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By C. S. Blair

The development of a geological department as an integral part of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. in the Birmingham district, Alabama, in 1908 was an innovation probably unique for any mining organization south of the Ohio River. At that time a few of the oil companies were starting geological departments, but there were no geologists among the larger industrial organizations. The Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. had been a substantial producer of pig iron for many years and was just getting a start in the manufacture of steel products from the pig iron. It had large acreages of coal land, ore land and timber land, but there was lacking the detailed knowledge of the possible mineral resources of much of its territory, and this territory at that time covered an area in the neighborhood of 500,000 acres in the states of Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. Those responsible for the operations of the mining properties, not being familiar with the kind of help that might be expected from geologic work, were decidedly skeptical of the utility of the work. Therefore it was necessary to develop cooperation with the mining organization, by not infringing upon its functions, and by developing the work in such a manner as to demonstrate to the mining department its practical utility. In the first instance the man responsible for a mining operation is apt to assume the attitude that the geologist is a blockader, because the geologist, unfortunately, is obliged to point out difficulties in the carrying out of mining operations in the way originally planned. He points out the dangers of mining out one coal or metal seam at the ultimate expense of an upper or lower seam, and he develops structural features, such as faults and folds, which call to the attention of the mining operator difficulties in his future operations, which the latter had not anticipated. Eventually, however, the value of having these data became apparent to the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co., and the operators not only welcomed the geological work and cooperated fully in its acquisition of essential information, but reached the point of asking assistance and advice; and complete coordination of the two activities has existed for many years.

Jan 1, 1935

By Jean Howard

ThE formation of the (100) [001) texture in 3-1/4 pct Si-Fe strip was first reported by Assmus ef a1.l in 1957. Since then much experimental work has been carried out with a view to establishing the mechanism involved. The papers cited above state that the (100) [001] texture was developed in strip rolled from material melted and cast in vacuum. (The impurity content of the ingot is reported as 0.005 pct.) The present note records that similar results can be obtained in material processed by powder metallurgy. A processing schedule is described.which enables the texture to be formed in strip up to 0.010 in. thick, but there seems no reason why this should not be achieved in thicker strip, provided that large grains are developed after sintering. The materials were prepared from Carbonyl Iron Powder Grade MCP (particle size 5 to 30 p) of the International Nickel Co. (Mond) Ltd. The powder contains about 0.15 pct 0, 0.01 pct C, 0.004 pct N, <0.002 pct S, $0.005 pct Mg and Si, and 0.4 pct Ni— that is, it is substantially free from metallic impurities other than nickel, which is thought to be unimportant in the present work. The silicon powder was 99.9 pct purity, or material of transistor quality (ground in pestle and mortar). The mixed powders (3-1/4 pct Si to 96-3/4 pct Fe) are heated in hydrogen at 350" and 650°C to deoxidize the iron before sintering loose at temperatures between 1350" and 1460°C (depending upon the ultimate thickness of strip required) for up to 24 hr. The object of the high-temperature sinter is to develop a large grain size at this stage. Alternatively, the loose sintering can be done at a lower temperature followed by rolling or pressing and then annealing at temperatures between 1350" and 1460°C. Both methods produce large grains, which remain large throughout the process. The compact is then hot-rolled to approximately 1/8 in. with high-temperature interstage anneals if necessary. This step is taken to avoid intercrystalline cracking which would occur if the material of such large grain size were cold-worked. The bar is then annealed at 1050°C and reduced to its final thickness by approximately 50-pct reductions and 1050°C interstage anneals. Throughout the process the dew point of the hydrogen furnace atmosphere is maintained at about -40°C. Samples were annealed in hydrogen at various temperatures and times. Secondary recrystalliza-tion to (100) [001] was developed on the thinner material (i.e., up to 0.002 in.) by annealing in hydrogen at 1050" to 1200°C with a dew point of - 40°C or in vacuum (10-5 Torr) at 1050°C. With the thicker materials (i.e., up to 0.010 in.) the best results were obtained by annealing in hydrogen at 1200°C with a dew point of - 55°C. Complete secondary recrystal-lization to (100) [001] textures was obtained. Above these temperatures secondary recrystallization to (110) [001] tended to develop. The final annealing of samples was normally carried out with the samples placed between recrystal-lized alumina plates, but some experiments were performed with the samples suspended so that their surfaces were not in contact with anything except hydrogen, and these were equally successful in developing secondary crystals. An approximate determination of the proportion of material (before secondary recrystallization took place) having crystals with the (100) or (110) planes in or near the rolling plane showed that 11 pct of the sample had (100) and 16 pct (110). The method used for the determination is described below. A sample was annealed at a temperature just below the secondary recrystallization temperature and etched to reveal the (100) planes. The approximate area covered by crystals having (100) or (110) in or very near the surface was measured on the screen of a Vickers projection microscope. This was repeated for twenty positions chosen at random and a mean of the results calculated. The main hindrance to developing the secondary crystals in the thicker materials was the difficulty of obtaining a large enough initial primary grain size before secondary recrystallization. This was overcome by increasing the particle size of the silicon powder used. During the course of the work, it had been observed that the larger the grain size after sintering the more likely it was that the material would be successful in developing secondary crystals at a later stage. An experiment was therefore carried out to determine whether the material with the larger grain was more successful in developing secondary crystals due to the large grain produced at the sintering state per se or whether it was due to the greater reduction of silica brought about when the sintering temperature was raised in order to increase the grain size. A comparison was made between two compacts, one of which was made with silicon powder of 60 to 100 mesh, the other with silicon powder which was finer than 200 mesh. F?r this experiment, use was made of a phenomenon previously observed that the larger the particle size of the silicon powder employed in making a compact, the larger is the grain size of the compact. The silicon powder was ground

Jan 1, 1964

Claims of 16 gold mining companies seeking damages from L-208 will be heard in Court of Claims starting Jan. 26. Earlier this year, judges ruled that 3 gold mining companies could sue for damages from the wartime order closing their mines. Congress later waived the statute of limitations thus permitting other gold miners to get in their claims. Despite power shortages third quarter production of aluminum exceeded that of the previous period by 2.2 pct. However, September production was 16 million lb less than in August. Hewitt-Robbins, Inc. dedicated a new $1 million addition to the company&apos;s Buffalo, N. Y. belt conveyor plant. New equipment, including a $220,000 press, will make belts up to 70 in, wide, compared with the former limit of 60 in. Charges of a tin cartel in Malaya are not backed up in the latest U. S. Government report according to the Malayan Tin Bureau. The U. S. mission reported that it "did not discover any evidence of curtailment of tin output by the mining and smelting industries." It noted that guerilla activity had halted exploration and expansion attempts by producers.

Jan 1, 1952

By Paul M. Tyler, Herbert R. Mosley

Strategically situated in almost the heart of the leading fertilizer-consuming area of the United States, Tennessee long has ranked second only to Florida as a phosphate-producing state. Since 1932 its share of the national output of phosphate rock has increased steadily, and in 1937 its production mounted to an all-time record. More significant even than the increase in tonnage are the forward strides in technology. The Tennessee Valley Authority&apos;s research program has led to quasicommer-cia1 operations using hydroelectric power to manufacture concentrated phosphatic fertilizer that is used to further the farmer education program designed to streamline the fertilizer business and halt the appalling waste of farm land by soil erosion. Even more stimulating to chemically minded imaginations is the production of elemental phosphorus by a private company that not only has succeeded in extracting it from the phosphate rock in electric furnaces but actually has contrived to capture it and to transport it safely in tank cars. New values have been created for low-grade phosphate deposits, and the economic life of reserves has been lengthened while the waste of former years goes back into the mills for recovery of its values by modernized methods. Tennessee&apos;s phosphate-mining industry dates from the discovery of blue rock in Lewis County in December 1893. Its known reserves are of the order of 101,500,000 tons, which compares with the production of 825,099 tons in 1937; that is, 21 per cent of the phosphate-rock output of the whole nation. The total output reported from 1894 until July 1. 1938, was approximately 19,000,000 tons. Offcial estimates of reserves are overly conservative and evidence submitted before a joint Congressional committee in November 1938 places "probable" reserves at more than 6,000,000,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1942

By Herbert R. Mosley, Paul M. Tyler

Strategically situated in almost the heart of the leading fertilizer-consuming area of the United States, Tennessee long has ranked second only to Florida as a phosphate-producing state. Since 1932 its share of the national output of phosphate rock has increased steadily, and in 1937 its production mounted to an all-time record. More significant even than the increase in tonnage are the forward strides in technology. The Tennessee Valley Authority&apos;s research program has led to quasicommer-cia1 operations using hydroelectric power to manufacture concentrated phosphatic fertilizer that is used to further the farmer education program designed to streamline the fertilizer business and halt the appalling waste of farm land by soil erosion. Even more stimulating to chemically minded imaginations is the production of elemental phosphorus by a private company that not only has succeeded in extracting it from the phosphate rock in electric furnaces but actually has contrived to capture it and to transport it safely in tank cars. New values have been created for low-grade phosphate deposits, and the economic life of reserves has been lengthened while the waste of former years goes back into the mills for recovery of its values by modernized methods. Tennessee&apos;s phosphate-mining industry dates from the discovery of blue rock in Lewis County in December 1893. Its known reserves are of the order of 101,500,000 tons, which compares with the production of 825,099 tons in 1937; that is, 21 per cent of the phosphate-rock output of the whole nation. The total output reported from 1894 until July 1. 1938, was approximately 19,000,000 tons. Offcial estimates of reserves are overly conservative and evidence submitted before a joint Congressional committee in November 1938 places "probable" reserves at more than 6,000,000,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1942

By H. H. Stoek

Danville, the county seat of Montour county, Pa., was one of the earliest and best-known centers of the iron intlustry in the State. It is situated on the north bank of the north branch of the Sosquehanna river, twelve miles east of the confluence of the north and west branches of that river at Northurnberlttnd. The ore-belt, extending for a distance of twelve miles along the north bank, has been developed in a number of places, but nowhere so extensively as in the immediate vicinity of Danville. Hence, a description of the mines in that locality will suffice, as typical of the workings of the entire section. Geology. The Montour ridge consists of an anticlinal fold extending from the source of Wapwollopen creek on the east to the west branch of the Susquehanna, which it reaches at the mouth of Chilisquaque creek. According to the reports of the First Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, the length of the ridge is nearly twenty-seven miles, with an average breadth of three-fourths of a mile, and a maximum elevation of six hundred feet in the vicinity of Danville, where it also attains its greatest width. Just north of Danville the Mahoning creek cuts through it, exposing the iron-ore on the hill-side, where advantage has been taken of this to work the beds on the southern slope of the ridge by means of drifts. The sections given in Fig. 1 are taken from the reports of the First Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, made in 1858, by H. D Rogers, whose description of the Moatour ridge was so complete and accurate that the entire report was reprinted as an appendix to Vol. G 7 of the Second Geological Survey. The approximate crosssection shows that near Danville the top of the ridge is of Clinton vol, xx.—24

Jan 1, 1892

By Eugene Guccione

Before answering the question raised in the title, let&apos;s briefly consider how East-West trade is viewed within the entire US political spectrum. Essentially, there are four major schools of thought: (1) The Peaceful-Coexistence School. Advocates of this school call themselves free-traders and hold to the premise that: (a) trade benefits all parties involved, hence it is the best tool to achieve peace; (b) US trade barriers should be removed, and the quicker the better; and (c) negotiations, cultural exchanges, and political compromise should be used extensively.

Jan 9, 1974

By Ralph Monaghan, Arthur Youmans

General principles of scintillation counter-type instruments for radioactivity logging are discussed and the various possible causes for instability are examined. It is shown how instrumentation problems are solved. Means are discussed for minimizing drift and instability due to "fatigue" of the photomultiplier tube and neutron activation of the crystals. INTRODUCTION Neutron and gamma-ray logs made with logging instruments employing scintillation counters are now routinely available from most of the logging service companies. The superior characteristics of scintillation counters by comparison with older types of detectors promises to bring about important improvements in quantitative interpretation of radioactivity logs. Moreover, new types of logs can be made with scintillation counters which are not possible with other detectors. But in spite of the obvious superiority of these counters with respect to efficiency, speed, and versatility, they suffer from a number of inherent difficulties and weak- nesses. Unless these inherent diffi-culties are fully recognized and satisfactorily overcome by sound engineering of the associated instrumentation, scintillation counter logs are particularly likely to exhibit drift and instability of sensitivity. This defect in logs when they are intended for quantitative interpretation is intolerable and more than outweighs any advantages over the older type of instrumentation when the latter is operating correctly. SCINTILLATION COUNTER OPERATION In general all radioactivity logging instruments consist of a detector sensitive to gamma radiation or to neutron radiation coming from the strata. This radioactivity is either due to naturally decaying radioactive elements in the rock, radioactivity induced in the rock by a neutron source in the instrument, or scattering by the rock of neutrons or gamma rays coming from a source in the instrument. In the scintillation counter the gamma radiation or neutron radiation reacts with the scintillation phosphor to produce light pulses. These light pulses are then converted to amplified electrical pulses by the multiplier phototube. Basically the problem of making a good scintillation counter logging instrument is to make the radiation sensitivity of the system as nearly constant as possible. The size of each scintillation counter pulse is dependent on the energy of the individual quantum of radiation being detected. In normal radiation logging, gamma rays of all energies, up to some maximum value, reach the detector. If a suitable scintillator is used, such as a sodium iodide crystal, each gamma ray produces a number of photons proportional to the energy absorbed by the crystal from the impinging radiation. The light flashes are detected by means of a photo-multiplier tube which contains not only a photo-sensitive cathode from which photoelectrons are collected, but also an amplifier, called an electron multiplier, built inside the photomultiplier tube; the electron multiplier usually has about 10 stages, having an over-all gain of perhaps 500,000. In an ordinary gamma-ray log one wishes to detect all gamma rays down to the lowest possible energy; therefore, one wishes only to reject the "noise" pulses which are invariably present due to thermal emission of electrons from the photo-cathode of the photomultiplier. In other radioactivity logs it may be desired to measure the radiation within a particular energy band, or above

Jan 1, 1958

By W. H. Hough, P. B. Leavenworth

Development during 1942 led to the discovery of 26 new fields in the Texas Gulf Coast, as compared with 27 during 1941. Of these, 19 are classed as oil fields, 4 distillate fields, and 3 gas fields. Production from the new fields amounted to 614,467 bbl. to October 1942. Producing Sections.—Discoveries in I942, compared with the previous two years, classified by producing formations, are shown in the following table: It is interesting to note the increase in Wilcox discoveries due to the extensive geophysical campaign that has been con. ducted since 1940. Drilling.—During the year 688 wells were drilled, of which 574 produced oil or gas and 114 were dry. This represents a considerable decline in activity over the previous year, when 1405 wells were drilled in the area, of which 1081 were producers and 324 failures. Jackson County continued to hold the lead, with 222 wells completed. Production.—-Despite curtailed drilling, production amounted to 118,009,451 bbl. for 1942, indicating a slight increase over the 113,726,893 bbl. produced during 1941. The statistics in Tables I and 2 include condensate and distillate as oil production, because many Gulf Coast fields produce oils with a wide variation of specific gravities, all of which are commingled in pipe lines. Table 3 shows by counties most of the activities referred to. The number of wells drilled includes only field wells; not wildcats. Outstanding Fields of 1942 The Texas Gulf Coast covered in this report has 270 more or less active oil and gas fields, including the new discoveries of 1942. Of these the most outstanding from the standpoint of production are listed in Table 4. Each of these fields produced one million barrels or more during 1942. Some of the fields where new extensions are occasionally referred to as separate fields, such as West Columbia and New West Columbia, or Thompson and South Thompson, are combined to give a more accurate outline. Two interesting facts may be noted from this list of some 26 oil fields: (I) that the Lolita field, Jackson County, is the only discovery since 1938 to produce more than one million barrels annually, although there have been 79 discoveries since Jan. I, 1940; (2) that 20 of these 26 fields produce from the Frio. New Fields ALief, Harris County.—Pure Oil Company&apos;s No. I Mike Albanese was drilled to 8637 ft. in Cook Mountain shale. After numerous tests the well was completed on Apr. 20, 1942, in a Yegua sand at 7919 to 7924 ft. for 54 bbl. of 52&apos; gravity oil and 3,335,000 cu. ft. of gas through

Jan 1, 1943

By W. H. Hough, P. B. Leavenworth

Development during 1942 led to the discovery of 26 new fields in the Texas Gulf Coast, as compared with 27 during 1941. Of these, 19 are classed as oil fields, 4 distillate fields, and 3 gas fields. Production from the new fields amounted to 614,467 bbl. to October 1942. Producing Sections.—Discoveries in I942, compared with the previous two years, classified by producing formations, are shown in the following table: It is interesting to note the increase in Wilcox discoveries due to the extensive geophysical campaign that has been con. ducted since 1940. Drilling.—During the year 688 wells were drilled, of which 574 produced oil or gas and 114 were dry. This represents a considerable decline in activity over the previous year, when 1405 wells were drilled in the area, of which 1081 were producers and 324 failures. Jackson County continued to hold the lead, with 222 wells completed. Production.—-Despite curtailed drilling, production amounted to 118,009,451 bbl. for 1942, indicating a slight increase over the 113,726,893 bbl. produced during 1941. The statistics in Tables I and 2 include condensate and distillate as oil production, because many Gulf Coast fields produce oils with a wide variation of specific gravities, all of which are commingled in pipe lines. Table 3 shows by counties most of the activities referred to. The number of wells drilled includes only field wells; not wildcats. Outstanding Fields of 1942 The Texas Gulf Coast covered in this report has 270 more or less active oil and gas fields, including the new discoveries of 1942. Of these the most outstanding from the standpoint of production are listed in Table 4. Each of these fields produced one million barrels or more during 1942. Some of the fields where new extensions are occasionally referred to as separate fields, such as West Columbia and New West Columbia, or Thompson and South Thompson, are combined to give a more accurate outline. Two interesting facts may be noted from this list of some 26 oil fields: (I) that the Lolita field, Jackson County, is the only discovery since 1938 to produce more than one million barrels annually, although there have been 79 discoveries since Jan. I, 1940; (2) that 20 of these 26 fields produce from the Frio. New Fields ALief, Harris County.—Pure Oil Company&apos;s No. I Mike Albanese was drilled to 8637 ft. in Cook Mountain shale. After numerous tests the well was completed on Apr. 20, 1942, in a Yegua sand at 7919 to 7924 ft. for 54 bbl. of 52&apos; gravity oil and 3,335,000 cu. ft. of gas through

Jan 1, 1943

By T. A. Read, H. K. Birnbaum

STRESS-induced twin boundary motion in the AuCd ß&apos;phase (52.5 at. pct Au 47.5 at. pct Cd having an orthorhombic structure (space group D h)&apos; was discussed for the case of transformation twins.&apos; Mechanical twinning, i.e., introduction of new twin orientations by the applied stress was sometimes observed in the ß&apos; phase which contained two transformation twin orientations. (See Ref. 2 for experimental details.) The transformation twins terminated at the mechanical twin boundary; the two initial orientations having been twinned to the new orientation as shown in Fig. l. In a "hard" tensile instrument, formation of each mechanical twin was accompanied by a sharp drop in load (and an audible click) resulting in a typical serrated load-extension curve. The mechanical twins increased in width and additional twins were nucleated as the load increased until the entire specimen was occupied by the mechanical twin orientation. A restoring force2 caused the mechanical twin and transformation twin boundaries to return towards their initial configuration on releasing the load. In a stabilized specimen* the total strain introduced by mechanical twinning was recovered on releasing the applied stress. Initial and final microstructures were identical. After decreasing gradually to a critical width, mechanical twins suddenly disappeared accompanied by audible clicks and sharp increases in load (measured at a constant rate of crosshead motion in a "hard" machine). Mechanical twins could be stabilized in any position by maintaining the applied load for a sufficient time, indicating a decrease in restoring force with time similar to that observed for transformation twins.&apos; Orientation relationships for mechanical and transformation twins were determined and are shown in Fig. 2. The mechanical twin, T3, was twin related to transformation twin, T,, by reflection in (1ll), and twin related to transformation twin, T2, by reflection in (111)T, . T, was related to T, by reflection in(ll1)T1 . The "average" mechanical twin composition plane lay several degrees from (1ll), . In every specimen which mechanically twinned, orientation T3 was most highly favored by the applied stress, i.e., it was the twin orientation which provided the greatest change in length compatible with the direction of applied stress

Jan 1, 1961

By B. Haimson, C. Fairhurst

A criterion is Proposed for the initiation of vertical hydraulic fracturing taking into consideration the three stress fields around the wellbore. These fields arise from (1) nonhydrostatic regional stresses in earth, (2) the difference between the fluid pressure in the wellbore and the formation fluid pressure and (3) the radial fluid flow through porous rock from the wellbore into the formation due to this pressure difference. The wellbore fluid pressure required to initiate a fracture (assuming elastic rock and a smooth wellbore wall) is a function of the porous elastic constants of the rock, the two unequal horizontal principal regional stresses, the tensile strength of the rock and the formation fluid pressure. A constant injection rate will extend the fracture to a point where equilibrium is reached and then, to keep the fracture open, the pressure required is a function of the porous elastic constants of the rock, the component of the regional stress normal to the plane of the fracture, the formation fluid pressure and the dimensions of the crack. The same expression may also be used to estimate the vertical fracture width, provided all other variables are known. The derived equations for the initiation and extension pressures in vertical fracturing may be employed to solve for the two horizontal, regional, principal stresses in the rock. INTRODUCTION Well stimulation by hydraulic fracturing is a common practice today in the petroleum industry. However, this stimulation process is not a guaranteed success; hence, the deep interest shown by the petroleum companies in better understanding the mechanism that brings about rock fracturing, fracture extension and productivity increase. Geologists and mining people became interested in hydraulic fracturing from a different point of view: the method may possibly be employed to determine the magnitude and direction of the principal stresses of great depth. Numerous articles in past years have dealt with the theory of hydraulic fracturing, but they all seem to underestimate the effect of stresses around the wellbore due to penetration of some of the injected fluid into the porous formation.1-4 Excellent papers on stresses in porous materials due to fluid flow have been published5,6 but no real attempt has been made to show the effect of these stresses in the form of a more complete criterion for vertical hydraulic fracturing initiation and extension. This paper is such an attempt. ASSUMPTIONS It is assumed that rock in the oil-bearing formation is elastic, porous, isotropic and homogeneous. The formation is under a nonhydrostatic state of regional stress with one of the principal regional stresses acting parallel to the vertical axis of the wellbore. This assumption is justified in areas where rock formations do not dip at steep angles and where the surface of the earth is relatively flat. This vertical principal regional stress equals the pressure of the overlying rock, i.e., S33 = —pD, where S33 is the total vertical principal stress (positive for tension), p is average density of the overlying material and D is the depth of the point where S33 is calculated. The wellbore wall in the formation is considered to be smooth and circular in cross-section. The fluid flow through the porous elastic rock obeys Darcy&apos;s law. The whole medium is looked upon as an infinitely long cylinder with its axis along the axis of the wellbore. The radius of the cylinder is also very large. Over the range of depth at which the oil-bearing formation occurs, it will be assumed that any horizontal cross-section of the cylinder is subjected to the same stress distribution, and likewise that it will deform in the same manner. STATE OF STRESS PRIOR TO DRILLING OF WELLBORE At a depth D from the earth surface within the oil-bearing strata, it is assumed that the following are 1References given at end of paper.

By F. L. Bosqui

The history of the development of gold metallurgy in South Africa is divisible into two periods: That preceding the introduction of the cyanide process on a commercial scale in 1890; and the 24 years intervening between that important event and the present time. The period between the discovery of the banket reefs of the Witwaters-rand and the year 1890 was one of phenomenally rapid progress in mining development, but of no special interest to the metallurgist, There were no strikingly original or distinctly local advances in the treatment of gold ores. Californian practice in stamp milling and amalgamation prevailed, in mills ranging in equipment between 5 and 50 stamps, operating within a wide range of efficiency, and under the trying conditions usually encountered in a new and isolated field. The somewhat incomplete records of gold output of that period show that in December, 1887, there were 20 producing companies in the Witwatersrand district, of which 10 had mills, the largest being of 20 stamps. The only official record of returns for May, 1887, was that of the Wemmer mine, whose modest achievement with a 5-stamp mill was 100 tons crushed, producing 887 oz. 3 dwt. of gold. This is interesting in view of the present-day output of this field, which in 1913 reached 8,430,998 oz. The rapid increase of production during this first period (May, 1887, to January 1891) is shown by the following summary for the year 1890:1 Total tone crushed.................................. 702,828 Number of stamps in operation....................... 1,046 Average number of tons crushed per stamp per day..... 2.36 Yield of gold, ounces................................ 494,817 Yield per ton, pennyweights.......................... 13.36 The stamp duty ranged between 11/2 and 4 tons per day, according to weight of stamp, fineness of screen, and operating skill available. The prevailing weight of stamp was about 900 lb., and the screen, 900 meshes to the square inch.

Jan 1, 1916

By Walter Herd

FOR the past eight years No. 2 mine of the Cumberland Railway & Coal Co., Springhill, Nova Scotia-a subsidiary of the Dominion Coal Co., Ltd.-has had an unenviable reputation for bumps. As the workings extended in certain directions under a greater cover, these bumps increased in severity and it became apparent that some change in the system of extraction was necessary if the mine was to continue to operate. In September, 1924, following several fatalities resulting from bumps, the Mines Department of Nova Scotia requested from the U. S.. Bureau of Mines the services of George S. Rice, Chief Mining Engineer of the Bureau, to report on the conditions then prevalent in No. 2 mine, Springhill. This request was promptly and courteously granted. Mr. Rice made a full investigation and a comprehensive and helpful report, which is embodied in the 1924 Annual Report of the Department of Public Works and Mines, Nova Scotia. Prior to 1925, the room and pillar method wasp employed and in January of that year (there being a cessation of work from March to August due to labor troubles) longwall retreating on the west side, on a limited scale, and in a small section on the east side of the mine was started. The major portion of the east side was not operated on this system till August, 1926, as there was developed a considerable area ready for pillar extraction between an arbitrary boundary and a point up to which bumps of any consequence had not been experienced. In the interval development work for longwall retreating below the 5900-ft. level was vigorously pushed. This longwall retreating system was suggested by Mr. Rice as a possible remedy and was heartily endorsed by the company officials. This paper describes the conditions and happenings subsequent to Mr. Rice&apos;s report and more especially the results with the longwall retreating system of mining under the peculiar circumstances pertaining to mining No. 2 Seam, Springhill, at depth, and records the conclusions which experience with several severe bumps under this mode of extraction would suggest. Except where necessary to make the paper intelligible as an entity any duplication of Mr. Rice&apos;s report will be avoided.

Jan 1, 1929

By Roy C. Kirkman

Dear Editor: It is with great pleasure that I read Mr. Howard M. Wells article in the December 1978 issue of MINING ENGINEERING entitled: "Optimization of Mining Engineering Design in Mineral Valuation." Mr. Wells very adequately presents the case and point that there are a great number of variables which must be analyzed during an economic evaluation of an FUND RESOURCE, such as copper or uranium. I wish to take this opportunity to suggest that, given today&apos;s economic climate, decision making takes place under conditions of uncertainty and that this uncertainty justifies our need to examine each one of the parameters entered into the evaluation model. It is my contention that the influence of the tonnages and grades as well as their distributions, have the most profound effect upon the results of an evaluation. Everyone concerned with the evaluation of FUND RESOURCES realizes that as metal prices decline or stagnate with sharply rising direct operating costs, cutoff grades (Gc) must increase according to the equation below which Mr. Wells uses: Gc = Total Operating Cost/(Market Price X 20 X Recovery) However, historically, we have seen cutoffs move dramatically lower in both the copper and uranium industries for the past decade. Henceforth, this established the metals industry most important argument for processing greater tonnages of lower grade materials from disseminated deposits (refer to paper by Kirkman, Roy C.). These disseminated deposits, created by either concentration processes (uranium) or dispersion processes (copper, gold, molybdenum), have log-normal grade distributions (Fig 1). Gross profits are rising, but unit profits are falling. The industry has created longevity through economy of scale, i.e., mining vast tonnages of low grade. In order to develop the great tonnages necessary to prove economic viability, we must examine alternatives at the low-end of the tonnage grade relationship. Notice from [Fig. 2] that as we move further to the right away from line A-B drawn tangential to the average grade curve at 45°, total profits will increase (given fixed annual production capacity) and unit profits decrease. The theoretical optimum operating point is where: [ ] At this point my observation is that slight shifts in production capacity bring about greater changes in profitability due to greater grade changes. Therefore, the best financial risk evaluation is obtained by totally revising the mining engineers methods and fixing the financial parameters such as discount and interest rates. A 10% shift in either of these two parameters will not cause near the same variance in economic viability as will a change on the GRADE-TONNAGE curve [(Fig. 2)].

Jan 1, 1980

No. 576.-Graduate mining engineer, married, 32 years of age. Have had 10 years&apos; experience in mining from position of mucker to that of general superintendent. For past four years have been in Copper River District of Alaska as mining engineer, and superintendent of gold and copper mines. Desire position in U. S. Best of reference. No. 577.-Member, technical, age 27, married. Open for engagement. Past year in war mineral field work, operation and production. Ten years thorough experience in both subordinate and executive positions, gold, silver and copper in the U. S., Mexico and South America. Devel-

Jan 5, 1919

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world&apos;s silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After Americzn interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and de- clined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district&apos;s accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1953

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world&apos;s silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After Americzn interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and de- clined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district&apos;s accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1953

By Josiah Royce

To evaluate chemically the sample of rock obtained by diamond drilling, it has long been recognized that the analyses of the two components of the sample, core and sludge, must be given appropriate influence in computing the average analysis of any unit of depth. The purpose of this investigation is to set forth what means are available for apportioning the effect of core and sludge on the final analysis, what variables affect the problem, and what combination of applied mathematics will closest approximate the truth under each condition as these variables proceed within their limitations. A drill hole is bored in iron ore exploration principally to test variations in rock composition with depth and is usually directed as nearly normal to the bedding of a horizon to be tested as possible. This practice has a tendency to minimize variation in composition laterally which in any event is not likely to be great. It is obvious that the opportunity for change in analysis of a particular rock is not statistically as great radially in a diamond drill hole where the distance in which such a change may occur is from 0.719 in. (EX bit) to 1.469 in. (NX bit) as there would be longitudinally even in a&apos; run as short as 5 ft. Variations in composition of bedded or layered rocks are usually greater normal to the bedding than parallel thereto. Even in massive rocks, like porphyries, variations are functions of distance. Hence. in either case, variations along the hole are of greater effect than across it. Let us examine Fig 1 briefly to observe a cross section of a unit of depth of a typical diamond drill hole. If we neglect radial change in chemical composition, which we have seen is small compared to lengthwise variation, we can see that if core recovery was 100 pct, the core and its surrounding area, which would be recovered as cuttings (assuming 100 pct sludge recovery), must analyze the same if the sampling is perfect. This is the foundation of this paper, namely, that if core recovery is complete we may assume that the core constitutes as nearly as possible a perfect sample of the ground drilled. Now let us pass to the methods of weighting core and sludge in the final analysis and then develop each in turn. One might employ core analyses only, sludge analyses only, or apportion the influence of each by one of several methods. The most common apportionment is by direct proportion to relative theoretical vol- &apos; ume occupied by each component in the cylinder hollowed out by the drill, known as the Longyear formula. Another logical treatment would be to consider core and sludge in the final analysis according to the weight of each recovered. This procedure was elaborately set forth and refined by R. S. Moeh1man.l Then to be sure that we have embraced all the possibilities, we must admit that some other method or methods may be devised empirically or by mathematical maneuvers. Should a drill machine be capable of recovering 100 pct of the core in all types of rock, certainly core alone need be analyzed and no complicated mathematics are required; but although some companies have had fair success in obtaining high percentages of core in certain homogeneous ores on the Mar-quette Range, their same methods have proved disappointing on the Menominee, Cuyuna, and Gogebic Ranges where the iron formation often varies widely from flinty chert beds interstratified with soft hematite to wholly leached ore material composed of an unpredictable mixture of hematite and limonite with occasional zones of sugary, recrystallized chert. In spite of numerous mechanical improvements in core barrels, few drilling programs can count on complete core recovery. The sludge alone might be analyzed but for practical reasons this is inadvisable when core is obtained due to the numerous opportunities for contaminating or losing portions of the cuttings. The Longyear formula involves a weighting of the core and sludge in proportion to the theoretical volume of each, that is, where the volume of the core recovered is one-third of the total cubic volume of the cylindrical hole made by the drill, the analysis of the core is given one-third of the weight in the final analysis. This approach to

Jan 1, 1950

By Arthur Glance

MINE safety is of the utmost importance to all operators and most operations have a safety organization, or safety inspector, whose job it is to be continually on the alert to detect and correct the hazards of mine operation. Reports from the Bureau of Mines show that next to roof falls, gas presents the greatest hazard in mining. The Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6680 shows that 162 explosions occurred in the United States during the five-year period ending June 30, 1932. Deaths resulting from these explosions amounted to 984, with a great many disabled and disfigured. A fatality rate of 6.07 persons shows the ex¬treme severity of this hazard to the industry. Various mine appliance companies have put on the market instruments for methane detection, which record in direct percentages the amount of methane present in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, few mining companies are using these instruments, however. Those available include the Burrell methane detector, the Wolf, the Martienssen, the Mine Safety Appliance detector, and the Union Carbide Company methane detector, which last I have used extensively in making mine inspections.

Jan 1, 1936