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By Warren H. Westphal

For mining and exploration, and indeed the entire mineral industry, the first century of AIME has ended with far more problems than it began. Paradoxically, most of these problems have arisen not because, the industry has been unsuccessful, but rather because it has succeeded too well. Whatever the public demand for minerals over the past 100 years, it has somehow been met-and met at a price well within the public's ability to pay for the products. But as AIME moves into its second century, the past successes of mining and exploration are beginning to levy a tax on the future. Prospectors have already found most of the rich and ready ores, and miners have dug them out. New mineral assets grow progressively harder to come by, and as they do, the need for them grows inversely more pressing. How and where and at what cost can adequate supplies be found? How and at what cost can they be mined from heretofore inaccessible recesses deep underground and under the seas-or from vast surface tonnages containing only minor values? And once they are found or won, how can these assets be husbanded for generations to come? How also can they be extracted without injury to the land, air and water on which we and our successors must depend? And what constructive use can be made of the incidental materials now treated merely as wastes-sometimes at great expense?

Jan 1, 1971

By George D. Graffin.

The first use of graphite is lost in the mists of time. It was used by primitive man to make drawings on the walls of caves and by the Egyptians to decorate pottery. As early as 1400 A.D. graphite crucibles were being made in the Haffnerzell district of Bavaria. Through the Middle Ages graphite was confused with other minerals, especially galena and molybdenite. Two common names that are still used for the mineral are "Plumbago," meaning leadlike, and "Black Lead." The latter name implied that graphite is either composed of lead or at least contains a large percentage of it. Gessner is credited with having recognized it as a separate mineral in 1565, but its composition was not determined until 1779, when Scheele demonstrated that graphite oxidized to carbon dioxide, thus proving its carbon constitution. In 1789, Werner named it "graphite" from the Greek word "graphein," meaning to write. The United States has long relied on foreign countries for its graphite supplies. This reliance has been due more to the lack of suitable domestic graphites than to any particular preference for buying minerals overseas. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) graphites were imported as early as 1820, and Madagascar graphites have been imported since the properties on that island were opened up about a hundred years later. Mexico has long supplied the United States with most of its requirements for amorphous graphite. Physical Properties and Classification Graphite is found in laminated, flaky aggregates disseminated in schistose rocks. It also occurs in veins and exhibits a foliated or fibrous structure. Graphite is a black lustrous mineral that crystallizes in the hexagonal system, with rhombohedral symmetry. The crystals have tabular form and are six-sided; the faces are commonly striated. The flakes have perfect basal cleavage and are opaque. When well crystallized, the flakes have a black metallic luster while the amorphous material is black and earthy, with a microcrystalline compactness. The flakes feel greasy. Graphite is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It melts at approximately 3550°C at a triple point under 1250 psi. It sublimes between 3300-3500°C at 14.7 psi. At 3726°C a second triple point occurs at approximately 100,000 atmospheres. Thermal oxidation in the presence of oxygen begins at 300°C and the rate increases with temperature. The three forms of carbon (charcoal, graphite, and diamond) are distinguished by chemical and physical tests. The specific gravity of charcoal is 1.3 to 1.9, of graphite 2.266 g/ cm3 (crystal density), and of diamond 3.5. Graphite has a hardness of 1 to 2 (Mohs' scale). Natural graphite can be divided into three classes: disseminated flake, crystalline vein (fibrous or columnar), and amorphous. Flake graphite is a lamellar form found in metamorphic rocks, such as marble, gneiss, and schist. Each flake is separate, having crystallized as such in the rock. Crystalline vein graphite is found in the form of well defined veins or as pocket accumulations along the intrusive contacts of pegmatites with limestones. The graphite of such deposits is of two types, foliated and columnar. The important Sri Lanka (Ceylon) deposits are vein type. Amorphous graphite is commonly found as minute microcrystalline particles more or less uniformly distributed in feebly metamorphic rocks, such as slates and shales, or in beds consisting practically entirely of graphite. The latter usually are metamorphosed coal seams and carry as much as 80-85% graphitic carbon, while the former, being altered carbonaceous sediments, commonly range from 25 to 60%

Jan 1, 1983

By C. J. Bechtoldt, H. C. Vacher

Quenched alloys, prepared by powder metallurgical techniques, were examined by microscopic and X-ray diffraction methods. The compositions and heat treatments were chosen so that the chromium and nickel solvuses could be determined and a range of composition and temperature, in which a eutectoid had been reported, could be explored in small intervals. The results showed no evidence of eutectoid reactions having taken place. ALLOYS containing iron, chromium, molybdenum, and nickel are extensively used in high-temperature applications. In order to provide basic information on the solid-state reactions that occur in such alloys, the National Bureau of Standards is engaged in an extensive study of the equilibrium phases in the binary, ternary, and quaternary systems involving these four metals. Attention was directed to the chromium-nickel system because a review of the literature showed conflicting data. A recent compendium1 of the constitution of binary alloys gives two diagrams for the chromium-nickel system, one a simple eutectic and the second a diagram showing a eutectoid and a eutectic. The eutectoid was the result of an allotropic transformation in a high-temperature solid-solution form of a chromium-rich phase called 0. The approximate temperature and composition of the eutectoid was 1200°C and 30 at. pct Ni. In the preliminary study, at the Bureau, no transformation was indicated in the chromium-rich phase of ternary and quaternary alloys in which chromium and nickel were major components. Similar results have been reported from time to time in the literature,2-8 In consequence of this situation, a systematic study was made of the constitution of heat-treated chromium-nickel alloys using metallographic and X-ray diffraction methods. The compositions of the alloys were selected so as to determine the boundaries of the chromium-rich and the nickel-rich phases and to explore in small intervals the ranges in composition and temperature in which the eutectoid had been reported. The results of this study are reported and discussed in the present paper. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Materials, Alloys, and Heat Treatments—The alloys were prepared by a powder metallurgy technique similar to that used in earlier work.9 Analyses of the materials used are given in Table I. Powders were mixed using a vibrator in 30-g batches of predetermined composition; 2-g pellets were made from the mixture by compacting at room temperature in a 1/2-in. diam mold under 60,000 lb per sq in. pressure. The pellets were sintered in dry hydrogen for 10 days at 1300°C. At the end of the sintering treatment the specimens were quenched in water, which caused a pale green film to form on the chromium-rich alloys and thin black scale to form on the nickel-rich alloys. The pellets after sintering were approximately 1/2 in. diam by 3/32 in. thick. The purification train9 was modified by inserting a tube of titanium turnings, heated at 700°C to increase the efficiency of the removal of oxgen and nitrogen. It was found in the earlier work that the sintering treatment lowered the carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen contents of chromium-rich alloys to 0.01, 0.01, and 0.004 wt pct, respectively, and that there was a loss of chromium. In order to ascertain the extent of this loss, the chromium contents of certain alloys were determined chemically. They included those alloys used to determine the parameter-composition curves and those of critical composition, used to determine the chromium-solvus microscopically; these analyses were made on samples after the final heat treatments. The mixed powder values for the chromium content of those alloys that were not analyzed were adjusted to conform to a smooth curve based on the chemically analyzed values for

Jan 1, 1962

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Jan 1, 1938

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

By James Douglas

The Copper Queen mine was opened in 1880 by Messrs. Martin, Ballard & Reilly, and the first copper-furnace was blown-in on August 20th of that year. Prior to that summer nothing but prospect-work had been done on the copper Queen and on a number of adjacent claims. In fact, it was a small deposit, not of copper-ore, but of cerussite, which still remains undeveloped, on the western slope of the Queen hill, which

Jan 1, 1900

By George Langford

THE McIntyre mine is in the Pearl Lake section of the Porcupine gold area. The rocks are Keewatin lavas intruded by quartz porphyries and albitite dikes of Algoman age. Gold-bearing quartz veins are found in the Keewatin rocks near the porphyry stocks. The whole area has been highly compressed by forces acting along a N. 20°W. line. These forces folded the Keewatin rocks before the intrusion of the Algoman rocks, and later schisted both the Keewatin and Algoman rocks. Vein fractures were developed after the folding but before the development of the schist by the compres-sive forces being locally broken up into couples. These couples were set up by the differential resistance to deformation of porphyries and basalts, and also by the competency of the dacites and incompetency of the tuffs and fragmental rocks. During the important period of vein formation, two zones were developed-an inner productive zone in which the quartz veins are ankerite-bearing and an outer barren zone in which the quartz veins are calcite-bearing. The vein solutions originated in the same magma that supplied the albitite dikes.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. L. Tokich, A. R. Troiano

INTRODUCTION SINCE 1921, when Hull' discovered that cobalt can exist in the face-centered cubic and hexagonal close-packed modifications, the transitions that occur in cobalt have been extensively studied. It is generally agreed that on heating the hexagonal lattice changes to the cubic structure at temperatures ranging from 400 to 500°C although considerable doubt exists as to the exact temperature. Data concerning the temperature of the transformation on cooling are much less concordant and their interpretation has not been satisfactory. The study is further complicated by the fact that many investigators have reported the existence of a high temperature allotropic change in the range 850 to 1020°C, at which the cubic lattice reverts to the hexagonal modification. The transition on cooling, which has been reported as occurring at various temperatures from approximately 400 to 100°C, is of particular interest. Troiano and Greninger2 have recently suggested and considered the possibility of allotropic transformations occurring in pure metals by a shear-type, diffusionless (martensite) transformation. The case of cobalt was specifically discussed and certain observations of previous investigators evaluated in terms of this type of transformation. Table 1 briefly outlines the methods and results of previous investigators of the transformation temperatures of cobalt. MATERIALS AND METHODS The major portion of this investigation was performed with cobalt sheet containing a total of 0.2 pct impurities with carbon present to the extent of 0.1 pct. After melting in an induction furnace under an atmosphere of hydrogen, the carbon content analyzed 0.03 pct. Some observations were repeated with hydrogen reduced cobalt compresses analyzing 99.9 pct pure. No significant variations in results were observed employing the as-received sheet, the remelted stock, or the cobalt compresses. Filings for X ray diffraction analysis were sealed in evacuated glass ampoules. Pyrex glass tubing was used for temperatures below 600°C and for higher temperatures clear fused quartz was satisfactory. After appropriate heat treatment at various temperatures, the specimen ampoules were furnace cooled, air cooled or quenched by crushing under distilled water. This allowed a range of cooling velocities from less than one degree C per sec to greater than 1,000°C per sec. X ray diffraction patterns were taken with a Debye camera and filtered characteristic cobalt K-alpha radiation. The proportion of the existing phases was roughly approximated by visual examina-

Jan 1, 1948

By L. W. Strock

Metallurgists handling lead and zinc ores have long been familiar with the spectrograph as a routine analytical tool, as its earliest regular use by American industry was in controlling impurities of zinc metal and its alloys. This application has been extended to other metal industries on an extensive scale, accompanied by refinements of procedure to such an extent that a large part of some metals produced, especially magnesium, aluminum and steel, are checked only by spectrographic methods for conformity to specifications. The spectrographic analysis of ores and other poorly conducting powdered solids presents difficulties not encountered with metallic samples, which can be arced or sparked as self-electrodes or can be readily dissolved, so that their solutions can be analyzed, as in the American Society for Testing Materials standard methods for zinc and zinc-base alloys. Spectra of powdered solid samples can be prepared by using carbon electrodes provided with a crater of suitable size, into which the sample is packed. Ore samples and many other powdered solid materials usually analyzed in the chemical and metallurgical laboratory are more complex and varied in composition than samples of metals produced in large tonnages. 'lore preliminary work therefore is usually necessary in devising a spectrographic method for analyzing a given type of powdered sample than for analyzing metal samples, in order to use that method with confidence. The howledge that the standard samples and unknowns produce equivalent line intensities at equal concentration is the fundamental basis of any quantitative spectrographic method. On the other hand, powdered samples have an advantage over metals in that any desired number of chemical compounds can be mixed dry in any desired ratio to produce a synthetic standard. Expcrience has shown, however, that spectra of elements in finely divided compounds introduced into a standard in preparing a synthetic ore sample do not always behave in the electric arc in a manner that produces spectral line intensities similar to those observed at the same concentration in a natural mineral. In ore samples minor elements frequently are contained in the crystal lattice of larger particles of an abundant ore mineral. Their dissociation and volatilization from the sample into the arc then proceeds differently in the standard and sample, with resultant differences in intensity. During the past 10 years I have devised and applied several quantitative spectrographic methods for determining various elements in rocks and minerals in connection with studies on their geochemistry,' but the incentive has gradually changed since the summer 0. 1940 to the specific practical problem of searching for domestic sources of rare and stratcgic metals. The

Jan 1, 1949

By JAMES A. VEASEY

SINCE the World War, excepting for a few brief periods of relief, the American petroleum industry has been obliged to meet its important economic responsibility to this nation hampered by the maladjustment that inevitably follows a marked and unwholesome over-production of its raw material, crude oil. Despite the warnings of the Federal Oil Conservation Board and the endeavors of many of the leaders in the business to stem the flow of oil from the wells of the country, the evil ,not only persists but, at the moment, seems more malignant than ever before. Unless the local and temporary restraints on drilling and production now in effect in California, Wyoming, Texas, and Oklahoma are continued, and, indeed, unless stricter and more comprehensive measures of the same sort are imposed and adhered to by the industry in those States, over-production in the enterprise during the current year will be more pronounced than in any other period in history.

Jan 1, 1929

By WALTER CARROLL

Between cross currents of economic factors and international expediencies the iron and steel industry in 1948 made an outstanding contribution to the general economic picture. Were it not for an unfortunate episode during the month of April involving a temporary shortage of coal, 1948 would have been an all-time record year in output. Exceeded in no previous peacetime year, the production of iron and steel in 1948 totaled some 88,500,000 tons. That it was a worthwhile effort of no small magnitude is evidenced by the fact that in three and one half years following the war, this nation has produced as much steel as in the five years preceding the war. This figure of 88,500,000 tons is 68 per cent greater than that for 1939.

Jan 1, 1949

By Jim Douglas, H. H. Rachford, D. W. Peaceman

The problem of unsteady-state gas flow through porous media has been solved numerically only for the case of linear or radially symmetric reservoirs. A recently introduced numerical method for solving the unsteady-state heat flow equation in two dimensions is applied to the calculation of the depletion of a square region containing a perfect gas. Solutions are presented in graphical form for various values of dimensionless parameters. The solutions are compared with published .solutions for radial reservoirs. I NTR ODUCTION The problem of unsteady-state flow of gas through porous media gives rise to a second-order non-linear partial differential equation for which no analytical solution has been found. Numerical approximations to solutions of the gas flow problem have been obtained by the stepwise solution of an associated difference equation1,2. However, the methods so far developed have required that the reservoir be either linear or radially symmetric. This restriction in shape has been necessary so that only two independent variables be considered, namely, one distance variable and time. In order to deal with reservoirs having more realistic shapes, it is necessary to develop numerical procedures for the solution of the gas flow problem involving two distance variables. A numerical procedure, denoted as the alternating-direction implicit method, for the solution of the heat-flow problem in two dimensions has recently been introduced" By the use of this procedure, approximate solutions have been obtained for heat-flow problems in a square8, and in regions having various non-rectangular boundariesa. Because of the similarity between the equation for heat conduction in solids and the equation for gas flow in porous media, it is reasonable to expect that the alternating-direction implicit method should also be useful for solving the gas flow problem in various two-dimensional regions. Solutions have been calculated for the simplest two-dimensional region, a square reservoir with a single well in the center. While reservoirs of such simple geometry seldom, if ever, exist, the solution of this problem is of some practical importance because it is also the solution of another problem, that of determining the depletion history about an individual well in an infinite uniform reservoir containing wells spaced throughout on a square lattice and producing equally from each well. Finally, it is of interest to compare solutions for a square reservoir with those for a circular reservoir and to determine the effect of the shape of the boundary for that particular case. METHOD OF CALCULATION Basic Differential Equation By combining the equation of continuity, the perfect gas law,

Jan 1, 1956

By D. A. Elgillani, M. C. Fuerstenau

In this paper, oxidation potentials measured in the presence of various concentrations of cyanide, ferro-cyanide, and ferricyanide and ethyl xanthate at various values of pH are related to flotation response. Eh-pH diagrams are presented to show that the formation of surface ferric ferrocyanide is probably responsible for depression when cyanide is added. The influence of cyanide on the depression of pyrite with xanthates as collector has been the subject of a number of investigations,'-6 and several theories on the mechanism of depression have evolved from these studies. Wark and Cox7 and Gaudin8 have suggested that the depressing effect is due to a competition of cyanide ion with xanthate ion for the surface. Cook and his colleagues9-11 have explained this phenomenon in terms of competition between hydrocyanic acid and xanthic acid. Sutherland 12 has shown that although both of these theories accurately describe the relation between pH value and cyanide addition at constant collector addition, they fail to describe the relation between pH value and the amount of collector required to cause flotation. Taggart 13 suggested that depression in these systems is due to the formation of a reaction product between ferric ion at the pyrite surface and ferrocyanide ion derived from solution. Majumdar4,6 has attempted to prove this hypothesis by measuring the contact angles of pyrite in the presence of 25 mg per liter ethyl xanthate and different concentrations of potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide. In all cases the contact angles were quite high up to pH 10. These results indicate that pyrite should not be depressed by either potassium ferrocyanide or ferricyanide. In view of these facts, Majumdar has assumed that the compound Fe(CN)2 forms at the surface. Gründer and Bornl4 have stated that depression may be due to the formation of the compound K2Fe(II)Fe(CN)6 at the pyrite-solution interface. This compound is thought to be an interaction product between the K2Fe(CN)6-2 ion from solution and the Fe++ ion at the pyrite surface and, accordingly, K4Fe(CN)6 should depress pyrite at least as effectively as KCN. This was proven experimentally, but there was no simple relation between the depression of pyrite and the concentration of either KCN or K4Fe(CN)6 in solution. In view of the many mechanisms that have been proposed for pyrite depression by cyanide, it is apparent that a clear understanding of the phenomena occurring in these systems is lacking. One reason for this may be the fact that the species responsible for pyrite flotation in the presence of xanthate is not the xan-thate ion but rather dixanthogen.15 Since the oxidation of xanthate to dixanthogen is dependent on the oxidation potential of the solution, it would seem that knowledge of these potentials would be a requisite to understanding the pyrite-xanthate-cyanide system. It is the object of this paper to measure both the oxidation potential and pH of the pyrite systems in the presence of various concentrations of cyanide, ferrocyanide, and ferricyanide and xanthate and to relate these values to flotation response. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS AND 'TECHNIQUES In the experiments discussed here, pure potassium ethyl xanthate was used as collector, and reagent grade potassium cyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, and potassium ferricyanide were used as depressants. Reagent grade HC1 and KOH were added for pH adjustment. Conductivity water, made by passing distilled water through an ion exchange column, was used in all experimental work. Two natural samples of pyrite were used in the investigation. Sample preparation for flotation included dry grinding with a mortar and pestle and sizing the product to 100 x 200 mesh. Prior to flotation, a 0.75-gm sample of pyrite was added to a solution containing a known amount of depressant at the desired pH value, and the system was conditioned for 4 min. Following this, a known amount of collector was added and the system was conditioned for another 4 min. The pH — termed flotation pH - was measured; the pulp was transferred to a Hallimond cell, and flo-

Jan 1, 1969

By JOHN R. SUMAN

TONIGHT I want to speak of the current problems and the postwar difficulties facing American industry. American industry has done an outstanding job in adjusting its operations to wartime necessity. The national income for 1942 was nearly $120,000,090,000 and of this outlay approximately $55,000,000,000 went for war material. The enormity of the expenditures for war material is indicated by the fact that the expenditures for war purposes alone were greater than the annual gross national income in the period 1931-34. This tremendous production job in turning out a record output of war products was accomplished by industry in spite of a large number of restraining and hampering influences, and I want to mention several of the more important problems.

Jan 1, 1943

By Fred Wise, C. W. Wark

THE Getchell mine, a comparatively recent gold discovery, is in the old Potosi mining district, Humboldt County, Nevada. All ore is mined from open pits using Diesel shovels and gasoline trucks. Two types of ore are mined, oxide and sulphide. Oxide ores are siliceous or shaly; sulphide ores either gougy, siliceous or shaly. In mining, the sulphide ore is segregated into hard and gougy ore, because the gouge must be dried before it can be crushed. The oxide ore is not segregated. GENERAL METALLURGY The oxide ore is the leached outcrop that overlies the sulphide ore body. All of the iron and arsenic sulphides found in the sulphide ores have been thoroughly oxidized. The sulphur and arsenic have been leached out while the iron is present as hematite and limonite. The oxide ore is amenable to direct cyanidation, and although no visible free gold is present it is released at a comparatively coarse grind. The sulphide ore is more refractory, since the gold is all of micron size and some of it is locked in fine sulphides. It has been established microscopically that the free gold is coated with an impervious shell, which is probably some form of iron compound. The sulphide ores contain from 1.5 to 2 per cent of arsenic, which is present as orpiment and realgar with minor amounts of arsenopyrite. The orpiment and realgar are of a later mineralization than the gold and are barren. Roasting and washing of the sulphide ore prior to cyanidation is necessary to eliminate the arsenic, to alter the gold coating from an insoluble form to a soluble form, and to release the gold associated with the fine sulphides. Washing the ground calcine in weak sulphuric acid, trona, or hot water are beneficial in the order named, but to date the water is the best from an economic standpoint. Metallurgical tests as well as plant practice indicate that a certain amount of gold cannot be recovered even by going beyond economic practices. On this basis metallurgical results are viewed in the light of an optimum tailing rather than a percentage of extraction. MILLING PRACTICE Crushing (Fig. 1).-There are three primary ore bins, one each for oxide ore, gougy sulphide ore, and hard sulphide ore. In front of each bin a substantial yard is maintained, which makes it possible to stockpile 2500 tons of oxidized ore, 1000 tons of hard sulphide ore, and 1000 tons of gougy sulphide ore. The bins are fed by a 60-hp. caterpillar bulldozer from the stockpiles. Fig. 1 shows the method and

Jan 1, 1940

By Maurice Ewing, J. A. Peoples, J. W. Peoples, A. P. Craby

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the application of the earth-resistivity method of subsurface investigation to the problem of locating seams of anthracite coal beneath a mantle of soil and subsoil. Details are given of the successful use of this method in locating the outcrops of anthracite seams in actual prospecting. The presence of the outcrop of an anthracite seam is indicated at points where electrical resistivity tests showed relatively low readings. The reason for this is that in some localities the resistivity of anthracite was found to be about 0.0001 megohm-cm. compared to 1 to 200 megohm-cm. for shales and sandstones. For two reasons it is believed that the data summarized in this paper should be of particular interest. In the first place, most of the interpretations of the resistivity survey have been checked by subsequent drilling and some by the removal of the overburden and the exposing of the anthracite seams. It is infrequent that the opportunity for checking results so thoroughly is given. In the second place, the fact that recent commentatorsl,2,3 on the application of geophysical methods to mining have concluded that direct prospecting for anthracite and other types of coal is not promising makes the good results obtained more significant. So far as the authors can learn, the only previous experiment with electrical methods in the Pennsylvania anthracite field was one made by Sherwin F. Kelly in 1921, when he used the self-potential method at Wilkes-Barre4. The profile he made does not show a very marked correlation with the geologic cross section. Kelly points out that stray currents from electric motors in the mines undoubtedly affected 'his results, but the experience of the present authors with stray currents from mining machinery suggests the possibility that the potentials measured by Kelly were due almost entirely to this effect.

Jan 1, 1936

By Maurice Ewing, A. P. Craby, J. W. Peoples, J. A. Peoples

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the application of the earth-resistivity method of subsurface investigation to the problem of locating seams of anthracite coal beneath a mantle of soil and subsoil. Details are given of the successful use of this method in locating the outcrops of anthracite seams in actual prospecting. The presence of the outcrop of an anthracite seam is indicated at points where electrical resistivity tests showed relatively low readings. The reason for this is that in some localities the resistivity of anthracite was found to be about 0.0001 megohm-cm. compared to 1 to 200 megohm-cm. for shales and sandstones. For two reasons it is believed that the data summarized in this paper should be of particular interest. In the first place, most of the interpretations of the resistivity survey have been checked by subsequent drilling and some by the removal of the overburden and the exposing of the anthracite seams. It is infrequent that the opportunity for checking results so thoroughly is given. In the second place, the fact that recent commentatorsl,2,3 on the application of geophysical methods to mining have concluded that direct prospecting for anthracite and other types of coal is not promising makes the good results obtained more significant. So far as the authors can learn, the only previous experiment with electrical methods in the Pennsylvania anthracite field was one made by Sherwin F. Kelly in 1921, when he used the self-potential method at Wilkes-Barre4. The profile he made does not show a very marked correlation with the geologic cross section. Kelly points out that stray currents from electric motors in the mines undoubtedly affected 'his results, but the experience of the present authors with stray currents from mining machinery suggests the possibility that the potentials measured by Kelly were due almost entirely to this effect.

Jan 1, 1936

By O. D. A. Pease, C. D. Young, C. H. Strand

In an effort to employ cast steel of a stronger structure than that found in the annealed steel casting, the possibilities of heat treatment which will increase the strength without materially decreasing the ductulity may be resorted to.

Jan 1, 1915

Some 15 years ago, Dr. Adolf Schmidt, director of the Magnetic Observatory in Potsdam, Germany, developed an instrument, which was a modification of Lloyds balance, for the measurement of the vertical component of the earth's magnetism in the field. There was a keen demand for this because (1) it was desirable to have a field instrument that would measure the component of the earth's magnetism which stands in the closest and simplest relation to the configuration of the subterranean magnetic formations-the vertical component; (2) it was desirable to have an instrument that was not only more sensitive but also more reliable than the existing vertical magnetometers (the dip needle, for instance). The application of the magnetometer in oil geology demanded such an instrument, because the magnetic disturbances produced by most types of magnetic formations associated with the occurrence of oil (salt domes, faults, anticlines with crystalline core, etc.) are too small to be detected with the ordinary dip needle. The writer can prove, by some investigations recently made for the U. S. Bureau of Mines, that these instruments may be used also to very great advantage in mining, because they are capable of measuring anomalies which are as great as twice the normal strength of the earth's magnetic field. Even for such anomalies, the field balance is more advantageous than the dip needle. First, the instrument rests on a firm support and can be adjusted in the proper azimuth, which insures measurement of the vertical intensity only, without a part of the horizontal intensity, which is very important for the interpretation. The readings give the vertical intensity in linear terms and not as a function of an angle; and the field balance is insensitive to temperature when used with scale values that are adequate for the determination of large anomalies. In another phase of mining, the gold placer work, the field balance has also shown excellent results for which the dip needle is not adequate. What has been said about the dip needle holds also, though to a lesser extent, for two other types of vertical variometers recently used, the Tiberg balance and the Thomson-Thalen magnetometer.

Jan 1, 1929