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By Arch J. Alexander

COAL is produced, in commercial quantities, in thirty-five of the sty-five counties of West Virginia. Oil and gas are produced, commercially, in forty-two counties. So, you may readily see that coal, oil and gas are closely related as to production areas. Many of the West Virginia coal mines are studded with oil and gas wells, as drilling has been done in thirty-two of the coal bearing counties. When the drilling of oil and gas wells was placed under the regulatory control of the Department of Mines on June I, 1929, it was estimated, by the State Geological Survey, that 64,000 wells had been drilled in West Virginia and that 34,mo wells were then being operated as oil and gas producers. No records of many of these remaining 30,000 abandoned wells exist and some of them remain a standing menace to safety as our coal extraction continues. Of a total of 13,100 new wells drilled since June 1929, approximately 5,200 have been drilled through coal measures. Approximately 7,000 wells, which were drilled through coal measures, have been abandoned in the same period of time. Many of these wells were drilled prior to the enactment of the oil and gas laws. Prior to the enactment of the Oil and Gas Law, which established the Oil and Gas Division of the Department of Mines in 1929, there had been several mine explosions attributable to cutting into un- charted wells and the improper plugging of other wells. The most serious explosion was that of Mines No. 47 and No. 49 of the Consolidation Coal Co. in Marion Co., when one of the so-called plugged wells leaked or seeped through some 80 ft of strata to the coal bed elevation, filling the mine with gas, the gas being ignited, killing a good many men and wrecking two coal mines. Legislation, to combat well hazards to coal mines, was slow in coming. In 1928, R. M. Lambie, then Chief of the Dept. of Mines, got sufficient support from coal, oil and gas interests to get the legislature to pass our present oil and gas laws. These statutes not only protected the coal industry but went a long way toward conserving the oil and gas resources of our state. Before drilling for oil or gas on any tract of land, known to be underlaid with one or more workable seams of coal, the well operator is required to submit a map of the area showing the location of the proposed well, and to send a copy to the Dept. of Mines and a copy to the coal operator. If no objections to the location of the proposed well are made by the coal operator within ten days, a drilling permit and a number for the well are then issued and work may proceed. If, however, the location of the proposed well is objected to by the coal operator, on the grounds that the location of the well will interfere with present mine operations, projected workings, or other- wise Cause a dangerous condition, the operator may file a written objection with the Dept. of Mines.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. P. Heller, H. B. Bradley, A. S. Odeh

It is an accepted procedure to represent oil field displacement problems in which the pressure is relatively constant by a potentiometric model. Variations in reservoir permeability thickness product are represented in the model by proportional variations in electrolyte depth. It is shown that significant errors are present wherever these variations are of such magnitude that the consequent differences in the electrolyte depth in the model or any regions therein are appreciable in comparison with their respective horizontal dimensions. To demonstrate the order of magnitude of this error, a hypothetical linear oil field in which permeability varies linearly with distance was treated both analytic.ally and by potentiometric model. The results obtained from the model are compared with the exact solution for various configurations of linear geometry. Deviations in flow times up to 11 per cent were observed. It is confirmed that these discrepancies can be reduced by increasing the areal scale and/or decreasing the vertical scale of the model. It is the purpose of this work to assist in the design of potentiometric models by indicating the relationship between this error and the chosen scale factors. INTRODUCTION The fundamental geometrical criterion which determines whether the pressure distribution in an oil or gas reservoir may be simulated in a conventional potentiometric model is the requirement that all reservoir parameters be constant along any vertical line between its upper and lower boundaries. This situation never obtains exactly; nevertheless, it is usually assumed that there is no permeability stratification within the section of interest, that all wells completely penetrate the sand, that there are no gravitational effects, and that variations in thickness of the sand are small compared to the horizontal extent of the field. In these ways the reservoir problem is reduced to two dimensions in which there is no variation of pressure in the vertical direction within the limits of the sand. Variations in sand thickness and/or horizontal pesmeability may be taken into account as described by Muskat, by considering the fluid conductivity of the reservoir in its horizontal plane to be proportional to the product of permeability and sand thickness. If the variations in sand thickness are small compared to the horizontal dimensions of the reservoir, then it is a good approximation to consider the reservoir problem to be essentially two dimensional. The same approximation, however, is made in the simulation of the assumed two-dimensional reservoir by the electrolytic model. The model, if it is to take into account variations of permeability-thickness product, must of necessity be made in three dimensions, that is, with variable depth. Most potentiometric model studies and theoretical treatments reported in the literature to date2,3,4,5,6,7,8 are those in which either an average permeability was used or a constant permeability was assumed. This is understandable since detailed permeability data are not usually available for the majority of reservoirs. Many investigators have recognized that the failure to incorporate permeability variations within a reservoir in model studies leads to serious error in predictions made

Jan 1, 1957

By Arch J. Alexander

Coal is produced, in commercial quantities, in thirty-five of the fifty-five counties of West Virginia. Oil and gas are produced, commercially, in forty-two counties. So, you may readily see that coal, oil and gas arc closely related as to production areas. Many of the West Virginia coal mines are studded with oil and gas wells, as drilling has been done in thirty-two of the coal bearing counties. When the drilling of oil and gas wells was placed under the regulatory control of the Department of Mines on June I, 1929, it was estimated, by the State Geological Survey, that 64,000 wells had been drilled in West Virginia and that 34,000 wells were then being operated as oil and gas producers. No records of many of these remaining 30,000 abandoned wells exist and some of them remain a standing menace to safety as our coal extraction continues. Of a total of 13,100 new wells drilled since June 1929, approximately 5200 have been drilled through coal measures. Approximately 7000 wells, which were drilled through coal measures, have been abandoned in the same period of time. Many of these wells were drilled prior to the enactment of the oil and gas laws. Prior to the enactment of the Oil and Gas Law, which established the Oil and Gas Division of thc Department of Mines in 1929, there had been several mine ex-plosions attributable to cutting into un- charted wells and the improper plugging of other wells. The most serious explosion was that of Mines No. 47 and No. 49 of the Consolidation Coal Co. in Marion Co., when one of the so-called plugged wells leaked or seeped through some 80 ft of strata to the coal bed elevation, filling the mine with gas, the gas being ignited, killing a good many men and wrecking two coal mines. Legislation, to combat well hazards to coal mines, was slow in coming. In 1928, R. M. Lambie, then Chief of the Dept. of Mines, got sufficient support from coal, oil and gas interests to get the legislature to pass our present oil and gas laws. These statutes not only protected the coal industry but went a long way toward conserving the oil and gas resources of our state. Before drilling for oil or gas on any tract of land, known to be underlaid with one or more workable seams of coal, the well operator is required to submit a map of the area showing the location of the proposed well, and to send a copy to the Dept. of Mines and a copy to the coal operator. If no objections to the location of the proposed well are made by the coal operator within ten days, a drilling permit and a number for the well are then issued and work may proceed. If, however, the location of the proposed well is objected to by the coal operator, on the grounds that the location of the well will interfere with present mine operations, projected workings, or otherwise cause a dangerous condition, the operator may file a written objection with the Dept. of Mines.

Jan 1, 1949

By D. F. Kaufman, E. D. Levine, L. R. Aronin

The deformation of' impure beryllium crystals by basal glide at room temperature invariably tevminates by basal cleavage after a few percent strain. It is generally accepted that .fracture of this type is caused by the splitting of low) -angle boundaries, or bend planes, by obstacles that restrict the motion of the bed planes in the deforming crystal. The details of such a process have been developed by Stroh, who showed that the high tensile stress norrnal to the basal plane in the region where the bend plane is split results in the propagation of a basal cleavage crack, provided there is no available dejorvrlatzon mode having a shear component normal to the basal plane It has been postulated that puvification of beryllium might lead to increased basal ductility by the vemoval of barviers to bend plane motion and possibly by the activation of nonbasal defor~rlation systems. Large increases in the amount of basal glide that can he sustained prior to fracture have been observed in crystals purified by zone refining. In each case, eventudal fracture was by sharp basal cleavage, suggesting that the split bend plane model still applies to tile fracture of beryllium of rensonably high purity. In the present work, calculations are made to show to what extent basal duetilits can be increased by purification while the split bend plane .fracture process remains applicable. Experimentally observed ductilities are generally somewhat lower than those predicted by calculation because of premature failure due to defects introd~cced during specimen preparation and testing. SEVERAL investigators1-4 have studied the deformation characteristics of beryllium single crystals of commercial purity, and have related the strong anisotropy of plastic deformation in single crystals to the problem of brittleness in polycrystalline beryllium. For most orientations, the principal deformation mode is basal slip, which, at temperatures between 300" and 900°K, begins at a critical resolved shear stress of approximately 1500 g per sq mm and terminates after 3 to 6 pet glide strain by cleavage on the basal plane in the neighborhood of (1120) bend planes that are formed during the deformation. This type of fracture, which is also observed in zinc at low temperatures, has been interpreted by stroh5 to be caused by the splitting of bend planes by obstacles to their motion. In the Stroh model, a (11.20) dislocation wall, or bend plane, moving along the slip direction under the action of the applied stress, encounters obstacles which cause part of the bend plane to be held up, the other part continuing to move. Stress concentrations are built up in the region where the bend plane is split, with a high tensile component normal to the basal plane, resulting in a microcrack at the end of the split wall. Because no deformation mode having a shear component at an angle to the basal plane is available to relieve the stress at the crack tip, the crack can propagate under a sufficiently high applied stress. The Stroh criterion for crack propagation is given by

Jan 1, 1964

A special meeting of the Alaska Mining and Engineering society, held at Perseverance Mine of the Alaska Gastineau Mining Co. on Mar. 17, 1017, was attended by 46 members and about 80 guests, among whom were members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature. After an interesting trip through the mine in the afternoon, the members and guests assembled for dinner at the Perseverance Dining Room. After the dinner G. T. Jackson, assistant manager of the company, as president of the society, called the meeting to order. After the reading of the minutes, he welcomed the guests and then gave a short history of Perseverance Mine. B. L. Thane, manager of the company, briefly out-lined its general organization. The following papers were read-by members of the society and members of the staff of the Perseverance Mine: "The Organization of the Mine Staff and the Methods of Mining," by B. B. Nieding, Mine Supt.; "Tramming Equipment and Costs," by R. R. Van Valkenburgh; "The Surveying of the Mine," by R. L. Healey, Mine Engineer; "The Electrical Equipment of the Mine," by W. S. Pullen, Supt., of Power Supply; "The System of Mine Accounting, "by E. J. Doherty, Mine Accountant; and "The Mine Buildings," by D: J. Argall, Asst: Mine Supt. M. T. Tolch, Transportation Supt., described briefly the general transportation of the ore to the mill and the equipment used.

Jan 6, 1917

South Dakota State Geological and Natural History Survey, State University, Vermillion, S D. A list of publications will be sent upon request Many of the publications are out of print A series of Biennial Reports of the State Geologist will be sent upon receipt of three cents for postage on each, and are available as follows: 1918-20, 1920-22, 1922-24, 1924-26, 1926-28, 1928-30 Available Bulletins of greatest interest are: Bulletin 4, Pre¬liminary report of the geology of the Rosebud Reservation (1909), 10 cents; 10, Possibilities of oil in South Dakota (1922), 10 cents A series of Circulars (5 cents each) deals with the possibilities of oil and gas in various parts of the state, as follows¬ Circular 8, Eastern Pennington County (1921), 9, Western Dewey County (1922); 10, Northern Dewey County (1922), 12, Eastern Harding County (1923), 13, Northern Ziebach County (1923); 20, Western Ziebach County (1925), 23, Northeastern Meade County (1925); 27, Western Corson County Other Circulars (5 cents each) are: Circular 16, The natural resources of South Dakota (1924), 22, Structures ,in northern Haakon County (1925); 24, The Ragged Butte structure (1925), 25, The structure of western South Dakota (1925), 28, Structures in western Haakon and eastern Pennington counties (1926)

Jan 1, 1933

Arkansas Geological Survey, Rooms 443-447 State Capitol, Little Rock, Ark George C Branner, State Geologist A list of available publications will be sent upon request Publications issued by the U. S Bureau of Mines, U S Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey, pertaining to' Arkansas, are also available through this Survey office. Annual Reports may be had for the following years. 1890, 3147, 1891, 81 35; 1892, $1 10 Other available publications: The slates of Arkansas, by A H. Purdue, with a bibliography of the geology of Arkansas by John C Branner (1909), $1.10, Coal mining in Arkansas, pt 1, by A A Steel (1910), 3175, An outline of the physical features of Arkansas, by George C Branner (1927), free, An outline of the metallic minerals of Arkansas, by George C Branner, free, Bulletin 3, The geology of the Arkansas Paleozoic Area, by Carey Croneis (1930), $3 20, Bulletin 4, St Peter and older Ordovician sandstones of northern Arkansas, by A W Giles (1930), $1 95, Bulletin 5, A geomagnetic survey of the bauxite region of Arkansas, by Noel H Stearn (1930), 80 cents, Information Circular 1, A barite deposit in Hot Spring County, by B Parks and George C Branner (1932), $1, Information Circular 2,

Jan 1, 1933

THE Institute assembled in the metallurgical lecture-room of Pardee Hall, Lafayette College, at 7 o'clock P.M. on Tuesday evening, October 21st. The session was opened by the President, R. W. Raymond, with an address on Mining Industry as illustrated at the Vienna Exposition. The second session was held on Wednesday morning. The Council reported the following names for election as members and associates. They were unanimously elected. †Ayres, W. S., - Easton, Pa. *Baker, Prof. A. L., - Easton, Pa. †Browne, Thomas Nicholl, - Hamilton, Nev. *Carter, Frank, - Pottsville, Pa. *Davis, E. F. C., - Pottsville, Pa. *Fox, Prof. J. G., - Easton, Pa. *Haight, Ogden, - Etna, Pa. †Hall, Norman, - Sharon, Pa. *Knap, Joseph, - Fountain Mill, Pa. †Miller William McKeen, - Easton, Pa. †Pardee, I. P., - Easton, Pa. *Plater, John E., - Eureka, Nev. *Platt, Joseph L., Jr., - Franklin Furnace, N. J. *Plumb, W. H., - Mauch Chunk, Pa. *Reis, George L., - New Castle, Pa. *Samuel, Edward, - Philadelphia, Pa. *Smith, William Allen, - Trenton, N. J. *Smock, Prof. John C., - New Brunswick, N. J. *Weberling, Charles, - Salt Lake City, Utah. Also the following as foreign members Beaulieu, Ad. le Hardy de, - Brussels, Belgium.. Beaumont, Major Fred., - London, England. Beck, Alexander, - Mons, Belgium. Bodmer, J. J., - London, England. Brassert, Berghauptmann, Dr., - Bonn, Prussia. Brogden, James, - London, England * Members. † Associates.

Jan 1, 1874

The Institute assembled in the metallurgical lecture-room of Pardee Hall, Lafayette College, at 7 o'clock P.M. on Tuesday evening, October 21st. The session was opened by the President, R. W. Raymond, with an address on Mining Industry as illustrated at the Vienna Exposition. The second session was held on Wednesday morning. The Council reported the following names for election as members and associates. They were unanimously elected. Ayres, W. S.,.......Easton, Pa. *Baker, Prof. A. L.,.. Easton, PR. Browne, Thomas Nicholl,.... Hamilton, Nev. *Carter, Frank,......Pottsville, Pa. *Davis, E. F. C.,... Pottsville, Pa. *Fox, Prof. J. G.,...,..Easton, Pa. *Haight, Ogden,...Etna, Pa. Hall, Norman,...Sharon, Pa. *Knap, Joseph,......Fountain Mill, Pa. Miller William McKeen,.... Easton, Pa. Pardee, I. P.,....Easton, Pa. *Plater, John E.,......Eureka, Nev. *Platt, Joseph L., Jr.,.....Franklin Furnace, N. J. *Plumb, W. H.,......Mauch Chunk, Pa. *Reis, George L.,......New Castle, Pa. *Samuel, Edward,. ..Philadelphia, Pa. *Smith, William Allen,.....Trenton, N. J. *Smock, Prof. John C.,..... New Brunswick, N. J. *Weberling, Charles,.....Salt Lake City, Utah. Also the following as foreign members: Beaulieu, Ad. le Hardy de,. . Brussels, Belgium. Beaumont, Major Fred.,..London, England. Beck, Alexander,.Mons, Belgium. Bodmer, J. J.,..London, England. Brassert, Berghauptmann, Dr.,. .. Bonn, Prussia. Brogden, James,.London, England.

The word "engineering" should not be considered as all-inclusive. Perhaps it should be redefined at this time. Various fields of learning that are indispensable to the locating, beneficiating, processing and using of minerals cannot be classified properly as engineering. For example, in locating deposits, the sciences of paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, petrography, geo- chemistry, economic geography, and mineral economics might be involved. Beneficiating, processing, and using go beyond the normal scope of engineering to include fuel technology, physical and organic chemistry, physical and atomic metallurgy, and ceramics. Fifty-eight institutions of higher learning in the United States offer curricula in one or more subject-matter fields of the mineral arts and sciences. Thirty-four curricula are offered in mining; 42 in metallurgy; 17 in petroleum and natural gas; 13 in ceramics; 1 in fuel technology; 23 in geological engineering; 8 in geology; 4 in geophysics; 2 in mineral preparation; and l in mineral economics.1 Under given conditions, some of these curricula probably could be eliminated without the slightest retardation in the rate of advancement of knowledge concerning the science of mineral discovery, extraction and utilization, but it is no credit to mineral industries colleges that five departments of mining per-

Jan 1, 1950

By U. Oko

The cause and the effect of disposing of tailings water from sulfide ore milling operation were examined. Dissolved metallic ions as well as dissolved sulfur-oxygen compounds (polythionates) can prove injurious to life in water streams. Polythionates originate in alkaline flotation circuits and may cause a severe drop in the pH of stream waters. It is proposed that a suitable "aging" period be allotted to tailings water to ensure complete conversion of polythionates to sulfate prior to neutralization and clarification treatment. Discharging alkaline solid-free tailings water without aging will cause downstream acidification. Artificial oxidation of tailings water can be economical only if the concentration of thiosulfate in solution is low. When the concentration is high, it is possible to reduce the concentration greatly by first acidifying the solution, because at a pH below 4 thiosulfate in water reacts to produce a precipitate of elemental sulfur and higher order polythionates. The residual polythionates can then be oxidized at great savings by natural aging or by chemicals such as ozone, chlorine, or peroxide. Chlorine may be an economical reagent for converting polythionates to sulfuric acid but the residual organo-chlorinated compounds can prove to be toxic to aquatic life. Ozone and hydrogen peroxide which do not leave a residue are preferred oxidizers.

Jan 1, 1976

By C. S. Simons

Manufacturers of filtering, thickening or clarifying equipment, have been active in developing machines to meet increasingly rigid operator requirements, and the innovations resulting from this effort are moving into commercial applications. In general, the results of these applications are reported to be good. Little has been reported on progress in theory. The growing insistence on the part of pollution control agencies that waste water discharged into streams contain less and less suspended solids is being felt by a broad cross section of industry. A new clarifier, based on the often rediscovered fact that suspended solids settle more rapidly in inclined channels, is being marketed by Neptune MicroFLOC of Corvallis, Ore. This unit employs modules of inclined tubes, mounted in the upper zone of the clarifier, which carry the water flow. These were developed for light solids, such as those encountered in domestic water treatment and in paper mill waste water. In these applications, flow rates up to about three times those permissible in conventional clarifiers are reported to give comparable overflow turbidity. By combining these units with mixed media filters, high clarity may be obtained with minimum capital. Use of such units in the metallurgical industry, particularly where water reuse or effluent quality is important, should grow.

Jan 1, 1970

By Frederick Forscher

Frederick Forscher (Nuclear Materials and Equipment Gorp.)—It is gratifying to see another series of experimental results that essentially reconfirms our reported observations of "Strain-Induced Hydrogen Embrittlement in Zirconium" (F. Forscher: AIME Trans., 1956, vol. 206, p. 536, noted as Ref. 3 of paper). However, several important considerations may have been overlooked, or—at least—have not been specifically pointed out. It is the purpose of this discussion to present some of these considerations. The statement is made that "the equilibrium concentration of hydrogen in solution at 20°C in zirconium is approximately 10 ppm; i.e., no zirconium hydride precipitates are formed at or below this hydrogen content." This is perhaps the case in the unstressed condition. In the presence of triaxial (plastic) strain however, even as little as 1.4 ppm H2 (Forscher's Figs. 6 and 11) will cause porosity near fracture in 20°C tests. The necked-down region that develops during a tensile test provides the triaxiality necessary for these pores to open. Both Beevers' and Forscher's micrographs show that porosity is concentrated in the necked region. So-called "pure zirconium" containing about 10 ppm H2 also shows pronounced porosity near fracture (Beevers' Fig. 3). Since it is generally agreed that such porosity is

Jan 1, 1965

By E. S. Fisher

GRAIN coarsening implies a discontinuous type of grain growth during which a few grains in a fine grained recrystallized matrix grow to large grain sizes at the expense of the matrix. Studies of this phenomenon in various metals1,2 indicate that grain coarsening may result when continuous grain growth in a fine grained matrix is inhibited by either a dispersion of very fine inclusions or by a strong texture. In the former case a period of annealing time exists prior to grain coarsening during which grain growth inhibition is gradually de- creased by dissolution or coalescence of the dispersed inclusions. This mechanism can be made to occur in uranium during anneals at high a phase temperatures. ' A study of some of the factors influencing the kinetics of grain coarsening and the coarse grain sizes in a uranium has led to a method for preparing a uranium single crystals. Previously such single crystals containing considerable substructure were prepared at this laboratory by a phase change method, similar to that described by Cahn.3 Attempts to prepare more perfect single crystals by strain-anneal techniques were unsuccessful. Cahn3- as reported his attempts to apply such techniques to uranium. He proposed that the failure of strain-anneal techniques is basically due to the many twins which

Jan 1, 1958

By A. B. Dyes, P. H. Braun, B. E. Cole

This paper presents a reservoir engineering analysis of the performance data for a waterflooding project in the Johnson Lease, South Ward field. This type of engineering analysis adds to the knowledge of the mechanics of water flooding. This study reveals that in general (a) high ultimate areal sweep-out efficiencies (95 to 100 per cent) can be expected, and (b) cross-flow among strata of different permeabilities during the fill-up phase can have an important influence on the behavior and should be dealt with in studying reservoirs for water flooding. The analysis further showed that the recovery predictions based on what was considered a consistent interpretation of core data and logs were low because little contribution was assumed from the low permeability, oil-bearing sand sections which have apparently yielded considerable waterflood oil. This project has yielded in excess of 2 1/2 times as much oil by water flooding as by primary depletion. These very favorable results were achieved without the use of any special injection well completion techniques. However, all of the low permeability material war included in the section open to injection despite its poor estimated primary yield. LEASE PERFORMANCE HISTORY The South Ward field lies in the southeast corner of Ward County near the southern tip of the tremendous Yates trend. Deposition of sand bodies along the seashore reefs during the latter part of the Permian period established what have turned out to be ideal conditions to form a great number of independent productive sands. Probably, these reservoirs in Ward and Winkler counties are providing operators with some of the nation's richest sources of secondary oil reserves through the use of waterflooding techniques. In South Ward field water has been very successfully used to flood oil from the Bennett sand occurring at a depth of about 2,300 to 2,400 ft. About 150 ft above the Bennett sand reservoir, the Grand Falls sand produced gas from a large cap extending over most of the field. The Atlantic Refining Co.'s 320-acre W. D. Johnson lease (Fig. 1) is on the northwest edge of the structure with only gas cap apparently present in the Grand Falls sand. The Bennett sand under this lease is oil productive, however, having a gross sand thickness averaging about 80 ft with a net of 18 ft of fairly clean, highly permeable sand, and about 36 ft of oil-bearing sand with low permeability and high water saturation. The lower permeability sand is interbedded with numerous layers of lime, shale, and anhydrite. Radioactivity logs from 12 wells and cores from two, examples of which are shown in Fig. 2, reveal that the total Bennett sand pore volume is about 71,000 bbl/acre. The estimated initial water saturation averages 41 per cent in the 54 ft of sand considered to contain oil; thus, also considering an estimated 18 per cent oil shrinkage, the lease originally contained about 34,000 bbl of oil per acre. Original pressure was probably about 1,400 psig. PVT correlations indicate that the reservoir fluid was originally saturated with gas. After discovery of the field in 1930, Atlantic completed the first well on the Johnson lease in March,

Jan 1, 1958

By L. C. Brown, S. K. Behera

The diffusion rate in Ag-Sb couples is sensitive to con~pressive load with the width of Ag3Sb, the only phase present in the diffusion zone, increasing with stress up to 800 psi and remaining constant above this. Kirkendall marker experiments show silver to diffuse much faster than antimony in Ag3Sb and incipient porosity may therefore develop at the Ag/Ag3Sb interfnce restricting the transfer of atoms from the silver into the diflusion zone. Application of compressive stress reduces the tendency for porosity to develop and so increases the growth rate. In a recent paper Brown et al.1 observed a significant increase in the thickness of Cu2Te in Cu-Te diffusion couples on application of a compressive stress as low as 20 psi. Similar stress effects have also been observed in the Fe-A1,2 Al-u,3 arid cu-sb4,5 systems. It has been suggested that the increase in growth rates of intermetallic phases in these systems is due to a decrease in the amount of Kirkendall porosity with applied stress. In the present paper, results are presented of the effect of compressive stress on diffusion in Ag-Sb, together with a detailed examination of the Kirkendall effect. The Ag-Sb phase diagram6 shows that antimony has a moderate degree of solid solubility in silver, 5.7 at. pct at 350°C, but that there is essentially no solubility of silver in antimony. There are two intermediate phases— (hcp7) from 8.8 to 15.7 at. pct Sb and Ag3Sb (orthorhombic8) from 21.8 to 25.9 at. pct Sb. EXPERIMENTAL Diffusion couples were prepared from fine silver of 99.95 pct purity and from antimony of 99.7 pct purity. Both the silver and antimony were produced in the form of discs 1/2 in. in diam by approximately $ in. thick, with surfaces ground flat to 3/0 emery paper. Diffusion anneals were carried out in the apparatus previously described.1 A compressive load was applied to the diffusion couple through a lever arm system, with a reproducibility estimated to be ±10 psi. All runs were carried out in a protective hydrogen atmosphere. Following the diffusion anneal specimens were sectioned and polished and the width of the diffusion zone was measured metallographically. Composition profiles were measured using an electrostatically focused electron probe with a spot size of 10 , counting on Sb L radiation. Corrections for matrix absorptiori and fluorescent enhancement9 were not required. S. K. BEHERA, formerly Graducate Student, Department of Metallurgy, University of British Columbia, is now Postdoctoral Fellow, Whiteshell Nuclear Laboratories, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Pinawa, Manitoba. L. C. BROWN, Junior Member AIME, is Associate Professor, Department of Metallurgy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Manuscript submitted June 14, 1968. IMD RESULTS Fig. 1 shows an electron probe traverse of a typical diffusion zone. In all couples examined only one intermediate phase was observed and the composition of this phase, 23 wt pct Sb, was in good agreement with the composition of Ag3Sb, 23 to 28 wt pct Sb. The presence of this phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction of filings taken from the diffusion zone. The probe traverses showed no detectable solid solubility in either the silver or the antimony although the phase diagram indicates that some antimony, up to 6.5 wt pct pct Sb, should be in solid solution in the silver. However the width of this portion of the diffusion zone would be expected to be very small in view of the low diffusion coefficient in the silver, 4 x 10-l6 sq cm per sec at 350°C, 10 compared with that in the Ag,Sb, estimated as 3 x 10-8 sq cm per sec in the present work, and this region would therefore not be expected to be seen in the probe traverse. Application of stress resulted in a significant increase in the width of the diffusion zone, Fig. 2. At 350°C, the thickness of Ag3Sb increased from 250 at 0 psi to 400 p at the limiting stress of 800 psi, indicating an apparent 150 pct increase in the diffusion coefficient. Similar behavior was also observed at 400°C, indicating that the stress effect is not characteristic of just one temperature. The growth of Ag3Sb at 350°C and at various stresses is shown in Fig. 3. In every case the growth rate was parabolic indicating diffusion control. The kinetic curves all passed through the origin showing that delayed nucleation of Ag3Sb was not responsible for the stress effect and that it was a real growth effect. A series of tests were carried out in which diffusion was allowed to take place at a lower stress following an initial high stress diffusion anneal. Speci-

Jan 1, 1969

By James H. Courtright, Kenyon Richard

TOQUEPALA is a porphyry copper deposit in which mineralization is localized by a large breccia pipe formed in close genetic relation to intrusive rocks. The deposit is in southern Peru, 55 airline miles north of the small city of Tacna and the same distance inland from the port of 110. Quellaveco and Cuajone, geologically similar deposits, lie 12 and 19 miles north of Toquepala. Chuquicamata is 400 miles to the south. The deposit is high on the southwestern slope about 20 miles from the crest of the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes Chain. It lies in a mountainous desert where the steep southwesterly slope of the Andes is dissected by a succession of rapidly downcutting, deep canyons. Local topography is moderately rugged with a dendritic drainage pattern and an elevation of 8000 to 14,000 ft. Volcanic peaks along the crest of the Cordillera rise over 19,000 ft. Local precipitation, including a little snow, amounts to about 10 in. during January and February, but general runoff in the region is slight. Throughout southern Peru the springs and streams are widely separated. Crude canals irrigate small farms on terraced slopes along the streams and provide sparse subsistence to the semi-nomadic inhabitants. During the past decade, engineering and geological explorations of the region, as well as the mineral deposits themselves, have required construction of a network of several hundred miles of roads. Before this, roads extended only a few miles inland. Many areas still can be reached only by trail. Toquepala was briefly described in 19th century geographical literature as a copper deposit, and it received desultory attention from Chilean prospectors early in the present century. It was first recognized as a mineralized zone of possible real importance by geologist O.C. Schmedeman during an exploration trip for Cerro de Paso Copper Corp. in 1937. The discovery was late as compared to earlier recognition of Chuquicamata, Potrerillos, and Braden of Chile and Cerro Verde of southern Peru. This was due partly to the region's difficult accessibility but principally to the obscure character of the outcrop evidence of copper. From 1938 until 1942 Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp. partially explored the deposit by adits and diamond drillholes. This campaign was supplied by a 60-mule pack train continuously shuttling over a 30-mile trail. Northern Peru Mining & Smelting Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Smelting & Refining Co., undertook regional engineering stud- ies in 1945 and drill exploration in 1949. According to published data1 the deposit contains 400 million tons of open pit ore averaging a little over 1 pct Cu. It is currently undergoing large-scale development by Southern Peru Copper Corp., which is owned by American Smelting & Refining, Phelps Dodge, Cerro de Pasco, and Newmont Mining. Summary of Geology: The deposit is situated in a terrane composed of Mesozoic(?) and Tertiary volcanic rocks intruded by dioritic apophyses of the Andean Batholith. These formations are exposed in a northwesterly trending belt about 15 miles wide. Along the northeast they are unconformably overlain by Plio-Pleistocene pyroclastic rocks, which occupy much of the crest of the Andes, and along the southwest they are covered by the Moquegua formation of Pliocene(?) age. The mineralized area, oblong in shape and about 2 miles long, has been a locus of intense igneous activity. Several small intrusive bodies having irregular forms occur within and adjacent to a centrally located, large breccia pipe. The mushroom-shaped orebody consists of a flat-lying enriched zone of predominant chalcocite with a stem-like extension of hypogene chalcopyrite ore in depth within and around the pipe. This breccia pipe is relatively large and has been formed by repeated episodes of brecciation. Small satellitic pipes occur at random within a 2-mile radius of this central pipe. These too were individual sourceways of mineralization, although not always of ore grade. Within and around the zone of breccia pipes and mineralization there are a few faults and veins, but these are discontinuous random structures of minor significance. There are no regional or local systems of faults or other planar structures recognized which could account either for the mechanical development of the breccia pipes or for their localization as a group or as individuals. Hydrothermal alteration is pervasive in the zone of mineralization. Clay minerals appear to be abundant in places, but their percentages are undetermined. Quartz and sericite are the principal alteration products, and in many instances original rock textures are obliterated. The principal sulfides, hypogene pyrite and chalcopyrite and supergene chalcocite, occur mainly as vug fillings in the breccia and as small discrete grains scattered through all the altered rocks. Sulfide veinlets are relatively scarce. Sulfides are more abundant and alteration is more intense in certain rock units, such as the diorite and most of the breccias. Although the Toquepala mineral deposit is similar in most respects to the porphyry copper deposits of southwestern U. S., it most closely resembles the Braden deposit of Chile, as described by Lindgren

Jan 1, 1959

In 1846 a bill was pending in Congress to reduce, or eliminate, the tariff on coal; the debate caused the same writer to visit the mines on the north side of the James River and to write a letter about them to the same paper.' Omitting the political arguments, his account follows: "July 13, 1846. "Early in the morning we rose, washed, combed, and ate a first-rate breakfast, and then went to the Tuckahoe, mined by Messrs. Sneed and Dietrock. Coal was first discovered here sixty years ago, and mined by Colonel Thomas Randolph, the proprietor of the land. They were worked by him for his smith-shops. Since which time they have been worked periodically, up to the war of 1812, when they were abandoned; and recommenced in 1837 under the management of Dr. W. T.- Scott. Subsequently a Company was formed called Tuckahoe Coal Mining Company, which purchased the whole track at a cost of $30,000. They commenced the sinking of a shaft and went as far as 412 feet, and then pitched the fat all into the fire by hauling off altogether in despair. In 1843 Major Sneed went to work at it, and succeeded. I may here remark that Major Sneed has been the pioneer in this business on the North side of the River, and has sunk more shafts than any other man who has pursued this vocation in Eastern Virginia. The difficulties and expense in sinking these shafts are sometimes immense. The coal on the outcrop or surface is not always a guide to where it may be found imbedded many hundred feet under earth and rock. "The Tuckahoe Pits are on the Eastern end of the coal field, within twelve hundred yards of the Canal, and about twelve miles from Richmond. They employ fifty hands and raise some three hundred thousand bushels of coal per year. It is highly bituminous and excellent for the manufacture of iron. The Tredegar and Belle Isle Rolling Mills are supplied with it. It must be good and of the right kind', or they would not use it. These pits are the only. ones on this side troubled-with gas-of course ventillation is necessary. There is not as much water in this Pit as I have found generally in many others, although they have extended their operations to a considerable distance under ground. I have observed in examining the coal mines, that, where they are sunk over four or five hundred feet, they are annoyed by gas, and where there is a less depth they are troubled with water. It is evident, therefore, that water, in the region of these coal fields, does not run through the earth to any extent, even five hundred feet deep, and the farther you go below that the greater the increase of gas. "We next visited William Cottrell's Pits, situated one mile and a half north of this. He employs some thirty hands, and raises from 4 to 500 bushels per day. "T. & R. Crouch's Pits are one hundred yards north of Cottrell's. This firm employ from 80 to 90 hands, and raise from 8 to 900 bushels per day. They are now

Jan 1, 1942

By B. M. Blake, R. S. Reppert, A. F. Keiser, E. J. Trinkle

The southern West Virginia coalfield was formed in a rapidly subsiding depositional basin associated with deep-seated growth faults. Subsidence began to the southeast during deposition of the Pocahontas Formation, and then shifted to the northwest during deposition of the New River, Kanawha, and Allegheny Formations. Rocks of all the coal-bearing formations grade into massive sandstones to the northwest. For the No. 3 Pocahontas, Sewell, Campbells Creek, and No. 5 Block coals discussed in this study, the overall sulfur and ash values of each coal seam increase gradually toward the northwest. The thickness of each coal tends to increase toward the southeast. These trends are partly a reflection of the differential subsidence of the coal basin along with varying degrees of peat accumulation and degradation. The northwest side of the coal swamps underwent relatively less subsidence and, thus, more degradation due to increased aerial exposure, with a resulting increase in the sulfur and ash values of the coals, and a decrease in the thickness. The open sea existed to the west of the coal swamps, and this marine environment also contributed to the higher sulfur values to the northwest. Coals of the Pottsville Group in the southern West Virginia coalfield generally have sulfur values between 0.6-1.0% with some as high as 2-3% on the northwest edge of the coal basin.

Jan 1, 1983

By W. H. Bassett

Beads of metal frequently appear at the ends of cast-copper wire bars and on the sides of wedge cakes near the top. These are richer in cuprous-oxide than the rest of the casting. A micrographical study of these exudations has been made. It is suggested that the material is forced through the surface while the copper is solidifying. If not eliminated in process of manufacture, it shows on the finished polished sheet copper in patches differing in color from the main body of the sheet. FIGURES 1 to 4 show the copper exudations, at different magnifications, as they appear on the ends of cast wire bars, and on the sides, usually near the top, of wedge cakes. Sometimes the exudations are in fine "drops;" at other times, large masses of the material are found. Microscopic examination of the copper exudation indicates that it is high in oxide and of eutectic proportions. Because of the difficulty of securing a suitable sample, the protuberances have not been analyzed chemically; but the spectroscope shows no indication that there are any more metallic impurities present than in the balance of the copper. The lowest copper plus silver content of the coppers studied for this? paper was 99.914 per cent.; the highest, 99.966 per cent.; so the oxygen content of the whole casting would be well under 0.07 per cent.

Jan 2, 1926