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By B. K. Shibler

As a part of the Bureau of Mines' intensive; 'investigation of domestic manganese deposits, ore-dressing studies were conducted on three samples of oxide and silicate manganese ores from various Wyoming properties. The samples wore as follows: 1. A 2-ton sample of ore was obtained by a Bureau engineer during examination of the Caulkins-McGuckin property in the center of Crook County, 10 miles north of Sundance, Wyo. The ore body was described as a vein deposit in rhyolite porphyry. 2. The J. B. C. Mining Co. submitted a 1-ton sample of oxide manganese ore from a property located 44 miles northeast of Rock River in Albany County, Wyoming. 3. A 1-ton sample of oxide-silicate-ore was obtained by a Bureau examining engineer from the Gheen property in the northeast corner of Washakie County, Wyo. The ore body was described as a replacement deposit in a country rock of silicified limestone. As the samples differed widely in physical and chemical characteristics and also in their response to methods of concentration, ore from each property was considered a separate ore-dressing problem.

Jan 1, 1949

By James V. Kelly

During the spring and summer of 1947, the Bureau of Mines conducted an investigation and core-drilling program in the vicinity of the Rodham mine, approximately 4 miles north of Shullsburg, Wis. This work was undertaken as a part of a general study of the zinc and lead-producing area of southwestern Wisconsin. Work in the Rodham-mine area was done to investigate further a mineralized area frilled in part by the Puritan Exploration Co., a Delaware corporation, with offices in Galena, Ill. Some significant lead-bearing samples were obtained, but no continuous ore body was disclosed as a result of the Bureau of Mines work.

Jan 1, 1949

By D. F. Reed

As a part of a comprehensive survey of the Adirondack region, the Bureau of Mines, 1944 and 1945, conducted investigation of magnetic deposits at Dennemora, Russia Station, Redford-Clayburg, Standish, and the Ausable river region. Later in 1945, the Federal Geological Survey, started an aeromagnetic survey of the area and completed it in .1946. The Bureau of Mines extended its magnetic surveys in 1946 in the Redford-Clayburg area. In 1947 the Bureau of Mines .diamond-drilled throe holes in the Redford-Clayburg district. Clinton County has one active magnetite mine at Lyon Mountain and inactive mines at Palmer Hill and Arnold Hill, as well as along the Saranac River.

Jan 1, 1949

By Albert L. Toenges

The State Division of Geology Arkansas Resources and Development Commission, and the Arkansas-Oklahoma Coal, Operators Association requested assistance from the Bureau of Mines in a study of coal-mining methods and practices in .Arkansas coal mines with the objective of reducing production costs. On October 7, 1946, a joint meeting was held by representatives of the Arkansas Resources and Development Commission, approximately 30 coal-mine Operators of the Arkansas -Oklahoma Coal Operaters Association, and representatives of the Bureau of Mines. The many problems confronting the coal industry in Arkansas, including mechanical mining in thin beds, costs, labor, and working time were discussed. Following this Meeting, a joint letter from Harold B. Foxhall, State geologist, and -P. R. Stewart, commissioner, Arkansas-Oklahoma Coal Operators Association, was addressed to Dr. R. R. Sayers; former ,Director of the Bureau of Mines, requesting that mining conditions in Arkansas be studied.

Jan 1, 1949

By Kenneth G. Skinner

The rapid growth of the metallurgical, chemical, and allied industries on the Pacific coast just prior to and during the war caused a sudden increase in the demand for refractories, which was the immediate cause of a revival in interest in refractory clays available on the Pacific coast, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Population increases and shortage of shipping facilities caused an increase in the amount of various ceramic materials and products used and produced on the Pacific coast, with accompanying demand for information regarding sources of clay. In an effort to supply part of this information, the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the College of Mines, University of Washington, started a program in 1944 to test the refractory and other properties of clays from seven Pacific Northwest deposits that had been drilled and sampled as part of the Bureau of Mines alumina from clay investigation. Figure 1 shows the location of these deposits.

Jan 1, 1949

By H. B. Hill

The West Red River oil field, in Tillman County, Okla. (fig. 1), is approximately 8 miles northwest of the town of Burkburnett, Wichita County, Tex. The wells are in the river bed between the medial line and the south bank of the Red Diver. In the following discussion of the geology, development, and exploita-tion of the field, the authors have, by means of structure maps, crews sections through various parts of the reservoir and tabulated development data and production statistics, recorded salient information on a field whose development was unique and in some respects unusual for fields discovered and initially developed more than a quarter of a century ago. The total oil production from Government-operated leases; considered in the report was 6,900,440 barrels to January 1, 1947, from 3 proved acres developed by H1 oil-producing wells, 10 gas-injection wells, and 5 nonproductive wells. A calculated past recovery of 60P, barrels of oil per acre-foot and an estimated ultimate recovery of 6.S0 barrels of oil per acre-foot under present gas-injection methods begun in 1929 in shown.

Jan 1, 1949

By Donald F. Reed

In its program of investigation of deposits of strategic minerals, the Bureau of Mines did some development drilling from October 1247 to March 1948 at the Pickering Creek deposits, Charter County, Pa., in an endeavor to find an additional source of supply of lead and zinc. Lead mining in Pickering Creek Valley showed great activity from 1851 to 1855; but after this period mining gradually declined until 1870 when all mines were. One small mine did some work from 1917 to 1920. The ores were sulfides of lead and zinc, which were partly oxidized from the surface to the 20-foot level. As zinc was penalized at the reduction works, the ore was sorted at the mine and the zinc discarded. The Wheatley and Chester County veins contained the beet ore bodies in the district. These converging veins are 2 to 5 feet wide. To cut the veins below the old mine working' the Bureau of Mines diamond-drilled eight holes aggregating 2,820 feet. No significant lead-zinc mineralization was found.

Jan 1, 1949

By Leon W. Dupuy

Marquette's first reported the existence of iron In Missouri in 1673. Recorded production wan begun in 1815, increasing in size and importance until 1888, when the low price of iron resulting from Minnesota's production of high-grade ore caused most of the operators to close down. Missouri's iron production came from three types of ore: (l) Brown ores, including the deposits of primary and secondary limonites in southeast and southwest Missouri, (2) hematites of the filled sinks, including the ores of Central Ozark district, and (3) specular ores in porphyry, including the deposits of the St. Francois Mountains.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. J. Matson

The Bureau of Mines has been investigating deposits of critical and essential minerals in the United States since 1939. The Rush Creek lead-zinc deposit, Mono County, Calif. (fig. 1), was examined by W. T. Benson in July 1944 and again in September 1945 by D. W. Butner, engineers of the Bureau of Mines. From the results of these preliminary examinations, a core-drilling program (fig. 2) was started in August 1946 and continued until November 1946, when work was stopped on account of inclement weather. Field work was again started in May 1947 and completed in June 1947. The drilling program was laid out to develop the horizontal .and vertical extensions of showings exposed in surface pits.

Jan 1, 1949

By Robert N. Roby

Deposits of iron ore in Judith Basin County, Mont., generally referred to as the Running Wolf deposits, were examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in August 1942. During the Summer of 1943 the Federal Geological Survey made a reconnaissance survey of, the Running Wolf Iron district and also made a detailed study and a topographic and geological map of the eastern end of the district. Two deposits of iron ore at the eastern end of the district were trenched and drilled by the Bureau of Mines during the fall and winter of 1943-44, This report presents the factual data obtained from the trenching and drilling' operations. The iron deposits of thy Running Wolf district are accessible from Stanford, Mont., by 14 to 16 miles of county highway and 2 to 3 miles of rough mountain road or trails (see fig. 1). No shipments of ore have been made from of these deposits. The ore is a replacement of Madison limestone at the contact with syenite porphyry. The contact can be traced for about 6 miles in a general northwest direction. 'At least five. deposits occur along this contact.

Jan 1, 1949

By C. H. Riggs

This petroleum-engineering report of the Atlanta oil field in BO them Arkansas reviews reservoir conditions and pressure-production history of one of the important Smackover limestone fields in southern Arkansas. The study of the field was made and the report prepared to aid operators in this and similar fields to increase the efficiency of recovery through the application of better engineering practices. A similar study of the Magnolia field in Arkansas by Carpenter and Schroeder was the first of these reports prepared under a joint agreement between the Arkansas Oil and Can Commission and the Bureau of Mines. The increasing demands for petroleum and its products and the steadily increasing cost of discovering and developing oil field; emphasize the importance of conserving known reserves of oil and gas. In recent years vast improvements have been made in the technique of oil recovery, both by better utilization of the natural energy stored in the reservoir and by improved methods of applying external energy to the reservoir system. This report may aid in oil conservation by careful evaluation of the several factors that did or did not contribute the greater recovery in the Atlanta field and by suggesting improvements in production methods and applications.

Jan 1, 1949

By BUREAU OF MINES

In 1948 the United States became a net importer of oil. Coupled with an unprecedented domestic production of 5,900,000 barrels daily, imports approximating 500,000 barrels made available a total supply of 6,400,000 barrels a day. Thus, by a herculean effort, the oil industry was able to meet an extraordinary demand at home and, in addition, to ship abroad almost 460,000 barrels daily of petroleum and products. The country’s oil position now differs greatly from that prevailing at the beginning of World War II. Then, actual oil production averaged about 4 million barrels a day, and productive capacity probably was greater than 5 million barrels a day. As the demand of the military and industrial machine grew with the rising tempo of the drive toward victory, the United States not only met its own needs but produced about two-thirds of the total oil requirements of the Allied Nations, excluding Russia. As a people, we can be deeply grateful that the Nation’s petroleum resources were adequate and sufficiently developed to support such a tremendous effort. Even in those critical hours when immediate needs were the paramount issues, a prudent Congress paused to contemplate the importance of an assured long-term supply of liquid fuels. From these deliberations came the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of 1944, which authorized research and development work on new sources of oil – coal, oil shale, and agricultural and forestry products. Since World War II, a civilian demand for 6 million barrels of petroleum products has become the order of the day. By drilling as many as 39,000 new wells a year, the production rate has increased enough to meet domestic requirements by a bare margin. Some imports were necessary, however, to fill both domestic and foreign demands, and these doubtless will increase. Is this policy of exploration within the United States and the development of oil in foreign countries adequate insurance for the fulfillment of our future national needs? This question has two aspects – one purely civilian and economic in character and the other significant from the standpoint of our national defense. There are now approximately 4,000 producing oil fields in this country. At first thought, it would appear that production could decline in a considerable number of these fields without materially affecting the overall daily output. However, 48 percent of the oil comes from only 111 major fields which contain 60 percent of the total proved domestic reserves. It is apparent, then, that the flow from large fields – having proved reserves of 100 million barrels or more each – must be sustained if daily production is to be kept at the present levels. Essentially, this means that new major fields must be discovered about as rapidly, or perhaps more rapidly, than the older ones lose productive capacity. From 1940 through 1947, only eight major fields with estimated reserves of more than 100 million barrels each were discovered and proved – an average of one such field a year. The total estimated reserve of these eight fields was less than 1 year’s supply at the present rate of use. As drilling continues, some existing fields ultimately will prove reserves larger than those now known. Without a pronounced increase in the number of major discoveries, however, the prospects for increasing our present productive level are not encouraging. Any gap that appears between domestic productive capacity and demand could be filled with supplies from proved oil resources abroad. Assuming cheap pipeline and tanker transportation to the United States, freedom from exorbitant taxes and charges...

Jan 1, 1949

By BUREAU OF MINES

In 1948 the United States became a net importer of oil. Coupled with an unpre- cedented domestic production of 5,900,000 barrels daily, imports approximating 500,000 barrels made available a total supply of 6,400,000 barrels a day. Thus, by herculean effort, the oil industry was able to meet an extraordinary demand at home and, in addition, to ship abroad almost 400,00 barrels daily of petroleum and products. The country's oil position now differs greatly from that prevailing at the be- ginning of World War II. Then, actual oil production averaged about 4 million bar- rels a day, and productive capacity probably was greater than 5 million barrels a day. As the demand of the military and industrial machine grew with the rising tempo of the drive toward victory, the United States not only met its own needs but pro- duced about two-thirds of the total oil requirements of the Allied Nations, excluding Russia. As a people, we can be deeply grateful that the Nation's petroleum resources were adequate and sufficiently developed to support such a tremendous effort. Even in those critical hours when immediate needs were the paramount issues, a prudent Congress paused to contemplate the importance of an assured long-term supply of liquid fuels. From these deliberations came the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of 1944, which authorized research and development work on new sources of oil coal, oil shale, and agricultural and forestry products. ce World War II, a civilian demand for 6 million barrels of petroleum prod- ucts has become the order of the day every day. By drilling as many as 39,000 new wells a year, the production rate has been increased enough to meet domestic require- ments by a bare margin. Some imports were necessary, however, to fill both domestic and foreign demands, and these doubtless will increase. Is this policy of exploration within the United States and the development of oil in foreign countries adequate insurance for the fulfillment of our future national needs? This question has two aspects one purely civilian and economic in character and the other significant from the standpoint of our national defense. There are now approximately 4,000 producing oil fields in this country. At first thought, it would appear that production could decline in a considerable number of these fields without materially affecting the over-all daily output. However, 48 percent of the oil comes from only 111 major fields which contain 50 percent of the total proved domestic reserves. It is apparent, then, that the flow from large fields - having proved reserves of 100 million barrels or more each must be sustained if daily production is to be kept at the present levels. Essentially, this means that new major fields must be discovered about as rapidly or perhaps more rapidly than the older ones lose productive capacity. From 1940 through 1947, only eight major fields with estimated reserves of more than 100 million barrels each, were discovered and proved - an average of one such field a year. The total estimated reserve of these eight fields was less than 1 year's supply at the present rate of use. As drilling continues, some existing fields ultimately will prove reserves larger than those now known. Without a pronounced increase in the num- ber of major discoveries, however, the prospects for increasing our present productive level are not encouraging. Any gap that appears between domestic productive capacity and demand could be filled with supplies from proved oil resources abroad. Assuming cheap pipe-line and tanker transportation to the United States, freedom from exorbitant taxes and charges

Jan 1, 1949

By S. L. Windes

This report presents a tabulation of the physical and petrographic properties of Over 100 rock types from operating mines or mineral-investigation projects. The physical properties include the following: Apparent specific gravity Apparent porosity Compressive strength Flexural strength, (modulus of, rupture) Impact toughness Abrasive hardness Scleroscope hardness Modulus of elasticity (Young's modulus) Modulus of rigidity Specific damping capacity Longitudinal bar velocity

Jan 1, 1949

By Frank E. Scott

During the past year interest in the use of hydrazine and hydrazine hydrate as a fuel has increased in the United States; For this reason it was felt to be desirable to obtain information on the explosives properties (if these materials in order that hazards inherent in their manufacture, storage, transportation, and use might be evaluated.

Jan 1, 1949

By Graham W. Marks

This report is the fourth of a series concerning the development of spectrochemical methods for the analysis of ore samples and related Metallurgical materials by the total-energy method. In this report, the application of this method to the determination of thallium is discussed. This element lies in group III of the periodic tale; one other Clement of this group; indium, has already been investigated.

Jan 1, 1949

By John E. Conley

The great demand for metallic aluminum for the prosecution of World War II caused the consumption of bauxite, the common ore of aluminum, to increase greatly. Prior to the war, the domestic deposits 'of bauxite, which occur chiefly in Arkansas and less extensively in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, supplied only: about 30 ,percent of the ore required for aluminum-metal production and approximately 40 percent of alumina for all purposes. Enemy activities during the war seriously interfered with shipment of bauxite from the normal peacetime source in Surinam, Netherlands Guiana, South America, and focused attention on the necessity for increasing production from known domestic deposits. Even in peacetime, the production of aluminum ore in the United States could not satisfy requirements. Field drilling and exploration by Bureau of Mines engineers resulted in the discovery of important tonnages of high-grade bauxite suitable for treatment by the conventional Bayer process, Although an ore containing approximately 55 percent Al2O3 and only 2 to 4 percent SiO2 is preferable, it was necessary to use ores containing up to 8 or 10 percent SiO2. Because of the lower recoveries of aluminum with increased silica content, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, through the Metals Reserve Company, established a base price of $4 for a 50-percent Al2O3 ore, containing 13-percent silica, with a premium or penalty of 14 cents for each percent of Al2O3 over or under 50; each percent of SiO2 under 13 was awarded a 20-cent premium, and each percent over 13 suffered a penalty of 43 cents; all prices were on the basis of 1 long ton of ore, dry basis.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. R. Long

The Federal Bureau of Mines has pioneered the work of preparing ductile titanium on a large scale and has also determined the basic properties of this new and most interesting metal. A number of reports (1, 2, 3: 4, 5) have al-ready been published, and considerable interest has been aroused in a number of industrial and research laboratories. Some of these laboratories have also published results of their work on the pure metal. Although the properties of titanium itself are quite promising, it is apparent that considerable improvement may be expected by alloying titanium with other metals. That is, pure metals in general have shown relatively large improvements in properties when alloyed with other metals and titanium is not considered to be an exception to the rule. Therefore, the emphasis of the investigations now under way in the Federal Bureau of Mines Laboratories has been placed on the study of the alloys of titanium, particularly the titanium-rich alloys. While the main interest is in the properties of such alloys, proper direction and evaluation of the work require at least a rough outline of the phase boundaries of the alloy systems involved.

Jan 1, 1949

By H. W. Busch

In the course of examinations by representatives of the Bureau of Mines of several compressed-air systems in which explosions had occurred, samples were obtained of the carbon deposits that are formed normally in various parts of the systems by decomposition of the compressor lubricating oil. Experimentation with these carbon deposits has demonstrated that they contain a "carbon-oxygen complex" similar to that formed on coal and on other carbonaceous materials and generally recognized as being the cause of spontaneous heating of coal. The exothermic properties exhibited by such a complex are considered significant in relation to the possible initiation of combustion reactions that may lead to explosions or formation of carbon monoxide in compressed-air systems. This report discusses the occurrence of explosions and formation of carbon monoxide in the use of compressed air and presents results of experimentation conducted with carbon deposits from air compressors.

Jan 1, 1949

By Norma Golumbic

The primary purpose of the Bergius (hydrogenation of coal) and Fischer-Tropsch (hydrogenation of carbon monoxide) processes is the production of synthetic liquid fuels. This objective is of importance in insuring an adequate supply of motor fuels and lubricating oils in the United States. In the urgency of the basic research and process development work on synthetic liquid fuels, the possibilities for the production of synthetic chemicals inherent in these processes have hitherto received little attention in this country. However, the by-products, as well as the primary products, from the Bergius and Fischer-Tropsch processes are rich source materials for organic chemicals. The overhead oil from liquid-phase hydrogenation of coal, for example, contains benzene, toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, aromatic solvents, about 20 percent tar acids (largely phenol, cresols, and xylenols), and 3 percent nitrogen bases. Wax, alcohols, and acids are by--products of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In addition, techniques have been developed which make possible the production of aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, acids, aldehydes, and other oxygenated organic compounds. These chemicals are more valuable on a unit basis than gasoline. Because of continued rapid expansion of the plastic, resin, lacquer, and solvent industries, larger amounts of many of these chemicals will be needed in the near future.

Jan 1, 1949