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By E. A. Swedenborg, J. S. Ross

Oil-field waters enter into many underground problems with which the petroleum engineer has to deal. Whether the problem is one of infiltration or natural encroachment, it is always desirable to determine the source of the water before commencing repair or remedial work. The usual mechanical tests for determining the source of extraneous water in wells are slow and expensive. An excellent means for the identification of oil-field waters may be afforded by their chemical characteristics when the chemical character of waters from the various sands has been established by careful sampling and analysis cautiously interpreted. In the Salt Creck field, Wyoming, a fairly high degree of efficiency has been attained in the control of field operations by utilizing the information afforded by the analysis. All of the operating companies appreciate this means of identifying waters, with the result that water-sampling has become general practice. Most of the chemical work dealing with Salt Creek waters has been done since the laboratories of the Midwest Refining Co. and the U. S. Geological Survey, were established in the field; the former in 1922, the latter in 1924. A spirit of cooperation has existed between the company and the government personnel by which many of the data for this paper were made available. Sands of the Salt Creek Field The principal sand horizons in the Salt Creek field are the Shannon, First, Second, and Third Wall Creeks, Dakota, Lakota, Sundance and Tensleep. Of these the important oil producers are the First Wall Creek, Second Wall Creek, Lakota and the Sundance. The Third Wall Creek is lenticular and is productive in only a few wells in the southern end of the field. There are also a number of shale wells, but they do not produce water in any appreciable amount. The stratigraphic position of these sands and their relative thicknesses are shown on the condensed composite section of Salt Creek

Jan 1, 1929

By George Steintveit

Det Norske Zinkicompani A/S was established in 1924, on the initiative of the Compagnie Royale Asturienne des Mines. Experimental electrothermic zinc production was carried out on industrial scale for a two-year period, but the problems of electrothermic smelting were not solved. A license for the electrolytic zinc production process was then obtained from the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. A plant for electrolytic zinc production was built, near the small fjord town of Odda in Hardanger, West Norway, The production was based on zinc ore from Spain, and cheap local hydro-electric power. The plant came into operation in 1929. Annual capacity, 36,000 tons. In 1964 a long-term agreement was concluded with Boliden AB by which Det Norske Zinkkompani is secured the raw materials basis for an expansion of the annual capacity to 100,000 tons of zinc, Since World War II, the company has been pursuing extensive research and development programs. As a result, various sections have been rebuilt: nev unloading and storage facilities, a 250 ton per day Fluid Bed Roaster with contact plant, new continuous leaching system, integrating the Jarosite Residue Process, new solution purification section - upgrading the solution quality for a 600 Amp/m2 current density Tank Room operation -, installation of induction furnaces for cathode melting with casting machines and automatic stacking of slabs. Simultaneously, instrumentation, and methods of automatic control have been developed and introduced, providing conditions for optimal plant operations.

Jan 1, 1970

By D. B. RUSHNORE, K. A. Pauly

Bulletin. No. 41, May, 1910. ABBREVIATIONS. Al. Ind., Alliance Industrielle. am. Elec'n.. . American. Electrician. Bull. As. Ing. El Bulletin de la Association des Ingenieurs Elec- triciens Sortis de l'Institut Electrotecnique Montefiore, Liege. Bull. Soc. bilge d' Elec Bulletin de la Société belge d'Electriciens. Col. Guard . Colliery Guardian. D. R. P Deutsches Reich Patent. Dilly. Poly Dingler's Polytechniches Journal. E. & DI. Jour Engineering and Mining Journal. E. T. Zeit Electrotechnische Zeitschrift. Eclair. Elec. L'Eclairage Electrique. 1;1. Anzeig Elektrotechnischer Anzeiger

Sep 1, 1910

By ERIIL SCHROEDTER

THE death, on May 6, 1908, of Dr. Hermann Wedding, Privy Mining Councilor of the Kingdom of Prussia, and Professor of the Metallurgy of Iron and Steel at the Royal Mining Academy of Berlin, was a loss keenly felt by the whole metallurgical world. Not alone in his native land, but also in foreign countries did he enjoy an esteem of which the title of honorary membership in the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the United States Association of Charcoal Iron-Workers, and the (British) Iron and Steel Institute bears eloquent testimony. Hermann Wedding was born March 9, 1834, in Berlin. At the suggestion of Dr. C. J. B. Karsten, the veteran father of Prussian metallurgy and author of the first German text-book of the metallurgy of iron, lie turned his attention, after gradu¬ating from the gymnasium, to mining and metallurgy. In 1853, he began a practical course at the Malapane iron-works, in Upper Silesia. Subsequently, he studied at the Berlin Mining Academy, and received from the University in 1859 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. A journey which be made to England, somewhat later, led to his undertaking a German translation, with revision and additions, of John Percy's classic treatise on the metallurgy of iron and steel, the publication of which, in successive installments, stretched through many years. In 1863, lie published, as a thesis in connection with his "Assessor's examination," an essay, entitled The Results of the Bessemer Process for the Production of Steel, and Its Prospects for the Rhenish and Westphalian Iron and Steel Industry, which revealed such ability and knowledge as to secure for him a call to the chair of metallurgy in the Berlin Mining Academy.

Jun 1, 1909

By C. E. Meissner

THE need for a practical method of deciding upon new alloy steel analyses to widen its markets was the problem facing the Chrome Steel Works at the beginning of 1927. In addition to determining the physical properties of the alloys under consideration, it was necessary to test their value in service. Small melts of steel in a crucible, from which test specimens could be made, were insufficient to determine more than physical properties, therefore actual castings and ingots had to be made before the products could be placed in service. Furthermore, to save further experimental work, it was desirable that these heats should be made on a "pilot" basis; that is, actually duplicating regular open-hearth furnace practice. Therefore a one-ton (2000-lb.) acid open-hearth furnace was built. FURNACE DESIGN There are no special features in the design of this furnace. Standard acid open-hearth practice is followed, with the reproportioning of the dimensions necessitated by its small size; notably, a considerably increased length in proportion to width in order to get proper flame propagation. After the first heat was made it was found that the checkers were insufficient. The checker chambers were increased in size and the checker openings were made much smaller. The furnace was started late in March, 1927, and made 65 heats. Experimental work was then stopped until the data accumulated could be worked up and summarized. The run was resumed in November and the furnace is still operating, having made at this writing 60 additional heats. For the last series of runs, there was some rebuilding of both the furnace itself and the checkers. Slag pockets were added. Fig. 1 shows details of construction; Fig. 2, the, general appearance. All designing was done by the operating and engineering staff. Construction materials were those available around the plant. The reversing valve is a standard butterfly type taken from an old furnace.

Jan 1, 1928

By P. J. Potter

Practically all tin-base babbitt metals used in engine bearings are made to customers' specifications, which are many and varied. The copper ranges from 3 to 8 per cent. and the antimony from 4 to 13 per cent.; generally, the babbitt with lower copper content will contain from 4 to 8 per cent. antimony and that with higher copper will have from 7 to 13 per cent. antimony. The allowable lead content varies from 0.20 to 2.00 per cent. If a solder is used as a bonding material instead of tin, the resulting material in the finished bearing will have a higher lead content, but it would not be enough to bring the lead above specifica-tional limits. Impurities such as iron, arsenic and bismuth should be determined in the tin before using to insure a uniform and high-grade product. These points must be considered when segregating and grading the waste that comes from the finishing operations on lined bearings. Classification of SCRAP Because of the extremely rigid nature of most of the specifications for bearing linings it is necessary to use the purest of materials as a base for all compositions. The problem of handling secondary metals is confined almost entirely to the recovery of drosses, spills and turnings incident to the manufacturing operations. As a matter of convenience the waste or scrap may be divided into 10 grades, as follows: 1. Tin from pots where tinning operation is carried out. 2. Tin and babbitt spatters from babbitting operation. - 3. Tin skimmings combined with burned zinc chloride. 4. Borings and reamings. 5. Gates from die-cast bushings and bearings. 6. Drosses from die-cast pots, babbitt foundry pots, and pots in babbittiug room. 7. Babbitt with small amount of bronze from machining operations. 8. Babbitt and bronze borings. 9. Scrap bronze-back babbitt-lined bearings. I 10. Scrap die-cast bearings and bushings. A few of these grades of salvaged material have compositions that make it possible to determine beforehand where they may be used to

Jan 1, 1930

By F. E. Lucas

This paper is offered with considerable diflidence, since some of the statements made may not agree with the opinions of other members of the Institute. What I give is the result of some years of experience in the operation and construction of coke-ovens, and observation of plants in America and Europe. Although my title is " The Manufacture of Coke," I have found it impossible to do justice to the subject without touching on a number of points which, while not strictly involved in the making of coke, yet are of paramount importance from an economic standpoint. There are, indeed, many points of interest, on each of which a separate paper of considerable length might be written, but the scope of my paper will permit me only to touch lightly some of them, in the hope that what I say will promote a full discussion on the whole question. Those of us who are interested in the manufacture of coke are under an obligation to the American Institute of Mining Engineers, which has opened its meetings to the discussion of this subject. I do not believe that there is any question to-day more worthy or more in need of discussion. When geologists and mining-men tell us that, at the present rate of consumption, our coal-fields will be exhausted in a few generations, me should welcome any means that will conserve these deposits as far as possible, and give us the greatest amount of heat or power from every ton mined. I shall try to show that much can be done in this direction through the by-product coke-oven, and that it should stand second to none as an economic factor in the industrial world. I shall here deal exclusively with the by-product oven, except for the comparative statement I hare prepared, showing the saving to be effected by coking in by-product instead of beehive orens. It should be borne in mind that this comparison

Jan 1, 1913

By A. B. Kinzel

A PREVIOUS study1 of the relations of impact strength to inclusions showed that the dynamic strength of steel is lowered by the presence of visible counted inclusions, but that other factors comprised in the term "body" have a marked influence. The previous work was carried out on selected steels from a single source, so that the body factor was purposely minimized, but even under these conditions it was found that inclusion counting or the use of the commercial inclusion rating is not satisfactory. The tensile-impact test, however, was indicated as a satisfactory measure of dynamic strength. It was further suggested that the tensile-impact test should be so standardized as to be suitable for use in specifications, and that the hardness factor should be worked out over a sufficient range to admit ready commercial use of the tensile-impact test. In accordance with these suggestions, and in view of the fact that the steels reported in the previous paper were selected and treated so as to have a minimum variation in body, hardness and structure, further work has been performed on a variety of steels which are not limited by these conditions. The word "body" is used here for want of a better term. It is simply a convenient expression which comprises the effect of the various unknown factors that modify the dynamic strength of the steel. Thus at our present state of knowledge, the writers have chosen to consider hardness, structure and counted inclusion content as factors not comprised in the term "body," and such factors as raw materials, process of melting, fabricating, etc. as comprised in the term "body." Numerous grades of steels made in several ways have been taken from different sources and have been heat-treated to varying hardness by normalizing and by quenching and drawing. The results, therefore, may be considered to be generally applicable to current engineering steels. A certain limitation with respect to the hardness at which steel should be

Jan 1, 1931

By Harold A. Linke

The following article presents notes and data compiled and computed by the writer for use in the determination of: size and slope of mill launders, details of junction boxes and downspouts, and distribution of pulp. It also includes pulp formulas, volume of discharge through bushings, paths of discharging streams, banking of turns and curves. In the design of a concentrating mill, the draftsman usually considers launders to the extent of providing ample "head" for transmission of pulp from one department of the mill to another. The superintendent of construction aims to build his launders wide and deep, and on a slope steep enough to ensure positive flow. So launders are laid generally on too steep a slope, with the result that the repair gang works to maintain launder bottoms and sides against the erosive action of the conveyed pulp. To this end many kinds of liners have been devised: concrete, mastic, white iron, glass, rubber. True, the reduction of slope to the point where a pulp will flow with minimum wear, will minimize labor and expense; but when the desired slope is not predetermined, the millman hesitates to readjust his launder slopes by cut-and-try methods. To the end that the desired size and slope may be found readily, the writer has: (1) conducted experiments with pulps of different specific gravity, screen analysis and dilution; (2) gathered a few graphic data from standard reference works (such as Peele's Mining Engineer's Handbook and Taggart's Handbook of Ore Dressing); (3) computed several tables; and compiled results that have proved dependable for Utah Copper ore. It is quite possible that the following tables and graphs may not be applicable to all ores, but it is hoped that they may prove helpful, even in slight degree, in alleviating a portion of the trouble and migraine of some other millman. Launder Slopes The main object in the study of launder slopes is to provide grade steep enough to prevent "sanding" by a safe margin, and to avoid

Jan 1, 1943

By Harold A. Linke

The following article presents notes and data compiled and computed by the writer for use in the determination of: size and slope of mill launders, details of junction boxes and downspouts, and distribution of pulp. It also includes pulp formulas, volume of discharge through bushings, paths of discharging streams, banking of turns and curves. In the design of a concentrating mill, the draftsman usually considers launders to the extent of providing ample "head" for transmission of pulp from one department of the mill to another. The superintendent of construction aims to build his launders wide and deep, and on a slope steep enough to ensure positive flow. So launders are laid generally on too steep a slope, with the result that the repair gang works to maintain launder bottoms and sides against the erosive action of the conveyed pulp. To this end many kinds of liners have been devised: concrete, mastic, white iron, glass, rubber. True, the reduction of slope to the point where a pulp will flow with minimum wear, will minimize labor and expense; but when the desired slope is not predetermined, the millman hesitates to readjust his launder slopes by cut-and-try methods. To the end that the desired size and slope may be found readily, the writer has: (1) conducted experiments with pulps of different specific gravity, screen analysis and dilution; (2) gathered a few graphic data from standard reference works (such as Peele's Mining Engineer's Handbook and Taggart's Handbook of Ore Dressing); (3) computed several tables; and compiled results that have proved dependable for Utah Copper ore. It is quite possible that the following tables and graphs may not be applicable to all ores, but it is hoped that they may prove helpful, even in slight degree, in alleviating a portion of the trouble and migraine of some other millman. Launder Slopes The main object in the study of launder slopes is to provide grade steep enough to prevent "sanding" by a safe margin, and to avoid

Jan 1, 1943

By R. H. Thurston

THE writer became convinced, many years ago, that the generally accepted values of the coefficient of friction for lubricated surfaces were not applicable to such heavy machinery as he had been called upon, in the course of professional work, to design, to construct, and to operate. Experience frequently seemed to indicate, also, a wide departure, in such cases, from the accepted "laws of friction." In the year 1869, or earlier, he invented an apparatus to redetermine these laws and these coefficients for a wide range of temperatures, pressures and velocities. The construction of the machine was delayed, however, some time, and no experiments were made for several years, when, finally, the construction of the apparatus was commenced in the workshops of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and experiments were begun in the Mechanical Laboratory organized by the writer in connection with the Department of Engineering. These machines have now been in use about five years, and have furnished an immense amount of valuable information. Those now in use are of two styles: one designed and built by the Class of 1877, Figs. 1 and 2; the other a much larger machine, Figs. 3 and 4. The first has been already frequently described,* and a working drawing of the second has been also published.† For convenience, engravings of both are herewith reproduced. In the “'77 machine,” a journal, F, is made on the overhung extremity of a shaft carried in the two bearings, B B'. This journal is grasped by brass boxes which are carried in a pendulum, II H. They are forced against the journal by a screw which compresses a coiled spring with a pressure which is read off on the scale, N H. A weight at the lower end of the arm, at I, gives it the necessary resistance to deflection. The angle of deflection is measured on the * In Scientific American, Railroad Gazette, Jour. Frank. Inst., Johnson's Cyclopaedia, Knight's Mechanical Dictionary, etc. † Railroad Gazette, Jan. 18th, 1878, p. 25.

Jan 1, 1879

By A. B. Kinzel, Walter Crafts

A PRevioUs study1 of the relations of impact strength to inclusions showed that the dynamic strength of steel is lowered by the presence of visible counted inclusions, but that other factors comprised in the term "body" have a marked influence. The previous work was carried out on selected steels from a single source, so that the body factor was purposely minimized, but even under these conditions it was found that inclusion counting or the use of the commercial inclusion rating is not satisfactory. The tensile-impact test, however, was indicated as a satisfactory measure of dynamic strength. It was further suggested that the tensile-impact test should be so standardized as to be suitable for use in specifications, and that the hardness factor should be worked out over a sufficient range to admit ready commercial use of the tensile-impact test. In accordance with these suggestions, and in view of the fact that the steels reported in the previous paper were selected and treated so as to have a minimum variation in body, hardness and structure, further work has been performed on a variety of steels which are not limited by these conditions. The word "body" is used here for want of a better term. It is simply a convenient expression which comprises the effect, of the various unknown factors that modify the dynamic strength of the steel. Thus at our present state of knowledge, the writers have chosen to consider hardness, structure and counted inclusion content as factors not comprised in the term "body," and such factors as raw materials, process of melting, fabricating, etc., as comprised in the term "body." Numerous grades of steels made in several ways have been taken from different sources and have been heat-treated to varying hardness by normalizing and by quenching and drawing. The results, therefore, may be considered to be generally applicable to current engineering steels. A certain limitation with respect to the hardness at which steel should be tested still seems necessary. The upper limit of this hardness range has

Jan 1, 1931

By C. E. Meissner

The need for a practical method of deciding upon new alloy steel analyses to widen its markets was the problem facing the Chrome Steel Works at the beginning of 1927. In addition to determining the physical properties of the alloys under consideration, it was necessary to test their value in service. Small melts of steel in a crucible, from which test specimens could be made, were insufficient to determine more than physical properties, therefore actual castings and ingots had to be made before the products could be placed in service. Furthermore, to save further experimental work, it was desirable that these heats should be made on a "pilot" basis; that is, actually duplicating regular open-hearth furnace practice. Therefore a one-ton (2000-lb.) acid open-hearth furnace was built. Furnace Design There are no special features in the design of this furnace. Standard acid open-hearth practice is followed, with the reproportioning of the dimensions necessitated by its small size; notably, a considerably increased length in proportion to width in order to get proper flame propagation. After the first heat was made it was found that the check-ers were insufficient. The checker chambers were increased in size and the checker openings were made much smaller. The furnace was started late in March, 1927, and made 65 heats. Experimental work was then stopped unti1, the data accumulated could be worked up and summarized. The run was resumed in November and the furnace is still operating, having made at this writing 60 additional heats. For the last series of runs, there was some rebuilding of both the furnace itself and the checkers. Slag pockets were added. Fig. 1 shows details of construction; Fig. 2, the general appearance. All designing was done by the operating and engineering staff. Construction materials were those available around the plant. The reversing valve is a standard butterfly type taken from an old furnace. The slag pockets and checkers are cleaned by digging down to arched openings which have been bricked up.

During the war period of quicksilver activity there were a number of departures from what may be termed the classical quicksilver metallurgy. Attempts were made to beneficiate low-grade ores by gravity concentration and flotation; mechanical furnaces began to replace the Scott furnace and the vertical coarse-ore furnaces, and condensers of sewer tile and redwood tanks were used in place of the older brick and stone condensing chambers. Other developments that have occurred during the current period of quicksilver activity are mainly in the nature of improvement and further refinement of those started during the war period. Each period of quicksilver activity has been accompanied by the proposal of various new processes, including wet methods for the treatment of quicksilver ores and innovations in furnaces, retorts and condenser equipment. As far as the author knows, nothing of economic significance in the way of "new processes" has been developed. There is in fact no real need for any essentially new process for the treatment of quicksilver ores; the direct furnace treatment is simple and inexpensive. Moreover, with rare exceptions, the quicksilver industry has no complex or refractory ore problems corresponding to those which are receiving more and more attention from metallurgists in other branches of the nonferrous field. Untler these conditions improvements in quicksilver metallurgy must be looked for through the adaptation of current developments in engineering and metallurgy generally to the particular needs of quicksilver practice rather than through the invention of new processes. Preliminary Treatment of Quicksilver Ores At Sulphur Bank, in the treatment of old dump material left by the early operators, wet screening is being used as a preliminary step in concentration ahead of flotation. Power shovels and trucks are used to deliver some 400 tons of ore per day to the lower terminal of a hoist, which in turn discharges the material at the top of the screening plant. Wet screening is carried on in two stages. Depending on the character of the material, 1-in. or 2-in. punched screens are used on the first trommel.

Jan 1, 1930

By Carroll C. Bailey, William F. Boericke

Mine financing, or providing adequate capital for developing and bringing a mining property into production, is an essential requirement for a successful operation. Today it presents a different picture than even twenty-five years ago. The day appears to be gone when a mining property could pay its own way from grass roots to production. The country has been quite thoroughly combed for surface showings from which sufficient initial profit could be immediately garnered to pay for further development and production facilities. The four M's for success in mining-mineral, market, management, and money-are still essential, but doubled or tripled wage costs and steep advances in cost of equipment and supplies throw increased emphasis on adequate capital funds for converting a prospect into a producer. Consequently, the old picturesque, although seldom rewarding, grub- staking procedure where a single venturesome citizen might advance funds to a prospector on a fifty-fifty basis for whatever discovery he might find, has largely disappeared. Its place, to some degree, has been taken by the small syndicate of venturesome members who band together for furnishing funds to a group of prospectors for the same general purposes. Such a syndicate has a definite organization and is usually assured of sufficient initial funds, or flow of funds, to carry on work for several years. It is usually headed by an engineer-promoter or an entrepreneur trader who has had considerable field experience as well as personal knowledge of his prospecting crews. For the owner of a potential mining property who has ample capital, the problem is to determine (1) justification for the necessary investment in exploration and development, and (2) the economics of the enterprise as to size and degree of integration of the ha1 operating entity. If the owner of such a property has little or no capital, he also faces these same basic problems but, in addition, must be able to present the findings of fact and persuade the prospective investor that the enterprise will produce

Jan 1, 1964

By AIME AIME

MIING Engineer. Metallurgist, Economist-in any of those three capacities Paul Tyler should be able to make a living. Further- more, he has proved his ability as an operating man teacher, researcher. and prolific writer. For the last three years he has been chief engineer of the non-metal Economics Division of the. U. S. Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1941

By Gerard C. Gambs

The electric utility industry is the largest customer of the U.S. coal industry, consuming nearly 50% of present coal production. By 1980, the electric utilities are expected to burn over 500 million tpy of coal or 75% of total coal production. When coal is burned in electric utility plants, ash is produced in one of several forms. These include fly ash, bottom ash and bottom slag. At the present time, approximately 20 million tons of these ashes are produced and must be disposed of by the utilities at a cost of 50[c] to $2 per ton. In 15 years, more than double this quantity will be produced. Only a small quantity of this ash is put to any practical use. Much remains to be done about expanding uses for fly ash and bottom slag.

Jan 1, 1967

By AIME AIME

The following financial report of the Treasurer of the United Engineering Society is published for the information of members NEW YORK, February 15, 190S. To the Board of' Trustees, United Engineering Society I beg to submit herewith the report of the Treasurer as of December 31, 1907. Your attention is called to the fact that the resources and liabilities, receipts and disbursements statements cover all the financial transactions of the United Engineering Society from its organization up to December 31, 1907. The income and expenses of operating the building during the whole operating period from December 1 to December 31, 1907, somewhat in excess of twelve months, are given. Included in the expenses, amounting in all to $52,647.11, will be found an item entitled "Building Equipment (construction account)." The expenditures under this item were not made for the operating expenses of the building, they represent a construction account, properly speaking, covering expenditures for furnishings and equipment of the building. The Founders' Agreement specifically provides for this class of expenditure under the provision that the Founder Societies shall each be liable for a charge not to exceed $200,000 of principal, which shall include the land and building completed and ready for occupancy, together with the " furnishings, equipment and personal property therein." Certain details of equipment are yet to be supplied, and it. is proposed in the near future to call upon the Founder Societies for an assessment on their respective land and building funds to cover this item of building equipment. Such action would enable the item of $10,039.85 to be transferred to the income account and reduce correspondingly the assessment

Mar 1, 1908

By Hokuichiro Ohmachi

INTRODUCTION Metallic minerals have been formed only through complex geologic processes which took place at certain stages of the earth's histrory. Their concentration, abundance, and distribution are, therefore, restricted geologically, and very small in global scale. Ore is a mineral deposit or mineral concentration from which metals can be economically extracted by the contemporaneous technology. By this definition, several factors should be considered before any mineral deposit is regarded as an ore. The grade of mineral concentration and the scale of the reserve are most important. Demand for the metal and its price are the other factors. Advancement of technology in mining and extraction are also vital. Copper, for example, is now commonly extracted from the ores containing less than 0.3% of the metal. However, in the 1700's the common minerable grade was about 13%, and in the 1900's between 5 to 2.5%. This decrease in minerable grade is a function of not only the demand for copper, but also technological progress in mining and metal extraction in this case. Availability of ores has recently been subject to political factors, which were not the primary concern in the past. The petroleum of the Middle East is the prominent example. The metallic minerals are classified into three categories. The first one is the minerals free from these factors mentioned above. Iron and manganese belong to this category. The second category include aluminum, copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, lead and zinc. These metals can be provided by the future progress in technology which enables the use of lower grade deposits. The third one represents the metals whose occurrence is geologically limited, and, thus, subject to the political factors. Niobium and tantalium are the example. In this article, I discuss these minerals in detail to give an outline of the factors which brought their concentration, distribution and availability. SELECTED MINERAL CONCENTRATIONS Iron Major iron ore deposits are the features of the relics of ancient continental crusts. They are found in all the continents where the Precambrian rocks expose. They do not occur in the oldest rocks (3,000my old) nor in the youngest ones (600my old). They are sedimentary rocks, normally, exhibiting alternations of bands of iron oxides (magnetite and hematite) or iron silicates (especially greenalite), and bands of silica, variously described as jasper, quartzite and chert. The best known banded iron ore deposits exist in the Lake Superior region of the North America, and their distribution extends at intervals to Labrador of Canada. Other examples occur in the U.S.S.R. Brazil, Venezela, India, the mainland China, and southern and western Africa (Liberia and Guines) (Table 1). Recently large deposits have been discovered in the Hammersley region of the western Australia, and northern and central region of Brazil. These ore deposits were originally formed in shallow seas where simple but abundant life existed. After the deposition, enrichment processes , related to tropical weathering, have brought about wholesale removal of silica to produce the deposits of best quality. Ores with 50-60% iron represent the best products in the Precambrian fields. Since local reserves of this high grade ores approach to exhaustion, benefication processes have been used effectively to upgrade much leaner ores (for example, taconite with 20-25% iron in Minesota, U.S.A.). There are two other types of iron deposits. Ironstone, a sedimentary rock containing goethite, chamosite and siderite, first appeared in early Paleozoic times in the stratigraphic record, and reached its Zenith in the Jurassic. Similar bedded iron deposits are found in the belt from the Cleveland Hills to Oxford in England, and in the "minette" oolitic ores of Alsace-Lorraine in Luxenburg and France. The iron content of these ironstones seldom exceed 30%, but they usually contain calcite and are self-fluxing. They also have phosphorous as undesirable impurity. Because of the grade and impurities, they require more fuel than the Precambrian ores. The third type of iron ore is associated with igneous activity and consists of magnetite and some hematite, and apatite. This deposit is believed to be a product of magmatic differenciation. It occurs in Kiruna of Arctic Sweden. The iron ore, therefore, present no global shortage problem. They extend to considerable depths. Their concentration is largest among the metals. If low grades were treated, the resource can be stepped up much substantially. Manganese Manganese is a ferro--alloy metal, thus, essential to the manufacture of sound steel. Manganese comes from manganese oxide and silicate ores. Many minerals contain manganese, but only a few oxides, silicates, and, in some places, carbonates (rhodecrosite) are mined as ore. Types of manganese deposits are bedded, massive,

Jan 1, 1982

By V. V. J. Sarma

Interpretation of earth resistivity data involves not only obtaining depth to interfaces but also determining the nature of formations from their resistivity characteristics. Moore's method of interpretation envisages obtaining depths to the interfaces alone. A simple method of estimating the true resistivity values of formations by applying Hummel's formula of average resistivities is proposed. The method would increase the interpretative value of Moore's method as originally proposed. For most of the earth resistivity measurements, the four-electrode configuration developed by Wennerl is employed. In principal, the method consists of energizing (Current I) the ground through two outer electrodes and measuring the resultant potential (v) between the two inner electrodes. The configuration is such that the separation (a) between any two successive electrodes is equal. The apparent resistivity (pa) for such a configuration is given by 2p- a (V/I). By increasing the electrode separation (pa vs a) curves are obtained. Ideally, a homogeneous isotropic formation underground has a characteristic resistivity. However, the field conditions do not present such ideal cases. Almost invariably, even in the same geological bed, the physical conditions are widely different at different parts in the bed. It is further shown that the penetration of the current into the ground for a given horizontal electrode separation, a, is roughly down to a depth, equal to a. It is therefore, evident that the apparent resistivity calculated from the field observations is a weighted average of the resistivities of the materials present down to this depth. With some prior knowledge about the relative dispositions of the geological formations and their physical conditions, it would be possible, by resistivity surveys, to obtain characteristic resistivities for these formations. It is, thus, that the apparent resistivity-electrode separation curves enable one to decipher the resis- tivity distribution at various depth levels and therefore the nature of the geological formations present. Both empirical and theoretical methods have been developed for determining resistivity characteristics of the various formations. The theoretical methods proposed by Tagg2 and Roman3 are derived from studies of the potential distribution on the surface due to the presence of layers of widely differing resistivities underground. The more recent methods of Wetzel and McMurry4 and Wetzel and Mooney5 are but extensions of the original Roman method of superposition. These methods suffer from lack of similarity of the actual field conditions with those of assumed conditions in developing the theory. The empirical methods such as the one developed by Gish and rooneY6 depend purely on personal observation and local peculiarities, and are applicable only for those limited areas. Out of the empirical methods, moore's7 cumulative resistivity method is still found to be applicable in several localities of differing conditions. While Reudy in 1945 adduced some theoretical justification for the method (Eve and Keys),8 Muskat9 and Mooney 10 tried to show the lack of theoretical basis for the same. It is, however, observed that the method in practice "forms a valuable means of successfully attacking the apparent resistivity curves which fail to respond to the Gish-Rooney, the Tagg or the Roman logarithmic methods" (Ramachandra Rao). 11 Comparatively good results are also reported by Melbyel2 by employing Moore's method in interpreting the resistivity results obtained for ground water in the city of Gunnison, Colo. MOORE'S METHOD As has already been pointed out, the application of the theoretical methods is time-consuming, laborious and sometimes not applicable for quick and accurate interpretation of the field data. moore7 has developed a quick method for obtaining depths to interfaces by plotting the cumulative sums of resistivities, against the corresponding electrode separations a instead of plotting the usual Pa — a curve. In this process of continuous integration, corrections for small variations in resistivities, arising due to local surface conditions or adjacent layers, are made, while large consistent variations are brought out

Jan 1, 1963