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By C. R. Bailey, H. F. Dunlap, Ellis Shuler, H. L. Bilhartz

Data are presented which indicate that the saturation exponent, n, in the equation, R. = R100S-11, relating core resistivity, I:,. to the resistivity at 100 per cent saturation. R100. and to the saturation, S. may vary appreciably from the value of two which is usually assumed for this exponent when interpret ing well logs. Values ranging from one to two and one-half have been found on (.ore sample investigated to date. Attempts to correlate this saturation exponent with porosity or permeability of the core have not been successful. The saturation exponent is apparently not a function of the interfacial tension between the brine and the displacing fluid. Some evidence is given indicating that the resistance of the core is not a unique function of the saturation but depends upon the manner in which this saturation was achieved. Equipment and technique are discussed for measurement of resistivities in core plugs in which water saturation can be varied. lNTRODUCTION A number of investigations of the resistivity-saturation relationship for un-c~~nsolidated sands and consolidated (.ore samples have been reported in the literature. According to most of these: R. = R¹ººS², where R² = the resistivity of a formation at saturation S, and R¹ºº= the resistivity of the formation at 100 per cent water saturation. Much of this work was (lone on unconsolidated sands desaturated by gas or oil. Hen-clerson and Ynster worked exclusively with dynamic systems, flowing oil or gas through consolidated cores. There is some doubt as to how well this reproduces static reservoir conditions. Jakosky and Hopper³ onsidered also the case of consolidated core plugs, but the oil-water distribution in the emulsions which they used to saturate their cores is almost certainly different from that occurring in reservoirs. Recently Guyod quotes the results of some Russian work which indicates that n may vary from 1.7 to 4.3. No experimental details of this work are available. In connection with electric log interpretation it is important to know the value of the saturation exponent. For example, if in a given reservoir it is found that the resistivity is three time.; the resistivity observed when the reservoir is 100 pel. cent 'saturated with water, this fact would be interpreted as indicating a water saturation of 33 per cent if the saturation exponent were 1 and a water saturation of 6-1 per cent if the saturation exponent were 2.5. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD In the work to be described it was assumed that reservoir conditions are most nearly obtained when core plugs are desaturated by the capillary pressure technique referred to in numerous places in the literature, as for example. in Bruce and Welge's paper.' In this technique the core. saturated 100 per cent with brine, is placed in contact with a ceramic disc permeable to brine but not to the displacing medium for the displacement pressures used. Pres-ure is then applied to the displacing medium and brine forced out of the core through the ceramic disc. Fig. 1 shows the core plug in place in the cell in which resistivity and saturation measurements are made. Fig. 2 shows the schematic electrical diagram wed to make resistivity measurements on the core plug. A four-electrode type circuit is used, employing a Hewlett-Packard model 400A. AC vacnum tube voltmeter. The 60-cycle AC current througli the core is adjusted to 1 milliampere and measured by noting the voltage drop across the calibrated 100-ohm resistor. The vo1tages appearing at probes 1, 2, 3, and 4 are then successively measured. Voltage drops across the top, center, and bottom portions of the core are obtained by sublracting the voltages appearing at successive probes. This technique avoids any polarization or other high contact resistance phenomena which may develop at the current input electrodes. Resistances which may develop between the core and the probes, and which are small compared to the 1-megoam input impedance 01' the vacuum tube voltmeter will (obviously not affect the measurements allpreciably. Any very appreciable resistallces which may develop at any of the probe wires are detected and allowed for by inserting a 1-megohm resistor in series with the voltage measuring probe. If the probe resistance is actually zero, the new voltage measured after insertion of the I-megolim resistor will be approximately one-half of that previously measured. since the input impedance of the vacuum tube voltmeter is itself 1 megohm. If an! appreciable probe resistance has developed, the new voltage is found to be appreciably greater than one-half of the previously measured voltage. Such probe resistance; have been found to develop only occasionally and usually can be traced to poor connections betwern the core

Jan 1, 1949

By W. T. Irvine

"The H.B. Mine, a zinc-lead operation of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited (Cominco), is in south central British Columbia, on Sheep Creek, a west-flowing branch of the Salmon River. It is 3 miles by road from B.C. highway No. 6, 30 miles south of Nelson, B.C., with an excellent highway connection to the smelter city of Trail, 35 miles from the mine. The nearest permanent settlement is the village of Salmo, 7 miles distant by road. The mine is situated along a belt containing other important zinc-lead deposits, including those of the Canadian Exploration Company, 3 miles to the south, and the Reeves MacDonald mine, 9 miles distant again to the southwest.Deeply oxidized outcrops were located in 1907 on the north side of Sheep Creek valley by two prospectors named Horton and Benson. The property was given the name H.B., after the two discoverers, and there commenced a long and intermittent series of mining operations designed mainly to develop and extract oxidized lead-zinc ore. In 1925 a determined attempt was made by a British syndicate to develop a large tonnage of sulphide ore, but this ended in failure after some 3,000 feet of lateral development had been done. In 1927 Cominco acquired the mine, but it lay idle until 1946 when a geological study was followed by a program of surface drilling which encountered extensive sulphide mineralization. An underground development program revealed more details of the deposit, and sufficient ore was found to warrant construction of a 1,000-ton mill. Mine preparation and mill construction were completed by early 1953, but production was deferred due to low metal prices. The mine was finally brought into production early in 1955."

Jan 1, 1949

By Robert N. Roby

Deposits of iron ore in Judith Basin County, Mont., generally referred to as the Running Wolf deposits, were examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in August 1942. During the Summer of 1943 the Federal Geological Survey made a reconnaissance survey of, the Running Wolf Iron district and also made a detailed study and a topographic and geological map of the eastern end of the district. Two deposits of iron ore at the eastern end of the district were trenched and drilled by the Bureau of Mines during the fall and winter of 1943-44, This report presents the factual data obtained from the trenching and drilling' operations. The iron deposits of thy Running Wolf district are accessible from Stanford, Mont., by 14 to 16 miles of county highway and 2 to 3 miles of rough mountain road or trails (see fig. 1). No shipments of ore have been made from of these deposits. The ore is a replacement of Madison limestone at the contact with syenite porphyry. The contact can be traced for about 6 miles in a general northwest direction. 'At least five. deposits occur along this contact.

Jan 1, 1949

By Charles A. Anderson

The Bagdad copper deposit is of the disseminated type (porphyry copper) occurring in a quartz monzonite stock of late Cretaceous or early Tertiary age. This stock, located essentially at the intersection of two dike swarms, is the only one of several stocks cropping out in the area which is appreciably fractured and mineralized. Most of the rocks in the area are of pre-Cambrian age, but their structures have had no discernible influence on the copper mineralization. Hypogene alteration of the quartz monzonite includes the addition of quartz, orthoclase, and sericite and recrystalli-zation of biotite. The hypogene sulphides are pyrite, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite, the latter younger than the chalcopyrite. The late Cretaceous or early Tertiary igneous rocks, veins, and faults were controlled by northeast and northwest shear zones, the intersection of which marks the zone of appreciable copper mineralization. The minor mineralized fractures carrying the bulk of the copper have a preferred orientation parallel to the intersecting shears, and it is concluded that they are of tectonic origin rather than the result of shrinkage on cooling, crystallization, or mineralization. Supergene enrichment during late Tertiary or early Pleistocene time formed a chalcocite zone providing the minable copper ore. The enrichment was controlled in large part by northeast and northwest faults, prticularly at their intersection or where the faults are closely spaced. Introduction A major objective in a regional geologic study of a mining district is to determine whether any structural pattern can be found that has a bearing on the control of mineralization. The Bagdad copper deposit is of the disseminated type (porphyry copper) occurring in a.quartz monzonite stock which is located essentially at the intersection of two dike swarms (Fig 2). Of several quartz monzonite stocks in the area only this One is appreciably fractured and mineralized. The origin of the minute mineralized fractures in disseminated copper deposits has long been a challenging problem to the mining geologist, and evidence has been obtained to suggest that the mineralized fractures at Bagdad are related to a regional pattern of conjugate shears which also controlled the location of the dike swarms. The purpose of this paper is to Present this evidence and to emphasize the structural control of the supergene enrichment in forming a chalcocite zone that has provided the ore for the Bagdad mine. The field work on which these conclusions are based was done between October 1943 and August 1945, as a part of the copper investigations of the Goelogical Survey, U. S. Department of the Interior. The writer and his associates, E. A. Scholz and J. D. Strobell, Jr., have prepared a comprehensive report on the geology and ore deposits of the Bagdad area which will be published subsequently by the Geological Survey. Bagdad is located in west-central Arizona in Yavapai County. Ransome' divided the State of Arizona into three provinces: I? the plateau to the northeast; 111, the desert region to the southwest and 11, the moun-

Jan 1, 1949

By W. J. Farley

Location and History The Sherritt Gordon mine is in northern Manitoba, one hundred miles north of The Pas and forty miles northeast of Flin Flon. The original discovery was made by a Cree indian, Philip Sherlett, in 1922. The claims lapsed in 1924 to be re-staked and optioned by various mining groups who carried out a certain amount of development work before relinquishing their options. In 1927 the present Company, Sherritt Gordon Mines, Limited, was formed to take over the property. Production commenced in 1931, but in the following year operations were suspended and it was not until 1937 that the prevailing price of copper pemitted resumption as an economic operation. The mine has operated continuously from that time to the present. Total production to the end of 1947 has been: Copper . . . . . . . . . 301,813 . .,345 pounds Zinc . . . . . . . . . . . 112,636 tons of concentrat (50% zinc) Gold . . . . . . . . . . 83,070 ounces Silver . . . . . . . . . 2,651,317 ounces General Geology The consolidated rocks in the vicinity of the mine, all of Precambrian age, are a series of gneisses and form a part of a great area of what are known as the Kisseynew gneisses. The Sherritt is the only known economic base-metal deposit to occur within the Kisseynew series. Extreme metamorphism has produced recrystallization that has imparted a decided igneous-like texture to many of the units. However, the gneisses are predominantly of sedimentary original although the most basic member, a hornblendegarnet gneiss, is considered to be an altered basic flow. Figure 1 illustrates the intricately folded structure and the succession of roe types. The footwall enclosing members are of sedimentary origin and represent quartzite and arkosic and greywacke derivatives. The contact footwall member is gneissic quartzite, a medium to coarse grained rock composed mainly of quartz with minor altered feldspar (orthoclase and plagioclase), muscovite, chloritized biotite, and magnetite. Most phases of this unit show varying degrees of granitization.

Jan 1, 1949

By Charles L. Harness

STRONTIUM is an essential constituent of celestite (strontium sulphate), of the rarer strontianite (strontium carbonate), and of a few very rare minerals. Celestite is the chief ore but strontianite is more valued except for making the purest strontium salts, because of its ease of processing. The public knows strontium mainly as the source of the red flame in fireworks but it has many other uses. PROPERTIES The celestite of commerce is a massive mineral of varying texture: coarsely crystalline, fibrous, bladed, very fine grained or earthy. The color varies greatly with the nature of the impurities but the purer specimens are light blue (Latin, caelum, sky) or white. The strontianite of commerce is a massive mineral, more or less coarsely crystalline. The color varies with the impurities. Distinctive characteristics are effervescence with acids, density (3.68 to 3.71), and crimson strontium flame. A typical British celestite before World War II analyzed: SrSO4, 96.55 pct; SrCO3, 0.17; BaSO4, 0.25; CaSO4, 0.54; MgCO3, 0.15; R20,, 0.90; Si02, 1.38.10 A German strontianite analyzed: SrCO3, 90.9 pct; CaCO3, 7.5; BaCO3, 0.1; Fe2O3, 0.05; A1203, 0.1; SiO2, 0.04; S, 0.1; P, 0.005.10 ORIGIN AND MODE OF OCCURRENCE According to Clarke,9 strontia forms about 0.02 pct of the crust of the earth and is present in most igneous rocks, but in smaller quantities than barium. Under certain conditions, large masses of celestite are deposited from sea water with anhydrite. The presence of large amounts of celestite in some saline deposits and its absence in others suggests that the deposition of celestite depends on whether certain as yet undetermined concentrations of sulphate and chloride ions are reached in the brines. The most extensive of these sedimentary deposits are those of the Keuper (Triassic) in England, of the Zechstein (Permian) in Germany, and of various Cretaceous formations in Texas, Arkansas, and Utah. Of the deposits of southeastern California and western Arizona,

Jan 1, 1949

By William A. Beck

Since bauxite mining began in the Irwinton District, Wilkinson County, Ga., in 1912, it has been on a small scale, as most of the deposits of high-grade ore are small. The bauxite has a high silica content, and its use has been largely limited to the chemical industry. Drilling under this project did not disclose any bauxite deposits of commercial value: However, numerous holes penetrated high-alumina clay deposits, but no attempt was made to delimit them, as the project was solely an exploration for bauxite. Bauxite was first discovered near Irwinton in 1907. The district covers virtually all of Wilkinson County and extends into the adjoining counties of Washington, Baldwin, and Twiggs. Mining was begun in 1912 by the Republic Mining & Manufacturing Co. on the Honeycutt, Parker, and Daniel properties, which are 1.5 miles from Wriley on the old Irwinton to Milledgeville Road.

Jan 1, 1949

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

THIS discussion is based on statistical manipulation and evaluation of operating data from several commercial blast furnaces which include rather wide variations in practice. We are concerned here mainly with the effect of manganese on sulphur elimination under operating conditions in commercial blast furnaces, but this effect can be outlined more clearly by including certain other variables such as silicon in iron and slag basicity, which are all in part interrelated. Real progress in understanding all of the smelting-zone reactions in this process requires more laboratory studies of slag-metal melts similar to those in the blast furnace, with careful control of oxygen pressure. Such experimental work is very difficult, however, and in the meantime, with the present scarcity of more fundamental data, such statistical trends and correlations as can be obtained from commercial furnace operating records may help in choosing laboratory test conditions as well as adding to our knowledge of operating procedures. We do not know just why the furnace data are apparently so irregular that statistical treatment of large numbers is needed to obtain accurate trends. It is partly caused, no doubt, by the many simultaneous variables present, but there are perhaps also such factors as: (I) the con- tinual swings up and down so characteristic of the process; (2) difficulty of accurate sampling of co-existing phases, as well as (3) the presence of both equilibrium and rate factors as a result of the fast driving of the process. In desulphurization, for example, the flow of thin layers of slag and metal over solid coke surfaces, plus the contact between droplets of iron falling through the slag layer in the hearth, would lead one to expect a close approach to equilibrium. On the other hand, most of the critical part of sulphur removal may occur in a short time and distance below the tuyeres with perhaps an accompanying decrease in oxygen pressure and the concurrent reduction of much of the silicon and manganese, so its degree of approach to equilibrium may be quite variable. Probable Chemistry of Desulphurization Since there is little evidence that sulphur atoms in the iron solution are aasociated to any appreciable extent in molecules such as MnS, the transfer from slag to metal and back again can be written:* (FeS) ? [FeS], [I] hence the following reactions seem most probable in the slag phase, (FeS) + (CaO) ? (CaS) + (FeO), [2] and, (FeS) + (MnO) ? (MnS) + (FeO). 131

Jan 1, 1949

By L. E. Djingheuzian

Introduction Cylindrical grinding mills have been used for a long time, but during many years of testing no methods were established that gave consistent results. The work by both scientific investigators and operators led very often to contradictory conclusions, and each millman was very much 'on his own' when trying to find the limits for working of his ball-mills. Fred C. Bond, in the introduction to his paper on Wear and Size Distribution of Grinding Balls, freely states that the mathematical immaturity of the grinding process "is the cause of many inefficient designs and installations as well as of much poorly oriented experimental work", and evidently he sees the solution of all our grinding problems in the discovery of the fundamental laws "which can change the empirical art into a mathematically exact science". While the writer is in complete agreement with Mr. Bond that grinding is governed by fundamental laws which can be expressed by mathematical formulae, there are so many variables in grinding, all interwoven with each other and mutually influencing each other, that the coalescing and merging of all these variables into a harmonious mathematical whole appears to be a homeric job. However, a light appeared on the horizon when it was proposed that power be used as an index of the grinding operation. It is pertinent to quote Gow, Guggenheim, Campbell, and Coghill from their paper on Ball Milling, in which they say: "Much of the past literature devoted to the subject has been concerned with the Kick-Rittinger dispute over evaluating grinding, or with dissertations on ball paths and the closely allied impact versus attrition hypotheses or with the exclusive consideration of certain specific variables, such as mill speed or circulating load, irrespectve of the other factors in operation. Such subjects may be dismissed with but little discussion in what may be called, by comparison a new philosophy in the stud of ball milling. Briefly this 'new philosophy' consists ' of using power as an index of the mill operation, and investigating grinding from the standpoint of set and induced variables with emphasis on the latter". But it is safe to assume that it was the work by E.W. Davis, H. E. T. Haultain, F. C. Dyer, A: M. Gaudin, J. Gross, S. R. Zimmerley, and others, that cleared the path for the authors of Ball Milling and induced them and A. W. Fahrenwald to look farther afield and thus to establish a far-reaching relationship between the power and capacity and the diameter of the ball-mills.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. A. Koehler, M. E. Hinkle

THE oxidation of pyrites and marcasite in coal-mine strata to produce discolored acid mine drainage has long been explained by chemical reactions occurring in three stages: 1. The iron sulphide minerals are oxidized by air in the presence of water to produce a nearly colorless solution of ferrous (iron) sulphate and some sulphuric acid. 2, The ferrous sulphate and part of the sulphuric acid combine with additional oxygen to form ferric (iron) sulphate. 3. The ferric sulphate hydrolyzes to form a reddish-brown precipitate and additional sulphuric acid. Nevertheless, chemical data alone are not sufficient to explain all observed facts. The first stage seems to proceed more slowly in the chemical laboratory than in nature. The second and third stages normally occur to a marked extent within a few days with raw mine water. However, the visible discoloration that characterizes these latter stages will not develop for months if the mine water is sterilized. By means of bacteriological techniques, two organisms have been isolated from acid coal-mine drainage. These are believed to have a part in promoting the chemical reactions summarized above. One organism is considered to be Thio-6aciZZus thiooxidans, which is known to be able to convert elementary sulphur or sodium thiosulphate to sulphuric acid. Its relation to the formation of acid mine drainage has not Yet been established. Apparently it does not Promote the oxidation of ferrous iron compounds in mine drainage to the ferric state. The second organism has not been identified by name but is described as " Gram negative, non-spore-forming rods approximately 0.4 micron wide by 0.8 to 1.0 micron long." A pure culture of this when added to sterile mine water will cause the latter to become amber and develop the typical rusty precipitate. However, it has not been found to convert sulphur compounds to sulphuric acid. Further research is planned to determine whether or not these microorganisms play a significant part in the first stage of oxidation whereby pyrites and marcasite minerals go into solution. Some of the conditions found in abandoned sections of coal mines, such as a reduced Percentage of Oxygen and increased percentage of carboll 'dioxide in the air, as well as the existing temperature and acidity ranges, will be tolerated by and may even be favorable to these organisms. Acid Coal Mine Drainage Acid coal mine drainage has been the concern of coal mine operators, industrialists, sportsmen and public officials for many years. The amount of acid flowing into our streams in the coal-producing areas varies considerably from mine to mine and from

Jan 1, 1949

By Milton Orchin

There has been a good deal of speculation as to the function of a vehicle in the coal hydrogenation process. One of the most fruitful theories has been the suggestion that a vehicle such as tetralin functions by supplying hydrogen to the coal, and that the high-pressure hydrogen present in the system serves to regenerate the tetralin. In order to obtain experimental evidence bearing on this theory, a series of experiments was planned in which varying quantities of tetralin were used with coal in the presence of high-pressure hydrogen. This paper reports the results of these experiments.

Jan 1, 1949

By Henry F. Heblby

HOW often has the thoughtful observer pondered the apparent contradictions experienced in the weather? One can take records of two days, one in the winter and one in the summer. The "degree days1' indicate that space heating and domestic load were present in one case and not in the other. The Business Index may be about the same, indicating that the industrial activity of the area and its concomitant use of fuel were about the same. Thus the volume of the products of combustion released to the atmosphere varied only as related to the space heating demand. Yet on one day in winter the atmosphere may be clear and bracing, while on a summer's day the air is thick and murky and the visibility sharply reduced. The situation may be reversed. What are some of the factors that contribute to the creation of these conditions? These few notes have been prepared to indicate some of the influences that are exerted on the problem. The Sources of Atmospheric PolLution The industrial area of Pittsburgh, Pa., has been a dominant center for the production of iron and steel for over one hundred years. In fact, with the growth of the numerous auxiliary processes Allegheny County which contains Pittsburgh is prob- ably the most industrialized county in the world. In addition, the type of manufacture carried out in this area is predominantly dependent on thermal energy (heat). That energy is supplied from coke and coal produced in the vicinity of Pittsburgh Indicative of the stupendous quantities of fuel that are employed in this industrial area's economy, the following (Table I) taken from the U. S. Census (1940) may be of interest. In tonnage consumed in the area, the figures are equally impressive: Annual Tons oF Coal Metallurgical Industries.... 35,000,000 to 40,000,000 Commercial Installations (Pgh.)................. 1,500,000 Domestic hand-fired) (Pgh.)................. 750,000 An influence that has never been fully appreciated by many individuals is the fact that no matter what adventures the gases of combustion experience as they pass through the various processes, uti-mately the spent gases are discharged through chimneys to the atmosphere.

Jan 1, 1949

By M. R. Goldick

The Roan Antelope concentrator was originally designed with a nominal milling capacity of 6000 tons of copper ore per day but this was subsequently considerably exceeded. In broad outline the plant consisted of two No. 30 McCully gyratory crushers for coarse crushing, five 5½-ft Standard Symons crushers in open circuit for secondary crushing, ten No. 98 Marcy ball mills arranged in five sections, each two-mill section with primary and secondary Dorr classifiers for two-stage grinding. One stage of flotation roughing was followed by two stages of cleaning, all in airlift type pneumatic flotation machines, with the final concentrates filtered on Oliver drum filters. Tailing was thickened in a 250-ft Dorr traction type thickener before pumping to the tailing dam. Concentrating operations commenced in June 1931, on the completion of the first two ball-milling sections and output was increased during the next few months as the remaining sections were finished. From the start, very few technical difficulties were experienced but a number of evolutionary changes have been made as a result of operating experience and the availability of improved equipment. These have resulted in plant and ore-flow alterations although the general scheme of ore treatment remains substantially as before. The main changes to date were the installation of a new crushing plant at Storke shaft, some 7000 ft west of the original Beatty shaft; the completion of a two-stage secondary crushing plant; an increase of 20 pct in ball-milling capacity; a change-over from pneumatic to a mcchanical type of flotation machine for flotation roughing; the reduction of flotation cleaning from two stages to one stage. Ore Treated Typically the ore treated consists of metamorphosed shales and sandstones with shales as the principal mineral-bearing rock carrying chalcocite, bornite and chalcopy-rite as the main copper minerals. Chalcocite predominated in the original eastern end of the ore body but there is a pronounced trend to an increased proportion of the copper-iron sulphides as mining proceeds westward. Although the ore can be described as soft, this advantage is offset by the extremely fine dissemination of the copper minerals which calls for a high degree of comminution of the ore (go pct minus-zoo mesh Tyler standard) to give a reasonably satisfactory separation of mineral from gangue. Latterly, there has been a tendency for the ore to become harder as shown by a reduction in the ball-milling rate from a previous figure of over goo tons per ball-mill day to the present output of some 800 tons. Chalcopyrite is not so finely disseminated and has also proved more amenable to flotation than chalcocite. Nonsulphide minerals are mainly the so-called oxides such as malachite, cuprite and melaconite with some chrysocolla and

Jan 1, 1949

By W. W. Weber

"The Mine property comprises some 700 acres in ranges VI and VII, Barraute township, about thirty-seven miles due north of Val d'Or in northwestern Quebec.The transformation of a small farming community into the youngest and largest zinc producer in eastern Canada began late in the autumn of 1950. At this time, a geological survey party of the Quebec Department of Mines discovered sphalerite-pyrite mineralization in a strong regional shear structure crossing range VII of Barraute township. Diamond drilling commenced in November 1950, and by June 1951 a total of more than 63,000 feet of drilling, at fifty-foot intervals, had explored an ore zone 2,500 feet in length and 102 feet in average width to a depth of 700 feet, the deepest ore intersection.Production started late in 1952, and is at present in excess of 4,000 tons per day. Production in 1954 of77,790, 166 lbs. of zinc and 989,610 oz. of silver, from 1,525,284 tons of ore, makes this mine the largest zinc producer in eastern Canada.General GeologyAll the consolidated rocks of the area are Precambrian, and most of them are volcanic. They consist mainly of subsiliceous Javas, with smaller amounts of siliceous to intermediate lavas and pyroclastic rocks. The lavas have been intruded contemporaneously by many sill-like bodies of coarser-grained diorite and gabbro. There are no sedimentary rocks within ten miles of the mine.A period of major folding and faulting was followed by intrusion of granite. The volcanic rocks have been compressed into isoclinal folds trending roughly east-west, and the granitic batholiths also show a rude lineal alignment in the same direction. The granitic masses vary consider-ably in composition, ranging from the potassic LaCorne granite, ten miles south of the mine, to the sodic Duverny mass, ten miles west. In addition there is a variation from a general granitic core to dioritic and gabbroic phases on the margins and in satellitic intrusions."

Jan 1, 1949

By Russell R. Trengove

Exploring for additional ore bodies on the property of the New Idria Quicksilver Mining Co.'s property at Idria, Calif., was done by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. It comprised a study of the geology, mapping, and searching for additional cinnabar by diamond drilling from both surface and underground. Diamond-drill equipment was moved to the project in November 1941, and drilling was completed in.May 1942. Sixteen holes aggregating 2,580 feet were drilled. Diamond drilling by the Bureau of Mines developed information regarding ore structures that proved valuable to the operators in planning underground prospecting that led directly to the discovery of high-grade ore.

Jan 1, 1949

THE book covers principally the assaying of silver and gold and the determination of these values in ores, sweepings, and base metal. It seems to have been written more for the goldsmith and jeweler than for the primary producer of metals. There were approximately sixty different substances needed in the operations described and not over a dozen different types of raw material (ore, matte, crude or alloyed metal) are mentioned. The methods of separation used were essentially simple and reasonably reliable, though the processes were not sufficiently understood to permit the selection of the simplest effective ingredients, and there was a great tendency to employ complicated fluxes, with unnecessary repetition of long-continued heatings indicative of a leisurely pace of life. Practically all the processes described are based on a few chemical facts: the inability of gold to combine with sulphur, while silver and the base metals form easily fusible sulphides; the ready oxidation of base metals; and the ii- solubility of gold in nitric acid. Fluxes serve to make earthy impurities fusible, and to carry oxidizing or sulphurizing ingredients. Many of the processes of assaying had changed little up to the beginning of the present century. Even as late as 1924, when the writer took a University course in fire assaying, the crucibles, cupels, scorifiers, molds, and tongs were identical with those of the sixteenth century, though the wind furnace had a stack on it and the muffle for cupelling was gas-fired.* The fluxes were purer, but of the same essential composition. That this branch- or twig-of metallurgy had not advanced in any funda-

Jan 1, 1949

Jan 1, 1949

By Leonard Obert

This report describes the development of a dynamic strain gage and a companion amplifier and recording camera -an apparatus designed to pick up and record the strain waves produced in rock by a nearby explosion. Also included in the report is a discussion of the relationships connecting the strain with the displacement, velocity, and acceleration for both plane and spherical waves. The proposed tests for which the strain gages were intended required making measurements in solid rock, a factor that necessitated the development of a gage that could be inserted and anchored in a small-diameter diamond-drill hole. The restriction on the diameter of the drill hole is required so that the presence of the hole in the medium will not influence the propagation of the strain wave. The gage should respond with fidelity to the frequencies present in a wave pulse generated by the nearby detonation of a small quantity of high-velocity explosive. Preliminary tests showed that this frequency range extends from 200 to 10,000 c.p.s. or greater. Also, the gage should be capable of measuring strains ranging from a few micro-inches per inch to several thousand micro-inches per inch. Other desirable design specifications included a low gage output impedance to permit the use of long cables, and a low gage cost, particularly in view of the fact that for the final design none of the gages can be recovered from the medium.

Jan 1, 1949

By Hannon, J. W. G.

Silicosis is today's most important industrial disease and probably dates back to the Stone Age. Since the industrial revolution, increasing attention has been paid to those occupations where mineral dust is present in the air breathed by the workers. For many years it was assumed that the inhalation of all mineral dusts was hazardous. but investigations conducted in several countries pointed the statistical finger of guilt at free silica in any of its numerous physical forms as a dust of outstanding toxicity. Recognition of silica as the chief hazard has resulted in widespread use of the term "silicosis." Depending upon the concentration of finely divided silica dust to which the individual is exposed and the duration of exposure, silicosis may become a disabling condition in from one to thirty years. The structure of the lung and respiratory passages is such that only minute particles of silica can gain entry to the air cells in the lung (5 microns or under are most toxic). When these minute particles gain entry to the lung tissues they stimulate certain protective cells in the lung to multiply at an excessive rate. The cell's undergo inflammatory changes which result in nodular scars and a low-grade inflammation of the lung tissue. These progressive changes in the lung structure gradually encroach

Jan 1, 1949

By S. E. Burton

The White Rock area of the Boiling Springs manganese-iron deposits comprises about 3,200 acres of land in Monroe Township, Cumberland County, Pa. (See fig. 1.) This property was brought to the: attention of the Bureau of Mines by Pennsylvania Geological Survey Bulletin 128, entitled "Manganese Ores of Pennsylvania" by R. M. Foose. It was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in August 1942 and was further investigated by the Bureau by churn drilling and underground development during the period December 1942 to February 1944. Beneficiation tests were made on samples of the ore. This report describes the work done during the investigation and presents the results obtained.

Jan 1, 1949