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By B. K. Shibler, K. C. Vincent, W. W. Agey

"INTRODUCTION As a part of the investigation of domestic manganese deposits, examining engineers of the Bureau of Mines collected samples of ore from three from three properties in the general vicinity of Tracy, Calif.The Buckeye mine is 23 miles of Tracy, just inside the northeast boundary of Stanislaus County. The mine is owned by K.O. Winship estate of San Francisco and is leased by Verner Allen, also of San Francisco.The ore is principally manganese carbonate occurring in interbedded layers in white chert, with the original,carbonate mineral altered in place. Four samples, representing four types of ore, were submitted, as follows: A, black oxide; B, pink carbonate; C, gray carbonate.The Wilfred Murphy property (also known as the Murmac claims) is approximately 30 airline miles south of Tracy. The property can be reached by road from either Livermore or Patterson and is on the divide separating Santa Clara and Stanislaua Counties Calif. The ore occurs in lenses along a white-chert formation. A 2-ton sample of ore for testing was taken from a dump accumulated from assessment and development work. The Ladd mine, 13 miles from Tracy in San Joaquin County is owned by Pat J. Connolly of Tracy and is leased by Mack C. Lake of San Francisco. The ore is essentially a chert impregnated with manganese oxides and the association is therefore exceedingly intimate and complex. Samples from each of the three adit levels of the mine were submitted for ore-dressing study.As the samples differed widely in physical character and response to ore-dressing methods of treatment, beneficiation of ores from each property was considered as a separate problem. Hence results of the investigations will be prescribed in separate sections of this report."

Nov 1, 1947

By C. C. Stevenson, Thomas Varley, E. P. Barrett, ROBERT H. BRADFORD

The art of treating ores by the chloride volatilization process is still in the experimental stage. The process has not been sufficiently developed along metallurgical lines to warrant a definite statement as to the exact place it will occupy in the industry. The basic theory of the process has received the attention of prominent metallurgists for 20 years, and considerable research and experimental work have been carried on. Much of the experimental work done has never been published; if the accumulated results were made known, they would greatly aid,. the further development of the process. This bulletin aim~ to bring the salient features of the process to the attention of metallurgists for the purpose of furnishing information to and receiving comments from interested parties with the ultimate hope that the process will be a commercial success. If commercially utilized, the process will fill a long-felt want in metallurgy, especially in the treatment of oxidized and semioxidized or" carbonate" ores of copper, lead, and silver. Such ores are difficult to treat by gravity concentration or by flotation: in the former their tendency to slime upon crushing and their being of lower specific gravity than the sulphide minerals cause serious losses; in the latter much has been done in sulphidizing oxidized ores and subsequently recovering the artificial sulphides by flotation. Difficulties in proper sulphidizing and the low recoveries obtained have not balanced the cost of the treatment in many plants and in very few has it proved successful. Evidently there is a big void to fill in the treatment of these ores. No radical changes in present methods are forecast, but it is obvious that chloride volatilization can have a distinct place as a method of treatment for ores that are not readily amenable to present methods. In many plants it might replace concentration methods, especially where part of the mineral content in the ores exists in forms other than sulphides.

Jan 1, 1923

By George S. Rice

The major purpose of this bulletin, as indicated in the preface by Dr. John W. Finch, Director of the Bureau of Mines, is to give a critical review of the coal-mining methods used in the principal producing countries of Europe, to describe the reasons underlying the adoption of these methods, and to contrast them with coal-mining methods employed in the United States. The report includes discussions of various subjects intimately related to coal mining, such as geology of the principal coal fields; production and resources of the several countries; mine safety and health research; Government mining regulations; mine inspection and rescue procedure; safety lamps; fixed lighting methods under-ground; testing electric motors, mining machines, and mining explosives for permissibility; and special mining hazards, such as explosions of gas and coal dust, mine fires, instantaneous gas outbursts, ground movement and surface subsidence, and bumps. Commercial, economic, and labor problems of European coal mining, including miners' output, wages, and social-insurance schemes, as well as cost of mining, prices of coal, etc., are briefly described. It will be noted that data on most subjects are not given for Russia, which has become an important coal-producing country, owing to the lack of reliable published information concerning Russian coal mining.

Jan 1, 1939

By John J. Sammarco, Janet S. Flynt

This report (Independent Functional Safety Assessment Guidance 7.0) is the last in a nine-part series of recommendations and guidance addressing the functional safety of processor-controlled mining equipment. It is part of a risk-based system safety process encompassing hardware, software, humans, and the operating environment for the equipment’s life cycle. Figure1 shows a safety framework containing these recommendations. The reports in this series address the various life cycle stages of inception, design, approval and certification, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning. These recommendations were developed as a joint project between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. They are intended for use by mining companies, original equipment manufacturers, and after-market suppliers to these mining companies. Users of these reports are expected to consider the set in total during the design cycle. • 1.0 Safety Introduction (Part 1).—This is an introductory report for the general mining industry. It provides basic system/software safety concepts, discusses the need for mining to address the functional safety of programmable electronics (PE), and includes the benefits of implementing a system/software safety program. • 2.1 System Safety (Part 2) and 2.2 Software Safety (Part 3).—These reports draw heavily from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC 61508 [IEC 1998a,b,c,d,e,f,g]and other standards. The scope is “surface and underground safety-related mining systems employing embedded, networked, and nonnetworked programmable electronics.” System safety seeks to design safety into all phases of the entire system. Software is a subsystem; thus, software safety is a part of the system’s safety. • 3.0 Safety File (Part 4).—This report contains the documentation that demonstrates the level of safety built into the system and identifies limitations for the system’s use and operation. In essence, it is a “proof of safety” that the system and its operation meet the appropriate level of safety for the intended application. It starts from the beginning of the design, is maintained during the full life cycle of the system, and provides administrative support for the safety program of the full system. • 4.0 Safety Assessment (Part 5).—The independent assessment of the safety file is addressed. It establishes consistent methods to determine the completeness and suitability of safety evidence and justifications. This assessment could be conducted by an independent third party. • Safety Framework Guidance.—It is intended to supplement the safety framework reports with guidance providing users with additional information. The purpose is to assist users in applying the concepts presented. In other words, the safety framework is what needs to be done and the guidance is how it can be done. The guidance information reinforces the concepts, describes various methodologies that can be used, and gives examples and references. It also gives information on the benefits and drawbacks of various methodologies. The guidance reports are not intended to promote a single methodology or to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject material. They provide information and references so that the user can more intelligently choose and implement the appropriate methodologies given the user’s application and capabilities. The guidance reports comprise parts 6 through 9 of the series and are listed below: [< 5.1 System Safety Guidance (Part 6).—This guidance supplements 2.1 System Safety. < 5.2 Software Safety Guidance (Part 7).—This guidance supplements 2.2 Software Safety. < 6.0 Safety File Guidance (Part 8).—This guidance supplements 3.0 Safety File. < 7.0 Independent Functional Safety Assessment Guidance (Part 9).—This guidance supplements 4.0 Independent Functional Safety Assessment.] [ ]

Jan 4, 2006

This report, the fourth in an annual series, outlines recent trends and developments in the minerals industry. Discussed are new methods, equipment, techniques, and systems used to more effectively extract and process mineral products. Environmental considerations, health and safety standards, price controls, inflation, material shortages, and more dependence on foreign imports were problems faced by the minerals industry. Although productivity increased for most mineral commodities, the annual rate of increase has slowed in recent years, indicating a maturing technological situation. Growing concern for energy resulted in increased interest and research in alternative fuel sources. The primary concerns of metallurgists were pollution control and improved efficiency and performance of metallurgical processes, especially for reduction of energy consumption.

Jan 1, 1974

By Kenneth Wardell

Those flat lying, bedded or replacement, non-fossil fuel deposits which exist within the U.S.A., and which are amenable to longwall mining, are identified by reference to three principal factors associated with their physical/geological environments. These are their depth, extent and structural continuity. Technical feasibility is assessed in relation to the likely cutting speeds which can be achieved in the identified minerals with existing longwall shearer machines. Economic comparisons are made between traditional mining operations in those deposits for which technical feasibility is demonstrable. Continents are made concerning those technical deficiencies which appear to preclude the application of existing longwall equipment to the identified deposits and suggestions are made regarding the lines of research aimed at improving longwall technology.

Jan 1, 1978

By F. L. Wideman

This paper lists resources of sulfur in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizons, an area comprising approximately 522,600 square miles, Sources of sulfur occuring within the region are sulfur are, pyrite and pyritic ores, and natural gases and petroleum. Data concerning these sources are presented on a statewide basis. Some of the known deposits of sulfur ore are surficial and of fumerole origin; other deposits have resulted from oxidation of pyrite or sulfide ores of copper, lead, and zinc. The deposits are small and the sulfur is distributed erratically in them. There is a small production from some of the deposits, and the material produced is used as soil conditioner.

Jan 1, 1957

By Terry J. Close

Between 1986 and 1989, at the request of the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, personnel from the U. S. Bureau of Mines Western Field Operations Center studied the highly-mineralized, 25,335-acre, Crack Canyon Wilderness Study Area (UT-060-028A), to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The 16-mi-long, 2-mi to 4-mi-wide stud/ area is on the southeast side of the San Rafael Swell, about 40 mi southwest of Green River, Emery County, southeast-central Utah. The study area is underlain by Mesozoic sedimentary beds. Uranium, the principle mineral resource, occurs in two formations. The principle uranium deposits are in mudstone, sandstone, and conglomerate lenses in the 22-mi-long outcrop of the Triassic Chinle Formation which parallels and straddles the northwest boundary of the study area, Some small low-grade uranium occurrences and an extensive gypsum deposit are hosted by the Jurassic-age rocks that underlie the southeast part of the study area.

Jan 1, 1989

A symposium was held on January 30 and 31, 1973, at Pittsburgh, Pa., to review the state-of-the-art in designing and utilizing diesel-powered equipment in underground mining. The Health and Safety Activity of the Bureau of Mines sponsored the symposium with major assistance from the following four participating organizations: The American Mining Congress J. Allen Overton, President The United Mine Workers of America Arnold R. Miller, President The National Independent Coal Operator&apos;s Association Cloyd D. McDowell, President The Bituminous Coal Operators&apos; Association, Inc. Guy Farmer, President Seventeen papers were presented during four half-day sessions devoted to the general subjects of the diesel engine, the place of the diesel in underground mining, health protection using diesels underground, and maintaining safety of diesels underground. Eleven of the speakers were from industrial organizations here and abroad; one represented the Provincial Government of Nova Scotia; two were with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and three reported on Bureau of Mines work related to diesels.

Jan 1, 1975

By Thomas J. Peters

In 1978, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey completed a joint mineral survey of the Chemise Mountain and King Range study areas as mandated by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1916, Public Law 94-579. The U.S. Bureau of Mines examined all identified mineral prospects and deposits; the results of these examinations are included in this report. The U.S. Geological Survey studied the regional geology, geochemistry, and geophysics; the results of these studies are available in USGS Map MF-1196. No mineral resources were identified in either the Chemise Mountain or King Range study areas; however, a high-grade silver and base-metal occurrence, and minor manganese resources were identified in between the two study areas, within the King Range Conservation Area. The only mining activity in either area was a placer gold prospect on Honeydew creek in the northeastern part of the King Range study area. Three samples from this prospect contained no gold. The Chemise Mountain and King Range study areas are in a mountainous region along the coast of northern California, 230 road miles north of San Francisco, and 70 miles south of Eureka by way of U.S. Highway 101, through Garberville and Redway. The Chemise Mountain study area consists of 3,941 acres; it includes the 2,598-ft Chemise Mountain, and the cliff-lined seacoast southeast of Shelter Cove. a resort and fishing village. The King Range study area consists of 39.764 acres northwest of Shelter Cove, and includes the northwest-trending King Range with elevations above 4,000 ft. The Chemise and King Range study areas are underlain by deep-water marine sandstones, shales, and minor pillow basalts of the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary Franciscan Subduction Complex. Mineral production was 1,650 tons of manganese ore within a manganiferous bed overlying pillow basalt at the Queen Peak mine southeast of the King Range study area. However, no significant manganese resources were found in the Queen Peak area. The Point Delgada area, directly south of the King Range study area, has prospects with high grade copper, lead. silver, and zinc. Exposures are inadequate to estimate resources; however, the metals may be associated with Franciscan volcanism (volcanogenic). The Chemise and King Range study areas may contain similar economic silver-rich, base-metal deposits.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. A. Mehring

[This paper, which describes the milling practice at the San Guillermo concentrator of the Compania Industrial "M Potosi", S.A., located at Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, is one of a series of similar papers being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines. The concentrator treats lead-zinc-silver ore at the rata of 2,300-2,400 tons of dry material daily and produces lead concentrate and zinc concentrate by selective flotation methods. The lead concentrate is smelted at the Chihuahua plant of the American Smelting & Refining Co., and the zinc concentrate is shipped to various European smelters.]

Jan 1, 1933

By Andrew Cecala

Miner?s exposure to dust remains a top concern among regulatory agencies, particularly at production facilities with high levels of silica. This respirable dust is present in almost all operations and is a direct cause of the deadly disease silicosis. Silica is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth and is a threat at all operations, especial-ly granite and sand and gravel facilities. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health continues to analyze silica?s threat. The institute?s research indicates that heavy-equipment operators have an increased risk to dust exposure, especially when drilling or breaking rock, even when working from an enclosed cab. However, there are methods to reduce an operator?s exposure further, according to recent NIOSH research, which is detailed in its report, Improving Air Quality in Enclosed Caps with Uni-Directional Filtration/ Pressurization System. NIOSH indicates that when surface mining equipment is new, the operator?s dust exposure is normally at accept-able levels. As the equipment ages and components such as gaskets and seals deteriorate, the level of protection can degrade to a point where it is no longer acceptable. However, the institute indicates that at least two critical factors necessary for an effective system.

Jan 1, 2009

By Leo A. Schrider

This report analyzes the successful low-pressure gas drive in the Keener sand of the Bonds Creek oilfield, Pleasants and Ritchie Counties, W. Va.) and predicts its future performance. Core analysis from two wells and electrical and radioactivity logs were used to evaluate the reservoir characteristics. Production records over a 37-year period indicate that over 240,000 barrels of oil have been produced from the Keener sand by low-pressure gas injection. Decline-curve analysis shows that 165,000 additional barrels should be recovered from 108 acres of productive sand by continuing this secondary-recovery method.

Jan 1, 1966

By William W. Adams

The stone-quarrying industry of the United States, including such related operations as rock crushing, rock dressing, and the manufacture of cement and lime, reported a larger volume of employment in 1934 than in 1933. Reports from the operating companies to the United States Bureau of Mines showed an increase in the number of men employed, number of man-days of employment, and total number of man-hours of labor performed during the year. Moreover, the average worker had a longer period of employment during 1934, the gain amounting to 11 percent over 1933. The increase in employment was accompanied by no increase in accidents for the industry as a whole; in fact, the accident rate for 1934 was a fraction lower than the rate for 1933. In some branches of the industry the frequency of accidents increased, but these increases were more than offset by reductions in rates for other branches. Reports for 1934 were received from 1,403 active plants. The working force averaged 64,331 men for 204 days per man, and the total period of employment for all of the men was 95,258,880 man-hours. Each employee averaged 1,481 hours of work during the year. The total number of hours of labor represented a gain of more than 8 percent, and the average working time per employee showed a gain of 62 hours per man.

Jan 1, 1936

The realization that there is a limit to our supply of domestic mineral and fuel resources, which have been taken for granted until recently, has stimulated the need for conservation and optimum utilization of the Nation&apos;s minerals, metals, and fuels-resources critical to our national economy. The mission of the Bureau of Mines is to develop new technology, improve existing technology, and disseminate information related to mineral resources and industries. Fulfilling the mission is necessary to insure a continuing, adequate supply of minerals and alternative supplies of energy from reliable sources at the lowest possible cost to society and the environment. Established in 1910, the Bureau of Mines under the Department of the Interior is the Federal Government&apos;s primary research arm in the mineral field. Since the transfer of the fossil fuels portion of the energy research program to the newly organized Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in fiscal year 1975, Bureau research has been concentrated on increasing mineral production, decreasing energy usage through more efficient processing, and decreasing material losses caused by corrosion. Concurrently, research is being addressed to improved coal-preparation techniques, especially to expanding utilization of low-grade coals and coals difficult to beneficiate, which are essential for reducing the need for petroleum and natural gas supplies and for redirecting our energy consumption. Fluctuations in the availability of foreign sources of minerals, metals, and fuels due to political and economic variability among nations have necessitated intensified investigation into coal mining, uranium-ore processing, and geothermal energy sources-three alternatives that can help to alleviate the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of energy.

Jan 1, 1975

By Robert Louis Adams

A general discussion of the structure of the junk automobile recycling system shows that the generation of stripped automobile hulks and scrapped automobiles is price inelastic. As a result, it is extremely difficult for the price mechanism to automatically achieve an equilibrium that will prevent the accumulation of excessive automobile wrecker inventories and vehicle abandonment by the last owners of scrapped cars. The new shredder processing technology and the new portable flattener technology have altered the structure of the junk automobile recycling system. The shredder technology has increased the demand for processed automobile scrap. This increased demand is reflected in higher prices paid for hulks by scrap processors. The portable flattener has reduced the transportation cost of shipping hulks to processors. The two new technologies have eliminated, at least potentially, the net cost of shipping stripped hulks so frequently incurred by wreckers in the past. The elimination of this cost eliminates the economic incentive for excessive wrecker inventories. Unfortunately, the incentive for last owners to abandon their cars does not appear to have been eliminated by the new technologies. The last owner of an automobile with no spare parts value is still likely to incur a cost by delivering his automobile to the recycling system. Although a subsidy payment is probably unnecessary to reduce excessive wrecker inventories, such a payment might be one solution to the problem of automobile abandonment. However, there are a wide variety of subsidy programs that could be introduced. Before any Federal subsidy program is introduced to reduce automobile abandonment, it is recommended that the program be tested on a limited basis in many different parts of the country.

Jan 1, 1973

By Oliver Bowles

In 1940 the Bureau of Mines issued a report describing all the cement plants of Latin America, their design, capacity, and output, and the cement imports, exports, and requirements of the several countries. Since that time there has been such great activity in cement plant construction that a revision of the paper is highly desirable. The present compilation comprises the essential data in the previous report together with descriptions of all cement plants completed, under construction, or planned since that date and an overall picture of the supply and requirement situation of each country. Before World War I, Latin America was one of the world&apos;s largest export markets for cement. Its dependence on outside sources created no special problems of supply until the shortage of shipping and abnormally high prices of the First World War stimulated a movement toward greater self-sufficiency. Under this incentive many cement plants were constructed, and several countries were able by 1939 to manufacture enough cement for their modest needs. Substantial imports were still required for many important areas, and as the volume of demand was rapidly increasing the Latin American countries as a whole were far from self-sufficient in cement when tine Second. World War began. South and Central America depended to a large extent on European countries, chiefly Germany arid Belgium and to a smaller degree Scandinavia, United Kingdom, France, and Italy, to Supply their cement shortages. The cost of manufacture in these European countries was much lower than in the United States, and transportation expense had been kept at a particularly low level because of the two-way trade that had been developed. Ships destined for Latin American ports for coffee, tropical woods; fruits, and other native products could carry cargoes of cement on their westward voyages at very low cost In some instanced cement was taken in exchange for South American -products because cash was not available. Great Britain had withdrawn from this market to quite an extent because of low prices and because trade with its own Empire had been increasingly fostered. United States trade in cement with Latin America had been confined principally to white and other special varieties. In few places could ordinary portland cement made in the United States compete in price with the European products; although in general it was of better quality and cool d be delivered more promptly.

Jan 1, 1946

By George S. Rice

"INTRODUCTION During the past 4 or 5 years the frequent occurrence of bumps in coal mines of the Cumberland field, in Harlan County, Ky., and Wise County, Va., has caused much apprehension among miners and mining officials of that region.These bumps have caused many deaths and injuries, and have been increasing in frequency. Eight men were killed and a number injured by bumps in the first 4 months of 1934. Their unpredictable occurrence and the usual absence of any preliminary warning tremors or sounds, such as ordinarily precede a large fall of roof, cause fear of other bumps and impair the morale of mine workers.Acknowledgments This report on bumps in coal mines of the Cumberland coal field of Kentucky and Virginia is based on an investigation made at the urgent request of .the Harlan County Coal Operators Association, through James F. Bryson, director of safety of the association, to the Director of the United States Bureau of Mines, following a series of disastrous bumps in. Harlan County, Ky., and Wise County, Va. The request was granted and the writer detailed to undertake the investigation, which was made in June 1934.The officials of certain operating companies in the Cumberland field gave every facility for examining the conditions accompanying bumps in their mines. The writer is most grateful to them for the courtesies shown; to J. F. Bryson, to J. F. Davies, district engineer, Safety Division, U. S. Bureau of Mines, who accompanied the writer throughout his trip to the vari¬ous mines and gave him much assistance and detailed information regarding the occurrence of bumps; and to Dr. David White for reviewing the geological descriptions,Definition of Bumps ""Bumps"" are phenomena comparatively rare in the coal fields of the United States and, for that matter, in the coal fields of the world, because for their occurrence certain exceptional natural conditions are required strong, massive strata of sandstone or conglomerate above the coal and a fairly strong floor, as will be described in detail later."

Jan 1, 1935

A significant amount of information regarding the crushed stone and sand and gravel industries in each State is available from State agencies and State trade associations. These organizations continuously monitor the State mineral industries and are therefore an important source of detailed information at the local level. This third edition of the directory was prepared to provide a listing of government agencies and trade associations that can assist the users interested in obtaining detailed listings of crushed stone and sand and gravel producers, in addition to the information published by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1994

"The present and possible futures commercial production of potash from various sources in the United States is discussed below under the following heads:1. Potash from the saline lakes.(a),Nebraska lakes.(b),California lakes.(c),Other lakes.2. Potash as by-product from the cement kilns.3. Potash as by-product from the iron blast furnace.4. Potash from silicate rocks.(a),Feldspathic material.(b),Leucite rocks of Wyoming.(c),Sericite slates of Georgia.(d),Glauconite (greensand) of New Jersey.5. Potash from Alunite.6. Potash from organic sources other than kelp.7. Potash from kelp.In this discussion very little more than passing reference, if any, will be given to those projects which up to date have been de¬veloped only slightly, if at all, beyond the small scale laboratory stage, or for the development of which there appears to be very little financial and technical backing at the present time. Nether or not many of these proposed projects have merit can be determined only by an actual operating demonstration.Generally speaking, the potash industry of the United States has been hardly more than marking time since the armistice. This is, largely due to the fact that the consumers of potash have been expecting that heavy shipments of foreign potash to the United States would be resumed soon at somewhere near the pre-war prices, and they have not been buying domestic potash at present prices for many months. The result has been that domestic producers have been unable to sell their product at even cost and many producers of potash have been obliged to close down. Thu Nebraska lake plants were closed down in February. The California saline plants were operating at below capacity, and the only large alunite plant is closed down. Even the cement plants have little or no inducements to recover the potash being lost in their waste gases, and the production is very small at present."

Jan 1, 1919