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HOWARD N. EAVENSON, Chairman C. T. HAYDEN, Vice-chairman, Bituminous Coal Production CHARLES DORRANC~ Vice-chairman, Anthracite Coal Production HOWARD P. ZELLW, Vice-chairman, Evaluation of Coal for Coke Making W. H. F'LTLWEILER, Vice- Chairman Gas and Its Manufacture 3. B. MORROW, Vice chairman, Coal Preparation

Jan 1, 1928

By E. Gybbon Spilsbury

From time to time, for the last quarter of a century, considerable attention has been called to the gold deposits of North Carolina and Georgia, and much capital has been expended in their development; but the existence of large areas of gold-bearing rocks in the State

Jan 1, 1884

By M. T. Atwood, L. Goodfellow, S. W. Tyson

This paper reviews various methods for measuring the product output from oil shale processes. These include comparison with Fischer assay product yields, measuring conversion of feed oil shale organic carbon to volatile products, and measuring output of combustion energy in the form of product liquid and gas.

Jan 1, 1984

By Joseph H. Allen

In the old Kentucky reports, made by the Survey of which Prof. Owen was director, the veins of the Western Kentucky coal-field were numbered from 1 up to 12. Later Prof. Shaler used letters, beginning at the top. For instance, Owen's 12 is Shaler's A.

Jan 1, 1888

By R. E. Zimmerman

Wide attention is being placed upon various methods for cleaning the fine sizes of bituminous coals. The author describes and analyzes the results achieved on wet concentrating tables of modern design on unclassified feeds of --1/2 in. particle sizes, including tests on high-sulphur coals.

Jan 9, 1950

By Alfonso Merlini

DIFFERENT explanations have been given by the two current theories of the annealing textures for the variation of annealing texture with the annealing temperature observed in rolled polycrystal-line aluminum,' copper,2 and brass, And in rolled single crystals of copperk and silicon iron.' The theory

Jan 1, 1957

By Anthony G. Reid

INTRODUCTION At the time of the death of Mao Tse-tung in 1976, China was a major oil producing country with a daily oil flow in the order of 1.735 million barrels. This position had been achieved with minimal assistance from the outside world. Further, only some fifteen years had elapsed since the country's daily oil production capacity had hovered at the barely significant level of one hundred thousand barrels. Why then did the new leaders of China, after this very creditable record of success, suddenly change the direction of the country's drive for future hydrocarbon production? First, by switching much of the emphasis of exploration from onshore to the offshore continental shelf basins, and further by apparently abandoning the philosophy of self reliance calling upon the world's oil industry to share in the task of locating and developing these potential offshore energy reserves. The answer is probably only partly understood by those of us outside China, However, a number of factors exerting an important influence on this decision can be identified. THE MOVE OFFSHORE The new leadership was anxious to rapidly move China into her rightful place amongst the powerful and technologically advanced nations of the world. Modernization became the slogan, specifically modernization on four fronts, agriculture, industry, technology and military with the goal to "catch the west by the year 2000". But how to generate the capital to finance this massive modernization program? The rapid escalation of the price of crude oil following the 1973 Oil Embargo and the continuing apparently insatiable world demand for this now extremely precious primary resource was very clear to all. China, as a major producer, could export crude to help finance the ambitious development programs of the government. To do this, however, would require a very significant in¬crease in present production capacity, as the domestic demand even for China with her relatively low per capita energy consumption, is essentially equal to the current production. Trying to rapidly move the new regime's programs into actions, one can only assume that the planners looked at the success of the petroleum industry over the preceding fifteen years and quickly concluded that this well established curve could be maintained and indeed steepened with an increase in effort. The rapid discovery of a few more Daqing's (China's premier oil field, producing one million barrels a day) would have the country's ambitious modernization goals within reach. Petroleum would At the time of the death of Mao Tse-tung in 1976, China was a major oil producing country with a daily oil flow in the order of 1.735 million barrels. This position had been achieved with minimal assistance from the outside world. Further, only some fifteen years had elapsed since the country's daily oil production capacity had hovered at the barely significant level of one hundred thousand barrels. Why then did the new leaders of China, after this very creditable record of success, suddenly change the direction of the country's drive for future hydrocarbon production? First, by switching much of the emphasis of exploration from onshore to the offshore continental shelf basins, and further by apparently abandoning the philosophy of self reliance calling upon the world's oil industry to share in the task of locating and developing these potential offshore energy reserves. The answer is probably only partly understood by those of us outside China, However, a number of factors exerting an important influence on this decision can be identified. THE MOVE OFFSHORE The new leadership was anxious to rapidly move China into her rightful place amongst the powerful and technologically advanced nations of the world. Modernization became the slogan, specifically modernization on four fronts, agriculture, industry, technology and military with the goal to "catch the west by the year 2000", But how to generate the capital to finance this massive modernization program? The rapid escalation of the price of crude oil following the 1973 Oil Embargo and the continuing apparently insatiable world demand for this now extremely precious primary resource was very clear to all. China, as a major producer, could export crude to help finance the ambitious development programs of the government. To do this, however, would require a very significant increase in present production capacity, as the domestic demand even for China with her relatively low per capita energy consumption, is essentially equal to the current production. Trying to rapidly move the new regime's programs into actions, one can only assume that the planners looked at the success of the petroleum industry over the preceding fifteen years and quickly concluded that this well established curve could be maintained and indeed steepened with an increase in effort. The rapid discovery of a few more Daqing's (China's premier oil field, producing one million barrels a day) would have the country's ambitious modernization goals within reach. Petroleum would be the principal bridge to the bright future. The next decision involved the question of where to look for these vast new reserves. Chinese exploration teams had already looked at most of the onshore sedimentary basins and, while they were the first to admit that there was much yet to do, it was fairly clear to them that the potential for large new accumulations was confined to two areas: the little explored, remote, inhospitable regions of western China, principally Xinkiang Province and the equally unexplored offshore basins of the continental shelf and slope. In both cases China faced a very serious problem. The inhospitable environments were severely straining her petroleum industry's current technological ability to cope, particularly as the government needed rapid results. Thus the pragmatic and, to the foreign oil industry, unexpected decision to invite cooperation with the outside world. The reasons for the initial emphasis on the exploration of the offshore basins with the cooperation of foreign oil companies are again supposition on my part, but probably involved considerations of technical merit, ease of development and delivery to markets together with more sensitive issues such as controling the influence of foreign philosophies and values on the Chinese population by containing most foreign activity to the offshore. So within three years of the death of the great helmsman, China had developed a plan to involve foreign oil companies, both state and private, in a grand plan to rapidly increase the nations oil production. In fact, by this time, the first round of talks had been concluded and the first phase begun, and what a beginning. Some forty eight companies from thirteen countries had signed documents to participate formally in this world scale event. It was far easier to list those companies which did not participate than to list those which did. FOREIGN COMPANY INTEREST Why the rush by the world's oil industry to be involved in China? What was China offering which made everyone so anxious to join in? Again the answer is complex in detail, but principally involved a combination of factors which together caused this virtual stampede. Timing was a major element. Oil Companies, despite an ever increasing take by governments, were beginning to benefit. from the' rapid escalation of crude prices induced by OPEC and were looking for suitable areas to reinvest these funds. Producers

Jan 1, 1982

By Paul Averitt

require both time and money. Any attempt to secure a quick answer will yield a figure that very likely cannot be substantiated, and certainly will not yield information in the detailed form now desired. It will be about 10 years before a completely new estimate can be prepared for the coal reserves of the United States at our present rate of progress, though of course, much information will be available in the interim. We would like to present such information as we obtain in the form most acceptable to the industry, and to that end we are working closely with coal resource committees of the AIME, the National Bituminous Coal Advisory Council, and the Bureau of Mines. DISCUSSION G. H. Cady*—Mr. Averitt's description of the nature of the coal resources investigations of the United States Geological Survey and the progress of this work is very timely in view of the general interest in the subject of coal resources. The Federal Survey is obviously taking the "long view" with respect to the appraisal of the coal resources as part of the preparation of the general geological map of the country and the attendant determination of the quantity of all mineral and fuel resources. It is apparently for regional surveys of the conventional type that the detailed procedures employed by the Federal Survey are applicable. Even if so it is somewhat unexpected to find the same criteria for evaluation will be applied to the country as a whole. The work on coal resources appraisal has been proceeding at various rates in a number of coal producing states for various periods. Undoubtedly since there has been no common practice in the method of appraisal the states each have worked independently and independently of the Federal Survey, and each has adopted certain practices to meet local conditions. I do not know how much consideration has been given by the U. S. Geological Survey to these practices. It seems probable that such consideration might result in important modifications of the standards which apparently have been set up by the Federal group in line with local requirements. It is the practice in some state surveys to present the facts in regard to the occurrence and distribution of coal beds and their variations in thickness down to thicknesses of 1 to 1 1/2 ft in relatively narrow stages up to maximum thickness. It is then possible for any one using such figures to compile quantitative estimates of workable coal at various minimum thickness limits. This is a desirable objective where surveys are detailed and information correspondingIy good. However, vast quantities of coal lie in beds that are relatively thin about which little information is available and the quantity of such coal might affect the final appraisal to the extent of several thousand million, depending upon the minimum limitation observed. Thus in the case of Illinois a difference of 1 ft in average thickness of coal in the coal field would make a difference of approximately 35 billion tons in the estimated quantity present. One is dealing with a very large area and small differences in thicknesses are very irnportant in the overall picture. The estimate of 10 years to accomplish the sort of detailed appraisal outlined by Mr. Averitt is viewed somewhat skeptically and certainly would require many more trained geologists than seem to be available. The requisite detailed mapping and study are very time consuming not only because of the geological field work required, which is difficult in certain seasons, but also in order to assemble data from company and personal files, and to study drill records and cores, and to sample and analyze the coal. Unless the staff of geologists could be increased in the order of several hundred per cent the prospects are that the appraisal of the type suggested will require many decades not just one. The permanent value of such appraisal, however, is not questioned and it should be expedited as rapidly as means allow. Satisfactory appraisal is not easily achieved and will vary from time to time. The main function of a geological survey is to collect and present the facts that will make possible appraisal in terms of existing conditions by individuals, particularly engineers, qualified by training and expcrience for making such estimates. Thickness and character of the coal bed, nature of the overlying and underlying strata, position, thickness, and character of "partings," relationship to other coal beds, and a variety of other factors must be assembled by the geologist in order to present a complete picture of the geological setting. The economic and engineering factors are in general outside the field of geological experience. The geologist should see to it that the pertinent geological facts are available; much more information than simply thickness and depth of the coal beds is essential to meet all the requirements of appraisal in the future as well as at present. With respect to the present demand by engineers and coal mine operators and others for a rapid re-appraisal of the available coal resources, in the light of existing practices and those in immediate prospect, the Federal procedure of systematic mapping and appraisal is scarcely in line. It will be necessary for those particularly interested in having such an estimate made to establish standards with respect to the various factors involved so that the scope of the geological work can be definitely restricted for the various coal fields. There is little use in setting up general standards since no such standards will be applicable to all fields. Thus it is folly to establish a standard minimum thickness to be generally applicable which is one-half to one-third the minimum minable thickness in some fields. The greatest difficulty in appraisal of the presently actually workable coal bed lies in the variation in the importance placed on roof, floor, structural conditions, bedded impurities. sulphur content and other factors that affect judgment relative to the value of a coal bed. It is doubtful whether any appraisal will have universal approval in view of the variable factors involved. For this reason if none other, the facts should be carefully and painstakingly assembled after the manner of a systematic geological survey such as that advocated by Mr. Averitt. Only upon the basis of sucb information can reliable estimates be made in line with selected conditions. Paul AveRitt (author's repty)— In this paper I discussed, but did not define as such, two major phases of our activities on coal, which are closely related, and which normally we in the U. S. Geological Survey see as an integrated whole. It is understandable, therefore, that Dr. Cady should assume that my remarks applied only to the current work on coal reserves with which I am directly concerned. In view of Dr. Cady's discussion, however, I think a brief summary of the two phases of U. S. Geological Survey activities on coal will be appropriate. The long-term function of the U. S. Geological Survey on coal investigations is to make detailed geologic studies, involving the preparation of detailed geologic maps showing the outcrops and correlations of coal beds, direction and dip of coal-bearing rocks, nature and thickness of overburden, location of faults and fold axes, and similar features. Such studies also yield many measured sections of coal and associated strata, which show variations in the thickness of the beds, and the intervals between coal beds. Taken as a whole, detailed geologic studies provide much useful information for mine operators and engineers. As Dr. Cady points out, this type of geologic work is arduous and time consuming, but it provides the basic data that are necessary both in the development of our coal fields, and also in the preparation of coal-reserve estimates, which are discussed in the next paragraph. The U. S.

Jan 1, 1950

By Brahm Prakash, R. Schuhmann

Chemical conditions for flotation and nonflotation of quartz with oleic acid as collector and barium, calcium, aluminum, iron, and tin as activators were studied using a simple vacuum-flotation technique in glass-stoppered graduates. The detailed study of barium activation led to an interpretation based on ideal Langmuirian chemisorption.

Jan 1, 1950

By Philip B. Bucky

FIFTEEN papers were presented at the Monday and Tuesday joint sessions of the Industrial Minerals Division and Society of Economic Geologists, covering beryl, mica, wollastonite, magnesium resources, exploration for pegmatite mineral deposits, rutile, properties and uses of phosphates, and a general survey of nonmetallic minerals and their war uses.

Jan 1, 1944

AN announcement of the annual meeting to be held in New York, Feb. 14 to 17 inclusive is being mailed to all members. Particular attention is called to the necessity of asking for certificates when you purchase your ticket in order that all may secure reduced return fares.

Jan 1, 1927

By T. A. Wright

THE CHAIRMAN.- With your permission, I shall read for F. W. Willard, who is ill, the keynote paper of a symposium that, I hope, will make us all aware of post-war problems as well as of the present-day problems in the more efficient use of secondary metals.

Jan 1, 1943

By Robert W. Hunt

At the Atlanta Meeting of the Institute, October, 1895, I had the honor of presenting a paper on " Specifications for Steel Rails of Heavy Sections Manufactured West of the Alleghenies,"* in which, reasoning from the experience of Western railroads with the heavier-sectioned steel rails, I called atten-

Jan 1, 1898

The production of Rumania for 1937 amounted to 54.142.600 bbl., which is a decrease of 10.319.636 bbl., or 15.9 per cent over that of 1936. In all. 1.300.000 ft. were drilled during the year— an increase of 220.000 ft. over 1936.

Jan 1, 1938

By V. S. Swaminathan

This year, Great Britain is looking back over a century to August 14, 1850, the day when the first "Act for the Inspection of Coal Mines" was passed in that country, an act which signaled the end of over two hundred years of hitherto uncontrolled and dangerous mining practices.

Jan 11, 1950

By Louis C. McCabe

The control of dusts and fumes of submicron size is involved in many process industries. This paper presents in tabular form the quantitative data from a number of metallurgical operations and discusses allowable discharge in terms of effluent-weight ratio. Typical installations for recovery of stack effluents are cited.

Jan 9, 1950

By George S. Koch

We have devised a multivariate statistical model useful to interpret data from exploration geochemistry and also pertinent for the analysis of data from petrology, paleontology, and other geological fields. The model is applied to several simulated cases in order to compare anomaly recognition by inspection and by quadratic regression.

Jan 1, 1977

By James A. Brierley, Corale L. Brierley

Microorganisms have been considered as agents which may be of importance in catalyzing hydrometallurgical processes for the extraction of metals from low-grade ore minerals. Various microorganisms and their role in bacterial leaching are described. Bacterial leaching as applied to copper, uranium, zinc, lead, and coal is discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. K. Bowden

In an effort to gain a better understanding of shale joint behaviour, normal-only and shear creep tests were performed on artificially prepared shale joints. Pre- and post-test surfaces were examined for changes in morphology. This paper discusses both of these programs and the results derived from them.

Jan 1, 1984

By Guillermo Hileman

In March the President approved the new oil bill, .which became effective as Law No. 12161, providing among other things a contribution or tax on all producers varying from 8 to 12 per cent payable monthly. The new regulations, for chapter VI bearing on the tax feature, of this

Jan 1, 1936