Search Documents

By Robert E. Campbell

Mining geophysics in 1969 marked a year of growth and consolidation in the application of ground and airborne geophysical methods and techniques with a 20% rise in expenditures for world-wide exploration. Growth was determined by questionnaire survey of industry, geophysical contractors, universities and government agencies conducted by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Relative position of metlhods is shown in the accompanying table on page 87. Methods and Techniques Electromagnetic airborne and ground methods showed the largest gains in the utilization of VLF-EM instrumentation. The VLF-EM instrument is a directional radio receiver which is tuned to distant radio transmitters in the 15 to 25 kilohertz band range. It measures vertical real and imaginary components of the magnetic field vector, and is used in geological mapping and surveying for various types of conductors in the ground. Ground VLF-EM instruments, Ronka EM-16 and Radem, are manufactured by Geonics, Ltd., Toronto, Ont., and Crone Geophysics. Ltd., Port Credit. Ont.

Jan 1, 1970

By Dorsey Hager

One of the most interesting fields in North America was discovered, early in 1922, near the towns of Sunburst and Kevin, Toole County, Mont. This field produces oil from the Jurassic beds, which heretofore have been of but little importance as oil producers, and promses to be the

Jan 1, 1923

By Dorsey Hager

One of the most interesting fields in North America was discovered, early in 1922, near the towns of Sunburst and Kevin, Toole County, Mont. This field produces oil from the Jurassic beds, which heretofore have been of but little importance as oil producers, and promses to be the

Jan 1, 1923

By Julien Deby

THE sinking of a deep shaft is always a serious undertaking, especially when the strata to be traversed are of great hardness, or when they are feebly coherent or highly saturated with water. In the, first case, that of solid rock, modern appliances, such as the rock-drill, put into motion by air-compressors, along with suitable explosives, will generally answer the purposes of the mining engineer until he has reached the main water-levels. When these have

Jan 1, 1877

By Julien Deby

The sinking of a deep shaft is always a serious undertaking, especially when the strata to be traversed are of great hardness, or when they are feebly coherent or highly saturated with water. In the. first case, that of solid rock, modern appliances, such as the rock-drill, put into motion by air-compressors, along with suitable explosives, will generally answer the purposes of the mining engineer until he has reached the main water-levels. When these have

By G. G. Griswold, B. S. Morrow

The copper-bearing ores concentrated at the Anaconda plant of the Anaconda Copper Mining Go. are principally a mixture of copper and iron sulfides associated in a gangue consisting of quartz, lightly altered granite and feldspars, with sphalerite and galena and more rarely barite and hubnerite as accessory minerals. The predominant sulfide is pyrite. The copper minerals present are: chalcocite, bornite (erubescite), enargite, chalcopyrite, covellite, tetrahedrite and some tennantite. Normal concentrator practice removes a slime prior to ball-mill grinding. The deslimed ore is ground to approximately 10 per cent plus 65 mesh for flotation. Two selective flotation circuits are used, one for deslimed ore and one for slime. Microscopic studies of concentrator products disclose such an interlocking of copper minerals with pyrite that any material increase in concentrate grade entails additional grinding unless recovery is sacrificed to a considerable extent. During the latter part of 1931 and the early part of 1932 the problem of producing a high-grade concentrate (40 per cent Cu) with at least no

Jan 1, 1935

By Thomas Elliott

It is now clearly evident that 1963 is witnessing a record year for prospecting and exploration in British Columbia and Yukon Territory, as substantiated by the following facts: ? About 60 large mining companies and many smaller ones are active in the search for new ore deposits. ? More than 500 prospectors and exploration geologists have been in the field this season. ? It is estimated that $10 million has been spent this year on the search for new ore deposits. ? Claim staking in B. C. to July 31, totalling 14,250, is up 2000 over 1962. ? Helicopter companies report a record total of 25 aircraft chartered to mining groups, with additional numbers used in oil-gas exploration. ? Leading assayers state that business with the industry is double that of the previous year. ? Diamond drillers report an increase of approximately 25% in the amount of contracts now on hand. The question is often asked, "Why is mining so active in Canada's Pacific Northwest?"

Jan 12, 1963

By A. W. Ashbrook

The process of solvent extraction.(or liquid-liquid extraction) is a separation technique involving mass transfer across a phase boundary, and as such is not limited to metal transfer from an aqueous to a non-aqueous phase, or, vice versa. We shall here, however, restrict ourselves to the application of the solvent extraction technique to metallurgical processing. Basically, the process of solvent extraction as applied to metals separation and purification requires only that a specific metal be transferred from, initially, an aqueous phase to a non-aqueous phase, followed by a reversal of this transfer. Such a process can be defined simply by the following equation: [M + E ME]

Jan 1, 1978

By R. V. Ramani, George W. Luxbacher

Computer simulation of mine ventilation systems, after a slow start in the early sixties, is gaining increasing acceptance for planning, design, and evaluation purposes. Numerous programs are readily available from government, university, consulting, and industry sources. The computer adage "garbage in, garbage out" is as applicable in ventilation engineering as in any other application of computers, and has been responsible for the questionable results obtained in some instances. The source of input data for a ventilation simulation is most often a pressure-quantity survey of the mine, or, in the case of a new mine, information derived from a survey of an existing mine which has conditions similar to those expected in the new mine. The crucial step is to generate simulation input data from the ventilation survey. Problems such as quantities that do not balance, pressure gradients opposite to measured air flow, differences in the pressure datum in a multi-shaft mine, modeling of leakage, and deviations in flow from the square law (H=RQ2) are frequently encountered and must be resolved. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these aspects and to propose procedures which can lead to input data for valid simulations of mine ventilation systems.

Jan 1, 1982

The Institute is custodian of funds for support of numerous gold medals and prizes and has representatives on boards awarding still others. Details regarding the Institute Awards are given below. The Institute is represented on the boards of the John Fritz Medal, the Hoover Medal and the Washington Award, in connection with the three national societies of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering; and, also, in the case of the Washington Award, with the Western Society of Engineers. The Institute is represented with these four societies on the committee in charge of the Alfred Noble Prize.

Jan 1, 1937

By C. R. Pelley

Abstract-This paper describes the analytical characteristics of Western subbituminous coal and the manner in which these characteristics apply to their use in a utility-sized steam generator. It compares these characteristics with those of typical Midwestern coal and Eastern bituminous coal. The paper also reviews in detail the design considerations that must receive attention when various blends of these three coals, or any combinations thereof, are planned to be used. This research paper describes variations in analytical and utilization characteristics when coals from different origins are blended in order to achieve a predetermined sulfur content for the purpose of predicting sulfur oxides emissions as they affect environmental regulations and the resulting alterations in utilization characteristics such blending would cause, and how such blends of coal would affect a utility-sized steam generator.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. G. Taylor, H. P. Ehrlinger, U. C. Tainton

FOR the last 15 years lead has been the standard material for anodes in electrolytic zinc production and it has been generally accepted that this lead should be as free as possible from impurities. Laistl says, "Next in importance to the purity of solution is the purity of the electrodes and tank lining material. The purest lead obtainable should be used for anodes." The same conclusion is expressed by Ingalls2 and by two German investigators who say that experiments have demonstrated that the purer the lead, the greater is its resistance to corrosion during electrolysis.3 Pure lead, however, while the best material hitherto available for anodes, is not entirely free from objection. The plain lead anode gradually disintegrates under electrolysis, so that the life of an anode, say 1/4 in. thick, is frequently not more than two years. Part of the lead from the anode finds its way to the cathode, lowering the purity of the deposited zinc and decreasing the hydrogen overvoltage. The rest of the lead that comes from the disintegration of the anode goes into the manganese dioxide which is precipitated in the cells, rendering unsaleable what might otherwise be a valuable by-product. Yet a further disadvantage of plain lead anodes comes from their tendency to bend or buckle during electrolysis, as a result of intercrystalline oxidation. This makes it necessary to use a fairly aide spacing between anode and cathode to avoid short circuits, and thus leads to a higher power consurnption than would otherwise be necessary. The power consumption is also affected by the high decomposition voltage at a lead peroxide surface.

Jan 1, 1929

Jan 1, 1957

By G. W. Josephson

SINCE the earliest years of recorded history the durability and protective qualities of asphalt and tar have been known and utilized. The mummies of early Egyptian kings were coated with asphaltic materials, and asphalt mastics were common in Babylon. However, according to various authorities, it was not until 1780 that the first forerunner of present-day composition roofing was discovered,1 and the large-scale expansion of the industry has taken place since 1900. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Development was stimulated by the growing popularity of manufactured gas. The by-product tars from these operations accumulated in large waste piles that had no commercial value and were a source of annoyance and expense to the gas companies. These tars were offered at very attractive terms to anyone who would take them away, and the infant "composition" roofing industry benefited accordingly. At first the process consisted simply of dipping sheets of burlap or other fabric in a tank of molten tar or asphalt. The long strip of roofing was rolled up for convenient handling, and the early experimenters soon found that it was necessary to dust the surface of their new "roll roofing" with some kind of material that would prevent the tarred surfaces from sticking together. Any finely divided, low priced local material like sand or fine gravel served this purpose and from its application the roofing-granule industry grew. As time went on other characteristics of a properly applied mineral surfacing were recognized. As with wooden shingles, tar and asphalt can be ignited by flying embers from near-by fires. It was found that by increasing the largest particle size to the maximum that could be successfully embedded, and by properly controlling the amount of smaller fractions retained in the grade so as to cover the asphalt completely a Nigh degree of resistance to fire was attained. Needless to say, in this early period asphaltic roofing needed such selling points to gain acceptance in a field dominated by wood, slate, and tile. When asphalt is protected from the sun's rays it is extremely durable, but when exposed to sunlight its surface is comparatively rapidly decomposed. Completely covering asphalt roofing with mineral surfacing protects the asphalt and adds materially to the life of the roof-conservatively, 500 per cent. Slate Granules In the production of split slate shingles a large quantity of waste slate is accumulated, as 60 to go per cent of the rock quarried is discarded. This waste was a continuing burden on the industry. Some was marketed as ground slate flour for filler in paint and linoleum, and there is a record that as early as 1906 two carloads of coarse screenings from slate flour were marketed as granules for surfacing roofing. This new field appeared to the slate pro-

Jan 1, 1944

By C. S. Roberts, S. L. Couling

PLASTIC strain in polycrystalline metal as a result of bulk movement of one grain with respect to another along grain boundaries is not new. Rosenhain and Humphrey observed such effects shortly after the turn of the century.' Since then, observations of grain boundary deformation have been made on several metals. In recent years, intensive studies of the deformation at grain boundaries have been performed on polycrystalline metal and bicrystals.14-20 Aluminum or its alloys have been used in these latter studies. The subjects of controversy at present appear to be not whether grain boundary deformation exists, but 1) how quantitatively important it can be in polycrystalline metal, and 2) what its detailed mechanism is. Some investigators have concluded that such de- formation is minor in importance while others have concluded that it is a major consideration. Some have concluded that it involves shear of one grain over another at the interface while others have concluded that it operates by crystallographic deformation within the grains near ,the boundary. A categorical statement for electrolytic magnesium cannot be made on either of -these points. When polycrystalline magnesium is deformed in creep under conditions of high strain rate and low temperature, grain boundary deformation is relatively slight." Under these conditions, much deformation occurs within the grains and boundary contours change to a higher-energy jagged form. The result is shown in Fig. 1, where boundary jaggedness is pronounced upon polishing and etching after a plastic strain of approximately 6 .pct at 300°F and 3000 psi. No migration of the boundaries has been detected in this process. When the same metal is deformed the same amount at 600°F and 300 psi, resulting in a much lower strain rate, the boundaries migrate toward a lower energy configuration, where

Jan 1, 1958

By W. P. Blake

The mining district and the town of Tombstone are situated in Cochise County, Arizona Territory, at the northwest end of the Mule Pass range of mountains, in longitude 110°, and latitude about 31 40' N,, upon the right bank of the San Pedro River, from which the town is distant 9 miles east.. It is also 24 miles south of Benson station on the Southern Pacific Railroad of Arizona, and about 40 miles north of the Mexican line. Its altitude above the sen is 4600 feet. The Dragoon Mountains rise across a valley to the northeast, and the Huachuca Range similarly upon the southwest. The country is open, without timber, and the surface, where the mines are opened, is in general gently rolling, and accessible to wagons by. natural roads. The first locations were made in the pear 1878 by the Scheffelin brothers and Richard Gird, the latter being well known among the pioneers of Arizona as a surveyor and miner, who contributed largely to our knowledge of the geography of the Territory in early days,

Jan 1, 1882

By Benjamin LeRoy Miller, Joseph T. Singewald

The ore deposits at Firmeza have been worked continuously since 1884; those at Daiquiri since 1895. It is surprising, therefore, that they have not been the object of careful geologic study until quite recently. It is true that considerable attention was paid to these deposits by A. C. Spencer, in 1901, in the report on the geology of Cuba, by Hayes, Vaughan, and Spencer,l but this was only incidental to a hasty general reconnaissance of the Island. As far as the Daiquiri deposits are concerned, this gap has been filled by the appearance of the two papers by Prof. James F. Kemp2 and by Prof. Waldemar Lind-gren and Clyde P. Ross respectively.3 Max Roesler, first holder of the Emmons fellowship, made a detailed study of the Firmeza deposits during the past summer, so that soon we can expect a full description of them. Consequently, there is no, demand at the present time for a description of the deposits from other sources, and that is not the purpose of this paper. The papers on Daiquiri, however, leave unsolved problems in regard to the age of the rocks of the district and certain phases of the genesis of the deposits, and it is with the hope of aiding in the solution of some of these problems that this contribution is offered. Kemp, and Lindgren and Ross agree in assigning these deposits to the type of contact metamorphic deposits. They disagree in part on the question of their localization. The deposits occur in an extensive area of diorite which includes numerous blocks of limestone, and sometimes are found in the contact zones between these blocks and the diorite, and in other instances are completely enveloped in the diorite, showing no apparent connection with the limestone. The latter class includes

Jan 1, 1916

By Waldemar Lindgren

FIFTEEN years ago, in his presidential address before the Washington Academy of Sciences,1 Alfred H. Brooks said: "Applied geology can only maintain its present high position by continuing the researches which advance the knowledge of basic principles. Future progress in applied geology depends on progress in pure geology." Early in 1927, Dr. David White, then chairman of the Division of Geology and Geography of the National Research Council, appointed a committee "On the Processes of Ore Deposition," which was the first recognition by the Council of this branch of applied geology. This committee will not be able to solve the many complex problems involved; it can only clear the way, survey the field, state the problems and encourage systematic research. This short paper aims to outline and to analyze the present status of this kind of geological research, to ascertain the quality of the work and to suggest lines that might profitably be followed. INCREASING DEMAND FOR GEOLOGISTS Economic geology, or the art of geology, could develop only after the principles of geology and mineralogy had been established. Before that time it was merely a collection of trade rules accompanied by more or less wild speculations. Thus we observe the beginnings of economic geology in the period 1770-1820. Soon afterwards, the State Surveys were established in this country, with the realization that the natural resources should be investigated and described. Geology was hardly yet equal to the task of scientific research in relationships and genesis, however, and there followed a period of discouragement and stagnation. In the meanwhile, pure geology had again registered progress, and, based on its principles and also on the rapid mining development in the Cordilleran region, the present phase of the study of ore deposits began to take form. Raphael Pumpelly, S. F. Emmons and G. F. Becker were among the pioneers in this movement. The United States Geological Survey was organized. Ore deposits were scientifically described and studied along lines of structure and mineralogy; theories of genesis were advanced, not always permanent but based on sound induction.

Jan 1, 1928

By D. A. Schemnitz, O. W. Ellis

Certain alloys1 that, as a result of quenching, are retained in the form of homoaeneous solid solution are known to increase in hardness and strength on standing at room temperature or on heating at slightly elevated temperatures. Other alloys2 that, on rapid cooling, are held in the form of homogeneous solid solution, as, for example, certain steels, behave in like manner on heating to somewhat higher temperatures. The observed increase in the hardness and strength of these alloys, referred to as " aging"' or as "secondary hardness," is widely accepted as being occasioned, either in whole or in part, by the precipitation in submicroscopic form of such constituents as were held in supersaturated solid solution as a result of cooling in excess of a certain critical rate. In earlier discussions of the cause of age hardening or secondary hardness, the question of the hardness of the precipitated particles does not appear to have been raised. At present, however, the general opinion appears to be that age hardening and secondary hardness are occasioned by the precipitation of hard particles within the supersaturated solid substance.3 The authors may be wrong in their belief that the last is a prevailing opinion. Nevertheless, it is thought that the following experiments,

Jan 1, 1925

By W. H. Andrews

The constantly increasing consumption of Portland cement in the State makes the above subject of particular interest at this time. The increasing demand is due to the rapid settling of the country and the fact that new uses are being found frequently for the above named commercial article. The industry is one that is bound to grow as the population increases, and this being the case it may be well at this time to consider briefly the matter of the chemical and physical composition of proper raw materials. A cement mixture is one that contains approximately 75 per cent, carbonate of lime, 15 per cent. silica, and 5 to 7 per cent. alumina and iron oxides; the other elements being magnesium carbonate and mall quantities of the rarer elements generally associated with limestone deposits. It can be readily seen from the above composition that it is possible to build up this mixture from a number of different materials. First.—A rock high in carbonate of lime can be mixed with clay or shale in such proportions as to bring about the desired composition ; the chief difficulty in the building up of such a mixture is that it is hard to find a clay or shale in which the silica-alumina ratio lies between 4 to 1 and 3 to 1 and at the same time shows physical characteristics which will make certain its adaptability to the practical manufacture of Portland cement. Very often clays or shales are found which are right chemically but contain large quantities of grit or free silica. Such clays or shale must be ground to extreme fineness in the mixture in order to make the silica and alumina combine with the lime when the mixture is burned. On the other hand, clays or hales are often found that have the proper physical characteristics but in which the amount of alumina is too great. Second.—A mixture can be built up of different limestones some of which run above the 75 per cent. requirement and others below;

Jan 1, 1914