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By Frank E. Williams

This Bureau of Mines report deals with the urbanization of Tucson, Ariz., a southwestern city with an arid environment. Zoning regulations concerning known aggregate sources are described, and information relating to projected needs for the urban area is furnished. History of growth is outlined not only for the local aggregate industry, but also for the entire urban area. Past conditions are pointed out and background material for future conditions is provided.

Jan 1, 1967

By K. O. Bennington

Thermodynamic properties were determined by the Federal Bureau of Mines for lithium metasilicate (Li2Si03) and lithium disilicate (Li2Si205). Their enthalpies of formation were investigated by hydrofluoric acid solution calorimetry. The standard values are ?Hf°298 -393.8 ± 0.8 kcal/mole for Li2Si03, and ?Hf°298 -611.8 ± 1.0 kcal/mole for LiSi205. Enthalpy increments above 298 K were measured by copper-block drop calorimetry from 298 to 1,404 K for Li2Si03, and from 298 to 1,281 K for Li2Si205. Low-temperature heat capacities were determined adiabatically from 6 to 305 K for Li2Si205 only. The derived standard entropy is S°298 = 29.20 ± 0.10 cal/deg-mole. The various experimental data were combined with other data from the literature, and resulting properties of ?Hf°, ?Gf°, and log Kf were tabulated as a function of temperature.

Jan 1, 1976

By G. L. Neumann

The Guymard mine in Orange County, N. Y., is reported to have been discovered in 1862 and mined until 1876, producing 10,000 tons of lead and zinc ore. The property was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in 1948. Development work was done by the Bureau in April and May 1949 and March 1950. During these two periods four drill holes totaling 2,090 feet were completed. The mineralized sections of the core were sampled and assayed.

Jan 1, 1952

By H. C. Fowler

Hydrogen sulphide associated with the gasps and vapors from certain crude oils now produced in the United States has forced a serious health and safety problem upon the petroleum industry. Although the presence of hydrogen sulphide in or occurring with Mexican crudes has been known for some time, it was not until recently that crude oils which give off poisonous amounts of hydrogen sulphide have been produced to any extent in the United State. The injurious effects of this poisonous gas were first recognized by the refiners along; the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts upon receiving shipments of crude petroleum from Mexico. The problem of combating the hazards of the gases and vapors given off by this petroleum become more important as the use of Mexican crude increased. In 1925, the Bureau of Mines and Public Health Service under cooperative agreement with the American Petroleum Institute, studied the causes rend effects of hydrogen sulphide poisoning. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 2312 is report of this investigation, and although written with special reference to refineries, it nevertheless contains much information that is of value to the producer of petroleum.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. T. Artz, Simpson. O. V.

"INTRODUCTION The provision of escapeways from coal mines is a moral and, in most States, a legal obligation of mine owners and operators. The obligation is not always fulfilled because of the hope that no occasion will ever arise requiring the use of such facilities, and, as time passes without the need for using them, a false sense of security is born in the belief that ""it can't happen here.""The disastrous fire in a mine in Ohio on July 5, 1944, again focused attention on the importance of escapeways in averting disasters and made it clear that one or more dependable exits must be provided from a mine and parts thereof where men might be trapped by being cut off from the regular travel route. This matter of always-having available travelable exits has been advocated for many years by the United States Bureau of Mines."

Aug 1, 1948

By Townsend. James W.

"INTRODUCTION As a byproduct of its mineral investigation program, the Bureau of Mines has developed a number of operating devices and techniques worthy of note. This paper, prepared under the direct supervision of Paul T. Allsman, chief, Salt Lake City Division, Branch, and under the general supervision of Lowell B. Moon, chief, Mining Branch, reports upon one such device. A simple device has been developed for measuring angles of deviation from the horizontal as recorded on a glass tube by acid etching. The device has facilities, also, for measuring the angle between the long axis of the ellipse and the north-south reference points established by a Maas compass or from an established axial lamina, on the tube, which was ori¬ented to a specific direction in the hole by rod alinement.The device was found accurate within half a degree on repeated orientations of the same tube. However, the degree of accuracy is dependent on the accuracy of personal manipulation in orienting the tube to the correct plane."

May 1, 1947

By G. L. Bloomsburg

This report describes work which was done to apply an existing finite element computer program UNSAT2 to the unsteady, unsaturated flow of water through waste shale piles. The work was done in three phases: 1. Verification of program through comparison with existing data. 2. Verification of program through simulation of flow from field seepage ponds at Rifle, Colorado. Considerable laboratory work was done in this phase to obtain capillary pressure-saturation-relative permeability data and hydraulic conductivity values for retorted shale. 3. Application of program to flow due to natural rainfall in a section through the Piceance Basin in Colorado, and a typical waste shale pile.

Jan 1, 1978

By Otto Ruhl

As the result of a study of an area comprising some 100 square miles in the Missouri-Kansas Zinc district known to have produced zinc Ore from horizons below the Grand Falls formation, it was concluded that these horizons could become an important future source of zinc. To test this conclusion and to ascertain the general conditions associated with these lower-horizon ore deposits, the Bureau of Mines undertook detailed drilling of localities thought to be favorable for deposition of ore in the Reeds Spring and. Fern Glen formations. Two sites in the Galena, Kans., mining camp were chosen for this purpose. Ninety churn-drill holes totaling 19,338 feet of bore were completed by the Bureau in two campaigns that extended from October 1944 to June 1946. Approximately 25 percent of the holes encountered ore and indicated three separate ore bodies containing substantial tonnages. Observations made during the course of the work revealed that certain structural conditions are common to ore deposits in the Reeds Spring and. Fern Glen formations.

Jan 1, 1949

By C. F. Jackson

This paper describing the mining practices at a mine in the Southeast Missouri district is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in the various mining districts of the United States. The conditions, operating methods, and practice described in the following pages arc those obtaining at a property in the Southeastern Missouri lead belt, St. Francois County, Mo. This property is the eldest in the county and is a consolidation of a number of separate mines originally opened up as individual operations many years ago. Present-day operations have necessarily to be adapted to suit the older levels, stones, and pillars, and also the recovery of ore from worked over areas which was considered too low grade to mine in the earlier days constitutes a different problem than that of development and mining in virgin ground.

Jan 1, 1929

By Frank E. Cash

The compensation-insurance rates for quarrying in North Carolina are 11 times higher than for the State?s major industry, textiles. Some operators are willing to accept this as representing the ratio of existing hazards. This was not true of the management of the Southern Aggregates Corporation, and in 1935 it tools definite steps to correct the idea of its local officials and employees that loss of life and limb in quarries is inevitable. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors acknowledge gratefully the assistance and information concerning these operations furnished by H. M. Shaw, safety director (also secretary and treasurer), Southern Aggregates Corporation, Raleigh, N. C.; by the following superintendents: J. H. Rodgers, Blair Quarry, Blair, S. C.; J. D. Lane, Greystone and Rolesville Quarries, Henderson, N. C. ; J. H. Arthur, Guilquarry, Stokesdale, N. C.; J. H. Watkins, Rockton Quarry, Wendell, N. C.; P. A. Wellenborne, Reidsville Quarry, Reidsville, N. C.; and J. L. Kirchin, Woodleaf Quarry, Woodleaf, N. C.; by the various foremen at the plants, and by Murry Id. Grier, safety engineer, North Carolina Department of Labor, Asheville, N. C.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. W. Owings, L. D. Tracy

"IntroductionMany bituminous coal-mining companies have inaugurated extensive safety Programs, but the failure to have approved or permissible equipment or safe practice in only one part of a mine has resulted in disaster. The necessity of using only equipment bearing the U. S. Bureau of Mines approval plate is emphasized by the fact that many accidents are the direct result of carelessness on the part of trusted employees using non-permissible equipment. A concrete example is found in the case of an explosion on October 26, 1926, in a mine in the Pittsburgh district, Pennsylvania.Story of the ExplosionAt about 10 o'clock on the night of the explosion an examination was made in No 2 butt left and parallel off 7o. 14 north, and was found to be clear of dangerous accumulations of gas. (See figure). Several hours later a crew of two men brought a self-propelling rock-dusting machine within 50 feet of the face of Po. 2 butt parallel before they examined for gas. The machine operator found an accumulation of explosive gas about 18 inches from the roof. He began to wave his arms thoroughly mixing the gas and air. Undoubtedly a highly explosive mixture was created, and as the men attempted to run the machine back to fresh air an explosion occurred.The helper dropped to the floor and was burned about the face and wrists. The machine operator ran down the entry and was more severely burned about the face, neck, and arms. He later developed pneumonia and died. Both men reached the door in the chute between No. 14 and No. 15 north. A pumper, who had felt the rush of air, found the men and helped them to walk outside."

May 1, 1927

By W. G. Sandell, G. M. Potter

"As a part of the wartime activities of the Bureau of Mines, metallurgical services were extended to other Government agencies engaged in purchasing and stock-piling some of the more critical and strategic materirals. At the request of George A. Easley, representative of the MetalsReserve Company, beneficiation studies were made on a sample of complex tin-tungsten ore from the Urania mine in Bolivia, South America.The low-grade Urania ore (1.9 percent Sn and 1.55 percent W03) contained a very complex of cassiterite and scheelite with iron sulfidesand quartz. The problem involved in concentrating this ore was the removal of sulfides and silica by stage flotation and gravity concentration for the production of a marketable tin-tungsten concentrate. The sulfides and primary quartzite were readily rejected, but the secondary quartz was intimately associated with cassiterite, and ultimate recovery depended on treatment of minus 560-mesh (theoretical) sizes.The ore was amenable to concentration by ore dressing. Seventy percent of the tin and 83 percent of the tungsten were recovered in a product that assayed approximately 20 percent Sn and 20 percent W03 and that met grade ""F"" specifications of the Metals Reserve Company for mixed tin-tungston concentrates."

Feb 1, 1948

By C. Özgen Karacan

The methane emission rate into an underground mine environment from overburden strata during longwall mining is impacted by reservoir and geomechanical characteristics of the coal measure rocks in the overlying strata, as well as the presence of any coal seam. The reservoir characteristics and how they change during mining potentially affect the performance of gob gas ventholes, which consequently impacts the efficiency of methane control in the mining environment. This study presents reservoir and elastic properties of coal measure rocks in the Lower Monongahela Group in Greene County, southwestern Pennsylvania, of the Northern Appalachian Basin. Since the source of methane in this region from underground mining is located between the Sewickley coal and the Pittsburgh coal, a specific emphasis was given to this interval. Core analyses were performed in the laboratory to determine rock porosity and permeability. Geophysical logging data (gamma, density, sonic) obtained from two exploration boreholes were used for evaluating formation boundaries, shale contents, log porosities, and geomechanical properties of formations. Permeability was also calculated using density-log data and empirical equations and compared with laboratory measurements and slug tests performed in isolated intervals of boreholes. The results presented in this study can be used as data sources for reservoir studies related to the production and control of methane.

Jan 1, 2009

By J. W. Miller

This report deals with upgrading of the coal reserves of Raleigh County, VI. Va., to metallurgical standards. The data on samples herein correctly show the characteristics of the bed at the point where sampled and are used to indicate the general quality of the bed in the county. The principal results and conclusions are: 1. Raleigh County contains large reserves of high-quality, high-, medium-, and low-volatile coals. 2. The principal beds from which an increased amount of coal is expected to be mined in the future are: The Eagle, Powellton, No. 5 Block, Hernshaw, Fire Creek, and Pocahontas No.6.

Jan 1, 1954

By R. C. Gabler

Effective recycling or disposal of flue dusts is a continuing problem, particularly for secondary smelters treating low-grade Cu scrap. The Bureau of Mines investigated a variety of flue dust treatment approaches and demonstrated the technical feasibility of a bench-scale alkaline method that includes leaching, cementation, precipitation, and roasting. Flue dust was leached at room temperature with an alkaline solution of (NH4)2C03 and NHpH to solubilize ZnO and Zn metal. Some copper, lead, tin, and most of the zinc were dissolved in the leach step. Copper, lead, and tin were recovered in the cement product. The Zn in the flltrate was precipitated by pH adjustment to neutral using CO2 injection. The Zn salt was flltered from solution and roasted to give high-purity ZnO. The leach residue, enriched from 4.3 to lOA pct Sn, could find a ready market; the metallic cement product can be recycled back to the copper converter; and the high-purity ZnO product can be sold in several markets, leaving no material for disposal. The possibility for recycling of reagents, lower energy demand, and low environmental impact make this method economically and environmentally attractive for recycling secondary copper smelter flue dusts.

Jan 1, 1988

By Otto Ruhl

The Oronogo-Webb City-Duenweg district is in the northeastern part of the Tri-State zinc and, lead field. Its metal-mining history dates from the early 1850's. For some years prior to 1918 it ranked as the leading producing area of the entire Tri-State field, but by 1920 most of its mines had been abandoned and allowed to fill with water. Its mine operators had-been attracted, to the newly discovered and richer deposits around Picher, Okla. In 1943, the Orenogo Mutual Mining Co. was exploiting the Oronogo Circle deposit in the northern end of the district, and the Federal Mining & Smelting Co. was preparing to mine on its holdings in the southern part near Duenweg. The area between these two operating units ranked as the largest single block of ore reserves under water in the Tri-State field. In 1942, engineers of the Bureau of Mines, in collaboration with the William Stewart Engineering Co. of Joplin, collected all available mine maps, mine reports, and logs of old drill holes in the inundated area. From a careful study an appraisal of these data, the reserves in the block were calculated at 20,647,800 tons of ore containing 606,440 tons of 60-percent zinc concentrates and 46,970 tons of 80-percent lead concentrates. The ore was estimated to contain 1.76 percent recoverable zinc and 0.18 percent recoverable lead.

Jan 1, 1949

By John M. Dale

Sulfur is a plentiful, low cost, unique material whose physical properties can be altered and employed in structural applications. This program was undertaken to develop an optimum sulfur based formulation for use as a coating to both seal and support mine walls. The initial effort in the program was devoted to a laboratory study of the physical and mechanical properties of a variety of sulfur base coatings that were specifically formulated for this application. Concurrent with formulation development, laboratory equipment and techniques were developed for spray applying the sulfur based coatings to the ceiling and walls of a structure that simulated the interior of a mine. Much of the formulation work was guided by the experiences encountered when attempting to spray the formulations overhead. One hundred parts of sulfur modified with 10 parts of talc, 3 parts of milled glass fiber, and 2 parts of dicyclopentadiene was found to be a fire retarded, low odor, low eye irritation, sprayable formulation for sealing and strengthening mini, walls. An invention disclosure on this formulation was submitted to the Bureau of Mines and a patent application was filed. Various mineral samples were obtained and adhesive strengths of the formulation to these samples in both the wet and dry state were measured. With the development of an attractive sulfur based coating material, attention was directed to the design, fabrication, and testing of a portable spray application unit so that coatings might be applied in the field to various rock surfaces and earth formations for further evaluation. The unit was fabricated in the Southwest Research Institute shop. Once operational, the unit's capabilities were field tested and demonstrated at three separate locations. Upon completion of the field testing, the unit was shipped to the Spokane Mining Research Center where Bureau personnel were instructed in the use of the unit.

Jan 1, 1972

This report presents test results, data evaluations, and typical system performance expectations based on wireless electromagnetic propagation measurements performed in the MAGMA Copper Company's San Manuel mine near Tuscon, Arizona during March 30 through April 2 1981. In particular, and at the Bureau's request, this work was coordinated with testing of MF prototype vehicular radios being developed by A.R.F. Products, Inc. with USBM support under Contract H0308004 as part of a system to be marketed by Mine Safety Appliance Co. This testing also employed a prototype vehicular antenna developed by Terry S. Cory, P.E. with USBM upport under previous Contract P0382223. The work was performed under USBM contract J0308012, Propagation of EM Signals in Underground Metal/Non-metal Mines. The authors wish to thank Mr. Hank Seany, Manager of Mines and Mr. Bob Zerga, Mine Superintendent who so kindly arranged for the visit. Particular thanks are given to Mr. Al Metcalf who arranged the logistical details of our underground work, and whoa forward thinking program toward improving general mine communications at MAGMA provided the test-bed context for evaluation of the prototype equipment. The authors also wish to thank Benny Jiminez, Paul Ayala, Lorenzo De La Cruz, and Kent Billhartz for their day-by-day support of the testing. Mr. Jiminez's effort was instrumental in performing the testing, and he also provided a detailed understanding of the existing multi-level, multi-frequency trolleyphone system at MAGMA. the authors are also indebted to Dr. Larry Stolarczyk of A.R.F. for numerous detailed consultations on MF technology, and who was present and participated in the majority of the testing. 1.1 GENERAL BACKGROUND ON COPPER MINING AT MAGMA the San Manuel mine is the largest copper mine in the U.S., efficiently extracting copper and molybdenum sulfide from the low-grade San Manuel ore body.This ellipsoidal ore-shell body, with major workings located 2000-3000 feet mbelow the surface, has ore shell thickness varying between 100 and 1000 feet over a longitudinal extent of some 8000 feet, and with major & minor crossectional axes of about 5000 and 2500 feet respectively. The San Manuel mine operation employs in excess of 1000 men/shift with gross ore production between 60,000 and 70,000 tons/day. The mining operation employs the block caving technique; actively being implemented on three levels (2075,2375,2675 feet for haulage, and 2015,2315,2615 product/grizzly levels). The ore haulage is largely via D.C. trolley trains to four (3A,3B,3C,3D) product shafts for skipping to the surface. An additional three shafts at two locations are used to convey men, materials, and developmental rock extractions into and out of the mine. On each haulage level, the trains carry ore an average of two miles one-way from the ore raises to the dump points. 1.2 TOPOLOGICAL BRIEF OF THE HAULAGE LEVELS The 2375 level, on which all the testing was conducted, is illustrated in

Jan 1, 1981

By T. E. Ackman

The Bureau of Mines conducted a study of current trends in methods employed by the coal industry to dispose of acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment sludge. Thirty-three AMD treatment plants, operated by 11 Pennsylvania coal companies, were randomly surveyed. These plants provided data for calculating sludge volumes, as well as information on sludge settling, transportation, and disposal. Onsite visits allowed observation of problems associated with the various methods of sludge disposal: (1) disposal into a deep mine, (2) permanent retention in ponds, (3) disposal at an active coal refuse area, and (4) onsite burial. Method 1 is the most frequently used and the most environmentally sound. It is apparent, based on this representative sampling of AMD treatment plants, that the magnitude of sludge production is such that an aggressive and directed effort in reduction of sludge volume is seriously needed. The areas of major concern are (1) the amount of surface land required for sludge storage and disposal, (2) reclamation of these disturbed surface areas, and (3) effective and efficient means of removing, transporting, and disposing of AMD sludge. In this report, an engineering approach to the practical problems associated with the existing disposal methods is presented, together with recommendations for future research.

Jan 1, 1982

By Edward D. Thimons

The Bureau of Mines conducted a state-of-the-art study of techniques currently employed to close large openings in underground mines. A large opening was considered to be any opening over 10 feet high and having a cross section of at least 200 square feet. Five salt mines and one limestone mine were visited to observe various methods of sealing large openings. Because of the variations in conditions from mine to mine, no definite conclusions could be drawn as to which is the best method. In mines where waste material is available, stoppings built by piling waste material are efficient and economical. Where waste material is not available properly constructed brattice cloth stoppings are superior to those built from wood, concrete block, or urethane foams.

Jan 1, 1975