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SAMUEL L. HOYT.-The question of adding the ferromanganese to the ladle or to the furnace involves both theoretical and practical questions and its discussion might very easily occupy the rest of the day. One of the points to be kept in mind is the desirability of obtaining uniform steel. If ferromanganese is added to the ladle, it is necessary first to melt the manganese and then to distribute uniformly throughout the heat. The only heat available for this purpose is that of the molten steel itself. No doubt sufficient heat is present, but in our desire to pour the steel as quickly as possible there is hardly sufficient time allowed, many times, for the proper distribution of the manganese. In other words, this is an operation which takes a certain amount of time and any undue shortening of the time allowed must affect the quality and uniformity of the steel. Again, this particular method does not lead to as efficient a use of the manganese as might be desired; a contention which is based on theoretical grounds. In concentrated solution, manganese will completely reduce all the ferrous oxide, the presence of which I hypothecate and produce, as the reaction product, manganese oxide. In dilute solution, the manganese only partly reduces the iron oxide, but the manganesee oxide which does form dissolves the iron oxide in simple solution. The dissolution of ferrous oxide in the manganese oxide will result in a more economical utilization of the manganese and an equal purification of the heat. This whole point, at present, has not been definitely proved and its answer will involve very difficult research work. On the other hand, if the manganese is added to the furnace, the heat of the furnace is used to melt the alloy and there is plenty of time during tapping for the manganese to be very uniformly distributed throughout the steel. By distributing the alloy throughout the charge we can secure a better utilization of the manganese than is possible if the addition is made to the ladle. Certain other points, such as the recovery, have been dealt with at greater length in the paper.

Jan 4, 1919

By M. W. Ditto

THe conversion of the beehive coke plants, in this country, to byproduct plants has been slow, because the coal supplies were near the centers of the steel industry. With the growth of this industry, especially with its development around Chicago, it became necessary to transport large tonnages of coal from the eastern districts and then convert it into coke. The losses due to transportation costs were partly offset by the value of the byproducts recovered. To save the transportation costs, it was desirable that the coal deposits of Indiana and Illinois be utilized. This coal had always been classified as non-coking; it was also considered unsuitable for the metallurgical field because of the high ash and sulfur contents. The conditions, however, were promising enough to start experimental and development work, which crystallized in the design of the Roberts coke oven. The fundamental features of most coke ovens, with respect to the application of heating gas and the recovery of byproducts, are the same and, in the last few years, the tendency has been toward the better application of heating to the walls, higher thermal efficiency, and, by the control of heating conditions, the increase of byproduct yields. Structural features also have been improved and the use of high-grade refractory material has allowed the use of higher temperatures with the resulting higher rated capacity per oven per day. Great improvements have been made in both recuperators and regenerators, particularly with reference to the individualizing of each oven with respect to its adjacent oven, so that each can be operated as a unit if desired. The highest development of the flue type of oven has been applying individual regenerators for the recovery of waste heat. After some research work, it was found that the high-volatile Illinois coals could be utilized for coke by obtaining the better application and control of the heating conditions in the oven. Most of this high-volatile coal that had been used gave a good coke structure under certain conditions. The fact that coke was occasionally made from this coal, demonstrated the possibiity of making coke from it at all times pro-

Jan 1, 1923

By M. W. Ditto

THe conversion of the beehive coke plants, in this country, to byproduct plants has been slow, because the coal supplies were near the centers of the steel industry. With the growth of this industry, especially with its development around Chicago, it became necessary to transport large tonnages of coal from the eastern districts and then convert it into coke. The losses due to transportation costs were partly offset by the value of the byproducts recovered. To save the transportation costs, it was desirable that the coal deposits of Indiana and Illinois be utilized. This coal had always been classified as non-coking; it was also considered unsuitable for the metallurgical field because of the high ash and sulfur contents. The conditions, however, were promising enough to start experimental and development work, which crystallized in the design of the Roberts coke oven. The fundamental features of most coke ovens, with respect to the application of heating gas and the recovery of byproducts, are the same and, in the last few years, the tendency has been toward the better application of heating to the walls, higher thermal efficiency, and, by the control of heating conditions, the increase of byproduct yields. Structural features also have been improved and the use of high-grade refractory material has allowed the use of higher temperatures with the resulting higher rated capacity per oven per day. Great improvements have been made in both recuperators and regenerators, particularly with reference to the individualizing of each oven with respect to its adjacent oven, so that each can be operated as a unit if desired. The highest development of the flue type of oven has been applying individual regenerators for the recovery of waste heat. After some research work, it was found that the high-volatile Illinois coals could be utilized for coke by obtaining the better application and control of the heating conditions in the oven. Most of this high-volatile coal that had been used gave a good coke structure under certain conditions. The fact that coke was occasionally made from this coal, demonstrated the possibiity of making coke from it at all times pro-

Jan 1, 1923

By James Kemp

PostScript to a paper presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 129 to 154. The writer looked over the quarry with care in the search for fossils, having in mind shells or corals of fairly large size. In the brilliant summer sunshine, none were observed on the glaring white ledges. The impression was gained that none were present and the statement to this effect was made in the edition of this paper published in the Bulletin' of the Institute for February, 1915, p. 136. On closer examination in the laboratory it has been discovered that the limestone itself is made up of minute organisms, which are clearly revealed by microscopic examination of thin sections. The principal component of the rock is a small foraminifer, 0.1 to 0.3 in. (2.5 to 7 mm.), of the genus Orbitoides, presumably an Oligocenic form. Figs. 1 and 2. illustrate it. The accompanying description has been kindly summarized by Marjorie O'Connell, M. A., Curator in Paleontology in Columbia University, who first detected the evidences of organisms in the rock. Orbitoides kempi O'CONNELL N. SP.1 The foraminiferan which makes up the Seboruco limestone is an Orbitoides of a Species new to North America. The only Orbitoides heretofore described from this country is 0. mantelli from the lower Oligocenic of the Gulf States. This form from Cuba, then, so different in all of its characteristics from the 0. mantelli, is of great interest as perhaps forming a basis of correlation over wide areas. The most closely related Species is 0. dispansa Sowerby, which occurs in the Nummulite limestone of the Eocenic of the Bavarian . Alps, in the Priabona beds of the lower Oligocenic of Massano, and elsewhere in Italy, as described by Gümbel.2 The age of the limestone in Cuba would thus Seem to be of upper Eocenic or lower Oligocenic age, probably the latter. The fossil has the form of a sphere Surrounded by a wavy rim of horizontal extent, the whole resembling two flat-brimmed, round-crowned hats placed base to base. The total extent of the Shell ranges up to 7+ mm., while the thickness of the central sphere is 2.5 mm. in one of the largest individuals. Like all of the other Species of Orbitoides, this form begins with a Single layer of chambers which multiply in one plane and assume a circular outline; but it is in the subsequent growth that the distinguishing specific characters appear, for the chambers at the central portion of the shell increase more rapidly than do those near the periphery and in consequence a Swelling is produced which finally gives the Spherical form which is so characteristic. The rim, on the other hand, shows little chamber-increase and remains thin. This is clearly Shown in the sections figured, where the central row of larger chambers forms the equatorial zone. Radiating from this row, in section, there appear, a number of solid cones alternating with broad reticulated ones. The solid cones mark the more dense structure forming the walls surrounding the reticulated or chambered cones. These appear upon the Surface as distinct pits, whereas the solid part appears as raised walls.

Jan 7, 1915

By J. H. Fletcher

AIR has been cooled, heated, washed; humidified and dehumidified for many purposes and in many industries. At a number of metal mines air is conditioned to reduce the high humidity and unbearable heat found in deep workings, and at some mines air is washed to allay siliceous dust. Steam is introduced into the intake air at many coal mines, particularly in winter, for the purpose of keeping loose coal dust so moistened that the hazard of an explosion is lessened. This paper will describe a further successful application of air conditioning in a coal mine, where, for over three years, all intake air has been cooled to a constant temperature for the sole purpose of preventing roof falls.

Jan 1, 1931

THE primary interest in the subject of this chapter lies in the fact that various heats of steel made to the same chemical specification do not always-have the same properties. The properties considered here, of course, are those inherent in the ingot immediately after solidification and not qualities imparted by variations in subsequent mechanical or thermal treatment. The expression "made to the same chemical specification" is used because some of the variations in properties are due to variations in chemical analysis within the specified ranges of those elements commonly specified and determined. Other variations in properties are due to variations in those constituents of steel (elements or compounds) that are not ordinarily included among the elements specified, thus not a part of the specified "composition." The term "constitution" is used to include not only the specified composition but also the nature and distribution of every element or compound contained in the steel entering the ingot mold; also included are items such as aluminum oxides and nitrides, presence of soluble gases, and dispersion of nonmetallic particles. When it is considered that the constitution of steel is determined by the addition or absorption into the bath of all such constituents from whatever source, it follows that constitution is of necessity the final result of steelmaking practice. It is the agency through which steelmaking practice operates to control the properties of the steel. The term steelmaking practice is here used in the broad sense, meaning the control of all the materials entering the steel and of the conditions under which the process is carried out. Steelmaking practice, thus defined, establishes the chemical system within which the reactions between components must proceed in obedience to the laws of chemistry. Thus the chemical constitution of the steel is established and, through constitution, the properties of the metal are established. In the preceding chapters it has been shown how the constitu-

Jan 1, 1951

By Koichi Kashida, Mayumi Someno, Kazuhiro Goto

The present work has two objectives: first to develop an experimental method which would give some new information on the micromechanism of the reduction of oxides by gases at elevated temperature; second to clari,fy the intermediate phases of the W-0 system, formed during the reduction. A Galvanic cell with the solid electrolyte , ZrO2 . CaO, was imbedded in powders of W03, CuO, or Fe20s with two measuring electvodes and with a reference electrode. The change of the intraparticle gas composition was measured at An oxygen concentration cell consists of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte through which the transference of electrical charge is accomplished predominantly by the migration of oxygen ions. Many works have been reported on the oxygen con- 600" to loo@ C during the reduction by the gas mixture of hydrogen and argon. The intraparticle gas composition changes stepwise with time. The electromotive force of such temporary interruption corresponds to the equilibrium electromotive force of two solid phases formed during the reduction. The intermediate phases of W-0 system, which are formed in a large quantity during the reduction by hydrogen, are W0 2 W02.72 and WOz. The micromechanism of the reduction of oxides by gases is discussed. centration cells with the solid electrolyte of solid solution of zirconia and lime, since Kuikkola and wagnerl demonstrated the possibility of determination of standard free energy of formation of oxides by an electromotive-force method with the Galvanic cell. One of the present authors (K.G.) and his coworkers have applied the cells with the solid electrolyte of zirconia and lime to the following measurements:

Jan 1, 1969

By Robert H. Richards

DuRing the winter of 1868-9,I was called upon by Professor F. H. Storer, to put up the Bunsen filter pump in the chemical laboratory of the Masschusetts Institute of Technology. As the laboratory is on the lower floor, it was found necessary to use a great deal of cumbrous pipe and apparatus to get the necessary column. It was then suggested that if an instrun~ent could be devised which would make use of the hydrant pressure in the service-pipe, it would do away with the objectionable features of the Bunsen pump. After using the Bunsen pump for some years, the jet pump to be described in this paper was devised, and it has since been adopted by Prof, Wing in the quantitative laboratory of the school. I am much indebted to Prof. Wing for his aid in starting the manufacture in brass of these jet pumps, whieh are now to be had in Boston. The jet pump much resembles the Giffard injector in form. It, differs from it in the fact that water is the impelling fluid, and air the impelled, while with the injector steam is used to impel water. The principle of condensation of steam, which is availed of in the injector, is entirely wanting in the jet pomp. The jet pump consists in a water jet, w, (see figure), a constriction or waist, a, and a waste tube, o. The success of the jet pump depends on the follow ing conditions: 1. The relation between the sizes of sectional area of a and w. ' 2. The proximity of n and w. 3. The form and angle of the two hollow cones whose vertices make the constriction a. 4. The relative size of sectional area of w and o. 5. The zigzags, or an equivalent means of making foam. In the following discussion, let a, w, and o repre sent the diameters of these parts of the jet pump. A number of experiments were' .tried to ascertain

Jan 1, 1879

By H. P. Moore, R. W. Fenn, Harold Margolin, W. R. Hibbard

DEFORMATION lines, also called etch markings or strain markings, are noneffaceable lines developed in individual grains by etching a metal specimen which has been cold worked sufficiently to cause atomic non-conformity or slight orientation differences within the grains. Etching occurs more rapidly at these lines of high chemical reactivity to produce a result similar to that revealing grain boundaries.1 Wider etching effects forming bands have been found. They are believed to be bands of deformation lines which form areas of measurably different orientation from the crystal matrix. The crystallite rotations causing these bands have been shown by Barrette to contribute to deformation textures. Although deformation lines have been observed in many metals, the amount of deformation required for their appearance has been established only in general terms. Mathewson and Phillips3 observed the first appearance of deformation lines in cold-rolled alpha brass at about 20 pct reduction in thickness using the standard ammonium hydroxide hydrogen peroxide etchant. Price and Davidson4 noted deformation lines in common high brass after 26.5 pct reduction by cold rolling using the same etchant. Johnson' observed dark thick forklike lines in 99.99 pct pure copper reduced 31.8 pct. Adcock6 observed deformation lines in 80-20 copper-nickel alloy rolled 50 pct. Samans7 found no deformation lines in alpha brass single crystals cold rolled 9.5 pct but they did appear after 25 pct reduction using ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide etchant. Barrett and Levenson8 observed deformation bands in drawn polycrystalline iron at very small reductions in area and noted that their initial appearance perhaps depends on grain size and other conditions. They reported deformation bands in a single crystal of iron reduced 6 pct by drawing. Brick9 noted that deformation lines in 70-30 brass apparently associated with {111} planes appeared after reductions of from 20-50 pct by cold rolling. Brick and Williamson10 noted that in single crystals of 70-30 alpha brass "as in polycrystalline brass, no deformation markings appeared until reductions exceeded 20 pct." Cook and Richards11 reported that in copper cold rolled less than about 50 pct few strain markings were apparent but for higher. reductions many strain markings appeared transverse to the rolled direction. In a review article Brick and Phillips12 noted that previous studies had not shown deformation lines in cold rolled alpha brass

Jan 1, 1948

By G. Ferrara

In process and plant simulation, more reliable prediction of industrial results and evaluation of data for designing purposes may be attained by the combined use of (a) modeling and simulation of ore characteristics and (b) modeling and simulation of integrated plant operations. The systems for modeling and simulation of ore characteristics are discussed as well as the conditions in which their use may be necessary (complex structure of the ore-body and variability of the ore fed to the plant). Two examples, for coal and bauxite run-of-mine (ROM), are reported. The procedure of linking the process unit models and the approaches for the solution of integrated systems are indicated. A general-purpose program for the simulation of integrated plant operations is described, and some examples of its use are reported.

Jan 1, 1984

By Thomas Leonard Watson

SULPHIDE ore-bodies of more or less lenticular shape occurring in metamorphic crystalline schists, gneisses, and. slates, and conforming closely in strike and usually in dip to the inclosing rock, have been recognized and described along the, Atlantic seaboard from Quebec to Alabama. The ore-bodies do not entirely conform, in all cases, to the structure of the inclosing schists, but they sometimes cut across the foliation in dip, though conforming more closely with the direction of strike. In composition the principal sulphide mineral is usually pyrite or pyrrhotite; or both, accompanied by copper, frequently gold, and almost always some sphalerite and galenite. Other. metallic ores are, so far as these sulphide bodies have been investigated, less common; silver is not uncommon, and in some of the pyrrhotite masses nickel is present in quantity sufficient to be commercially valuable. Cobalt frequently accompanies .the nickel, usually in smaller amount, and the two vary much in relative proportion. Quartz and calcite are probably the most common of the, non-metallic minerals. A number of silicate minerals are frequent representatives in one place or another; garnet, amphibole, biotite, pyroxene, zoisite and others. The sulphide bodies of Virginia, comprising both pyrite and pyrrhotite, are among the most extensive along the Atlantic seaboard. Among the pyrite bodies may be mentioned the well-known and extensively worked mines of Louisa and Prince William, counties, located on' the main pyrite belt (A, Fig. 1) of the middle and northern, eastern Piedmont region in Virginia, and among the pyrrhotite bodies is the famous " Great Gossan Lead "(B, Fig. 1) of the Floyd-Carroll-Graysou coun-

Sep 1, 1907

By Olaf N. Rove

YEAR 1951 has been bright for the mining geologist. He has arrived after struggling for a generation or two to sell his wares through service to the operator, the mine superintendent, and the manager. But as he establishes himself on the operating front, he is faced with even greater challenges; namely, the development of basic geologic principles governing ore-forming processes and the occurrence and distribution of mineral deposits. These principles are needed to guide his ever-widening search into new areas. He must now stimulate the interest, confidence, and imagination of the mining executive and layman in fostering the research essential to expand rapidly the basic science of geology and its more specific applications to the mining industry. The hallowed time-tested tools of the prospector and the industry are no longer adequate. New basic data, principles, and ideas are needed to guide industry's exploration. The entry of Government into exploration, by lending money to prospectors and operating companies to partly finance exploration, is one of the major events of the year. This was one of the activities for which the Defense Minerals Administration was established in the Department of the Interior. DMA was staffed largely with men from industry, but the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey have acted as its technical advisors and have provided its field staff. Since the start of this work in May 1951 to November 19, 1951, the DMA has approved 208 exploration projects while denying 318 others. The contracts involve about eleven million dollars worth of exploration, of which Government's share is about sixty percent. A few contractors have already made discoveries and are into production to repay their loans; others have completed their projects without making a discovery. In November, the DMA was split into two successor units. The Defense Minerals Exploration Administration was set up in the Interior Department to carry out the exploration program. The Defense Materials Procurement Agency was organized as a separate agency to carry out the other functions of the former DMA, as well as general strategic materials procurement. The strategic materials group of the Economic Cooperation Administration was transferred to DMPA in order to centralize the procurement from foreign sources into one agency, although the authority and scope of activities of this group have not been announced as of the middle of December. The DMA-DMEA-DMPA programs are making large demands upon the technical manpower of the Geological Survey and Bureau of Mines. It is still too early to evaluate with confidence the productiveness of this diversion so far as the immediate and long-range effects are concerned. Many of the individuals associated with these programs, as well as others in the industry, are convinced that from a long-range national viewpoint, the regular programs of both the Survey and the Bureau equal or even exceed in importance the current emergency mineral activities of these two agencies. Uranium Uranium continued to be the glamour-girl metal of the mineral industry, and at the request of the Atomic Energy Commission uranium and thorium were included in the DMA exploration program. Industry's intensive prospecting and mining activities in 1950 were further expanded early in 1951 when the Atomic Energy Commission announced an increased price schedule and a new bonus payment

Jan 1, 1952

By H. H. Uhlig

IN our study of the mechanism of and the prevention of corrosion in stainless steels, it was considered of fundamental importance to obtain knowledge of the surface structure of such alloys. If corrosion resistance is due to a self-healing oxide layer, which like a paint film protects the underlying metal, it would be obviously relevant were the effort made to make the film less permeable and more adherent; for example, the surface might be expected to respond to an anodizing process, which is found successful in increasing the film thickness and corrosion resistance of aluminum. However, if passivity and corrosion resistance of stainless steels are due to another cause, the attack of the problem would follow another path. One of the most effective techniques for studying passivity and corrosion tendency is the measurement of the electrochemical potential. Not only can one determine by potential measurements whether a metal is active or passive, but also one can determine the degree of passivity and rate of transformation of passivity with time. Chemical media that build up or destroy passivity when in contact with the steel can also be classified by potential measurements. Something can be learned, too, of the effect of alloy additions such as molybdenum to 18-8, known to decrease corrosion of the alloy in chloride solutions. A study of alloys in previous investigations has sometimes included data on the electrochemical potentials. Tammann and Sotter1 measured the electrochemical potentials of alloys of iron-molybdenum and iron-chromium and reported the critical concentration of molybdenum or chromium at which passivity initiates. Strauss2 made similar measure-ments for the iron-chromium system. The electrochemical potential' has also been used to indicate carbide precipitated 18-8. In 18-8, heat-treated to precipitate carbide, active metal exists at the region of the grain boundaries, contrasted with passive metal within the grains, the active metal accounting for a resultant active potential. Several

Jan 1, 1939

When the writer first began his search for the early history of coal he was amazed at the paucity of information in literature about it, and while after six years many of the reasons for such a scarcity are understood, there are still many cases, even within the last two centuries, when one who can appreciate the tremendous part coal has played in the development of modern times, finds it hard to realize how little attention was paid to this material in those early clays. Occasionally a traveller or observer is found who foresaw how valuable coal was to be when industries were developed, but these were few and to most of those recording its occurrence it was just another mineral. George Washington was farsighted in his view of the development of this country and the need for means of transportation across the mountain barrier, but it was at least sixteen years after he must first have known of coal before he made any reference to it in his journals. He did, however, knowingly or not, select some valuable coal properties in the lands lie obtained in the West. This was then almost entirely an agricultural country, and what industries there were found a great abundance of wood fuel within easy access, there were no steam plants, and all iron was made with charcoal; in fact, the "captive mines" of the iron industry then were large timber "plantations," and when these were exhausted the furnace usually was abandoned and another one built elsewhere, as transportation of charcoal was quite expensive. Along the seaboard the cities and industries began to import coal from England and Nova Scotia early in the eighteenth century, but until the war of the Revolution began the total quantity of coal used yearly in this continent did not exceed nine thousand tons. In 1800 only two places, Pittsburgh and Richmond, Virginia, were using coal to any extent for domestic purposes and it was much later. than this that the amount of coal used in Philadelphia, New fork, and Boston exceeded that of wood. Practically all of the early travellers and writers mentioning coal are noted in the following pages. Several Englishmen who were evidently familiar with its use and value at home, mention its presence as being of great future promise to the young nation, but to nearly all it was more or less of a curiosity and the smoke caused by its use an abomination, and it

Jan 1, 1942

By R. A. Harrington

THE structure of anodic films formed on aluminum and other metals under varied conditions is not well known despite the wide use of such films both as protective coatings and as the dielectric medium in elec-trolytic condensers. The present work was undertaken as a survey of the possibilities of electron diffraction in the investigation of anodic films, especially in comparing the properties of anodic films formed under dif-ferent sets of conditions and subjected to various subsequent treatments. In addition, an effort has been made to compare surface films formed on aluminum by anodic treatment with surface films formed by heating, immersion in chemicals, etc, The electron diffraction method in many cases has been successfully applied to the study of thin surface films. Its principal advantage is that it can be used without removing the films from the base material upon which they have been formed. The low penetrating power of electrons, in the "reflection" diffraction method which has been used in this work, prevents the appearance of diffraction patterns from substances at depths greater than about 100 Angstrom units (10-6 cm.). Different investigations of the structure of anodic films have shown widely varying results, depending on the methods used in preparing the films. Apparently under some conditions these films are crystalline and under other conditions they are amorphous, and it has been difficult to say which type of structure will be found in any particular case. Schmid and Wassermann's' X-ray diffraction patterns of eloxal? films show two broad, diffuse bands, which these investigators attribute to finely divided cubic y-Al2O3-§ Burgers, Claassen, and Zernicke3 obtained sharp X-ray

Jan 1, 1940

By Ma Guang, Huang Jinshou

In this paper we briefly describe measuring techniques and their practical use in the mining industry of China. A strain coefficient matrix of triaxial strain cell for a flat ended borehole is also introduced.

Jan 1, 1983

I. MCLAUGHLIN, R. P.-Protecting California Oil Fields from Damage by Infiltrating Water. Discussed by M. E. Lombardi, A. F. L. Bell, A. C. McLaughlin, R. P. McLaughlin, William A. Williams, Mark L. Requa, C. D. Keen 2413 BEST, W. N.-Petroleum as Fuel Under Boilers and in Furnaces. Discussed by William A. Williams, Hennen Jennings, David T. Day, Mark L. Requa, A. F. L. Bell, W. N. Best 2420 JOHNSON, ROSWELL H.-Sliding Royalties for Oil and Gas Wells. Discussed by William A. Williams, A. C. McLaughlin, A. F. L. Bell, Roswell H. Johnson 2423 BELL, ARTHUR F. L.-Important Topping Plants of California. Discussed by William A. Williams, David T. Day, A. F. L. Bell 2426 LOMBARDI, M. E.-The Cost of Maintaining Production in California Oil Fields. Discussed by C. D. Keen, Mark L. Requa, H. M. Bacon, M. E. Lombardi 2427 HUNTLEY, L. G.-Oil, Gas, and Water Contents of Dakota Sand in Canada and United States, Discussed by E. W. Shaw 2428

Jan 12, 1915

By Ihor A. Kunasz

Lithium minerals occur predominantly in pegmatites which contain mineral assemblages derived from the crystallization of postmagmatic fluids or from the metasomatic action by residual pegmatitic fluids. They have been the traditional sources of raw materials for ceramic and chemical industries. However, with the discovery of Searles Lake, brines became new sources of lithium. Indeed, the 1960s may well be referred to as the "brine decade" because several brine bodies of significant economic importance were discovered. In the United States, the brines of Clayton Valley, Nevada, presently exploited by Foote Mineral Co., and the Great Salt Lake of Utah, to be exploited by the Great Salt Lake Chemicals Corp., have been defined as major sources of lithium. Also a lithium-bearing brine has been discovered in Chile. Following the termination of the AEC purchase program in 1959, several companies such as Maywood Chemical Co., American Lithium Chemicals, and Quebec Lithium Corp. were forced to close down their operations. Nevertheless, with the development of new applications in glass ceramics, air conditioning systems, synthetic rubber, and metallurgy (aluminum potlines), the lithium industry grew steadily, and with the potential application of lithium metal in batteries and nuclear reactors, a healthy growth can be foreseen. New products and new applications are likely to stimulate exploration for expanded reserves as well as the search for new sources from which lithium could be extracted economically. Geochemistry of Lithium Lithium is the third element in the periodic table. It is the lightest of all the metals, having an atomic weight of 6.938. Its ionic radius is 0.60A and its charge is + 1. The geochemistry of lithium has been extensively studied and has been summarized by Rankama and Sahama (1950), Goldschmidt (1937), and Hortsman (1957). The distribution of lithium in igneous rocks is controlled by its size and its charge, and by the (MgO+FeO)/Li2O ratio. In the early stages of crystallization of a magma, that ratio is very large. Consequently, both magnesium and iron are removed by ferromagnesian minerals in preference to lithium which is then concentrated in the residual magma. This results in an enrichment of lithium in silicic rocks and pegmatites (Strock, 1936). Pegmatites are coarse-grained igneous rocks formed by the crystallization of postmagmatic fluids. Minerals within pegmatites may also form by metasomatism (Jahns. 1955). Genetically, the pegmatites are associated kith neigh- boring intrusives. Mineralogically, granitic pegmatites contain feldspar, quartz, and mica as the main constituents and a variety of exotic elements such as lithium, beryllium, tantalum, tin, and cesium, which may or may not occur in economically significant concentrations. Detailed studies by numerous investigators (Cameron et al., 1949, 1954; Hanley et al., 1950; Jahns, 1953, 1955; Page et al., 1953) indicate that pegmatites often exhibit an internal zonal arrangement, with each zone containing a specific suite of minerals. The lithium minerals are usually found in the intermediate zones, and although as many as 13 zones have been recognized by Cameron, a complete zonal arrangement is rarely found. Zoning of pegmatite bodies has also been observed on a regional basis. The regionally zoned pegmatite sequences exhibit mineral assemblages and complexity according to their respective distance from the granitic bodies to which they are genetically related (Mulligan, 1965). Lithium is also found in small proportions in a variety of rocks. The average lithium

Jan 1, 1975

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

IN some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. As far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haul- age and air. On completion of the panel the two entries are sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1937

By Lawrence B. Wright

The Republic district, Washington, is of new interest because of the discovery of new gold-silver ore within a unique structural pattern. The camp was revived in 1937 fol1owing installation of a plant to treat low-grade disseminated ore at Knob Hill and further stimulation followed discovery of "cross vein" breccia ores in 1939. Previous writers 1-2 ascribed the quartz veins to a latite porphyry stock, but are in disagreement as to its precise location and extent. This study leads to the conclusion that the ores have a more profound parentage linked to a broad system of thrust faults and folds, the mechanical origin of which is related to a southward trending (Sanpoil) syncline connecting with the Lewis and Clark zone of shift described by Billingsley and Locke3 in 1939. The Republic anticliue and a cross anticline recumbent against Cretaceous granodiorite. and involving some 4000 ft of Eocene andesite flows and early Miocene lake beds, localize the ores, mainly along the east flank, in a series of openings simulating drag folds and steeper than the folded flows. These broad structural features no doubt reach deeply into the basement rocks, where at appropriate crossings and junctions it is suggested that heat effects gave rise to ore-making materials, including, in this instance, intrusive breccias that later were mineralized, and comprising the broader bodies of new ores. The breccia ore is seen crosscutting the earlier narrow quartz veins with a welding of the two at junction areas by a second surge of ore minerals. The ore mined and developed since 1937 equals district production from 1896 to 1937 The ores are typified by cherty quartz, adularia and some barite, with fine pyrite and marcasite, polybasite, pyrargyrite, tetrahedrite and gold. Selenium is present, possibly with gold, as a normal selenide. The disseminated ores, as well as the vein and breccia ores, are localized principally in one 500-ft flow (Knob Hill andesite), which has been traced around the crest of the low northward-plunging Republic anticline. The gold-silver ratio in the earlier narrow veins is about I to 4 and in the disseminated and breccia ores, I to 7. The latter higher silver ratio is deemed to reflect the character of the second surge of mineralization. Sills and dikes of the Columbia River (Miocene) basalt cut the folded structure and ore, thus placing the mineralization in the middle Miocene. Introduction The Republic district of north central Washington is of new interest because of the discovery, development and extraction of new gold-silver ore; also, because of a unique local structural pattern believed to be integral with the broader tectonic mechanism of the continental framework. This district had 40 years of modest rating following its discovery in 1896. Its narrow ore bodies, complex mineralogy. and early inadequate metallurgy, together with the apparent bottoming of ore near 1000 ft, limited production to 300,000 oz of gold and 1,000,000 oz silver between 1897 and 1914. The camp was then reduced to lease Life until 1937, when the gold price increase of 1933 to $35 per ounce

Jan 1, 1949