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By Patrick Browne

Drilling programs and the study of active geothermal systems have shown that the reservoir rocks in many fields contain minor quantities of base and precious metals. Commonly, base-metal sulfides occur in the subsurface but, where present, Au, Ag, Hg, As, T1 and Sb rich precipitates deposit near, or at, the surface. Although in some fields (Geysers, Larderello, Tongonan) some of the ore minerals (and others) are relict, there is evidence that they are now depositing in a few systems. Recent work on active hydrothermal systems in New Zealand shows that: (1) Sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite (forming veins and disseminated discrete crystals) plus rare pentlandite, cobaltite and arsenopyrite, occur at Broadlands, NZ. Rare quantities of base-metal sulfides also occur in cores and cuttings from the geothermal fields of Waiotapu, Kawerau, Tauhara, and Ngawha. Further, Kakimoto (1983) has identified cassiterite, native silver, and trace gold in cores from Tauhara, in the south-eastern part of the Wairakei field. Bore temperatures at the depths from which these minerals were recovered are mostly between 220° and 300°C, but at Broadlands are locally as low as 120°C. The host rocks are Quaternary talc-alkali, silicic lavas and pyroclastic rocks, andesites, dacite and deep Mesozoic greywackes and argillites; however, there is no obvious relationship between mineralization and stratigraphy, permeability or well output. (2) The deposition of amorphous precious metal precipitates (Au, Ag, Hg, As, Sb, T1) from hot springs and well discharges has taken place at Broadlands, Waiotapu and Rotokawa; it also occurs at Kawerau. (3) Water discharging from Frying Pan Lake, Waimangu, is presently depositing siliceous sinter containing up to 4.1% tungsten. A characteristic of mineral-depositing fluids in the New Zealand geothermal fields is their very low salinity (total dissolved salts of 3000 ppm or less but with high CO2); they are of near- neutral alkali chloride composition, although water discharging from Frying Pan Lake has a pH of 4.5, and very low metal contents. Very effective concentration processes (10 times for gold at Broadlands) must occur: in the subsurface these include boiling and rapid cooling but near, and at, the surface, mixing of waters of different pH seems to dominate. In particular, descending acid condensate, derived from separated steam and oxidation of H2S mixes with its parent alkali chloride water, resulting in precipitation of amorphous ore metals. Base-metal sulfides also occur in veins and as disseminated grains in geothermal fields at Tongonan, Leyte and Southern Negros, Philippines. These fields have a porphyry-type setting with host rocks of Miocene andesitic lavas and pyroclastics intruded by diorites so that the fields have undergone complicated thermal histories before cooling to their present base temperatures of about 325°C. Precious metals have precipitated from waters from some wells (Leach, pers. comm.) but they do not, as yet, form ore-grade deposits.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. Smuts

The mixed-valence iron silicate ISCORITE (Fe7Si010) was identified recently in a number of ironmakingmater1als, some of which were first produced more than a century ago. Although the existence of iscorite was not reported before 1967 and published phase diagrams do not make provision for it, the morphology of the phase in all the materials that were examined suggests that it is stable under a variety of conditions. It is shown that is-corite can accommodate various foreign cations in its lattice where they can replace Fe and/or Si. The morphology of is-corite in a number of materials of different origin is shown in relation to iron oxides and silicates in optical and SEM/BSE images.

Jan 1, 1991

By Hewitt Wilson

Until recent years the term "whiting" was applied exclusively to the water-ground chalks of certain north European countries. In many industries these are still considered superior to the whiting made from domestic limestone and marble. However, the latter material has replaced much of the European whiting in the American market, largely due to improvements in grinding and classification by American manufacturers.4 To encourage the domestic industry, the Bureau of Mines in 1931 undertook a study of the preparation of whiting from American raw materials and a comparison of the finished products with European whitings.

Jan 1, 1937

By J L. Maule, S J. Mathews, K A. Rodgers

Gold and Silver bearing epithermal veins of the Golden Cross deposit are hosted in Miocene and Pliocene calc-alkaline volcanics occurring 8 km northwest of Waihi at the southern extent of the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand. Veining occurred during a period of hydrothermal activity that began early to late Pliocene, and possibly continued into the Pleistocene.   Field relations and petrographic relationships reveal that multiple generations of FeS2 occur in the Golden Cross region, with FeS2 occurring in all nine rock types recognised at Golden Cross. The variability of FeS2 morphology was investigated by preparation of high purity FeS2 separates, and grain counting. Marcasite is the dominant FeS2 phase at Golden Cross, and along with pyrite is shown to have a systematic habit variation. Pyrite shows a sequence from cubes through octahedra to pyritohedra to dendritic growth. This pyrite sequence conforms to an experimentally determined sequence. The parallel sequence for marcasite at Golden Cross is from tabular through bladed aggregates to euhedral miscellaneous marcasite morphologies. The FeS2 sequences observed are believed to be due to increasing temperature, and perhaps also increasing FeS2-oversaturation and fluid flow.

Jan 1, 1994

By Fred Breu, Ronald E. Heuer

INTRODUCTION The Point Lepreau nuclear generating station was constructed in the late 1970's and early 1980's by the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission. Point Lepreau is a small peninsula on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy, about 55 km west of St. John, New Brunswick. Cooling water for the plant was to be obtained from and discharged into the Bay of Fundy by the system of shafts and tunnels illustrated in Fig. 1. The design engineer for the cooling water system was Albery, Pullerits, Dickson and Associates, Ltd., Toronto. Ferrera-Resco Ltd, Windsor, Ontario, was contractor for construction of the cooling water shaft and tunnel system, which was done between 1976 and 1979. The senior author was project manager for Ferrera-Resco, the junior author served as consultant to Ferrera-Resco on evaluation of certain geotechnical questions which arose during construction. SITE CONDITIONS Geology Except for limited overburden soils at the onshore shaft sites, the tunnels and shafts were constructed entirely in Triassic conglomerate, sandstone, and siltstone, with some shale interbeds. The bedding strike averaged about N6°E, The dip was to the west at about 30° along the Discharge Tunnel and 40° along the Intake Tunnel. Rock along the Intake Tunnel was mostly sandstone and siltstone and more thinly bedded, with RQ D generally in the range of 50 to 60%. Rock along the Discharge Tunnel tended to be coarser sandstone and conglomerate and more thickly bedded, with higher RQ D averaging about 80%. In addition to bedding joints, two other joint systems were identified

Jan 1, 1985

By Manfred Krutein

Ocean mining has a number of problems which are critical to its development: ? Political hurdles on national and international stages ? The worldwide economic situation, with the possibliity of a recession ? Financial difficulties in funding further work ? Technical problems for the development of ocean mining and transport subsystems ? Demands for technology transfer This paper touches the last two points and provides some thoughts for discussion and creative objectification. The many technical problems of ocean mining will be identified and some proposed solutions will be investigated relative to the state-of-the-art technology of ocean mining and nodule transport. An outlook into the future attempts identification of the steps necessary to eventually develop components for workable systems that are not only technically but also economically feasible.

Jan 1, 1978

There is a lack of information concerning the movements of water on the continental shelf, particularly with regard to data obtained regularly over significant periods of time. The Horace Lamb Centre for Oceanographic Research has recently deployed data acquisition systems on the sea bed off the coast of South Australia to record tides, swell, and ocean temperatures. Some of these early records are described. The swell data are pertinent to future offshore operations with drilling rigs, barges, and other equipment, while the temperature variations give evidence of significant bottom currents, apart from those due to swell.

Jan 1, 1971

By S. D. Bearden

Color enhances expression and communication in all physical objects experienced in life. Pigments provide color and in some applications have a specific additional function. Natural iron oxides are widely distributed throughout the world but only a few deposits are sufficiently pure and possess acceptable color and brightness properties to merit their processing into pigment form. Ochre, the common name for goethite ore, is the best and most under used material in the buff colored pigment market. The geological occurrence of ochre in the basal Shady Formation of the Cartersville Mining District (Georgia) is described. Exploration, processing, and product applications of New Riverside Ochre Company, Inc. are discussed. An overview of the worldwide pigment market is presented with emphasis placed upon the North American activity in iron oxide production and application. The purpose of this paper is to increase the awareness of ochre and its potential market in the colored iron oxide pigment industry, encourage research on the origin of ochre deposits, and stimulate interest in new applications of this unique substance.

Feb 27, 2013

W. S. GRESLEY, Erie, Pa. (communication to the Secretary): A six-entry method of opening coal-mines is, or was a short time ago, practiced in the Connellsville coal-region; but Dr. Chance's method has a novel aspect; for while in the Connellsville region the main pillars are formed outside of two pairs

Jan 1, 1901

Prof. Henry M Howe, New York: It is extremely probable that this efflorescence of silica is due to the liquation either of silicon or of a silicide, and the subsequent oxidation of the silicon to silica. As Mr. Fackenthal says, it is very hard to see why silicon should liquate from an iron containing so little silicon, and it seems more probable that some silicide of some volatile element has liquated, and has dissociated on reaching the air, and that the volatile element has volatilized, leaving the silicon to oxidize to silica. The volatile elements present which might thus liquate in combination with the silicon are sulphur, zinc, and lead. It is hard to see why sulphide of silicon should have liquated from an iron containing so little of either sulphur or silicon. At first, one naturally thinks that either the zinc or the lead present in this furnace might have liquated as silicide. It is true that they are both volatile at the temperature within the furnace, but then the vapor-tension* of each of them within

Jan 1, 1901

A. R. Ledoux,New York City: The so-called combination method " is generally used in assaying bar copper for silver. It has been modified from time to time. Briefly outlined

Jan 1, 1901

George L. Heath, South Lake Linden, Mich. (communication to the Secretary): In presenting some notes on the "Heine's Blue Test" Mr. Smith expresses a preference for fresh standards and a cheaper bottle; but this is rather a reversion to the old method, since I devised in 1897 the newer method of preparation and preservation of' permanent standards, which were not used with any success in the original method. Many busy western assayers no doubt value a method for preparing a permanent set of standards in air-tight glass-stoppered bottles, whose use brings the method as near perfection as one could desire as regards rapidity of color-reading and avoidance of unnecessary work. Mr. Smith notes that his color-readings were compared with an electrolytic assay of another ore-sample, and that my electrolytic assays were made on the " blue test" solution from colorimetric assay. He omits, however, reference to the fact, showing the advantage of my procedure, that the next column in table of

Jan 1, 1901

By L. Hagenbuch

Off-highway truck purchasers know the amount of tonnes, pounds, kilograms, etc, a truck will carry. However just because a truck is rated at 240 tons may in no way correlate to what that truck will actually carry. Two numbers define the carrying capacity of an off-highway truck: 1. The weight carrying capacity of the truck; 2. The volume carrying capacity of the truck. These two numbers must be in sync or the amount of payload carried will vary from the carrying capacity of the truck. Currently the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard J1363 January 1985 defines the volumetric carrying capacity of an off-highway truck. However as is well known in several South American countries, the SAE standard overrates the truck’s effective volumetric carrying capacity 15% to 20%. This paper presents a method for measuring “effective” body volumetric carrying capacity, resulting in a truck body for carrying the targeted load, matched to the loading equipment that interacts positively with the truck chassis.

Jan 1, 2002

By Matters C. W

THE following paper embodies the present practice and the results of past experience in the survey departments of two of the leading Broken Hill mines, the Central (Sulphide Corporation Ltd.) and the Broken Hill South S. M. Co. N. L.The authors intend to limit the scope of this paper to a consideration of office methods, as much has recently appeared in technical literature concerning field work, both surface and underground. Special reference may here be made to a valuable paper on 'Mine Surveying' by H W Gartrell, in Vol XIII of Transactions, in which the author gives considerable attention to field work. Moreover, much of the office work described in current literature is American, and sometimes not suited to local conditions, being ·often exceedingly elaborate and demanding a large staff of assistants. It is believed that the methods of recording information described in this paper are sufficiently simple and flexible to be adapted to most Australian mines. Brief acknowledgement must be made to the work done by Americans, who have raised mine surveying to the position of a separate profession, instead of being merely an unimportant branch of land surveying.

Jan 1, 1912

Good morning and thanks for the chance to talk to you. It's really pleasing to see so many industry representatives here I want to spend a few minutes talking about issues relating to your industry. At the end of today I would like to leave you with three strong messages from government. The first is that this government supports environmentally responsible mining and the endeavours of the mining industry. The second is that explorers and developers are wanted and welcomed in New Zealand. And the last is that it is up to the industry to keep the public properly informed about how your industry and to constantly work on improving your public image. The mining industry is a high-tech industry which fits snugly with our concept of a growing knowledge-based economy. It has particular value for regional development, the gold mining industry alone provides more than 4,000 jobs û mostly outside of the main cities. The industrial minerals industry is twice as large as that. As well as those people directly employed by the industry there are greater downstream effects for the community. One example from the broader extraction industry of this is of the local pie shop down the road from one of Taranaki's petroleum industry locations. The shop sells over $4,000 worth of pies a week to workers in the industry. That's just one example of the positive benefits the industry brings to its local community and is the sort of real positive benefit you need to be telling people about  

Jan 1, 2000

By Graham A. Brown

Activities in offshore mineral exploration In Australia are increasing almost daily, at such a rate that this report will rapidly become out of date. At the time of writing, February 1967, there were no commercial discoveries of offshore minerals reported in Australia, although there has been definite encouragement in many fields. While this initial encouragement has not revealed any commercial mineral deposits offshore hopes are running high in Australia for success in 1967. Why should mineral deposits be expected offshore in Australia in the first place? The reasons are many. The minerals to be discovered also are many. The reasons are based on the history of alluvial and beach mining activities in Australia's past and at the present time, and on the physical environment of the vast Continental Shelf which surrounds the continent. A brief examination of the two primary features which are necessary before offshore mineral exploration can be contemplated should be, undertaken. Two favourable environments are necessary; firstly a Continental- Shelf to form a physical environment for the accumulation of the mineral deposits, and secondly a favourable political-legal environment to give the exploration companies adequate protection during exploration, and suitable long term arrangements for the exploitation of the deposits after discoveries have been made. Australia is well endowed with both of these.

Jan 1, 1967

By Jørn H. Thomsen

This paper presents the experience gained and the lessons learned over the last decade within the numerous offshore foundation projects undertaken in the offshore waters of Denmark and Belgium by COWI A/S of Denmark. This experience derives from the close collaboration with, and interaction between the owners, contractors, and engineers in the various stages of project development. In turn, the experience draws on COWI's experience within foundation of large bridges world wide over half a century. Focus is on two pioneering gravity base foundation projects: ? Nysted in Denmark, currently the largest offshore windfarm worldwide with 72 Nos Bonus 2.3 MW turbines in water depths up to 10 m in the relatively benign inner Danish waters ? Thornton Bank in Belgium, where the first phase - comprising 6 Nos REpower 5MW-turbines of a total of 60 - are planned to be built in the rough North Sea in water depths exceeding 25 m.

Jan 1, 2013

By P. M. Daling

The objectives of this study were to examine a representative cross section of formal safety analysis techniques developed for the nuclear and aerospace industries, to recommend those methods that would be suitable for application to the mining industry, and to include those methods in a user's manual. Volume II of this report, the user's manual, describes several methods that were determined to be immediately transferrable to the mining industry. The handbook gives detailed instructions on appropriate application and utilization of the methods. Other techniques will require further development before they can be effectively transferred to the mining industry.

Jan 1, 2006

By P. M. Daling, C. A. Geffen

The objectives of this study were to examine a representative cross section of formal safety analysis techniques developed for the nuclear and aerospace industries, to recommend those methods that would be suitable for application to the mining industry, and to include those methods in a user's manual. Volume XI of this report, the user's manual, describes several methods that were determined to be immediately transferrable to the mining industry. The handbook gives detailed instructions on appropriate application and utilization of the methods. Other techniques will require further development before they can be effectively transferred to the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert L. Lagace

This final report documents the work done by Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL) on behalf of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center (PMSRC), on Contract H0122026 (which began in August of 1971). Under this contract ADL provided technical assistance to the Bureau on a task basis on virtually all aspects of the Bureau's programs related to present and planned emergency and operational communications and miner location systems for underground coal mines. The work consisted of independent investigations, analyses, experiments, breadboard and prototype hardware development, workshops and technology transfer seminars on mine communications, and on-going evaluations and guidance related to the Bureau's contracted programs on electromagnetic noise, mine communications systems, and trapped miner location. This final report documents the work in two volumes, Volume I, "Emergency and Operational Mine Commun¬ications," and Volume II, "Seismic Detection and Location of Isolated Miners." The Tables of Contents of both Volumes are included in each Volume.

Jan 1, 1974