Search Documents

By H. R. Peterson

The control of autogenous grinding circuits is very similar to the control of conventional grinding circuits. In both circuits the classifier must be operated to achieve the required degree of mineral liberation. Crude ore grade and grinding mill density are important in both circuits. The biggest difference between the control of the two circuits is the pronounced effect that crude ore changes have on autogenous circuits. The importance of crude grade, weight recovery, size and hardness is greatly magnified because the crude ore in the autogenous circuit is also supplying the grinding media. Crude ore sizing is a particularly critical factor in achieving efficient primary autogenous milling. Because of the above, computer control is advantageous for autogenous circuits. Changes in crude ore may necessitate rapid changes in the entire circuit control strategy, and only a computer can facilitate these changes. Also, the techniques of control are very different for conventional and for autogenous grinding. Set-point control is usually satisfactory in conventional circuits, but the multiplicity of varying conditions in an autogenous circuit usually require some type of computer optimizing search routine. Autogenous mills can be separated into two general types. In primary autogenous mills the media is obtained from the mill feed, and in pebble mills the sized pebble media is added separately from the material being ground. PRIMARY AUTOGENOUS MILL CIRCUIT CONTROL - FIGURE 1 Power Draw Primary autogenous mills are usually run at full motor loading so production will be at maximum. Therefore, power draw must be closely controlled; this is done by adjusting feed rate. The versatility of computer control is extremely valuable for power control, especially during starting and stopping. To bring the mill power up as fast as possible at

Jan 1, 1982

By John J. Borkert, Carl E. Gerity

In situ mining offers a new and proven method of exploiting sedimentary uranium deposits. The feasibility and economic evaluation of exploiting a uranium reserve by either open pit or underground mining should also include a similar study for in situ mining. This report compares the economics of mining several hypothetical uranium deposits at various depths, grades and reserve sizes by open pit and in situ mining. The evaluation process evolved establishing, where possible, common geological and logistical parameters to both methods of mining. The various assumptions that are unique to either open pit or in situ mining were also drafted, where possible, as equal and common functions to be used in each economic evaluation of the reserve models. After the various parameters were defined, they were programmed to an economic analysis of the various hypothetical uranium deposits by the selected mining method. From the vast array of cost evaluations, total capital and operating cost per pound U308 produced, DCF-ROI, and total net profits before State and Federal taxes were selected as the most meaningful results to compare. From the various geologic parameters used, it was determined that the economic viability of a mining venture is most sensitive to a depth-grade thickness ratio. The three selected evaluation products were plotted against the various depth-grade thickness ratios of the hypothetical uranium deposits. The results of the economic cost analyses show in situ mining generally to be a better method to maximize total net profits and to maximize return on investment.

Jan 1, 1979

By V. D. O’Leary

The Anaconda Co. has two economic uses for the drainage water from its underground mines in the district of Butte, Mont. One is the precipitation of copper, which the company has been accomplishing at the Leonard precipitating plant for many years, and the other is the leaching of the Berkeley pit discard, where millions of tons of leach material have accumulated. The acidic mine drainage water is an ideal leaching medium for the latter purpose, but the solids and colloidal material suspended in the water must be removed before it can be applied to the low-grade Berkeley leach dump. For this reason, it is important for Anaconda to have an efficient means of cleaning mine drainage. Such a means has been found and tested at one mine and is now to be incorporated in a new central pumping station the company is planning at the 3900-ft level of the Kelley mine. This plant is to be activated in early 1967 and will replace the antiquated four-lift High Ore mine pumping plant which was designed and installed before tailing backfill was adopted. The new plant will feature eight pumps with a total capacity of 8000 gpm in a single lift against a total dynamic head of 4100 ft. For the most efficient and economical operation of the plant it is imperative that all possible mud be removed from the drainage water before pumping.

Jan 9, 1966

By John F. Blandy

Although the question of the "waste of anthracite coal mining " has been so frequently discussed, and a committee was appointed at the first meeting of this Society to consider and report upon the subject, still but little progress seems to have been made in arriving at a conclusion as to how it ran be reduced. That committee made a preliminary report at the August meeting, 1871, in which it divided the question into three parts, namely: Waste in mining, in preparing for market, and in transportation. I shall not here refer to the first item, as so much depends upon the peculiar features of each separate mine, and the skill of those in charge; but in reference to the second, that of preparing the coal for market in breaker and screens, I wish to make some remarks. There is no use considering the question, whether the coal should be broken up to suit the fancy of consumers; all miners are satisfied that it should not be, but the consumers decide that they want it that way, and the miner must submit, and simply utter his maledictions upon the head of the man who first suggested a breaker or screen, if that is any consolation to him. What is called waste in this process of preparation, is the dust and fine coal, which results from the breaking and screening, and, as we all know, this is a very important percentage of what passes from the slope to the top of the breaker. Now, if this dust and fine coal can be utilized—the slate which is picked out is not to be taken into consideration as waste—then we get rid of this item entirely. There is no question in my mind that this article can and will be used as a steam generator at least, and I think, therefore, that in depositing

By H. F. Miller

Fox some years the prejudice against basic open-hearth steel for casting has been gradually decreasing. Yet many consumers and engineers still cling to acid steel for castings, because of their alleged greater freedom from blow-holes and sponginess. Acid steel has been used for this purpose much longer than basic steel; and the melters in acid practice had it well in hand when basic steel was first tried. Then the necessity of learning a new set of laws for the production of satisfactory basic open-hearth steel for castings became evident. The first of these laws, in my opinion, has to do with the furnace construction. The heat should be melted down as speedily as possible so as to prevent excessive oxidation. I have described in another article ' some furnaces designed by me, and having as one of their features the promotion of quick melting. Size of the Furnace. The hearth of the furnace, however, is a decisive factor in the production of solid castings. The manufacturer should know the size of the heats he intends to make constantly, and should have his furnace built for that size of heat. The hearth should differ in dimensions from that of a furnace making ingotr steel. That is, the bath should be deeper and should have less surface-area. A shallow bath permits the slag to come out soon after the steel commences to flow, and thus prevents the additions from going into the steel, or from becoming uniformly distributed in case they have been put in hurriedly. Under this head comes the very poor practice of making small heats in hearths of a much larger capacity. If into a 25-or 30-ton furnace only 12 or 15 tons of metal is charged per heat, the proportion of heats that will be wild, or show signs

Jan 1, 1913

By Ernest Darby

IF the correct balance between fuel and air is maintained in an open-flame furnace,1 little chemical action may be expected between the products of combustion and the metal being melted. Physical changes in the metal are the object of the melting operation, and indirectly, under certain conditions, may be the cause of subsequent chemical actions. If sufficient heat has been introduced into the metal to bring about the change from the solid phase to the liquid phase, and still further from the liquid to the vapor phase, the metal vapor in all probability will be carried from the furnace by the exhaust and rapidly combined with the oxygen of the outside air. The charge being melted in the furnace may contain elements which are chemically inactive at normal temperatures but which will form compounds at the elevated temperatures of the metal bath, or even at a lower degree. Such indirect chemical actions are very confusing and often lead to incorrect conclusions regarding furnace atmospheres. In the open-flame furnaces used in the melting of bronze, the furnace atmosphere is spoken of as being either neutral, oxidizing or reducing in its effect upon the metal. A neutral atmosphere, as mentioned, is generally considered as the atmosphere of the furnace that will produce melted bronze, neither oxidized nor gassed. It is in effect an atmosphere which is not directly the cause of any chemical action. In such an atmosphere absolutely pure metals may be melted and poured without the absorption of gases or the formation of metallic oxide. The metal has undergone a simple, physical change.

Jan 1, 1930

By Rossiter W. Raymond

THE most important event in the history of mining in the United States was the discovery of gold in California, which led to the rapid development, not only of a new industry, but of a new empire. The settlement of the Pacific slope was making but slow progress under the inducements of a scanty commerce in furs and hides. The liberal grants offered by the government to agricultural pioneers in Oregon had attracted to the Willamette valley and other favored points in that territory a limited population; but the government of the Mexicans in California was positively unfavorable to enterprise. It is true that gold was known to exist in the country. Rumors of it were current among the trappers, and placers had actually been worked in what is now Los Angeles County ; but the padres of the neighboring mission of San Fernando had discouraged the business as demoralizing to their flocks ; and the existence of the precious metal was not widely known; still less was its distribution north¬ward suspected. The discovery of gold, January 19th, 1848, at Sutter's saw-mill, on the south fork of the American River, afterward famous as Coloma, in Eldorado County, was the beginning of the new epoch. This discovery was made by James Wilson Marshall, a partner in the mill, who observed in the debris washed down by the tail-race a glittering fragment of a mineral unknown to him. Suspecting it to be gold, he sought for further specimens, and obtained, in the course of a few days, several ounces of it. Tests subsequently

Jan 1, 1875

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. on all week-clays, except holidays, from September 1 to June 30, and from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. during July and August. The Library contains about 55,000 volumes, including sets of technical periodicals and the publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive special attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining-maps, and to furnish general information as to the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be .o interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape. The members of the Institute can be of service to the Library by forwarding copies of mining-reports, maps privately issued, and similar material, which will be classified, indexed, and made available to other members. Suggestions for additions to the Library, either by purchase or personal solicitation as gifts, will be welcomed. It is hoped that members while in the city will use the Library freely, and assurance is given that most careful service will be rendered to them.

Jan 10, 1914

By J. C. Platt

I DESIRE to call the attention of the Institute to what is believed to be a new improvement in 'the construction of journal-bearings, having for its object the reduction of original cost as well as cost of renewals. In an ordinary railroad car we find the space between the top of the axle and the top of the box is filled with a "brass," weighing from seven to ten pounds. Of this amount of metal a comparatively small portion is subjected to the wear which it is intended to meet. The balance is, practically, a filling material, which from habit has long been constructed of the same metal. The Defreest bearing is made of three parts, namely, a malleableiron back, a bronze bearing-piece, and between them a filling-piece of sheet lead. The bronze takes the wear of the axle, the iron fills up the space and acts as a backing to the bronze, and the lead, being soft, adapts itself to the inequalities in the surfaces of the iron and bronze castings, thus insuring a uniform bearing on all points, and making it unnecessary to bore out the iron or turn off the bronze to bring them to a perfect contact at all points. These three parts are joined together by two soft brass rivets, with counter-sunk heads, to prevent separation in handling. A groove is cast in the iron, and a corresponding rib on the bronze, to prevent the latter from turning with the axle when in place. In renewals it is ordinarily necessary simply to drive out the rivets and renew the bronze and lead. The iron part is not subjected to much wear and should last for years. It is evident that the first cost of these journals, and also the cost of renewals, must be much less than the old form. This difference amounts, at the present price of materials, to $9.60 for an eight¬wheel car, in first cost, and $4.72 for renewals. These bearings have been in use, and found to do what is claimed for them.

Jan 1, 1880

By Thomas M. Tharp

INTRODUCTION Attempts to analyze the stability of slopes, foundations and underground openings in discontinuously jointed rock have generally assumed full joint continuity or ignored the role of stress concentration at the tips of discontinuous joints. The most common approach in rock slopes is to consider a failure plane consisting of coplanar, but discontinuous joints separated by intact rock. The intact rock is assumed to fail in shear as a Mohr- Coulomb material and to contribute a strength component proportional to the fraction of the failure plane that is intact rock (Jennings, 1970). An alternative approach by Stimpson (1978) applies Lajtai's (1969) theory for shear strength of discontinuously jointed rock masses to slopes. Lajtai allows tensile failure in the intact rock of a composite surface. This theory yields lower shear strength than that of Jennings (1970) except in the presence of high normal compression, however it also fails to account for the stress concentration at the tip of a discontinuous joint. For a given slope geometry, stresses increase with slope height, but in both of these models rock mass strength is independent of size. A fracture mechanics analysis shows that particularly for small slopes, rock mass strength decreases with size. A continuous stepped failure surf ace produced by propagation of preexisting joints may develop at lower shear stress than predicted by the Jennings (1970) or Lajtai (1969) models. This fracture mechanics model applied to slopes in competent rock is more realistic in its assumed failure mechanism, and for large slopes more conservative than the Jennings (1970) or Lajtai models (1969).

Jan 1, 1984

By R. Taggart, R. H. Ericksen, D. H. Polonis

MarTENSITIC a has been observed to form spontaneously from the retained ß phase during the preparation of thin foil specimens of metastable Ti-Cr alloys containing from 6.9 to 20 wt pet Cr. Similar spontaneous martensite reactions have been reported in thin foils of 0 brass' and other alloys.2 4 The absence of retained austenite in iron-based alloys has also been attributed to spontaneous decomposition during thinning.5 The present work indicates that a unique situation occurs during which the spontaneous transformation takes place when the transitional ? phase is present in the as-quenched or partially aged ß phase. Alloys containing 6.9, 7.0, 8.0, 12.0, and 20.0 wt pet Cr were prepared by the levitation melting of "io-chrome" chromium and iodide titanium. The 0.5-in.-diam ingots were vacuum-annealed at 1000oC, and wafers 0.020 in. thick were then cut from the ingots. These wafers were wrapped in molybdenum foil, encapsulated in Vycor under a reduced pressure of purified helium, and then held for 30 min at 1000°C. The specimens were quenched in water to retain the metastable high-temperature ß phase. The quenched alloys were thinned by mechanical grinding to about 0.005 in. thick, then electropolished in a solution of 300 ml methyl alcohol, 175 ml n-butyl alcohol, and 30 ml perchloric acid at a temperature of -40°C. Needle specimens 0.005 to 0.010 in. diam were taken from each ingot and heat-treated with the foil specimens. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated the structure of the 6.9, 7.0, and 8 wt pet alloys to be a

Jan 1, 1968

By E. C. Roberts

TO facilitate some recent microscopic investigations it was necessary to devise special mounting techniques for the polishing of two quite different metallographic specimens. These techniques are extremely simple and are submitted for whatever value they may be to other investigators. The first specimen mount proved very satisfactory for the study of untempered martensite. Since it was undesirable to heat the specimen, lucite or bakelite mounting materials could not be used in the conventional manner. A cold mount was made by drilling a hole of the same diameter as the specimen in a cylindrical piece of polystyrene then press- ing the steel specimen into the hole on an ordinary vise. A prefabricated disk of lucite should work equally well. The only precautions necessary are that the hole be drilled out cleanly and the piece of steel be pressed into the plastic uniformly, otherwise the mount will crack. The second type of mount was required for the study of slag specimens by reflected light. Mounting these specimens in bakelite and then attempting to rough finish the surfaces on graded emery papers resulted in a considerable amount of chipping and breaking out of the slag particles. This made further satisfactory polishing almost impossible. It was found, however, that if the bakelite-mounted specimen was first rough finished to a point where a good specimen surface became visible, the interstices in the specimen surface could be filled and the polishing completed. This filling was accomplished by placing a small amount of lucite powder in the bottom of the steel specimen mold then reinserting the bakelite-mounted specimen on top of the lucite powder. Reheating the mold to the proper temperature and applying the required pressure resulted in the formation of a thin disk of lucite on the bottom of the bakelite specimen. By carefully grinding the lucite away a uniform surface including the slag specimen was obtained and further polishing was unhampered by slag disintegration.

Jan 1, 1951

WHAT was certainly the greatest event of January, and perhaps it will prove to be the greatest of 1923, or even of the next decade, was the meeting of the premiers of the principal Euro-pean powers in Paris on Jan. 2, to consider what should be done with respect to German reparations. The French and British were unable to come to any agree-ment, and the conference broke up on Jan. 4. The French and British parted friends, but each with the determination henceforth to pursue its own economic and political way. This event was profound in its significance and perhaps will be calamitous) in its consequences. Following the disruption of the Conference at Paris, the French immediately began preparations to occupy the Ruhr district on the ground that Germany was in default on coal deliveries, without waiting. for Jan. 15, the next due date for reparation payment. This action by the French led to orders being issued by President Harding on Jan. 10 for the withdrawal of the remainder of the American troops on the Rhine. Thus ended the physical participation in. European affairs by the American army, whose vanguard landed in France in June, 1917. The French occupation of the Ruhr Valley, i.e., the great industrial region of western Westphalia, was made with a large military force. The Germans offered no physical resistance, and passed under French control with sullen resentment. The coal miners to a con-siderable extent refused to work and there was more or less disorganization of railway service. Before the end of the month the opinion was expressed that the French occupation was an economic failure and there were reports of French blast furnaces being blown out for lack of coke.

Jan 2, 1923

By Rossiter W. Raymond

The most important event in the history of mining in the United States was the discovery of gold in California, which led to the rapid development, not only of a new industry, but of a new empire. The settlement of the Pacific slope was making but slow progress under the inducements of a scanty commerce in furs and hides. The liberal grants offered by the government to agricultural pioneers in Oregon had attracted to the Willamette valley and other favored points in that territory a limited population; hot the government of the Mexicans in California was positively unfavorable to enterprise. It is true that gold was known to exist in the country. Rumors of it were current among the trappers, and placers had actually been worked in what is now Los Angeles County; but the padres of the neighboring mission of San Fernando had discouraged the business as demoralizing to their flocks; and the existence of the precious metal was not widely known; still less was its distribution northward suspected. The discovery of gold, January 19th) 1848, at Sutter's saw-mill, on the south fork of the American River, afterward famous as Coloma, in Eldorado County, was the beginning of the new epoch. This discovery was made by James Wilson Marshall, a partner in the mill, who observed in the debris washed down by the tail-race a glittering fragment of a mineral unknown to him. Suspecting it to be gold, he sought for further specimens, and obtained, in the course of a few days, several ounces of it. Tests subsequently

By S. Frederick Ravitz

FOUR liquids are ordinarily present in the lead blast furnace during lead smelting. At the bottom is the lead bullion, which is metallic lead containing about one per cent of impurities, including gold, silver, copper, bismuth, arsenic and antimony. Above this is the speiss, which consists essentially of arsenides and antimonides of iron and copper. The speiss is followed by the matte, which consists principally of sulfides of iron, copper and lead1. The top layer is the slag, of which the major constit-uents are silica, lime, alumina, zinc oxide and iron oxide. Similar products are obtained from the dross furnace, which treats the dross obtained in decopperizing lead bullion. The distribution of gold and silver among these various products is of considerable importance in the smelting of lead. In general, the matte and speiss cannot be treated in the lead smelter, and usually are sent to a copper smelter. It is usually desirable, therefore, to keep their gold and silver contents as low as possible, and to collect the precious metals in the bullion. If the bullion, speiss, matte and slag exist together in equilibrium, the gold and silver should distribute themselves among these four liquids in a definite manner, which, other conditions being equal, should depend only on the amounts of gold and silver in the charge to the furnace. It is thus apparent that a knowledge of whether such equi-librium exists is necessary before attempting to study the effects of various compositions of matte and speiss on the distribution of gold and silver among the furnace products2. Moreover, systems consisting of four liquids in equilibrium are very rare, and are of considerable scientific interest.

Jan 1, 1936

By E. D. Gardner

VICTOR G. HILLS, Denver, Colo. (communication to the Secretary*).¬If anyone advocates the abolition of the antecedent mineral discovery requirement for the purpose of making it easier to secure title to public land, I hasten to say that I am not of that number. I am in Hearty accord with all that Mr. Gardner has to say in regard to easy patenting as a handicap to small camps, and that in general it acts to retard the mining industry. And the following sentences I want to repeat in order to emphasize and endorse them, "None of the writers on this subject seem to have taken into consideration the effect amending the law pertaining to mineral discovery will have upon the Government's administration of the public land. It must be borne in mind that this land belongs absolutely to the people of the United States as a whole, and their interest must be considered. It is not a no-man's land, as some people would appear to believe." However, I believe that the discovery prerequisite should be abolished, because it fails to effect the protection for which it was designed, and I look for other provisions that will better serve the purpose. We propose to abolish the law of apex not because the theory is objectionable but because the question of physical fact gives rise to never ending litigation. Now the design of antecedent mineral discovery is good; the court rulings are unobjectionable; but when it comes to the physical fact this requirement is second only to the apex law as a healthy litigation breeder. The only circumstance that has prevented the pre-discovery lawsuits from becoming as famous and as: expensive as the apex

Jan 12, 1916

By Guillermo Mariaca, Jorge Muñoz Reyer

As far as technology is concerned there has been no development in Bolivia during the year 1936, because the country, just emerging from the war with Paraguay, is only beginning to rebuild its economic foundations. Great steps, however, are being taken in order to secure a rapid and sound development of its oil resources, as follows: 1. The new Petroleum Law, which contemplates the problem of proration and conservation of natural resources, prohibiting the wasteful use of gas, and regulating the number of wells, their spacing and the permissible output per well, for each particular pool according to the conditions prevailing therein. 2. The creation of an official entity with the object of developing and exploiting a large petroliferous area. This entity has been called Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (Y.P.F.B.), and the region assigned to it is all the sub-andean zone, which is approximately one hundred miles wide and borders the eastern part of the Oriental Andean range, from Argentine to Peru. It is said that drilling will be started immediately in various localities. At the present time a wide geological survey of part of the area is being made in order to find out which regions offer the best possibilities of commercial development. Y.P.F.B. has been authorized by the Government to draw up contracts with private companies for the exploitation of limited zones. Production The only company that has been producing in the country in 1936 is the Standard Oil Company of Bolivia, and only from two of its fields: Camiri and Sanandita. New wells were not drilled. During the first nine months of the year 12,762,958 liters (80,275 bbl.) was produced, 34,985 bbl. from the Camiri field and 45,290 bbl. from the Sanandita field. Reports for October, November and December are not yet available. The total for the year 1935 was 25,978,737 liters (163,388 bbl.).

Jan 1, 1937

By John F. Blandy

ALTHOUGH the question of the "waste of anthracite coal mining" has been so frequently discussed, and a committee was appointed at the first meeting of this Society to consider and report upon the subject, still but little progress seems to have been made in arriving at a conclusion as to how it can be reduced. That committee made a preliminary report at the August meeting, 1871, in which it divided the question into three parts, namely Waste in mining, in preparing for market, and in transportation. I shall not here refer to the first item, as so much depends upon the peculiar features of each separate mine, and the skill of those in charge; but in reference to the second, that of preparing the coal for market in breaker and screens, I wish to make some remarks. There is no use considering the question, whether the coal should be broken up to suit the fancy of consumers; all miners are satisfied that it should not be, but the consumers decide that they want it that way, and the miner must submit, and simply utter his maledictions upon the head of the man who first suggested a breaker or screen, if that is any consolation to him. What is called waste in this process of preparation, is the dust and fine coal, which results from the breaking and screening, and, as we all know, this is a very important percentage of what passes from the slope to the top of the breaker. Now, if this dust and fine coal can be utilized-the slate which is' picked out is not to be taken into consideration as waste-then we get rid of this item entirely. There is no question in my mind that this article can and will be used as a steam generator at least, and I think, therefore, that in depositing

Jan 1, 1877

By Russell C. Flemming

The aim of this Source Book has been to bring together in concise form information on the wealth of technical literature on mining and geology issued by the bewilderingly many state bureaus, federal bureaus, technical societies, trade associations and other noncommercial agencies in the United States. The effort has been made to include the navies of all the noncommercial publishers of such technical literature, to indicate where and at what price the articles may be obtained, as well as to give with as much detail as space permits specific information on individual papers. The thought has been to put the information particularly in the hands of the younger members of the profession, who may not yet have had the wide contacts with this literature that they will need in later life. Several factors have interfered with the complete attainment of the original intention. Undoubtedly some agencies that properly have a place in these pages have unintentionally been omitted; many agencies canvassed were omitted as not having literature of direct concern here; in other cases some. of the needed information was lacking; and the limitations of time and space have bounded the scope of the compilation.. Except in one or two cases, only publications prior to July, 1932, are included here, and from that standpoint the book is necessarily incomplete, as additions are continually being made to the files of literature on these subjects. Individual titles have been listed whenever possible but where an agency has collected a great mass of published material only most important titles, and a general review of the scope of the works, can be made. This results in penalizing, in a way, bureaus such as the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the U. S. Geological Survey, which have voluminous and vitally important works in the fields covered, because space commensurate with that volume and importance cannot be allowed. In any event, in such cases, a complete catalog is issued periodically and repetition is superfluous. The space

Jan 1, 1933

By Arthur C. Spencer

In extension of a suggestion already made to account for certain features observed in the Juneau gold-belt in southeastern Alaska,' it is the object of the present paper to indicate in detail certain conditions in which deformation of rocks under their own weight might lead to the production of fractures in which veins could be deposited. A direct, uniformly-distributed pressure of sufficient intensity, applied to an elastic brittle mass offering strung resistance to deformation, produces rupture. In a material of ideal properties the surfaces of rupture under such pressure would be shearing planes inclined at 45' to the line of force, unless there be preliminary deformation, in which case this angle would be greater than 45. This general conclusion, resting upon analytical mechanics, is completely supported by the results obtained by DaubrBe2 in experiments upon the deformation of wax and resin prisms under compression. Let us then first consider one of Daubree's diagrams. In the case illustrated in Fig. 1, four sets of fractures in two approximately right-angled pairs (that is to say, in conjugate sets) were produced by endwise compression of a square cross-sectioned prism. These fractures cut the axis of compression at approximately equal angles, not varying greatly from 45o. The location of the four sets of fractures is obviously determined by the shape of the prism, since the material in each corner acts in a way as a buttress, permitting the bulging to take place most readily on the sides. By limiting the directions in which bulging may take place, results of a more simple nature could be obtained. Take, for instance, a square prism, and place it between two fixed and

Jan 1, 1906