nature of the action of the cyanide or to determine the ideal conditions for its application. It was the purpose of the present investigation to gather information on these points. Naturally this would have been an exceedingly ambitious program had the attempt been made to study the effect of cyanide

Jan 1, 1926

By Huntington Adams

The arrangement of a flow of cyanide-pulp through Pachuca tanks in agitation, so as to permit a continuous process, instead of alternate filling, agitation, and emptying, has been proposed by various writers within the last two years, and more particularly by A. T. Grothe, agent for the Brown patents on Pachuca tanks in Mexico. It was first put into practice, I believe, by M. H. Kuryla at the Esperanza mine in El Oro, Mexico. The starting of agitation in Pachuca tanks after filling may offer no serious difficulties with ores which do not settle rapidly in such tall tanks; and the adaptation of the tanks to continuous agitation under such conditions may give simply a somewhat more convenient method of treatment and greater agitation-capacity for a given number of tanks, because of the saving of time lost in filling and discharging. But in the treatment of pulp which tends to settle rapidly, as in the cyaniding of concentrates or of the whole pulp of ores containing heavy sulphides, the packing of the slime at the bottom may cause much trouble. The use of the radial air-pipe attachments near the top of the cone and of the air-valve outside of the air-lift tube at the bottom may obviate the difficulty to some extent; but the action of the radial air-pipes on the cone-sides is that of a sand-blast, and their continuous use cuts through the tanks. Moreover, even when these pipes are used, some pulps will pack tightly below them in the cones. Under such conditions the use of Pachuca tanks with intermittent filling and discharging becomes a troublesome process. Time is lost in starting agitation; large quantities of compressed air are wasted; pulp is blown over the tank-tops; and not infrequently it may be necessary to dig out the bottoms of tanks by hand. This trouble is the only important one occurring in the use of Pachuca tanks; and, since it is caused by intermittent filling, the arrangement of a continuous flow of pulp from tank to tank,

Jan 1, 1912

By C. C. Furnas, T. L. Joseph

It is well known that particles of different sizes are not distributed evenly throughout the average charge in an iron blast furnace. Just how great the disparity in particle size in different parts of a single plane in a furnace may be is indicated by the results of some recent investiga-tion1,2 conducted by the Bureau of Mines on a furnace operating on Lake ores. The wide variations found in gas velocity, gas composition, and temperature from the periphery to the center of the upper charge column were caused by the great variation in particle size of the raw materials used and were also greatly influenced by the methods of charging. This paper summarizes the results of an investigation of the influence of different methods of charging and of the treatment of raw materials upon the size distribution of the solid particles in the blast furnace. A more complete report will appear later as a Bureau of Mines technical paper. Importance of Gas-solid Contact One of the authors has pointed out in a previous report? that the operation of the blast-furnace process is entirely dependent on contact between the gas stream and the solid particles in the stock. The gas stream carries the necessary heat as well as the carbon monoxide molecules that do the work of rednction. In the parts of the furnace in which there is little or no contact between the gas stream and the solids there can be little work of reduction. Obviously, the part of the apparatus that is not doing the work for which it is intended is inefficient; the ideal condition is one in which all portions of the stock column are

Jan 1, 1929

By A. J. Jacobs, J. W. Spretnak, R. Speiser

The activities of nickel in liquid iron-nickel solutions containing from 10 to 90 at. pct Ni were measured over the temperature range .1510° to 1600°C. A special function was devised whereby activities can be computed by a graphical integration using the results of chemical analyses on the vapor phase alone. The liquid solutions studied exhibit negative deviation from Raoult's law, but they approach ideality as the temperature is raised from 1510° to 1600°C. The maximum heat of solution is less than -8.0 kcal per mole. The entropy of solution is less than —2.5 kcal per mole deg at 1510°C, and changes negligibly as the temperature is raised. The liquid iron-nickel solutions do not follow regular solution behavior. THE activities of the components of a liquid alloy system can be determined in favorable cases from the partial pressure of the vapor in equilibrium with the liquid alloy.' Assuming that the vapor over the alloy behaves as an ideal gas, the activity of component i is given by the expression, Where the superscripts 1, v, and o signify the liquid, the vapor, and the pure component, respectively; the f's are the fugacities, and the P's, the pressures. The quantities Pi and Pi can be determined by the

Jan 1, 1960

By Brigitta Hassler

INTRODUCTION In the early 1960's research was begun in Sweden to improve the agglomeration of our domestic iron ore concentrates (5). Different agglomeration methods that were used in the building material industry were studied under the economic support from the Swedish Technical Council, the Swedish Board of Technical Development and by the Swedish industry. The research work was performed at the Division of Mineral Processing at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. All known agglomeration methods were reviewed and the methods were developed to produce superior quality agglomerates (6). The term cold bonding (in contrast to sintering) was introduced to describe the induration operation in these processes and this has been accepted internationally. Even though we used it mostly for steam autoclaving methods, it has come to describe a class of processes that use binding methods by pore filling. Schumacher in Germany discovered around 1907 that a strong material can be produced by mixing slaked lime with fine ground quartz and subjecting to a steam atmosphere under pressure at about 185ºC. This started development of lime-sandstone building materials and later on, in Sweden, the light-weight concrete. Schumacher also used the same reaction for briquetting iron ore concentrates by adding silica and lime, and autoclaving. The product seems to have been accepted for blast furnace burden and the process was used on an industrial scale until the 1920's. The sintering method has a small melting phase as diffusion medium and in the steam-autoclaving method a small quantity of water condensate at about 200°C serves the same purpose. Thus the induration process by the hydrothermal hardening methods is similar to that of sintering or heat treatment.

Jan 1, 1977

By A. T. Aldred, K. M. Myles

The vapor pressure of chromium over solid V-Cr alloys has been measured by the torsion-effusion method in the temperature range 1450" to 1650°K. The chemical activities as well as the free energies, entropies, and enthalpies of formation of the alloys have hem computed from the vapor-pressure data. The activities of both chromium and vanadium exhibit fairly small negative deviations from Raoult's law over the entire composition range. The values of the excess entropies and the enthalpies of formation found at 1550°K are considered in terms of the changes in the clzaracteristic properties of vanadium and chromium that occur upon alloying. RECENT interest in the theory and properties of transition-metal alloys has shown the need for relevant thermodynamic data. The present investigation of the V-Cr system was undertaken as part of a more general study of thermodynamic properties of transition-metal alloys. The system was chosen because of the reported complete solid solubility of the components at all temperatures1 and because the difference in magnitude of the vapor pressures of vanadium and chromium allowed a simple effusion technique to be used. The torsion-effusion method was employed to minimize compositional changes in the alloys during the experiments. EXPERIMENTAL Equipment. The torsion-effusion apparatus, shown diagrammatic ally in Fig. 1, consists of a torsion system suspended inside a vertical vacuum chamber whose lower end is surrounded by a high-temperature vacuum furnace. An auxiliary optical lever and screen are used to determine the angle of rotation of the effusion cell. The torsion fiber is an annealed, high-purity, tungsten wire usually between 0.003 and 0.007 cm in diameter and about 43 cm long. The wire supports a concave mirror and a rigid tantalum connector tube. The effusion cell is fastened to the lower end of the connector tube by a dovetailed yoke and har- ness arrangement. The cells, which are 1.27 cm in diameter and 4.4 cm long, were made by electron-beam welding tantalum endcaps onto a 0.025-cm-wall tantalum tube. The two orifices, formed by drilling, have similar areas ranging from 0.011 to 0.031 sq cm. The noninductive sheath-type furnace consists of a single-phase tantalum heating element 6.35 cm in diameter, 15 cm high, and 0.013 cm thick; the element is completely surrounded by radiation shields in an evacuated chamber. The power system includes a 17-kva self-saturating saturable core reactor with an integral magnetic amplifier and a water-cooled, 15-kva, step-down power transformer with a multitap secondary. Temperatures are controlled to within ±1/2o at 1600°K by means of a unit that includes a reference voltage source, a dc electronic null detector, a current-adjusting proportional band relay, and the self - saturating reactor. At 1650°K the temperature variation within the cell, vertically and horizontally, is 3/4oK. Unwanted motions of the torsion system are damped by the movement of an aluminum vane, which is mounted on the connector tube, between the poles of an electromagnet. When not in use the magnet is withdrawn and rotated 90 deg to prevent its interaction with the rotation of the system. Measurements. The vapor pressure, p, is re-

Jan 1, 1964

By Michel T. Halbouty

The area for which oil and gas developments in South Texas are reported for 1940 in this paper covers the same counties that were included in the reports for 1938 and 1939, with the addition of LaSalle County. LaSalle County is includcd in the Laredo district of South Texas, which totals seven counties for that district. The Corpus Christi district remains the same, with nine counties. The two districts together comprise what is known as the South Texas area for this report. Continued exploration along established trends and beyond proven field limits during 1940 provided South Texas with new fields and new producing levels at a rate of discovery fairly comparable with the high records set during recent years. The wells drilled in the counties within this district (including LaSalle) numbered 1656, approximately 8 per cent below the 1801 figure of last year. However, rank wildcats totaIed 336, an increase of 17.5 per cent compared to the 286 drilled in 1939. Therefore, since new field discoveries numbered 25 in 1940 against 29 in 1939, the rate of new field discoveries in 1940, based upon rank wildcats drilled, was I/I3.4 while that of 1939 was I/9.86, which shows a decrease of about 25 per cent in the rate of new fields. The rank wildcat tests in 1940 gave the following results: 18 produced oil, 4 produced distillate with gas, 3 produced. only gas, and 3r1 were dry holes (Table 5). Of the 1320 tests drilled in already proven fields or as extensions to pro+en areas (representing a decline of 12.8 per cent from last year's total of 1515 tests), 1048 produced oil or distillate, 60 produced gas and 212 were dry holes (Table 4). Of the producers, 50 found new sands or crude-in-distillate-sands in existing fields. Among the several fields subjected to extensive development were: Colorado, Jim Hogg County; East White Point, San Patricio and Nueces County; Rincon and Sun, Starr County; Glen, Webb and Zapata Counties; Wade City and Orange Grove, Jim Wells County; Stratton and South Clara Driscoll, Nueces County, and Aransas Pass, San Patricio and Aransas Counties. The development of important crude reserves on structures formerly considered primarily distillate fields has probably been the most important phase of the year's operations in South Texas. The Rincon, Stratton, Agua Dulce, Wade City, Odem and Robston fields provided the new crude sand discoveries. At some places crude production was opened by exploratory wells that found new sand horizons; in others by flank wells that found already discovered distillate sands sufficiently low to provide crude production. Rincon, Starr County, with its multiple sands, is now believed to be one of South Texas' largest crude-oil reserves. Offshore drilling showed important results during the year, including the discovery of two new submerged fields and the extension of the East White Point field into offshore Nueces County. The new marine fields are: East Flour Bluff) 76

Jan 1, 1941

By Michel T. Halbouty

The area for which oil and gas developments in South Texas are reported for 1940 in this paper covers the same counties that were included in the reports for 1938 and 1939, with the addition of LaSalle County. LaSalle County is includcd in the Laredo district of South Texas, which totals seven counties for that district. The Corpus Christi district remains the same, with nine counties. The two districts together comprise what is known as the South Texas area for this report. Continued exploration along established trends and beyond proven field limits during 1940 provided South Texas with new fields and new producing levels at a rate of discovery fairly comparable with the high records set during recent years. The wells drilled in the counties within this district (including LaSalle) numbered 1656, approximately 8 per cent below the 1801 figure of last year. However, rank wildcats totaIed 336, an increase of 17.5 per cent compared to the 286 drilled in 1939. Therefore, since new field discoveries numbered 25 in 1940 against 29 in 1939, the rate of new field discoveries in 1940, based upon rank wildcats drilled, was I/I3.4 while that of 1939 was I/9.86, which shows a decrease of about 25 per cent in the rate of new fields. The rank wildcat tests in 1940 gave the following results: 18 produced oil, 4 produced distillate with gas, 3 produced. only gas, and 3r1 were dry holes (Table 5). Of the 1320 tests drilled in already proven fields or as extensions to pro+en areas (representing a decline of 12.8 per cent from last year's total of 1515 tests), 1048 produced oil or distillate, 60 produced gas and 212 were dry holes (Table 4). Of the producers, 50 found new sands or crude-in-distillate-sands in existing fields. Among the several fields subjected to extensive development were: Colorado, Jim Hogg County; East White Point, San Patricio and Nueces County; Rincon and Sun, Starr County; Glen, Webb and Zapata Counties; Wade City and Orange Grove, Jim Wells County; Stratton and South Clara Driscoll, Nueces County, and Aransas Pass, San Patricio and Aransas Counties. The development of important crude reserves on structures formerly considered primarily distillate fields has probably been the most important phase of the year's operations in South Texas. The Rincon, Stratton, Agua Dulce, Wade City, Odem and Robston fields provided the new crude sand discoveries. At some places crude production was opened by exploratory wells that found new sand horizons; in others by flank wells that found already discovered distillate sands sufficiently low to provide crude production. Rincon, Starr County, with its multiple sands, is now believed to be one of South Texas' largest crude-oil reserves. Offshore drilling showed important results during the year, including the discovery of two new submerged fields and the extension of the East White Point field into offshore Nueces County. The new marine fields are: East Flour Bluff) 76

Jan 1, 1941

By John Chipman, Raymond L. Orr

Recently reported high -temperatlnre thermal data have been incorporated in a reuieu' of the therinody-r~ar,zic propesties of iron. The recent data permit mot corlsisterlt and reliuble choices to be made for many of the pvoperties, resnlling in bettev eslablished tabrtlations of the thermodynamic functions. Values of Cp, h°t- - H°298. s°t - S2sa, and (G°T -H298/T are tabulated for -the solid and liquid phases of iron in both stable and melastable regions. Consistency of the tabulations has been maintained to the precision necessr~vg to yield the Gibbs energy change belween the bcc (a, 8) and fcc (y) phases of iron at temperatures pertinenl to alloy studies. THE importance of the metal iron has stimulated many investigations of its thermodynamic properties at elevated temperatures. Reviews and summaries of the data have appeared from time to time. Among these the 1951 paper of Darken and smith' deserves highest recognition for the quality of its criticism and for the precision and thermodynamic consistency of its tabulations. These and the more recent table of Kaufman, Clougherty, and weiss2 reproduce the Gibbs energy of the (a, 6)--Y transformation with sufficient sensitivity for alloy studies. Other recent compilations of equal validity3-' make no attempt to do this. Since this Gibbs energy change is not greater than 22 cal per g-atom over the temperature range 1100° to 1800°K, it is obviously desirable to tabulate values of (G°t - H298)/T to four places of decimals even though the absolute accuracy would not warrant such precision. The necessity for reconsideration of the problem is emphasized by the recent publication of several important researches on the enthalpy and heat capacity of iron. The older work is well-covered in the reviews cited and will be mentioned here only when actually employed in the tabulations. GAMMA IRON Transition temperatures are taken from the selec -tions of Elliott and Gleiser,5 based on the work of Boulanger7 and earlier workers. For the a-y (A3) transition at 1184°K we retain the value 215 cal per g-atom adopted by Darken and smith.' It has received confirmation in the recent work of Dench and Kubaschewski,' and of Braun8 using adiabatic calori-metry, and of Wallace, Sidles, and Danielson10 using a pulse heating technique. The enthalpy data of Olette and ferrier" and of Anderson and Hultgren12 at higher and lower temperatures may be extended to 1184°K to give the following values which are adjusted to the required value of ? 1184 Ha,1184 Ha 298 = 8030 cal per g-atom [11 hr,1184-ha298 = 8245 cal per g-atom [2]

Jan 1, 1968

By C Gunther

The term metamorphism as commonly used means any change in a rock in either form or composition, from whatever cause. By metasomatism, according to Lindgren, is meant a metamorphism that involves a change in the chemical composition of a rock by the addition or subtraction of substance. Certain types of metamorphism are due to the action of mineralizing solutions, and are closely connected with ore deposition; they form, therefore, valuable guides in the exploration for ore-deposits. Other types of metamorphism are due to regional processes, and are not connected with ore deposition. By dynamo-regional metamorphism is meant a primary alteration of rocks over large areas under conditions of pressure, flow- age, and heat. This process produces schists and gneisses from either sediments or igneous rocks. It is thought that there is little migration of minerals or of elements in dynamo-regional metamorphism, and that the changes are due chiefly to recrysallization and rearrangement of original minerals in bands with their major axes oriented normal to the direction of greatest pressure. Under these conditions limestones are commonly altered to marble, and sandstones to quartzite, basic igneous rocks to greenstone or serpentine, while rocks of normal or acid com- position commonly yield the usual types of schist or gneiss. Dynamo-regional metamorphism, extending over large areas, has no connection with mineralizing processes, and is, therefore, no guide to ore deposits; while this process has certain features, such as characteristic mineral associations, in common with contact metamorphism, the results of the two processes may usually be distinguished without difficulty.

Jan 1, 1932

By Richard Pearce

IN looking around me for some subject on which to frame an address for this meeting, it has occurred to me that some results of observation and investigation, in regard to the varied conditions under which gold is found, may possibly prove of interest. The subject is one which frequently crops up in discussions at our meetings, but there is always an immense amount of uncertainty expressed as to the actual condition in which the gold exists in any particular ore. It follows, therefore, that any light which might be shed on this rather complex subject, would be of value to science and of service to mining and metallurgical practice. In some investigations which I have, from time to time, been led to make, for the purpose of determining to what extent an ore might be concentrated, I have been astonished at the very varied and apparently inexplicable results encountered, and have been naturally led to inquire into the causes for such seeming inconsistency. The mines of Gilpin county, Colorado, where gold was first discovered in that State, furnish an infinite variety of examples of its occurrence, and it was here that difficulties first presented themselves to the Colorado miners, in the sudden transition from what is called " free-milling gold-ore " to an ore characterized by properties which make the ordinary treatment by amalgamation stamp-mills utterly impracticable. So long as mining was limited to what might be called the zone of oxidation in the veins, just so long might amalgamation be conducted without difficulty; but directly the miner reached a point beyond the influence of the oxidizing power of the surface waters, the gold resisted all attempts at amalgamation, and recourse • was had to smelting.

Jan 1, 1890