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By John M. Cigan

Samples of copper-lead concentrates from the mine of Cia Minerals Santander, Inc., a Peruvian subsidiary of the St. Joseph Lead Co. were recently subjected to special analysis. This concentrate was known to contain bismuth which, under some circumstances, might have incurred a smelter penalty. In this case, customers for the concentrate accepted it and requested a higher concentration of bismuth. Although chemical analysis would disclose the presence of the metal, it was not possible with equipment available at the mill in Peru to determine the mode of occurrence in the fine grained ores.

Jan 11, 1964

By S. A. Levy, J. D. Wood, J. F. Libsch

A study of the preparation and characteristics of a sevies of Fe-C-N alloys has been conducted. X-ray, microhardness, and metallographic data from a series of single-phase alloys produced by controlled nitriding of carburized foils are reported. The existence of a, y', and E carbonitride has been confirmed and it has been found that y' is the hardest of these three phases. These results have been used to interpret the structures observed in nitrided steels. ThIS paper represents the second phase of a three-part study concerning combined nitriding and induction hardening. The first part' reports the engineering properties (depth hardness, fatigue, corrosion, and tempering resistance) obtained when seven different steels were subjected to the combined surface hardening treatment. The present paper concerns the nature of a series of single-phase alloys prepared by controlled nitriding of carburized foils. The objective was to simulate the various layers present in the as-nitrided steels. A third paper will report data concerning induction hardening of the foils and will attempt to set forth a mechanism for the high hardness obtained with the combined treatment. Studies of nitriding generally fall into three categories. The first were performed with bars using conventional nitriding procedures, thus yielding a nitrogen gradient and a series of phase layers near the surface.2-6 Such studies were complicated by the presence of the nitrogen gradient, for it was difficult to correlate microhardness and X-ray data with chemical composition. There were always complications due to penetration of the X-ray beam which yielded data influenced by underlying layers. Similar difficulty was experienced in taking hardness readings on a tapered specimen or in isolating various layers by machining. A second group of investigations was primarily concerned with establishment of regions in the Fe-N7,9,10 or the Fe-C-N phase diagram.8 These were performed with powder specimens which were nitrided in am-monia-hydrogen mixtures to produce a series of single-phase specimens. Unfortunately, the powder specimens were not amenable to either microstruc-ture or microhardness study. The third was essentially a compromise of the first two. Bose and Hawkes," using 0.005-in.-thick iron foils, were able to obtain microhardness, microstruc-ture, composition, and X-ray data on Fe-N alloys of eutectoid composition by equilibration in ammonia-hydrogen mixtures at 1290°F. To obtain a better understanding of the nitriding process and the characteristics of the phases in ni-trided plain carbon steels, the present investigation was undertaken. The investigation was patterned after that of Bose and Hawkes with the exception that nitriding was performed at 930°F (below the eutectoid temperature), as in the case of conventional nitriding. In addition to gaining some understanding of the source of high hardness of nitrided and induction-hardened steels, found in a previous study,' this investigation was concerned with the possibility of controlling the phases present in a nitrided case through the use of ammonia-hydrogen mixtures. Knowledge of the properties of each phase and the conditions necessary for its production could make it possible to avoid undesirable surface layers in nitriding. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Specimen Preparation. A specimen thickness of 0.005 in. was selected to insure that a uniform nitrogen concentration could be obtained in a reasonable length of time by equilibration in an ammonia-hydro-gen atmosphere. The starting material was a vacuum-cast ingot of pure iron, the major impurities of which were: C, 0.003 pct; 0, 0.014 pct; S, 0.004 pct; N, 0.003 pct.* 'Compositions are quoted as weight percent except as noted. The ingot was heated to 1500°F in a nitrogen atmosphere and forged to a slab 0.25 in. thick. The material was then reduced to 0.005 in. by alternately cold rolling and annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere at 1600°F. This material was divided into five groups of specimens which, after carburizing, yielded the following carbon contents: 0.003, 0.28, 0.36, 0.46, and 0.74 pct C. The carburizing was performed by the Leeds and Northrup Research Laboratories, using a controlled "carburizing potential" which yielded a uniform carbon concentration throughout the cross section.

Jan 1, 1970

By T. Sterry Hunt

WET processes for the extraction of copper from its ores have of late attracted much attention, especially in Europe, where the use of oupriferous iron-pyrites as a' source of sulphur prevails. These processes present an additional interest, when, as is often the case, the copper-ore's to be treated contain one or both of the precious metals, since the complete separation of these from copper, either in the dry or the moist way, is, as is well known, one of the difficult problems of metallurgy. The principal wet processes hitherto in use for the extraction of copper from its ores, may be included under three classes : I. Those in which the copper in snlphuretted ores is rendered soluble in water by calcining them, after a preliminary roasting which removes the greater part of their sulphur, with a portion of common salt, by which the copper is converted into a chloride (Long-maid and Henderson), or with sulphate of soda, by which sulphate of copper is formed (Monnier). Allied to these is the method by which a portion of the copper is got as soluble sulphate by roasting without addition, a process which is sometimes modified and rendered more complete by re-roasting the lixiviated residues with the addition of a portion of raw sulphuretted ore (Bankart). II. Those methods in which free chlorhydric or sulphuric acid is used to dissolve the copper- from oxidized or roasted ores. These, while simple and efficient, are too costly, except in certain localities where chlorhydric acid is a waste product. Related to them is the plan which consists in exposing the oxidized and moistened ores to the slow action of sulphurous acid mixed with air, by which a soluble sulphate of copper is formed. It has been proposed to decompose the solutions of sulphate or chloride of copper by sulphuretted hydrogen, thus separating the copper as sulphide, and using the liberated acid to dissolve fresh portions of oxidized copper. It is, however, the almost universal practice to throw down the copper from its solutions, however obtained, in the metallic state by the use of iron, either scrap-iron or iron-sponge; although in some instances

Jan 1, 1882

By Raymond C. Boettner

The present work had for its purpose: 1) the identification of crack nucleation sites in AISI 4340, quenched to martensite and tempered over a range of 'temperatures; and 2) the comparison of fatigue processes in AISI 4340 with processes observed previously in pure metals From constant def1ection-bending fatigue tests, martensite boundaries were identified as the favored crack nucleation sites in quenched and tempered AISI 4340. It, also, was concluded that the fatigue processes operating- in this lous-alloy steel were similar to Processes observed in pure tnetals. ALTHOUGH much engineering data has been accumulated on the fatigue properties of quenched and tempered martensitic steels,' fatigue as a process is not as well understood in martensite as it is in pure metals.' Important features of the fatigue process, such as the identity of the nucleation sites, have not been determined in the commercially important high-strength low-alloy structural steels. The present work had for its purpose: 1) the identification of crack nucleation sites in a low-alloy steel, i.e., AISI 4340, which had been quenched to martensite and tempered over a range of temperatures; and 2) the comparison of fatigue processes in the AISI 4340 with processes observed previously in pure metals. This comparison of the fatigue processes in the different tempers was restricted to the high-strain low-cycle part of the S-N curve. Under these test conditions, previous work on a number of metals has shown that a large number of cracks are nucleated in less than 30 pct of the fatigue life.3 Furthermore, crack nucleation sites are not restricted to inclusions but are also associated with intrinsic structural characteristics of the metal. MATERIAL A 20-lb ingot of vacuum-melted AISI 4340 (for composition see Table I) was hot-rolled to 1-in.-diam rod and then cold-rolled to a 1-in.-wide strip, 0.08 in. thick. Fatigue specimens, see insert of Fig. 1, were machined from the strip with the long dimension parallel to the rolling direction. m this orientation, the stringers of 1 to 2 p inclusions present in the sheet lay parallel to the stress axis in the specimens. The specimens were austenitited at 2050°F in order to obtain a large prior austenite grain size, i.e., 2 mm, which facilitated the subsequent identification of the prior austenite boundaries. A helium atmosphere was used to minimize decarburization. After austenitiza-tion at 2050°F, the specimens were transferred to a 1450°F furnace so that specimen distortion was held to a minimum in the subsequent oil quench. Previous work4 indicated that refrigeration in liquid nitrogen prior to tempering reduced the percentage of retained austenite in the quenched specimens to less than 5 pct. Tempering was carried out in air over the temperature interval of 200°to 800°F to produce a range of mechanical properties, Table I. The preparation of the fatigue specimen was completed by grinding about 0.005 in. from each surface and electropolishing in a chrome trioxide-acetic acid solution for 30 min. Examination of etched cross sections of specimens prepared in this fashion showed the foregoing specimen preparation to be adequate for the removal of the decarburized layer present after the heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the as-quenched microstructure of this alloy consisted of a mixture of martensite plates containing either a high density of dislocations or microtwins. Previous work5'6 indicated that in the course of oil quenching autotem-pering resulted in the formation of E carbide on the martensite and microtwin boundaries. Tempering for 2 hr at temperatures up to about 400°F resulted in further precipitation of the E carbide. Finally, at about 400°F, cementite began to replace the E carbide on the martensite and microtwin boundaries in addition to forming a Widmanstatten structure within the plate matrix. EXPERIMENTAL S-N curves were obtained using electropolished specimens cycled at 1800 cpm as cantilever beams in fully reversed bending at selected constant deflections. The deflections were translated into surface strains by means of a calibration curve obtained through the use of strain gages. An argon atmosphere was used to minimize environmental effects. To investigate the development of fatigue slip bands, the specimens of the different tempers were unidirec-tionally bent to a surface strain of 0.005 to 0.007, photographed to record the location and appearance of slip bands so introduced, and then cycled to failure

Jan 1, 1968

By Elmer R. Kaiser

G. A. Vissac (Consulting Engineer, Vancouver, B. C.) —Some of the data presented in this paper, in connection with cost studies of washed coals, should be clarified and qualified. Washing a raw coal down to a low ash content may mean higher losses in refuse, but the cost of the operation may be more than compensated by the increased value of the resultant product. However, careful engineering and accurate machinery are required to insure maximum profits. Washing at a low gravity separation demands a very accurate automatic process, chiefly when the small sizes of coal are being handled. Coal consumers today are buying mostly on a Btu basis, cognizant of the fact that low ash contents result in lower installation costs and in savings in handling and transportation charges. The attached Table X gives the actual balance sheets of the various cleaning operations corresponding to various ash contents for the two coals presented in the paper, using the old technique of a two-products separation. or the new technique, now commonly used in Europe, of a three-way separation made possible by new methods and new equipment. Savings in capital costs, handling, and transportation have been calculated on the basis of a delivered cost f.O.b. plant of $10.00 per ton of coal at 16.5 pct ash (actual 1953 average price reported by Consolidated Edison, N. Y.), and of $3.50 at the mine also for 16.5 pct ash coal. In both cases this corresponds to values of 126 and 4.26 per 1 pct of combustible and per ton, respectively, on delivered and on at the mine prices. As an example, the middle western coal at 16.5 pct ash, raw, washed down to 4 pct ash in a two-way process will give 53.75 pct of clean coal at 4 pct ash and 46.25 pct of refuse at 31 pct ash. The value of the losses will be 0.4625x(100—31)x0.042 = $1.34. Add the cost of washing, capital, and operation, which is $0.35. The total cost will then be $1.69. But with a three-ways separation we will have 53.75 pct of first-grade coal at 4 pct ash, 37.25 pct second-

Jan 1, 1955

By A. J. Mcintosh

PRICE changes in competing fuels in the last three decades have reflected the changes in the consuming habits of the people of the United States. Prior to World War 11 the importance of fuel oil and fuel gas increased almost constantly while the relative importance of both bituminous and anthracite coal decreased. During this same prewar period coal prices increased to a much greater extent than oil prices. In fact, in many years, oil prices declined and in most cases are now no higher than they were back in 1925-26. During the war natural economic trends were entirely upset because of the tremendous petroleum requirements of the Army and Navy. Under these conditions many industrial plants were converted to the use of coal and the new installations in home heating and industrial plants of all kinds which might have used oil were practically eliminated. Although petroleum prices were rigidly controlled by OPA coal prices increased several times during the war. An over-all statement as to the rela-

Jan 1, 1947

By Thomas T., Read

E DUCATION for the mineral industry was at first a single comprehensive curriculum, but it was early recognized that the main basis of mining is physics, while that of metallurgy is chemistry. The first school to offer curricula leading to degrees in mineral industry education in the United States (1853) had separate ones in mining and metallurgy. The Columbia School of Mines (the first really successful one) had only a single curriculum when it opened in 1864, but within a few years had so reorganized its work that it offered curricula in mining, metallurgy, geology, chemistry, and civil engineering. Interest in the metallurgy or geology curricula was slight at first, and for the next 30 years the great majority of Columbia students took the mining curriculum, probably partly because it contained nearly as much geology as the geology curriculum, practically all the metallurgy, and most of the chemistry, and partly because of the degree awarded for it. Other schools kept their mining curricula equally broad, and as late as 1900-1910 men were graduating as mining engineers who were practically as well prepared to make geology or metallurgy their life work, as they were for mining. Gradually, however, the subject matter of mining geology and metallurgy became so enriched through research and development that separate curricula in them became worth while; their progressive development is the subject of another chapter. Mining curricula also began to be somewhat diversified, and schools in areas where coal mining was of outstanding importance began to offer options in coal mining, the earlier curricula having been chiefly aimed at metal mining. The petroleum industry began its meteoric rise about the same time as mineral instruction in this country, but little more of applied science attended its birth than had attended such ancient practical arts as copper and iron

Jan 1, 1941

By E. C. Wright

FOR many years the cost of making pig iron and steel in the Birmingham district has been about the lowest in the United States. The close proximity of the important raw materials such as coal, iron ore, limestone, and the large available scrap supply made it possible to assemble all of the important ingredients necessary for steel- making with only nominal costs for transportation. Both iron ore and coal were being mined in this district at one time for about $1 per ton from underground operations. At that time mining wages were low everywhere and the labor rate in the South was considerably below that of other mining districts. This situation persisted until the emergence of labor unions as an economic and political force, emigation of southern labor to northern plants, and continued growth of industry in the South in the years following the depression of 1932. Since that time union organizing of miners and steel workers throughout the nation has increased labor costs in mining and steelmaking. This influence has been felt particularly in underground mining operations since the proportion of labor cost to total cost is still high. The previous advantage in basic labor rate in the South has been almost entirely eliminated by the equalization of labor rates in basic industries by national unions. Since 1945 these influences have been especially noticeable in increasing the cost of mining coal and iron ore in the South. The northern steel districts are still being largely supplied with iron ore from the Minnesota open-pit mines and the cost of this ore has not increased nearly as much as the cost of ore obtained from underground mines in Birmingham. A similar situation exists in coal mining; the thinner seams in Alabama are not so amenable to mechanization as the northern mines and, as a result, the output per man-day in southern mines is only about three tons of coal as compared to five or six tons per man-day in the large captive mines of West Vir-

Jan 1, 1950

By AIME AIME

N EARLY 1300 members and guests crowded the halls of the Engineering Societies Building during the winter meeting of the Institute just closed, and more than 600 attended the banquet. In variety of program, quality of papers, interest in discussion, and brilliance of social features, the meeting maintained the high reputation of the past. Nothing elaborate in the way of excursions was attempted, experience having proved that February weather in New York is much too uncertain to warrant extensive field trips. A sight-seeing journey up the Hudson to the Bear Mountain bridge was, however, made despite the snows of the week before and the week after. The annual business meeting, while attended by a minority of the members in the building, was marked by the display of keen interest in the work and called out several interesting discussions. The excellent reports of the committees that had organized their work and directed it along definite lines, emphasized the need of funds with which to support assistants or Fellows who shall correlate and put to the highest use the facilities of the Institute in research along technical lines. This thought was developed at the banquet by the retiring president, J. V. W. Reynders, and it is expected that the Directors will take early steps to collect a fund for this purpose. The number of the individual sessions was too great and the papers and discussions too numerous to permit mention here of all the features of inter- est. A general review only follows. The papers and detailed discussions will be printed and sent to members as promptly as possible.

Jan 1, 1926

By R. B. Mears, G. F. Sagar, R. H. Brown

There are well recognized procedures for determining the various tensile, fatigue, and other mechanical properties of the common structural materials. This makes it possible for engineers to design structures of various materials which have adequate initial strength to stand the stresses to which they are subjected in service. There is also considerable general information about protective measures suitable for protecting the usual structural materials from the effects of ordinary environments. However, often insufficient quantitative information is available on the combined effects of stress and corrosion to permit the designer satisfactorily to appraise the structure from the stress-corrosion standpoint. This situation is further complicated by the fact that the stresses causing stress¬corrosion failures are usually not the design stresses but rather the residual forming and assembly stresses which are generally of unknown magnitudes. Thus, tests which will rapidly evaluate the susceptibility of materials to stress-cor¬rosion failures are extremely useful. Of particular value are tests which can be applied to built-up structures as well as to simple specimens, since, as mentioned above, residual stresses often are caused by fabricating procedures and assembly operations. The present paper contains

Jan 1, 1945

By E. A. Holbrook

AS A whole, engineering schools have not awakened A to the fact that the workmen compensation laws passed in most of our states between 1914 and 1917 effected a quiet but none the less real revolution in. the relations between labor and management; no longer are industrial accidents unfortunate or careless happenings over which we feel a humanitarian interest and sorrow, they are a cost of the process and the finished product, as vital as improved design and increased efficiency. Last year the writer and others made a committee report to. the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers on the cost of accidents in the coal industry of Pennsylvania. Comparatively the accident record in Pennsylvania coal industry is not high, yet the direct compensation cost plus the interference with operation cost of accidents was over 5 per cent. of the total cost of producing the coal. This stands out more vividly -if you realize that about 70 per cent. of the' cost of producing the coal is for payment of labor, wages that are fixed and over which engineering efficiency and management skill have little or no direct effect. This leaves 30 per cent. of the cost chargeable .to hoisting, haulage, overhead 'and other items subject to engineering control. One sixth of this is due to cost of accidents. Surely a direct place 'for an engineering attack.

Jan 1, 1925

By David W. Wisecarver, James F. Reynolds

INTRODUCTION The Department of Energy is cooperating with Snowmass Coal Company near Carbondale, Colorado to introduce the longwall mining method in moderate to steeply pitching coal seams in the United States. This venture is part of a coal mining research program directed toward development, trial, and analysis of mining technique8 to improve production and recovery in the more difficult mining conditions such as thick, multiple, and steeply pitchly seams found in the Western U.S. The project at Snowmass is the first attempt in the United States to operate a longwall in a steep coal seam. Plans are to mine three adjacent, successively downslope panels in the eight foot thick seam which varies in pitch from 27 to 33 degrees. During this work, researchers and mine engineers are expected to obtain answers to many engineering questions relative to panel design and development, selection of face equipment and beet operating techniques and procedures. They are also committed to obtaining hard data on costs, recovery, production, safety, and behavior of underground mine structure as the three panels are mined. This information is essential to future mine engineering and profitable mining of pitching Western coal reserves. Development of the first trial panel was begun in 1979 and completed in June 1981. The longwall mining equipment was then installed in the starting room and retreat mining begun on August 11, 1981. Project duration is expected to be about five years during which over tm million tons of coal will be produced. TRAINING The longwall mining method is new to Snowmass. For years the mine produced coal by room and pillar methods using conventional techniques to mine upslope rooms and Alpine F6A miners to cut entries and rooms on strike. Miners were experienced in room and - pillar mining from other mines. News of the longwall demonstration was received enthusiastically by Snowmass miners. Employee interest in the project was 100%. However, there was minimal longwall experience on site. In fact, most of the work force had not even seen a longwall. Mine and company management were well aware of the immediate need to develop trained longwall face mining crews and maintenance people qualified to work on longwall equipment and also expertise in longwall planning, equipment selection, power distribution design, ventilation requirements and panel development. The first approach to answer this huge deficiency in longwall mining experience was obviously training. Hence a training program directed toward those mining specifics most urgent to the beginning mining phases was initiated in mid-1980. Classroom lectures and hands on training, using instructors from equipment suppliers and available company longwall expertise, was conducted in longwall subjects to include face mining procedures, panel development, operation of equipment, equipment assembly and maintenance, electrical circuitry and controls, ventilation, move of longwall equipment, and safety procedures. At the same time, responsible engineers and foremen were sent on a tour of European pitching longwalls to see first hand how other mines working under similar seam conditions conducted their operations. Development techniques, types of equipment, methods for transport of men and materials, and ground control techniques were discussed with engineers, foremen and officials at each mine. This look at European longwall mining operations gave Snowmass good insight into the unique problems associated with longwall mining on 30' pitch. Mining considerations such as face conveyor/ support system slippage downslope, panel development, maintenance, safety considerations, manpower requirements, and haulage methods were covered with European experts

Jan 1, 1982

By T. Sterry Hunt

Jan 1, 1882

By Roy A. Anderson, Roger H. McConnel

The Metaline district from 1906 through 1965 has produced nearly 16 million tons of ore yielding 400,808 tons of zinc and 178,062 tons of lead. The sediments, ranging from Precambrian into the Devonian, are schist, phyllite, conglomerate, greenstone, quartzite, limestone, dolomite, and carbonaceous slates. Quartz monzonite and granodiorite of the Cretaceous(?) Kaniksu batholith are exposed over a large area beginning a few miles south of the district. There is minor Tertiary conglomerate and basalt. Abundant glacial deposits obscure much of the bedrock. Northeasterly trending folds, having steep to overturned northwesterly limbs, and thrust faults, striking northeasterly and dipping southeasterly, characterize the deformation of the Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks. Recent drilling indicates that the Slate Creek fault, too, is also a southeasterly dipping thrust fault. This new evidence suggests that the Valley Block, like the other major structural blocks, may in part be a thrust plate rather than a graben, and that thus the district may have greater structural unity with the surrounding region than has heretofore been apparent. The Cambrian Metaline Formation of limestone and dolomite contains essentially all the lead-zinc mineralization. Most of the ore mined to date has come from a carbonaceous and irregularly siliceous breccia of sedimentary and diagenetic origin, locally called the "Josephine Horizon," that makes up the top few to 200 feet of the formation. The Josephine Unit is a breccia of gray limestone, coarse light gray dolomite, very thin-bedded, dark gray siliceous dolomite, and "zebra rock" believed to be of algal origin, embedded in a matrix of black dolomite or black jasperoid or some mixture of these two. The jaspcroid fragments and irregular blobs embedded in the black dolomite matrix and the jasperoid laminae in the very thin-bedded dark gray dolomite suggest that jasperoid was formed at the same time as the breccia matrix and as the laminated dolomite. So too, the marked tendency of sphalerite and galena to be disseminated mainly in the dark breccia matrix and their tendency to be most abundant in the jasperoid laminae of the very thin-bedded dark gray dolomite, even where the mineralized and laminated dolomite is fragmented and engulfed in black dolomite breccia matrix, suggests that in these ha bits the sulfides also were deposited contemporaneously with the sediments. Yet very commonly, veins and vague veinlets and patches of white quartz, usually carrying rather coarse sphalerite and sometimes galena crosscut all rock types. These contradictory relationships throughout the Josephine Unit suggest that both the black jasperoid and the sulfides were original constituents of the Josephine Unit but that, locally, they later were remobilized and deposited as white quartz and coarser grained sulfides. Possibly, at least in part, this "metamorphism" is one of the effects produced during or shortly after the intrusion of the Kaniksu batholith.

Jan 1, 1968

By A. T. Yu

As the first loads of Noamundi iron ore rumbled into the new 54-in. Gyratory Crusher on March 30, 1968, one of India's largest and most modern iron ore processing complexes began operations. The completion of the $13 million mining and processing complex brought to a successful conclusion the second chapter of a phased expansion program initiated in 1958 by India's gigantic Tata Iron and Steel Co. The completed complex will yield annually 2.5 million tons of washed, sized ore and sinter fines destined for Tata's furnaces at Jamshedpur. Hewitt-Robins Div. of Litton Industries was awarded the turnkey project on the basis of world- wide competitive bids. Eighty miles southwest of the city of Jamshedpur, Noamundi lies on an approximate geographic grid of 22º-5' latitude north and 85º-30' longitude east. The mine is approximately 600 ft above sea level.

Jan 11, 1968

By W. H. Hough, P. B. Leavenworth

Development in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast during 1943 resulted in the discovery of 11 new fields as compared with 12 discovered in the same area during I942. Of the 11 new fields, eight are classed as oil and/or condensate and three as gas fields. In addition to the new discoveries, several more or less important new horizons and extensions were encountered in some of the older fields, as noted in the text under the heading "New Pays and Extensions.'' Drilling During the year, 418 wells were drilled, as compared with 356 drilled during 1942. Of these, 323 were field wells, of which 188 produced oil, 21 were gas wells and 114 were dry holes. The remaining 95 viere wildcats, 12 of which produced oil, 4 produced gas and 79 dry holes. Distribution of themwildcats with respect to the various trends may be summarized as follows: over the 91,340,492 bbl. produced in the same area during 1942. The production statistics in the text and the accompanying tables include condensate or distillate as oil production, because many Gulf Coast fields produce oils with a wide variation of specific gravities, all of which are commingled in pipe lines. Table 3 shows by counties all of the drilling and production" data applicable to this particular area. Outstanding Fields of 1943 The Upper Texas Gulf Coast covered in this report has 178 more or less active oil and gas fields, including the 1943 discoveries. Of these Table 4 lists those that were most important from the standpoint of production. Each of these fields pro duced in excess of one million barrels of oil during 1943. Some of the interesting facts to be noted from this list of some 26 oil fields are: (I) four of the fields— namely, Conroe, Hastings, Friendswood and Thompson—each produced more than 10 million barrels during 1943, whcrcas Conroe and Hastings were the only fields that produced 10 million barrels during 1942; (2) some of the older fields (discovered prior to 1920), such as Barbers Hill, West Columbia, and Hull, are still producing in excess of one million barrels annually; (3) some of the fields more than doubled their 1942 production—e.g., Anahuac and Friendswood. The large increase in production in practically all instances is the result of increased allowables from wells drilled prior to 1943 and

Jan 1, 1944

By W. H. Hough, P. B. Leavenworth

Development in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast during 1943 resulted in the discovery of 11 new fields as compared with 12 discovered in the same area during I942. Of the 11 new fields, eight are classed as oil and/or condensate and three as gas fields. In addition to the new discoveries, several more or less important new horizons and extensions were encountered in some of the older fields, as noted in the text under the heading "New Pays and Extensions.'' Drilling During the year, 418 wells were drilled, as compared with 356 drilled during 1942. Of these, 323 were field wells, of which 188 produced oil, 21 were gas wells and 114 were dry holes. The remaining 95 viere wildcats, 12 of which produced oil, 4 produced gas and 79 dry holes. Distribution of themwildcats with respect to the various trends may be summarized as follows: over the 91,340,492 bbl. produced in the same area during 1942. The production statistics in the text and the accompanying tables include condensate or distillate as oil production, because many Gulf Coast fields produce oils with a wide variation of specific gravities, all of which are commingled in pipe lines. Table 3 shows by counties all of the drilling and production" data applicable to this particular area. Outstanding Fields of 1943 The Upper Texas Gulf Coast covered in this report has 178 more or less active oil and gas fields, including the 1943 discoveries. Of these Table 4 lists those that were most important from the standpoint of production. Each of these fields pro duced in excess of one million barrels of oil during 1943. Some of the interesting facts to be noted from this list of some 26 oil fields are: (I) four of the fields— namely, Conroe, Hastings, Friendswood and Thompson—each produced more than 10 million barrels during 1943, whcrcas Conroe and Hastings were the only fields that produced 10 million barrels during 1942; (2) some of the older fields (discovered prior to 1920), such as Barbers Hill, West Columbia, and Hull, are still producing in excess of one million barrels annually; (3) some of the fields more than doubled their 1942 production—e.g., Anahuac and Friendswood. The large increase in production in practically all instances is the result of increased allowables from wells drilled prior to 1943 and

Jan 1, 1944

Edward S. Simpson, Perth, Western Australia (communication to the Secretary): In 1896 the East Coolgardie gold-field was divided into three fields, viz. : Area, square miles. Officia1 Centers. (1) East Coolgardie,. . 634 Kalgoorlie. (2) Broad Arrow,. , 588 Kurawa. (3) Northeast Coolgardie,. 22,960 Kanowna. The whole of the area embraced by the eastern gold-fields is covered with late Tertiary sands and gravel, with occasional beds of clay shales. These mostly overlay granite which occasionally shows through in small round hills. At Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie and other mining centers, belts of diorite, serpentine and highly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks appear on the surface. The rainfall at Kalgoorlie in 1897 was 4.75 inches. That the climate has not always been so arid is evidenced by the recent discovery at Coolgardie (only twenty-five miles away) in the late Tertiary formations of a thick bed of brown coal, containing numerous fossil fern-leaves. As assayer and mineralogist to the Government of Western Australia I have had occasion to examine a large amount of the Kalgoorlie ores, both in Perth and at the mines at Boulder itself. The only tellurides I have been able to determine are

Jan 1, 1899

By Jack M. Swales

Kermac Potash Co., the newest American entry in a rapidly expanding industry, has come on the scene with notable variations in conventional shaft-sinking and mining techniques. Located in the famed potash producing district east of Carlsbad, N. Mex., Kermac started up its mine in November, 1965, to supply ore to the company's 500,000-tpy potash crystallization refinery. In so doing, the company (1) drilled the first large diameter mine shaft in the potash industry and (2) has employed new continuous miners especially adapted for use in thin potash beds. REACHING THE ORE ZONE In its initial mine planning, Kermac, a partnership owned jointly by Kerr-McGee Corp. and the National Farmers Union Development Corp., considered it imperative that the shafts be sunk and equipped as soon as possible and that the mine be developed sufficiently to insure a constant ore feed to the mill when the unit was placed on stream. After examining the alternative sinking techniques available to it, the company decided to accept a proposal by Big Hole Drillers, Inc., to drill the shaft from the surface through various formations of sandstones, siltstone, shales, anhydrite, limestones, dolomite and salts to the potash ore zone.

Jan 12, 1966

By AIME AIME

CONVENTION plans for the A.I.M.E. Regional Meeting to be held on the Minnesota Iron Range Aug. 12 to 1.5 are being completed to give the visiting member?s from all parts of the country a wide variety of technical and recreational features. High spots of the social events are the official dinner, dance, luncheon and golf: and of course, special provision is being, made for the entertainment of visiting ladies. The technical sessions will fit in with scheduled trips to view all phases of mining, beneficiation and transportation of iron ore. Men from the West and Southwest will find much of interest in the detail of the mining operations. A trip to the steel plant of the

Jan 1, 1941