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By P. J. Ehret

By and large, I agree with many of the precepts discussed in the Saperstein paper. I believe there is much more that can be done on the local level to involve both government and planning in the mine permit review process. Admittedly, much can be done to improve discussion between the state regulatory authority, local authorities, and mine operators. However, I strongly disagree, as suggested in the paper's conclusion, that such a system, as outlined in Saperstein's paper, could result in a reduction of review time or a lowering in the cost of permitting. The implementation of such a system by its very nature would only add a new level of bureaucracy to an already cumbersome process. This system, in my opinion, would only add to the cost of permitting and the time necessary to obtain a permit. Admittedly, it would achieve the result of adding local influence into the permitting process, but at what off-setting cost? It has been my professional first-hand experience and observation in the permitting and lands unsuitable processes to note that under the present system, local governments that do feel they have a stake in local mines and actively advocate their position (not simply comment), have had significant input into the conduct of mining and reclamation plans in their areas. Mining companies that mine in these areas are aware of local interests and attitudes, and do consider them in their plans. Simply put, local governments that want to get involved and want to play significant roles can and do. Those that do not advocate a position or have no input to offer do not. Although the present system is not as direct in effect in regard to local control as Saperstein's, it does work. It does so without the red tape that would result from developing miniature regulatory authorities in every county in which mining occurs. Although local input is important, there are many more sections of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) than Sections 508(a)(8) and 522(a)(3)(A) that also are important. It appears Saperstein's paper may overindulge these sections. An additional specific comment is made in regard to the statement that while local areas benefit from mining (wages, salaries, and purchases), they also endure environmental deterioration caused by mining affects. It is believed that the whole purpose for which SMCRA and its resulting regulations were enacted and developed was so mining would not be permitted if significant environmental deterioration could occur. Therefore, it could be argued that this point under current law is moot.

Jan 1, 1985

By Jack Fox

It is some time since these columns have contained a report to the members on just what is doing in the Society of Mining Engineers. Accordingly, even though it is now a month and a half after the Annual Meeting in Denver, it seems that a report on what transpired at the SME Board Meeting there is in order. First off, I'd like to say that the Members of the Society of Mining Engineers can be justly proud of their representatives on the SME Board of Directors. Of 21 members and officers on the "Old" Board of Directors, 19 were present. President Brower Dellinger chaired the "Old" Board Meeting. Of the 21 members on the "New" Board of Directors, every single one was present. James Boyd, the outgoing AIME President, attended and expressed his appreciation of the support that the Society of Mining Engineers had given him during his year as President of AIME. Members Multiply Robert S. Shoemaker, Chairman of the SME Membership Committee, pointed out that based on figures available, the Society of Mining Engineers had a net gain of 523 members during 1969 while SPE had a 490 net gain and The Metallurgical Society a net loss of 159. This is probably the first time in the last 20 years that anyone has exceeded the SPE net gain in membership. While SME still has a way to go to surpass the Society of Petroleum Engineers in number of members, we did have, on December 1, 1969, 16,369 members. However, 419 were dropped at the end of that month leaving us with a net for the year of 15,950.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. F. Wolff, Anson A. Betts

The following correspondence relating to a paper bearing the above title, presented by J. F. Wolff, at the New York meeting in February, 1917, and published in the Transactions, Volume LVI, page 142, has passed between the author of the paper, and Mr. Anson G. Betts, and is interesting, although it was received much too late for incorporation in its proper place in Volume LVI. Anson G. Betts, Asheville, N. C.—1. I should like to ask Mr. Wolff if he finds from analysis of the iron formation and of the iron ore, and from the relative amounts of each in each unit area of the formation, unleached and after leaching, that the iron remains entirely insoluble and the total quantity still remains present; or whether he finds that some of the iron is removed, or possibly even added by deposition from the water passing through the formation. 2. The water that passed into the iron formation had to go somewhere; was it absorbed by underlying formations through hydration, or, after passing through the ore formation, did it come to the surface in springs at a lower elevation, or how did it escape from the ground? 3. I should like to ask Mr. Wolff whether he finds that the iron formation in the sedimentary series does not come next to the quartzites and generally between the quartzites and slates. J. I?. Wolff, Duluth, Minn.—1. In common with others, you appear to have some hesitancy in accepting the fact of the removal, by solution, of the enormous quantity of silica which has been leached out of portions of the Biwabik iron formation, thus forming orebodies of merchantable iron ore. I believe that even Dr. Waldemar Lindgren once hesitated to accept this fact. However, the evidence is so simple and absolutely conclusive that the fact is established beyond all question. At the contact of orebodies with their rock walls, the bands of iron ore in the orebody can be seen in contact with the corresponding bands of original iron oxide in the rock wall, and the chert layers in the rock wall can be seen to give place to fine granular material (fine silica and iron oxide) and pore space. This is especially noticeable where slumping at the rock walls has not been so great as to displace the layers in the orebody from their contact with their corresponding layers in the rock wall. Although complete analyses of the entire original rocks in the iron series have not been made in any place, to my knowledge, from the best data at hand as to the average analysis of the Biwabik series and the

Jan 1, 1920

By A. A. Collins

OF widespread interest to all lead metallurgists is a dross smelting process that will consistently give mattes and speiss of low lead and high copper contents. It is a problem that has intrigued operators through the years. In the past few years, with increased amounts of copper and overcrowded metallurgical furnaces, it has been almost imperative to evolve some method. Experience at El Paso has shown that high copper-to-lead ratios can be consistently attained by use of the new soda process. † Older Methods Three older methods, i.e., 1. Dross plus siliceous ore and limestone. 2. Dross plus one fourth blast-furnace speiss and siliceous ore, 3. Dross plus sulphides and siliceous ore and scrap iron, do not give consistent results and the products are higher in lead and lower in copper than those produced with the soda process. Any radical changes in the blast-furnace drosses will throw any of these older methods into a tailspin. For almost ten years, El Paso used the third method, with varying results. It was noted that as the arsenic and anti- mony contents of the dross increased, the speiss and matte steadily increased in lead and decreased in copper. A dross containing four parts of copper to one part of arsenic was considered to be ideal. At times this balance of copper to arsenic was almost impossible to obtain, especially when handling copper Cottrell dusts, which vary so greatly in copper and arsenic. Custom smelters like El Paso, handling a great variety of dusts, concentrates and ores, are apt to have anywhere from I to 15 pct copper on charge, with a variable in arsenic of from 0.5 to 2 pct. With such conditions, and drosses varying from 12 to 40 pct copper, an operator using the older dross reverberatory practices would find it just about impossible to control the reverberatory operations and to produce a good product low in lead and high in copper. These conditions prevailed at El Paso from the year 1940 to the present. In May 1942 it was decided to experiment with the soda process. The Soda Process After considerable work the soda method was finally evolved to the present state. It has never failed to produce a good product even under the most adverse conditions. It might be well to remember that many men of thought in the smelting industry have at one time or other sugge~ted the removal of all copper, arsenic and antimony from the lead blast-furnace charge as an aid to better metallurgy.

Jan 1, 1949

By T. I. Harkins, J. Brian Eby

This paper outlines the geophysical investigation of the area covering the D arrow salt dome, Louisiana. Surveys with the refraction seismograph and torsion balance failed to disclose the dome, but reflection dip shooting was successful and was confirmed by later drilling. Introduction The D arrow salt dome and oil field lies in western Ascension Parish, Louisiana, on the outside of a sharp bend and on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The dome occurs about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 80 miles northwest of New Orleans. Its geology, shape and structure have been ably described in detail by Carroll E. Cook' and, except for the general features, will not be repeated here. The purpose of this paper is to record some of the interesting and pertinent geophysical data contributing to the discovery of the dome and eventually the oil field. The salt dome is circular in outliie and comes to within about 4625 it. of the surface. At this depth the diameter of the salt plug is approximately 4800 it. The dome has only a thin cap rock of less than 75 ft. Some oil has been found and is being produced in Miocene sands above the cap rock, but most of the field's production comes from a narrow ring of wells around the east and south flanks of the dome. Producing horizons on the flank are found at 5670 to 5840 ft. in the Miocene and 6890 to 6985 ft., 7028 to 7060 ft. and 8260 to 8270 ft. in the Oligocene. The deepest well that has been drilled is the Humble Oil and Refining Company's Community B-5, on the south flank of the structure, which reached a depth of 10,013 feet. The size and shape of the field and the area of production are indicated on Fig. I. The lie showing the area of production encloses all wells now producing and all abandoned producers, both on the top and flank of the dome. This line of production is shown on all subsequent geophysical maps as a direct means of comparing the early geophysics to later drilling development. Darrow dome occurs on the low, flat flood plain of the Mississippi River; it is protected from flood overflow by high artificial levees. The rich loamy soil supports a high degree of cultivation, principally sugar cane. Drainage is secured by many small canals and the water table of the area is at or near the surface. These particular conditions of topography, drainage and top soil greatly influenced the early geophysical picture, and the influence was always unfavorable.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. Brian Eby, T. I. Harkins

This paper outlines the geophysical investigation of the area covering the D arrow salt dome, Louisiana. Surveys with the refraction seismograph and torsion balance failed to disclose the dome, but reflection dip shooting was successful and was confirmed by later drilling. Introduction The D arrow salt dome and oil field lies in western Ascension Parish, Louisiana, on the outside of a sharp bend and on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The dome occurs about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 80 miles northwest of New Orleans. Its geology, shape and structure have been ably described in detail by Carroll E. Cook' and, except for the general features, will not be repeated here. The purpose of this paper is to record some of the interesting and pertinent geophysical data contributing to the discovery of the dome and eventually the oil field. The salt dome is circular in outliie and comes to within about 4625 it. of the surface. At this depth the diameter of the salt plug is approximately 4800 it. The dome has only a thin cap rock of less than 75 ft. Some oil has been found and is being produced in Miocene sands above the cap rock, but most of the field's production comes from a narrow ring of wells around the east and south flanks of the dome. Producing horizons on the flank are found at 5670 to 5840 ft. in the Miocene and 6890 to 6985 ft., 7028 to 7060 ft. and 8260 to 8270 ft. in the Oligocene. The deepest well that has been drilled is the Humble Oil and Refining Company's Community B-5, on the south flank of the structure, which reached a depth of 10,013 feet. The size and shape of the field and the area of production are indicated on Fig. I. The lie showing the area of production encloses all wells now producing and all abandoned producers, both on the top and flank of the dome. This line of production is shown on all subsequent geophysical maps as a direct means of comparing the early geophysics to later drilling development. Darrow dome occurs on the low, flat flood plain of the Mississippi River; it is protected from flood overflow by high artificial levees. The rich loamy soil supports a high degree of cultivation, principally sugar cane. Drainage is secured by many small canals and the water table of the area is at or near the surface. These particular conditions of topography, drainage and top soil greatly influenced the early geophysical picture, and the influence was always unfavorable.

Jan 1, 1946

By A. A. Collins

OF widespread interest to all lead metal¬lurgists is a dross smelting process that will consistently give mattes and speiss of low lead and high copper contents. It is -a problem that has intrigued operators through the years. In the past few years, with increased amounts of copper and overcrowded metallurgical furnaces, it has been almost imperative to evolve some method. Experience at El Paso has shown that high copper-to-lead ratios can be consistently attained by use of the new soda process.* OLDER METHODS Three older methods; i.e., I. Dross plus siliceous ore and limestone, 2. Dross plus one fourth blast-furnace speiss and siliceous ore, 3. Dross plus sulphides and siliceous ore and scrap iron, do not give consistent results and the products are higher in lead and lower in copper than those produced with the soda process. Any radical changes in the blast-furnace drosses will throw any of these older methods into a tailspin. For almost ten years, El Paso used the third method, with varying results. It was noted that as the arsenic and antimony contents of the dross increased, the speiss and matte steadily increased in lead and decreased in copper. A dross containing four parts of copper to one part of arsenic was considered to be ideal. At times this balance of copper to arsenic was almost impossible to obtain, especially when handling copper Cottrell dusts, which vary so greatly in copper and arsenic. Custom smelters like El Paso, handling a great variety of dusts, concentrates and ores, are apt to have anywhere from 1 to 15 pct copper on charge, with a variable in arsenic of from 0.5 to 2 pct. With such conditions, and drosses varying from 12 to 40 pct copper, an operator using the older dross reverberatory practices would find it just about im¬possible to control the reverberatory operations and to produce a good product low in lead and high in copper. These conditions prevailed at El Paso from the year 1940 to the present. In May 1942 it, was decided to experiment with the soda process. THE SODA PROCESS After considerable work the soda method was finally evolved to the present state. It has never failed to produce a good product even under the most adverse conditions. It might be well to remember that many men of thought in the smelting industry have at one time or other suggested the removal of all copper, arsenic and antimony from the lead blast-furnace charge as an aid to better metallurgy.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. M. Mobley

The coal industry in Alabama, centered in Birmingham, has pioneered coal-bene-ficiation practice in the United States. The nature of the coal seams and mining methods employed have necessitated use of equipment and methods best adapted to the local conditions. Although all of the 30 or more coal seams now being mined in the state receive beneficiation, only the three most important producers of coking coals, the Pratt, Mary Lee and Black Creek, are discussed in detail. Nature of the seams, washability characteristics and equipment used are given as examples of the extent of work and progress in this field. The coal seams in Alabama are relatively thin and pitching, making mining difficult and expensive. Most of them are characterized by thin partings of rock or shale in the seam itself, as well as laminations of bone and rash. Mechanical mining methods have increased the occlusions from roof and floor to such an extent that nearly all the coal mined in the state must receive some treatment before it can be put on the market. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1943,' 18,129,792 tons of coal were mined in the state and 14,364,177 tons, or 79.2 per cent, received treatment. Excluding from the total the 1,223,014 tons produced by small wagon mines and the hand-picked lump coal, the amount re- ceiving beneficiation would be more than 90.00 per cent. This is, by far, greater than in any other coal-producing state. The earliest record of coal beneficiation in Alabama was the installation in 1890 of an experimental Lurig washer by Alexander Cunningham, for the Sloss Iron and Steel Co. at its blast furnace in Birmingham.2 In 1894 the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. introduced the English Robinson washer, a combination of a hydraulic classifier and centrifugal machine. Erskine Ramsay, who has contributed so much to the coal industry, saw its possibilities as well as its mechanical defects and soon had his inventive mind at work. He added a sludge tank of his own design, and many Robinson-Ramsay washers were installed in Alabama and other states. The Stewart jig appeared in 1900, followed by the Montgomery jig in 1910 and both have found extensive use. Increased interest in this field led to new designs, such as the American, Elmore, Burke and Faust. The first Baum-type Norton jig was operated in 1930 and within the last five years six large installations of this type have been made by the McNally-Pitts-burg, Jeffrey and Link-Belt Companies. Wet-washing tables were introduced in 1922 but not extensively used until recently. The two most popular types are the Deister-Overstrom and Deister Plat-O. The coal-cleaning equipment used in Alabama has been relatively simple, yet efficient, but as the amount of impurities in the raw coal has been increased by mechanical mining and labor costs have become higher, much interest has been shown in sand cones, froth flotation and

Jan 1, 1947

By W. M. Mobley

The coal industry in Alabama, centered in Birmingham, has pioneered coal-bene-ficiation practice in the United States. The nature of the coal seams and mining methods employed have necessitated use of equipment and methods best adapted to the local conditions. Although all of the 30 or more coal seams now being mined in the state receive beneficiation, only the three most important producers of coking coals, the Pratt, Mary Lee and Black Creek, are discussed in detail. Nature of the seams, washability characteristics and equipment used are given as examples of the extent of work and progress in this field. The coal seams in Alabama are relatively thin and pitching, making mining difficult and expensive. Most of them are characterized by thin partings of rock or shale in the seam itself, as well as laminations of bone and rash. Mechanical mining methods have increased the occlusions from roof and floor to such an extent that nearly all the coal mined in the state must receive some treatment before it can be put on the market. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1943,1 18,129,792 tons of coal were mined in the state and 14,364,177 tons, or 79.2 per cent, received treatment. Excluding from the total the 1,223,014 tons produced by small wagon mines and the hand-picked lump coal, the amount re- ceiving beneficiation would be more than 90.00 per cent. This is, by far, greater than in any other coal-producing state. The earliest record of coal beneficiation in Alabama was the installation in 1890 of an experimental rig washer by Alexander Cunningham, for the Sloss Iron and Steel Co. at its blast furnace in Birmingham.* In 1894 the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. introduced the English Robinson washer, a combination of a hydraulic classifier and centrifugal machine. Erskine Ramsay, who has contributed so much to the coal industry, saw its possibilities as well as its mechanical defects and soon had his inventive mind at work. He added a sludge tank of his own design, and many Robinson-Ramsay washers were installed in Alabama and other states. The Stewart jig appeared in 1900, followed by the Montgomery jig in 1910 and both have found extensive use. Increased interest in this field led to new designs, such as the American, Elmore, Burke and Faust. The first Baum-type Norton jig was operated in 1930 and within the last five years six large installations of this type have been made by the McNally-Pitts-burg, Jeffrey and Link-Belt Companies. Wet-washing tables were introduced in 1922 but not extensively used until recently. The two most popular types are the Deister-Overstrom and Deister Plat-O. The coal-cleaning equipment used in Alabama has been relatively simple, yet efficient, but as the amount of impurities in the raw coal has been increased by mechanical mining and labor costs have become higher, much interest has been shown in sand cones, froth flotation and

Jan 1, 1947

By Phillip Crowson

INTRODUCTION This discusses some of the economic risks and uncertainties which face any company investing in new mineral ventures. These differ mainly in degree rather than kind from other large capital intensive projects, except that economic risks are compounded with technical risks. Mines face a wide variety of physical risks, and in addition the ore reserves may not prove as ample, nor as amenable to treatment as the feasibility studies indicate. On the economic front, mineral projects are subject to risks of fluctuating prices and sales volumes, no matter where they are located, or how they are financed. Typically, they are heavy users of capital compared with their owners' internally generated funds. Long term debt of various types is still the favoured form of finance. A project's currencies and cost often differ from each other and from those of the parent company. Facing up to the various risks associated with fluctuating and uncertain revenues, interest rates and exchange rates are amongst the hardest tasks for natural resource companies. ATTITUDES TO THE MINING INDUSTRY Some have questioned whether the game itself is now worth playing. They have argued that the mining industry's mediocre rewards in the past decade have been insufficient, compared with the risks involved. They can see no prospect of dramatic improvement in the next decade. Demand is highly cyclical and tends to grow less rapidly than economic activity, as a whole. Barriers to entry are low in most mineral markets, but impediments to exit can be substantial. Exit is especially problematic in those minerals where there are large state shareholdings and/or where less developed countries are major producers. The consequence is claimed to be an endemic tendency to excess capacity, and prices barely adequate to cover marginal cash costs. Many of the petroleum companies that moved into mining with such high expectations in the late 1970s have retreated, often bearing the scars of heavy losses. Individual shareholders, taken collectively, place low valuations on their investments in mining companies. The price/earnings ratios of the major mineral producing companies are low compared with their historical averages and with those of other industries. PRICE: EARNINGS RATIOS (October 1988) [UK Industrials 12.0 RTZ 8.4 Cons Gold 12.2 US Industrials 13 - 13.4 Alcan Alcoa Amax Asarco Cyprus Minerals Freeport Copper Inco Inspiration Magma Copper Newmont Mining Nord Resources Phelps Dodge Reynolds Metal Canada TSE 300 10.6 Cominco 8.7 Falconbridge 5.3 Noranda 7.0 Rio Algom 7.2 Teck Corporation 17.] NOTE: Mining companies' p/e based on prospective 1988 earnings, from Kleinwort Benson Securities' weekly Mining World, October 1988. Until 1987, it was argued that share prices correctly reflected the companies' poor earnings potential. Subsequently, the argument has been that earnings have been unnaturally boosted by cyclically high metal prices. The stock market valuations, therefore, correctly reflect future earnings, or at least expected earnings. This seems to be a case of Heads, I win; Tails, you lose. The underlying analysis of metal markets appears

Jan 1, 1990

By W. M. Mobley

The coal industry in Alabama, centered in Birmingham, has pioneered coal-bene-ficiation practice in the United States. The nature of the coal seams and mining methods employed have necessitated use of equipment and methods best adapted to the local conditions. Although all of the 30 or more coal seams now being mined in the state receive beneficiation, only the three most important producers of coking coals, the Pratt, Mary Lee and Black Creek, are discussed in detail. Nature of the seams, washability characteristics and equipment used are given as examples of the extent of work and progress in this field. The coal seams in Alabama are relatively thin and pitching, making mining difficult and expensive. Most of them are characterized by thin partings of rock or shale in the seam itself, as well as laminations of bone and rash. Mechanical mining methods have increased the occlusions from roof and floor to such an extent that nearly all the coal mined in the state must receive some treatment before it can be put on the market. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1943,' 18,129,792 tons of coal were mined in the state and 14,364,177 tons, or 79.2 per cent, received treatment. Excluding from the total the 1,223,014 tons produced by small wagon mines and the hand-picked lump coal, the amount re- ceiving beneficiation would be more than 90.00 per cent. This is, by far, greater than in any other coal-producing state. The earliest record of coal beneficiation in Alabama was the installation in 1890 of an experimental Lurig washer by Alexander Cunningham, for the Sloss Iron and Steel Co. at its blast furnace in Birmingham.2 In 1894 the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. introduced the English Robinson washer, a combination of a hydraulic classifier and centrifugal machine. Erskine Ramsay, who has contributed so much to the coal industry, saw its possibilities as well as its mechanical defects and soon had his inventive mind at work. He added a sludge tank of his own design, and many Robinson-Ramsay washers were installed in Alabama and other states. The Stewart jig appeared in 1900, followed by the Montgomery jig in 1910 and both have found extensive use. Increased interest in this field led to new designs, such as the American, Elmore, Burke and Faust. The first Baum-type Norton jig was operated in 1930 and within the last five years six large installations of this type have been made by the McNally-Pitts-burg, Jeffrey and Link-Belt Companies. Wet-washing tables were introduced in 1922 but not extensively used until recently. The two most popular types are the Deister-Overstrom and Deister Plat-O. The coal-cleaning equipment used in Alabama has been relatively simple, yet efficient, but as the amount of impurities in the raw coal has been increased by mechanical mining and labor costs have become higher, much interest has been shown in sand cones, froth flotation and

Jan 1, 1947

By Michael A. Zappia

INTRODUCTION The San Manuel mine of Magmacopper Company is located approximately 72 km northeast of Tucson, Arizona. The mine, concentrator, smelter, electrolytic refinery and continuous rod casting are located on the west side of the San Pedro River valley. Ore Production: 58 1W mtpd Production To Date: Over 340 000 000 mt since 1956. Ore Grade: 0.70% net sulfide cu. As conceived at the present time, the San Manuel ore body is the lower half of what was originally an elliptical (In cross sect ion) cylinder same 2400 m long with major and minor cross sectional axes of 1500 m and 760 m. After emplacement, the cylinder was diagonally sliced along its long dimension by the San Manuel fault, which separated it into halves, moving the upper half same 2500 m down dip and bringing a wedge-shaped blanket of tertiary conglomerate into position over the lower segment of the cylinder. The lower segment is the San Manuel ore body. The upper part, moved down dip, is the Kalamazoo ore body. Originally, these were one ore body. The San Manuel ore body is a structurally weak and highly fractured quartz monzonite, the principal ore minerals being chalcopyrite, with small amounts of molybdenite. The present mining method is full gravity diagonal retreat panel caving by block. This is shown on Figure 2 , (Block Sequence 56, 57, 58, 59 --on the following page.) The ore mined is hoisted to the surface for transportation to the concentrator. BLOCK CAVING MINING SEQUENCE HISTORY The San Manuel mine was planned and developed as a full gravity block caving mine. It continues as a full gravity block caving mine. Since its initial start, the major changes in mining have been in the areas of ground support, rate of draw and undercut sequence. Ground weight resulting from block caving plays a dual role. It can cause extensive damage to ex- traction openings, yet it is necessary to break the ore into easily handled size. The ground- weight problem resolves itself into finding ways to make it manageable. The initial early ground support in the production areas consisted of timber sets and various combinations of steel and timber sets. This sup- port system proved unsatisfactory and a new support system utilizing concrete was developed. Concrete support, 30 cm to 45 cm thick, proved satisfactory. Rates of draw were experimented with. A draw rate of 45 cm to 61 cm (32 to 45 mt) per draw point per day was determined as optimum in con- trolling ground weight. Undercut sequence or mining sequence was recognized as a major contributing factor to ground weight. This is the most difficult factor to change. The lead time from primary development to undercut can be as much as two years. Initial Checkerboard Pattern The initial undercut sequence was in a checker- board pattern (Figure 2). Blocks Sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6--next page.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. M. Mobley

The coal industry in Alabama, centered in Birmingham, has pioneered coal-bene-ficiation practice in the United States. The nature of the coal seams and mining methods employed have necessitated use of equipment and methods best adapted to the local conditions. Although all of the 30 or more coal seams now being mined in the state receive beneficiation, only the three most important producers of coking coals, the Pratt, Mary Lee and Black Creek, are discussed in detail. Nature of the seams, washability characteristics and equipment used are given as examples of the extent of work and progress in this field. The coal seams in Alabama are relatively thin and pitching, making mining difficult and expensive. Most of them are characterized by thin partings of rock or shale in the seam itself, as well as laminations of bone and rash. Mechanical mining methods have increased the occlusions from roof and floor to such an extent that nearly all the coal mined in the state must receive some treatment before it can be put on the market. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1943,1 18,129,792 tons of coal were mined in the state and 14,364,177 tons, or 79.2 per cent, received treatment. Excluding from the total the 1,223,014 tons produced by small wagon mines and the hand-picked lump coal, the amount re- ceiving beneficiation would be more than 90.00 per cent. This is, by far, greater than in any other coal-producing state. The earliest record of coal beneficiation in Alabama was the installation in 1890 of an experimental rig washer by Alexander Cunningham, for the Sloss Iron and Steel Co. at its blast furnace in Birmingham.* In 1894 the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. introduced the English Robinson washer, a combination of a hydraulic classifier and centrifugal machine. Erskine Ramsay, who has contributed so much to the coal industry, saw its possibilities as well as its mechanical defects and soon had his inventive mind at work. He added a sludge tank of his own design, and many Robinson-Ramsay washers were installed in Alabama and other states. The Stewart jig appeared in 1900, followed by the Montgomery jig in 1910 and both have found extensive use. Increased interest in this field led to new designs, such as the American, Elmore, Burke and Faust. The first Baum-type Norton jig was operated in 1930 and within the last five years six large installations of this type have been made by the McNally-Pitts-burg, Jeffrey and Link-Belt Companies. Wet-washing tables were introduced in 1922 but not extensively used until recently. The two most popular types are the Deister-Overstrom and Deister Plat-O. The coal-cleaning equipment used in Alabama has been relatively simple, yet efficient, but as the amount of impurities in the raw coal has been increased by mechanical mining and labor costs have become higher, much interest has been shown in sand cones, froth flotation and

Jan 1, 1947

By E. W. Parker

PROBABLY everyone is well aware that from April 1 to September 11, 1922, anthracite production was completely suspended; during those 163 days not one ton of coal was produced in the anthracite region. The production loss was about 30 million tons, and although production is now at its peak, there is no possible way by. which, within any short space of time, that deficiency can be made up. During that time the miners sacrificed in wages something over 100 million dollars. The anthracite companies paid out in cash, keeping their mines in condition to operate when mining should be resumed, something like 30 million dollars without taking in one cent of revenue. The tonnage of domestic sizes included in that lost output was about 21 million tons. The anthracite operators figured that between September 11, 1922, and March 31, 1923, they would possibly be able to produce about 60 per cent. of the tonnage that was mined the preceding year, that is, from April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922. The problem then arose as to how that tonnage could be distributed equitably throughout the United States and Canada. We had in our records in Phila-delphia the distribution by communities, about 20,000 of them, to which anthracite had been shipped during the last five years, so that we were well posted as to what each community should be entitled to receive. We allotted to each of those 20,000 communities 60 per cent. of the tonnage that it had received during the preceding coal year, and we have endeavored to see that whatever tonnage we have been able to produce should be equitably distributed on that basis. It was a matter simply of voluntary cooperation by the anthra-cite operators who placed the distribution of their tonnage practically in the hands of the Pennsylvania Fuel Commission; the anthracite companies have almost without exception acceded to every request that we have made of them. When communities were reported entirely out of coal, a telegram or letter to the directors obligated to that community has resulted in some anthracite being shipped there, so that we have thus far kept the distribution on a fairly equitable basis. Prior to the suspension of mining operations, pre-liminary negotiations were carried on for the renewal of the wage scale, the operators thinking that it could be adjusted satisfactorily, and that the same method of procedure would be followed as during the 20 years succeeding the strike of 1902. At every termination of the wage agreement since that date, until last year, an agreement had been reached early in the season that mining operations should be continued, with the under-standing that any new agreement should be retroactive to April 1. At the meeting of the committees of anthra-cite operators and miners, on March 21, 1922, the opera-tors were presented with an ultimatum by the miners to the effect that unless an agreement were reached within ten days, mining operations would cease. That was protested against by the committee of operators as being unfair, not only to the operators and the public but to the men themselves. In spite of this protest the suspension occurred and, as you know, continued until September 11.

Jan 4, 1923

By Kenyon E. Richard, James H. Courtright

Thomas W. Mitcham (Strategic Minerals, Inc., Grand Junction, Colo.)—The authors have presented a significant contribution to the field of mining geology. The article is graphic, remarkably concise, and crisply original. The presentation is made on only three pages with two maps, but their Silver Bell story is entirely adequate in background, development, and conclusion. Most of their colleagues would agree that this paper reflects the high quality of the work which these unusually capable men have done in the Silver Bell area over the past few years. The Silver Bell area is one of complex tectonic structure, and time and spatial relationships are by no means apparent. Actually, most of the observations and interpretations in this paper are new to published geologic literature on the Silver Bell area. I am in agreement with these interpretations with two possible exceptions, which are discussed below. One might well define the three roughly parallel west-northwest faults, shown on the insert of Fig. 2, as the major structural elements of the area. North to south, I propose that these be named the Ragged Mountain fault, the Silver Bell fault zone, and the Waterman thrust, after the mountain ranges which are the results of these major structures. While I would agree with the authors that the northern two of these major structures are high-angle faults of the Laramide revolution, my impression is that the southern structure is a low-angle thrust of approximately Miocene age. In support of this opinion, I submit the following observations: 1) irregularity of the fault in strike; 2) scarcity of Laramide intrusives and alteration of sediments along the fault; 3) present high re- lief of the Waterman Range which indicates youth or certainly rejuvenation; and 4) existence of a series of parallel structures farther to the south which results in an outcrop pattern suggesting imbricate thrusting. The authors have stated that Laramide igneous activity began with the intrusion of alaskite. Some dacite flows appear to be conformable with Cretaceous beds, and thus my impression was that alaskite followed the intrusion and extrusion of dacite. I would be interested to learn of evidence in support of the reverse relationship suggested by the authors. Kenyon Richard and J. H. Courtright (authors' reply)—The authors appreciate Mr. Mitcham's attention to this paper. The names he proposed for the major faults seem appropriate. His suggestion that the Waterman fault is a thrust may be correct because he did more work in that particular area than the authors. However, it is believed that no direct evidence of a low-angle thrust relationship has been recognized, and the authors consider that indirect evidence favors a high-angle fault interpretation. The pre-dacite flow age of the alaskite is definitely established, the authors believe, by the fact that the flows rest on an erosion surface which was carved in the dacite porphyry, an intrusive clearly younger than the alaskite, as evidenced by inclusions of alaskite occurring in dacite porphyry. No direct evidence of Cretaceous sediment-flow rock relationships was found at Silver Bell, but in the nearby Tucson mountains dacite agglomerates, megascopically similar to those at Silver Bell, overlie a basal conglomerate which in turn rests on the truncated edges of steep-dipping Cretaceous arkosic beds.

Jan 1, 1956

By A. H. Duane, A. E. Miller

The high-temperature allotropy of some heavy rare-earth metals and their alloying behavior with magnesium in the 0 to 50 at. pct Mg region was studied by thermal, microscopic, and X-ray methods. Examination of a hcc phase retained upon quenching alloys of different magnesium content confirmed the existence of a bcc high-temperature allotrope in pure gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, and lutetium. The lattice constants of the pure metals were determined from a Vegard's Law extrapolation and .found to be 4.05, 4.02, 3.98, 3.96, 3.94, 3.92, and 3.90 + 0.02 A, respectively. In all of the systems studied, the high-temperature bcc phase decomposed eutec-toidally, when slowly cooled, into a hexagonal rare earth-Mg solid solution and a simple-cubic peritec-tic AB-type compound. In 1956, Spedding et al.' observed high-temperature resistivity anomalies in the light rare-earth metals and made several unsuccessful attempts to retain the high-temperature form of these materials at room temperature by quenching the pure metals from temperatures near their melting points. High-temperature X-ray techniques were used by Spedding et a1.' in 1959, to investigate the high-temperature allotropy of the rare-earth metals. This study showed that lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, ytterbium, and possibly gadolinium are bcc at temperatures near their melting points. Discontinuous changes in resistivity at elevated temperatures were also observed for pure gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, and lutetium, thus indicating the possible existence of a high-temperature crystalline transformation in these metals. However, due to experimental difficulties encountered in the high-temperature X-ray analysis of these metals, their allotropic form was not identified. Spedding et a~.~ in 1960 observed that yttrium displayed a continuous solid solubility with lanthanum at elevated temperatures, thus showing the high-temperature structure of yttrium to be the same as that of lanthanum, i.e., bcc. Similarly, the high-temperature alloying behavior of gadolinium with yttrium showed gadolinium to be bcc at elevated temperatures. The bcc nature of the high-temperature form of yttrium was again recognized in 1960 by Eash and carlson4 in their study of the alloying behavior of yttrium with thorium. Gibson and Carlson, in a similar study of the alloying behavior of yttrium with magnesium, found that by quenching Y-Mg alloys from within the 0-solid solution region, Fig. l, they were able to retain the allotropic form of yttrium. It was the present authors' intention to use this method to show the existence of a bcc high-temperature form of the heavy rare-earth metals gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, and lutetium. Simultaneous with the present work, Beaudry and Daane' have shown the bcc nature of the high-temperature form of scandium. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Materials. The rare-earth metals used in this study were prepared by the calcium reduction of the fluoride and were further purified by vacuum distillation. The magnesium was obtained from the New England Lime Co. and was also purified by distillation prior to its use in the preparation of the rare earth-Mg alloys. The results of chemical and spec-

Jan 1, 1964

Jan 1, 1943

Jan 1, 1943

By B. H. Kear, H. G. F. Wilsdorf

After a few percent strain, dislocations in disordered Cu3Au are arranged in groups in ulell-defined slip planes, which contrasts with the more or less random distribution of dislocations in the corresponding ordered alloy. Unusually long and straigkt dislocation segments observed in the ordered alloy are interpreted in terms of cross slip of screw dislocations from their slip planes into cube planes. It is proposed that cross slip, and also dislocation reactions of the Lomer type, play an important role in work hardening of the ordered alloy. ACCORDING to to dislocations in the disordered lattice are only partial dislocations in the corresponding super lattice, so that in the super-lattice dislocations must occur as pairs, with each pair connected by a ribbon of antiphase boundary. Recently, striking confirmation of the theory was obtained by Marcinkowski, Brown, and Fisher3j4 in a study of dislocation configurations in thin foils of the Cu3Au alloy by transmission electron microscopy. In the present investigation, the observations made by these workers have largely been confirmed. Moreover, it has been found that dislocations in the plastically deformed ordered alloys are often unusually long and straight. This paper is mainly concerned with these new observations. A tentative explanation is offered in terms of cross slip of dislocations in the ordered alloys. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS An alloy close to the stoichiometric composition Cu3Au was prepared by melting together high-purity copper and gold (99.995 pct) under vacuum in a graphite mold. The resulting ingot was rolled down and cut into strips 1 1/2 by 1/8 by 0.005 in. in thickness. All strips were annealed at 900°C for 3 hr and cooled to 500'~. A few of the strips were quenched from ~OO'C, while the remainder were slowly cooled in the temperature range 400" to 150°C at intervals of a few degrees every 24 hr to produce a high degree of order. After this annealing treatment the average grain size of the material was about 0.1 mm. Material in different states of order was obtained by reannealing fully ordered material at temperatures below the critical temperature: followed by quenching. The equilibrium degree of order attained at a particular reannealing temperature was obtained from the paper by Keating and warren.' A simple hand-operated tensile jig was used to give the strips the required amounts of plastic strain. Following straining, a number of specimens were cut from each strip by means of an electrolytic cutting device.= Finally, each specimen was thinned electrolytically using the polishing procedure described by Bakish and Robertson,7 and these thin sections were examined in the Philips EM-100B electron microscope operating at 100 kv. EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS Antiphase boundaries. The average domain size in the ordered alloys was found by direct observation to be about 0.25 p. Also, it was observed that the grown-in configuration of antiphase boundaries was changed little by plastic deformation, at least up to 6 pct strain. Fig. 1 shows an electron micrograph of a thin foil of partially ordered alloy (S - 0.8) after 3 pct strain. The micrograph shows a few dislocation pairs and a somewhat crystallo-graphic network of antiphase boundaries. The normal to this foil was found by diffraction analysis to be approximately 11121, with principal directions in

Jan 1, 1962

By H. W. Morse

INTRODUCTION THE experimental work on the oxidized copper ore at the New Cornelia mine at Ajo, Ariz., ended on Jan. 12, 1916. On that date final decision was made on the general nature of the process to be used in the 5,000-ton leaching plant, and on many of the details, as far as experience on a40-ton scale could decide them. With the approval of the Board of Directors and the General Manager, John C. Greenway, we have compiled what seem to be the most interesting data on the results obtained during the experimental period. The most important part of the data resulted from the operation of a 1-ton and a 40-ton plant at Ajo. Experimental work on Cornelia oxidized ore dates back to April, 1912, and has been going on nearly continuously since that time. A good many variations from the original idea have been tried, but the process finally decided upon is in principle and in all of its details a simple one. The history of the leaching work on this ore has been brought down to about a year ago in papers presented to this Institute by Stuart Croasdale1 and Dr. L. D. Ricketts.2 The present paper will, therefore, deal principally with the results obtained during the last year of the work.

Jan 9, 1916