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By Dean G. Heitt

"The Rain and SMZ mines from 1987 to 1994 produced a total of22.0 t of gold from a pre-mine reserve of 14.24 Mt of ore grading 2.13 g/t Au.Gold at Rain is hosted within the basal portion of the Mississippian Webb Formation. ·Mineralization is closely tied to the Rain Fault which is interpreted to be the main feeder for the deposit. Multiple collapse and hydrothermal breccia events provided permeability for the mineralizing fluids in the otherwise unreactive siltstones. Major alteration events include: decalcification and dolomitization of the Devils Gate Limestone; and silicification, baritization, argillization and oxidation of the Webb Fm. Six ore types based on XRD and visual rock chip Jogging have been identified: siliceous ore containing >40% quartz and <30% barite; siliceous-baritic ore containing mostly silica but >30% barite; baritic ore containing >40% barite; argillaceous ore containing >40% total clays (including alunite); calcareous ore containing mostly calcite and dolomite; and carbonaceous ore which has significant pyrite and organic carbon. Metallurgical testing of the oxide leach grade ores found that recoveries, on -1.3 cm crushed material, were greater than 70%. Results also found that Rain ore has strong grind dependency due to silica encapsulation.The Rain leach pad was commissioned in 1988, and to date 9.3·Mt at an average grade of0.65 g/t Au have been placed. Life to date recovery, through December 1995, is approximately 51 %, for a total of3.87 t of gold produced. Two major factors have contributed to the low leach recoveries at Rain when compared with the metallurgical testing: 1) More argillaceous ore than expected was placed on the pad especially late in the mine life and 2) approximately 50% of the tons placed were run-of-mine with no agglomeration."

Jan 1, 1997

By V. N. Kolesnikov

The Sikhote-Alin part of the Circum-Pacific Ore Belt is characterized by wide distribution of Sn, Pb, Zn, W; Au, Ag, and other mineralization. This mineralization is regionally associated with the Late Cretaceous-Tertiary East Sikhote-Alin volcanic belt where it overlaps the Taukha accretiollary-wedge terrane of the Early Cretaceous age. The Pb-Zn deposits of the Dalnegorsk ore district may be grouped into the skarn (about 80%) and vein types. The skarn deposits are of major commercial value. Their geological position is controlled by the carbonate units located within tectonic melange of the Taukha terrane. Some other lithological and tectonic factors also play a significant role ill distribution of the mineralization. The ore bodies are traced to the depth of 1000-1500 m below the surface, having a pipe-lens shape and vertical zonation. Major minerals of the ores are galena, sphalerite, pyrrhotine, chalkopyrite, hedenbergite, quartz, and calcite. The minor elements of the Pb-Zn mineralization are cadmium, silver, bismuth, and copper. The paper describes relationships between mineral suites and minor element contents in the ores, as well as their significance for processing the ores. The metallurgy applied allows high recovering of the major components (Pb -93.9%; Zn -91.4%). However the tails contain some minor components that may be of commercial interest.

Jan 1, 1998

By John W. Ahlrichs, E. Daniel Baker, Erich U. Petersen, William J. Tafuri, Douglas N. Halbe

The combined Bootstrap and Capstone deposits, located in the Bootstrap subdistrict (Section 10, T36N, R49E, M.D.B.M., Elko County, Nevada), are approximately 27 miles northwest of Ca-1I: Nevada. The contiguous Bootstrap Capstone deposits are located along the northeastern and northern flanks of Round Mountain, a horst block separated by grabens from the sheep Creek Mountains to the north-northwest and the Tuscarora Mountains to the east. Open-pit-minable gold reserves as of December, 1989, were 13.27 million short tons with an average grade of .057 troy ounces gold per ton and an overall waste-to-ore strip ratio of 2.5:1. Ore zones in Bootstrap are concentrated along north striking high-angle dikes localized along faults, while ore zones at Capstone are strata form and structural, occurring at the Devonian limestone/siliceous sediment interface and in high-angle fault-filling dikes. Pre-ore faulting produced a complex structural setting for Capstone, dominated by strong northwest fault sets cross-cut by northeasterly structures. Alteration associated with both deposits is silicification with a-strong argillic overprint. Dike emplacement, which post-dates silicification, marked the onset of mainstage gold deposition and argillic overprinting of silicified lithologies. Gold displays an affinity for moderately argillized sedimentary and igneous lithologies. Mineralogic and geochemical analyses of rotary percussion drill samples show good correlation between gold, silica, antimony, and arsenic.

Jan 1, 1990

By E. Marcoux, F. Lotfi, A. Belkabir, L. Maacha, A. C. Brown, S. Brunet

"Koudiat Aïcha is a small Zn-Pb-Cu deposit, enclosed in the Visean Sarhlef volcano-sedimentary series of the Moroccan Hercynian Jebilet massif. Base metal mineralization is located between a basal unit consisting of black argillite with arenite intercalations, and an upper unit composed of black argillite with locally fossiliferous calcareous units towards the top. Paraconcordant gabbro sills are present in both the upper and basal units, and the enclosing strata. Three successive phases of deformation linked to regional deformation overprint the volcano-sedimentary rocks and gabbros, as well as the sulfide mineralization.The mineral deposit includes several lenses of massive to semimassive pyrrhotite, 1 to 20 m thick, with a large halo of disseminated sulfide veinlets and sulfide nodules within a zone of intense chlorite alteration in the footwall. The ore mineralogy consists of massive to semimassive pyrrhotite with lesser amounts of sphalerite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, pyrite, and stannite.Lead isotope results (206Pb/204Pb averaging 18.27) suggest that the metals of the Koudiat Aïcha deposit are derived from the volcano-sedimentary host rocks. Sulfur isotopes also indicate a volcano-sedimentary origin, with bacterial reduction of sulfate (d34SCDT = -7.5‰ to -10.5‰). The conditions for sulfide meta-morphic equilibration range from 250° to 330°C (sphalerite and chlorite geothermometers). The gabbroic sills could have been a local heat source for hydrothermal circulation. Based on these geological and mineralogical features, a Besshi-type model seems appropriate for the genesis of the Koudiat Aïcha mineralization.Koudiat Aïcha est un petit dépôt de Zn-Pb-Cu, encaissé dans la série volcano-sédimentaire Viséenne de Sarhlef dans le massif Hercynien de Jebilet au Maroc. La minéralisation en métaux usuels se situe entre une unité basale d’argilite noire interlitée d’arénite et une unité supérieure composée d’argilite noire comprenant localement des calcaires fossilifères près de son sommet. Des sills de gabbro paraconcordants sont présent à la fois dans les unités basale et supérieure, ainsi que dans les strates environnantes. Trois phases de déformation successives associées a la déformation régionale superposent leurs effets sur les roches volcano-sédimentaires, les gabbros, ainsi que la minéralisation sulfurée. Ce gîte comprend plusieurs lentilles de pyrrhotite massive a semimassive de 1 a 20 m d’épaisseur au sein d’un large halo de veinules de sulfures disséminés et en nodules au sein d’une zone intensément chloritisée dans le mur du gisement. Le minerai consiste en pyrrhotite massive à semimassive avec des quantités subordonnées de sphalérite, de chalcopyrite, d’arsénopyrite, de galène, de pyrite, et de stannite. Les résultats de l’analyse des isotopes du plomb (206Pb/204Pb moyen de 18.27) suggèrent que les métaux du gîte Koudiat Aïcha proviennent des roches volcano-sédimentaires encaissantes. Les isotopes du souf¬fre indiquent eux-aussi une origine volcano-sédimentaire, impliquant la réduction bactérienne des sulfates (d34SCDT = -7.5‰ et -10.5‰). L’équilibration métamorphique des sulfures s’est produite entre 250° et 330°C (géothermomètres à sphalérite et chlorite). Les sills de gabbro pourraient avoir été la source de chaleur locale responsable de la circulation hydrothermale. Sur la base de ces caractéristiques géologiques et minéralogiques, il semble approprié d’invoquer un modèle de type pour Besshi pour expliquer la genèse de la minéralisation de Koudiat Aïcha."

Jan 1, 2008

By J J. Wilkinson, C J. Ha, R J. Herrington

The Pic de Fon iron oxide deposit is a potential major new source of iron ore, located at the southern end of the Simandou range in eastern Guinea on the West African Craton. The deposit is hosted by banded iron formations (BIFs) within a supracrustal sequence, which lies unconformably upon a crystalline basement. The host BIFs and shales have been metamorphosed up to staurolite-grade itabirite and phyllite respectively. Stratigraphic relationships are obscured by polyphase deformation, although the sequence appears to comprise a lower phyllite(-minor quartzite) unit and transitional phyllite-iron formation overlain by three itabirite units. It is the itabirite units, selectively enriched to iron grades in excess of 65 per cent Fe (with low deleterious elements), that constitute the Pic de Fon deposit. Samples acquired from exploration diamond drill holes and outcrop across the deposit have been collected to investigate the Pic de Fon lithologies and iron-rich material types. Initial research techniques have included geological mapping, reflected light microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and ICP-AES geochemistry. The aim is to develop a model for deposit genesis that may assist future exploration and deposit exploitation planning. Results to date have identified a variety of hematite textures, which include recrystallised trellis, interlobate and granoblastic hematite after magnetite. In addition, fine-grained bladed to acicular microplaty hematite appears to both replace itabirite banding and infill porosity. Field relationships indicate a structural control of microplaty hematite development. Geochemistry and XRD results suggest a loss of silica with negligible iron addition during the conversion of itabirite to ore grade mineralisation. The enrichment process(es) is also accompanied by a gradual increase in K, Mg, Na, (Ca and Al).

Jan 1, 2005

By Gian-P. Lozej, Ross Y. Black, Sami S. Maddah

The Zabirah bauxite is a Cretaceous paleolaterite exposed by postTertiary uplift and erosion of the Phanerozoic sequence. The laterite profile, which is preserved in situ, occupies a prominent angular unconformity over a sequence of sandstones, siltstones and mudstones ranging from Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous in age, and is overlain by a Late Cretaceous terrigenous and carbonate package. The profile is known to be preserved over an area of 250 sq km and at depths below the present surface of up to 80 m. The bauxite layer is hard, compact and predominantly pisolitic, with a variety of subordinate, superimposed textures resulting from post-formation alteration. The bauxite minerals are boehmite and gibbsite. Boehmite generally predominates, and the boehmite:gibbsite ratio averages 2:1, with a marked tendency for the proportion of boehmite to increase down the profile. Kaolinite, a major constituent of the profile, is concentrated in two zones, one above and one below the pisolitic bauxite layer. Iron content is variable and bears a direct relationship to parent-rock lithology. Genesis and preservation of the bauxite are due to the favourable coincidence of a number of geological controls of which the most significant are the local structural and sedimentary regimes, the lithology and chemistry of the parent rocks, and the Cretaceous paleogeography of the region.

Jan 1, 1984

By Rogers Wade

THE Pilares mine of the Moctezuma Copper Co. is situated at Los Pilares de Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, about 75 mi. (120.7 km.) South of the international boundary and about 7 mi. (11.26 kin.) east of the town of Nacozari de Garcia. It is situated at an elevation of 5000 ft. (1524 m.) in one of the northward trending ridges that form part of the mountain mass that culminates in the Sierra Madre de Mexico. To the east, south, and west, the topography is rugged and diversified; to the north less diversity exists, ranges of mountains rise sharply out of almost level ground and give the basin range structure characteristic of the southwest. The climate is dry, the average rainfall of 15 in. (38 cm.) being confined almost entirely to the months of June, July, and August. The

Jan 8, 1919

By Stephen Birch

LATOUCHE, or the Beatson plant of the Kennecott Copper Corpn., is located in the Prince William Sound district of Alaska about 80 miles west of Cordova and 60 miles from Seward. Ore was discovered and claims located on Latouche Island in July, 1897. The mines were worked in a desultory manner until 1910, when the property was acquired by the Kennecott Copper interests. The first shipment of ore was made in 1904; only the higher grade ore was mined and no attempt was made to treat the ore until it was taken over by the Kennecott, company. Since that time the mine has been developed to produce 1500 tons a day and a mill has been erected for treating this tonnage, using flotation entirely. The orebody is more or less lenticular in shape with a maximum width of about 280 ft. and a length of about 800 ft. The southern end of the lens is split by a horse of waste for about 400 ft. The hanging-wall limit is a well-defined fault associated with a band of pyrrhotite, having an average dip of 60°. There is no defined foot wall, the value of the ore governing the limits of the mining; in one part of the mine, however, it is defined by a minor fault. The orebody is located in a shear zone of the country rock of graywacke and slate. The principal mineral is chalcopyrite associated with pyrite and quartz. The mine is located a few hundred feet from tidewater; the mill is located on the beach and the ore is hoisted direct from the mine through a vertical shaft into the mill bins. Until the past year practically all the mining had been conducted in open pits. During the past two years, the ore above the 200-ft. level has been developed and a system of stoping devised to recover this ore; however, this system has not been in use long enough to give any definite results as to costs or efficiency. It consists, principally, of dividing the orebody into stopes, across the full width of the orebody, 70 ft. wide with a pillar 30 ft. wide between the stopes. Raises are driven through the stopes at intervals of about 60 ft. and all the ore is broken by drilling from these raises; in other words, similar to a shrinkage stope, doing the drilling from the raises instead of setting up on the broken ore as is customary. The ground is very much broken up by clay slips and seams running in every direction. Shrinkage stoping had been

Jan 1, 1924

By Stephen Birch

THE Chitina mining district of Alaska is located at the headwaters of the Chitina and Copper Rivers. At present, the only producing min-ing properties are the mines of the Kennecott Copper Corpn. and the Mother Lode Coalition Co., which are situated 196 miles from Cordova the port of entry. The first claims, later acquired by the Kennecott Mines Co. and afterwards transferred to the Kennecott Copper Corpn., were discovered in 1900. The Copper River & Northwestern Ry., which connects the mines with tide water at Cordova, was completed in the spring of 1911. Contemporary with the construction of the railroad, aerial tram equipment was brought to the mines by pack train and a tramway, 3 miles, long, connecting Bonanza mine with the proposed railroad terminal, was finished, enabling shipments of high-grade ore to be made immediately on the completion of the railroad. A mill to treat the lower grade ore was begun the same year. The Kennecott company&apos;s holdings consist of 111 mineral claims. The Mother Lode Coalition Mines Co., which is controlled by the Kennecott Copper Corpn., owns 73 claims adjoining the Kennecott holdings. All data on operations and geology refer equally well to the Mother Lode property.

Jan 1, 1924

By Thornton L. Neathery

The low-grade talc deposits in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, are associated with a mafic-ultramafic rock complex that is part of a widely distributed schist and gneiss group. These rocks form a synform structure overlying Inner Piedmont lithology. Paragenetic sequence of the Tallapoosa talc is interpreted as enstatite-anthophyllitetalc. Talc occurs as massive boulders formed by the alteration of enstatite-anthophyllite and as finely disseminated discrete particles in the enclosing saprolite matrix. Weathered rock reaches depths as great as 60 feet. The quality and quantity of the talc, however, are variable. Mineral analyses of the talc-bearing samples, by petrographic grain count, indicate a talc content of 16 to 26 percent. Most of the talc occurs as plates or scales that are moderately stained with limonite. Fibrous talc also occurs in the deposits and is often mistaken for anthophyllite asbestos which is intimately associated with the talc. The size, shape, and occurrence of the talc deposits precludes any method of min¬ing other than open-cut. A small-scale mining operation began in the district in 1969. Potential capacity of the operation is 5, 000 tons per year. Inferred reserves, based on field investigations, are placed at approximately 8 million tons. Approved for publication by the State Geologist, Geological Survey of Alabama.

Jan 1, 1970

By Roger D. Sharpe

The United States Gypsum Company operation at Plaster City, in Imperial County, California, consists of the largest gypsum quarry in the United States, a company-owned, narrow-gauge railroad and wallboard and plaster manufacturing facilities. A variety of gypsum products, including many types of wallboard, construction plasters, portland cement setting agent, and agricultural gypsum are manufactured. Gypsum is quarried from the Miocene age Fish Creek Gypsum. Evaporite minerals were deposited in a clastic-rich sabkha environment along the margin of a small embayment in the Salton Trough. The Salton Trough is a major regional structure that formed by rifting and transform faulting along the Elsinore, San Jacinto, and San Andreas fault zones. Sedimentary basins were formed between tilted fault blocks. The basins were filled by prograding alluvial fans, basin margin sabkha and marine sediments, and deltaic deposits from the Colorado River. Gypsum is exposed in the quarry on rounded hills with 250-300 feet of relief. The evaporites are up to 200 feet thick and average 125 feet in thickness. Anhydrite commonly occurs in the lower part of the evaporites under the crests of hills and beneath thick alluvial cover.

Jan 1, 1995

By P G Simpson

The Sundance gold mine, located 2.5 km east of the town of Batchelor in the Northern Territiory, has produced over 5300 oz of gold since it was discovered in 1978. Sundance is unique in the Pine Creek Inlier in that the ore is hosted in palaeo-karst detritus and crystalline magnesite of the Early Proterozoic Coomalie Dolomite. This paper presents a summary of the geology of the mine, and describes the methods used during the two periods of mining.

Jan 1, 1994

By Albert Hill Fay

IN giving a sketch of the geology and mining of the tin-deposits of Cape Prince of Wales, a short description of the geographic and climatic conditions may be of special interest on account of this being a part of the world of which very little is known, even by the reading public. As shown in Fig. 1, the location of the Cape is lat. N. 65° 35&apos; and long. W. 168°. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic ocean ; on the west by Bering strait and on the south by Bering sea. It is the western-most point of the mainland of North America, and to the west, across the strait, one can see East Cape, Siberia, which consists of a rugged, steep coast of granite cliffs. The climatic conditions are of interest because of the part they have had in the surface geology, and also because they affect mining from an economic standpoint. In connection with the climate and geography, it does not seem out of place here to quote a few lines from the prologue of The Wandering Jew, written by Eugene Sue, under the caption &apos;1 The Land&apos;s End of Two Worlds."

Sep 1, 1907

By Leo H. Duriez, James V. Neuman

THE Bayard property of the united States Smelting Refining and Mining Company is in south central Grant County in southwestern New Mexico about fifteen miles east of Silver City and one mile west of Santa Rita. The present holdings cover a belt roughly one mile wide by ten miles long, lying west of, and adjacent to, the holdings of the American Smelting and Refining Co., Kennecott Copper Corp., Empire Zinc Co., and Peru Mining Co. The area extends from the village of Bayard on the south to a point three miles northeast of Fierro. The property is a part of the well-known Central mining district which has been New Mexico&apos;s leading copper-zinc producer for many years. The property is segregated into three sections, the Bullfrog, Hanover Bessemer, and the Shingle Canyon sections. Of these, the Bullfrog section covers the area between the towns of Bayard and Hanover and includes the Bullfrog No. 1, Bullfrog No. 2, Slate, Hobo,

Jan 1, 1948

By Woodhouse M, Andrews D, Drew G

The nickel deposits within the Honeymoon Well project area (26¦ 40&apos;S, 120¦ 25&apos;E), located 45 km south of Wiluna, occur in the northern part of the Agnew-Wiluna belt (Figure 1; Hill et at, 1990). The project area is covered by up to 50 m of transported material which greatly hampers both exploration and an understanding of the bedrock geology. Since 1990 intensive exploration has increased the resource from 10 Mt at one per cent Ni to 134 Mt at 0.76 per cent Ni in five deposits (0.4 per cent Ni cut-off, resources above 300 m depth, December 1994). This includes a massive sulphide resource of 2.5 Mt at 3.4 per cent Ni.

Jan 1, 1996

By Gerard Matthes

Only in recent years has any practical headway been made in the application of aerial photography to geological problems, and up to the present time its principal value to the geologist and mining engineer has been in "areal geology;" i. e., the study of formations as revealed at the surface. The object of this paper is to set forth briefly the principal advantages that may be derived from aerial photographic data in geological work and to serve in a measure as a guide to those who may be contemplating its use. Geophysical prospecting has for object the locating of mineral under the surface. Inasmuch as the geologist&apos;s chief complaint in life is a dual one—inability to see under the surface and inability to visualize comprehensively what he does see on top of the ground—geophysical prospecting coupled with aerial photography should do much to lessen his burdens. To what extent aerial photography can be made a useful adjunct to geophysical prospecting remains to be proved, but the inference drawn here is that it holds many alluring possibilities. To avoid disappointments, it should be stated at the outset that to the geologist or mining engineer an aerial photograph or mosaic is only a tool, the efficient use of which he must set out to master. Upon his skill and ingenuity in applying it to particular problems will depend largely the value of the results that he will obtain. Under the most favorable conditions an aerial mosaic, or even a few loose photographs, because of the exceptionally comprehensive oversight which they afford of field data, such as dips and strike observations at isolated outcrops, local indications of faulting, mineral and fossil finds, greatly facilitate study and correlation, save much tedious foot work, and may repay their cost many times. Even so, types of country may be found where the most skillful use of the best of pictures will produce results so meager as to render the cost of aerial photography entirely unwarranted. Between these two extremes will be found endless variations and possibilities. Hence no set rules can be promulgated. The safest procedure is to treat each case as a separate problem and to carefully weigh the relative advantages and shortcomings of aerial photography before embarking on its use.

Jan 1, 1928

By W. F. Dietrich

This paper deals with the methods of mining the high-grade clays of California. The fact that the majority of the clay pits in the state are operated on a scale that is small by comparison with most metal mines causes a diversity of methods and gives rise to problems of selection of the method best suited to given conditions. Two or three operators in California produce approximately 500 tons per day of a single kind of clay from a single pit. About five varieties of clay are mined on a scale of 200 to 400 tons per day; not over 15 varieties are mined on a scale of 50 to 200 tons per day; and more than 50 varieties are mined at the rate of less than 50 tons per day. It is the aim of this paper to delimit, as far as the data at hand permit, the conditions and scale of operations that favor the selection of each dominant method of mining that is actually being applied at California properties. Details of the occurrence and utilization of the clays of California have been given in a recent bulletin1 and will not be considered here. Geographical and Geological Features of California Clay Deposits The greater part of the high-grade clays consumed by clay-working plants in California is mined from one of three producing areas in the state: (1) Lincoln, Placer County, on the eastern edge of the Sacramento valley, 30 miles northeast of Sacramento; (2) Ione, Amador County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 38 miles northeast of Stockton, and 12 miles west of Jackson, one of the important towns of the famous Mother Lode gold-mining district; and (3) Alberhill, Riverside County, 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Other districts of minor importance are near Cardiff and Carlsbad, San Diego County, and El Toro and San Juan Capistrano, Orange County. In addition, there are a number of isolated properties in various parts of the state.

Jan 1, 1928

By Charles H. Behre

This paper deals with recent geologic studies in the slate belt of Northampton, Lehigh and Berks counties, Pennsylvania. The work was conducted under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey. Three years have now been spent in detailed consideration of the economic geology of this region. In the field, particular attention was paid to the bearing of geology on quarry development and property valuation and the object of this paper is to summarize the results from that viewpoint. Excellent studies of a somewhat similar nature have already been carried out by Bowles,&apos; but with the emphasis upon the details of quarrying and fabricating methods, rather than upon the geologic relations. The Northampton-Lehigh-BeRks District Location The region here discussed lies in east-central Pennsylvania and extends southwestward from Delaware River, on the New Jersey line, to the Schuylkill in north-central Berks County. It is an elongated belt occupying the northern sections of the three counties mentioned and lying along the southern edge of Blue Mountain. Its length is about 50 miles and its average width five or six, though in places it attains a maximum of 10 miles. There are no large cities in the region, but about 10 miles south are Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Railroads serving the slate belt are the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, and the Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, the Lehigh Valley and Central of New Jersey along the Lehigh, and the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia and Reading on the Schuylkill. In addition, two railroads—the Philadelphia and Reading and the Lehigh and New England—cut obliquely through the slate region to reach the more isolated communities. Transportation facilities are thus excellent. The slate deposits of these three counties are conspicuously unified, both economically and geologically. In general type of marketable

Jan 1, 1928

By T. S. Lovering

The Moffat tunnel passes through the continental divide about 50 miles west of Denver, Colo., on the Denver & Salt Lake R. R.: It is 16 ft. wide, 24 ft. high, and 32,383 ft. long, a distance of a little more than 6 miles. The advantages accruing from its construction may be briefly summarized as follows: The tunnel eliminates 27 miles of grade averaging more than 3.5 per cent. and actually running well over 4 per cent. in many places, and changes the steepest grade from 4.5 to 2 per cent. It reduced the peak of the railroad from 11,660 to 9249 ft. which enables one engine to pull four times as much freight as it could before the tunnel was built. If the Denver & Salt Lake R. R. completes its line, this road will shorten the distance between Denver and Salt Lake City by 200 miles and will have no steeper grades than the lines now connecting the two cities. The proposal to drive the tunnel through the divide dates back about 25 years and D. H. Moffat, who was the leading spirit in the organization of the Denver & Salt Lake R. R. spent much of his time and energy in efforts to raise money for the tunnel that bears his name. He was unsuccessful and died before the work was started. In 1920 an effort was made to obtain state legislation favoring a bond issue to finance three important railroad tunnels in Colorado but the measure was defeated, largely through the efforts of the citizens of the region near Pueblo. A few years later devastating floods caused the Pueblo voters to seek relief from the state and at this time they withdrew their objection to the tunnel bond issue. As a result, a $6,720,000 bond was issued to finance the Moffat tunnel. Construction bids were so high that the work was finally allotted on a scheme analogous to a cost-plus basis. The contract was awarded to Hitchcock and Tinckler, who are paid a fee of $140,000 for driving the tunnel. All bills are paid by the Moffat Tunnel Commission. The contract was let Sept. 19, 1923, and Hitchcock and Tinckler agreed to complete the work by July 19, 1927. In the event of finishing before this date they were to be given a bonus of $1000 a day and

Jan 1, 1928

By E. L. Bruce

The district of Patricia, in the province of Ontario, lies northwest of the Albany River and extends northward to Hudson Bay. Formerly this was the unorganized district of Keewatin, the southern part of which was divided in 1912 between the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. The interprovincial boundary now runs north from Lake of the Woods for 275 miles and thence northeast 375 miles to Hudson Bay. This district is comparable in size to all the older part of Ontario south of the Canadian Pacific Railway east of Lake Huron—thus it is roughly one-third of the whole of the present provincial area. The central part of this great triangle is one of the least accessible parts of Canada. From it streams flow southward to the English River, southeastward to the Albany, northward to Hudson Bay and the Hayes River, and westward to Lake Winnipeg. None of the streams is large and canoe travel is not easy. The only industry it has ever had is the trade in furs. Until the development of the airplane on a commercial basis, the only means of travel was by canoe or dog-train. There is not a mile of railway in the whole district. The two areas to be dealt with lie in the southwestern part of Patricia. Red Lake is 50 miles east of the Manitoba boundary and 75 miles north of the transcontinental railway from Cochrane to Winnipeg. Woman Lake is 50 miles farther east and slightly farther north. The late Dr. D. B. Dowling, of the Geological Survey of Canada, visited Red Lake and spent some time there during his exploration survey from Lac Seul to Berens River in 1893. He also visited the Woman Lake basin during the same journey, but his examination of it was much less detailed, the great area covered by him during the one field season making it impossible to make more than a hurried reconnaissance. Some prospecting in the Red Lake district followed Dowling&apos;s exploration, but the distance from railway was too great for any systematic work to be done. In 1922, following the usual plan, the Ontario Department of Mines made a geological reconnaissance of the English River, following :in instrumental survey of that river and its lakes by the Department of Lands. A side trip was taken to examine the rocks of Red Lake described

Jan 1, 1928