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By W. Timothy Adams

The production of natural abrasives varied in quantity and value compared with 1976. Output of tripoli-type materials was approximately the same in both quantity and value. Special silica stone products decreased in quantity and increased in value. Garnet production decreased both in quantity and value. The production of emery increased and the production and value of manufactured abrasive material was approximately the same. Foreign Trade Imports of abrasive materials were 23% more in value than in 1976, and exports plus reexports increased in value 10%. Net imports, the excess of imports over exports and reexports, were $35.3 million. The volume and value of all abrasive materials exported varied.

Jan 1, 1980

Mining Subscribes to Murphy?s Law Personal observations on the past ?Perfect, benign deposit mines can be screwed up-spills and concentrate handling issues ?Long term contamination and water management assessments inadequate ?The ?permitting mentality? and its effects on the application of proponent and regulator resources ?Reliance on simple principles but nature and chemistry is more complex

May 1, 2010

By Wilford S. Wright, Harold E. Heide, Robert L. Thorne, Neal M. Muir, Aner W. Erickson, Bruce I. Thomas

A program of investigation of strategic and critical minerals began in 1940 to examine and develop tungsten occurrences in the western United States and Alaska. During the years in which the nation was at war, this work was given special impetus to stimulate domestic production. This report is a compilation of results of the tungsten investigations in Alaska supplemented by certain data made available by the Territorial Department of Mines and is designed to include in its scope descriptions of all known tungsten occurrences in the Territory. Two areas in Alaska warranted special investigation - one at Gilmore Dome, 16 miles northeast of Fairbanks, and the other in the Hyder District, at the head of Portland Canal. Three tungsten properties - the Stepovich, Colbert, and Yellow Pup - are at Gilmore Dome. The Stepovich property, referred to sometimes as the Cleary Hill tungsten deposit, was worked by the Cleary Hill Mines Co. from April 1942 until May 1944 and was first examined by Robert S. Sanford and Norman Ebbley, Jr., engineers of the Bureau of Mines, in September 1942. The Cleary Hill Mines Co. by that time had explored an 800-foot strike length of the ore zone with 10 bulldozer trenches and was sinking an inclined shaft on ore in the central portion of the explored zone. In January 1943, the senior author, in company with Ebbley and Harry C. Doheny, supervising engineer of R.F.C., examined the property. Preliminary work by the Bureau of Mines began in May 1945, but actual exploration did not commence until late in June and continued until the end of October 1943. The deposit was examined by John B. Mortie, Jr., and William C. Overstreet, of the Federal Geological Survey, in 1942, and this study was continued in 1943 by Frank Byors, who also assisted the Bureau’s engineers on geologic problems. A magnetometer survey of this area was undertaken in 1942 by Henry Joosting and Eskil Anderson, engineers of the Territorial Department of Mines, and was completed with Bureau of Mines assistance in 1943. During 1943 the Bureau completed exploratory projects on the Cleary Hill mine and adjacent Colbert prospect. The field work on the Colbert property was begun early in July 1945 and continued intermittently until the end of October 1943, when it was recessed because of subzero weather. During September 1944, the Bureau of Mines established (by means of a few surface trenches) continuity between the Colbert mineralized zone, high on the dome, and the Yellow Pup vein, the lowest known tungsten mineralization in the area. It is generally recognized that any extensive program to develop the area as a whole logically would be carried out from the lower horizon.

Jun 1, 1948

By R. Rosenblum, J. Y. Kim, D. Shink, K. G. Stowe

"A small scale continuous flotation cell was designed and constructed at the Noranda Technology Centre to develop a mobile testing flotation circuit located next to the production circuit. This mobile small scale flotation pilot plant can easily and economically be set up at any circuit in a mill and used to evaluate and predict plant performance against a given flotation condition. The main feature of the cell, beside the provisions of automatic pulp level and feed rate control, is to provide a reduced surface to volume ratio approaching to that of an industrial machine.This paper describes the basic design and the results of various testwork carried out to date including aeration, conditioning, reagents, recirculation, flotation gas, etc. are presented in comparison with the plant production results. INTRODUCTIONStudy of the behaviour of an ore during concentration by flotation process starts, in general, with a series of tests in laboratory cells. Given the discontinuous nature of these tests, the information obtained by such a study is somewhat limited. It has long been recognized that laboratory test results are not always reproducible in pilot plant tests and subsequently, the pilot plant results do not always predict plant performance. The differences are often blamed on batch vs continuous operations, grinding media, size distribution, aging (oxidation), water quality, equipment, operator's skills, etc."

Jan 1, 1992

By John J. Henn

Ten proposed processes for the recovery of manganese from domestic resources as a high-grade oxide product are described. Nine of the processes employ sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, or a combination of both for leaching. The tenth process utilizes sulfur dioxide to sulfatize the ore at 600° to 850°C before water leaching. In addiction to these ten complete processes, six processes from the patent literature are described. Methods for receovering MnSO4?H2O are also reviewed.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. R. Thoenen

In June 1929 the Bureau of Mines issued a 13-page Information Circular entitled "Mineral wool." This was one of the first publications to present to the public some technical aspects of the mineral-wool industry. Since that time several articles have appeared on the subject in the technical press as well as publications by State organizations. Inquiries for information on mineral wool have continued to be received by the Bureau of Mines in large numbers, and in 1935 it was decided, with the cooperation of the is industry, to make a field survey of the plants then producing and to collect therefrom technical data to be compiled in a paper for public distribution. As a first step, a brief questionnaire was mailed to the known producers asking if they would cooperate for publication. Favorable replies were received from of percent of the manufacturers, and the field work was started. As the study progressed and tie number of plants visited grew, it became more and more apparent that the industry had made rapid strides in technical operation and control of their product, as well as in increasing production during the mast decade.

Jan 1, 1938

By Joan Weinberg

The real gross national product (GNP) expanded by 2.3% during the second quarter, down from the anomalous 4.4% growth rate in the previous 3 months. If the expansion continues through October, it will have lasted 5 yr and become the second longest in 40 yr.2 As in the first quarter, improvement in U.S. exports played a role in the continuing--albeit slow--growth. More than 2 yr of declines in the dollar relative to currencies of other industrial countries have contributed to a slight reduction in the trade deficit in real (volume) terms, as real net exports of goods and services rose $1.9 billion (table 1). Exports grew a strong 12.1% while imports, which had fallen the previous two quarters, rose 7.4%. Manufactured goods and petroleum products accounted for most of the second quarter import increase. The American Petroleum Institute estimates that the volume of crude oil and refined products imports in the first half of 1987 surpassed those in the same period last year by 7.5%, reflecting falling domestic production and higher than expected demand. Expenditure on durable goods--those that last at least 3 yr-by both consumers and producers also contributed to the second quarter expansion. Personal consumption of durable goods rose 9.0%, after having fallen the two previous quarters. Motor vehicle purchases accounted for most of the second quarter increase and the first quarter decrease. Sales of automobiles surged in the last quarter of 1986, as consumers rushed to capture the sales tax deduction that was eliminated on January 1. Sales fell in the first quarter of 1987, but have now moved closer to the trend line exhibited in the first three quarters of 1986. Automobiles accounted for half the 0.8% July gain in retail sales, and two-thirds of the 1.4% June gain. Producers durable equipment purchases also rose this quarter, accounting for the increase in nonresidential fixed investment.

Jan 1, 1987

By Don Stevens

The Denali Prospect (147° 08' 20" W, 63° 08' 50" N) is located on the south flank of the Alaska Range in the Clearwater Mountains in south central Alaska. (See Figure 1). The mineralization was discovered in 1963 and surface explora¬tion began the following summer. Surface trenching and diamond drilling were used to locate and sample the mineralized zones. In 1969, an adit totalling approximately 1400 feet was completed. In 1970, a -15% grade decline approximately 1800 feet long was completed. Further diamond drilling was done along with both underground programs. Although much work remains to be done to properly evaluate the prospect, results from all the work to date are quite encouraging. This paper will consider the geology of the prospect and the surrounding area, some- aspects of the geochemistry of the sulfides, and the origin of the sulfide deposits. This paper includes data from this writer's Ph. D. dissertation, "Geology and Geochemistry of the Denali Prospect, Clearwater Mountains Alaska" from the University of Alaska and subsequent work.

Jan 1, 1972

By Grant R. Brown

The report provides guidance for determining those environmental impacts associated with the surface mining of steeply pitching coal seams. In addition to the environmental impacts, four additional issues are addressed, namely (1) Time and motion studies of those coal mining systems employed in mining seams which pitch in excess of 25°, (2) Assessment of those mining techniques, (3) Development of rationale for the mining methods employed, (4) Identification of the reclamation practices and determine whether these practices were in compliance with appropriate Federal and State regulations. Five surface mines located in three geologically distinct basins of the United States were analyzed during the period of August through November 1979. The three basins include the Hanna Basin of Wyoming, the North Park Basin of Colorado and the Southern Anthracite Field of Pennsylvania.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. van der Poel, R. L. Chuoke P. van Meurs

When an initially planar interface between two im-ttitcihle liquids is displaced at constant rate, U, nor-mat to the front, instability will occur for all rates greater than a critical rate. U, given by provided the Fourier decomposition of the spatial pertmrbcrtiott or deformation of the moving displacetment front contains modes with wavelengths. A, greater than a critical wavelength, given by tit there expressions, p, p and k, with the subscripts I and 2 distinguishing the two 1iquids under consideration, are density, viscosity and effective pemeability coefficients respectively; g is the absolute value of the acceleration due to gravity; and cos (zz') is the direction cosit7e between the vertical carlesian coordinate z' (positive upward) and the z coordinate norma1 to the initially plane macroscopic interface taken positive in the direction from Liquid I to Liquid 2. U is the average volumetric velocity (injected volume of liquid pet. unit time per unit of area normal to Z) and is positive for Liquid I displacing Liquid 2, negative for the reversc displacement and r2 is an effective inter-fucial tension (for displacements between parrallel plates, t0= s the ordinary bulk interfacial tension). further, there is a wavelength of maximum instability given by For natural perturbations, this wavelength will preclotninate and characterize the form of the instability as a quasi-sinusoidal deformation, i.e., viscous fitzgers of peak-to-peak separatiotr, A,,. Comparison of experitient with theory rei'eals tltat these considerations are recsonably valid for displacements in hoth parallel plate chantzels and nnconsoli-clutt'd glass ptnvder packs. These results are. tij particular interest for interpretation of data from laboratory experiments with regard to fielil applica/iotz.s. It is quite possible for A,, although st7zall relative to the large lateral dimension of the reservoir, to rxceed the greatr.st lateral extent of the lahoratory sample or model. If it does, frontal displace- ment occurs in the laboratory experiments, and oil INTRODUCTION Thc puposes of this paper are to present theoretical and experimental evidence for occurrence of macroscopic instabilities in displacement of one viscous fluid by another immiscible with it through a uniform porous medium and to compare available experimental data with some predictions of a theory of instability developed by the first author. The instabilities are referred to as macroscopic in the sense that spatially quasi-sinusoidal, growing fingers of the displacing liquid are formed, the width and peak-to-peak separation (wavelength) of which is large relative to a characteristic length of the particular permeable medium such as grain size. Visual models of two kinds have been used to obtain observations: displacement of oil by water-glycerine solutions through the flow channel formed by closely spaced parallel plates and displacement of oil by water with and without initial interstitial water through unconsolidated glass powder packs, employing the technique of matching indices of refraction. In all cases we have observed macroscopic instabilities or fingers under conditions predicted by the theory to be favorable for their occurrence. The phenomenon discussed here is not the production of streamers due to gross inhomogeneities such as permeability stratification of the porous medium. It is our object to show, on the contrary, that a quantitative prediction of finger spacing is possible in a porous medium known to be macroscopically homogeneous and isotropic throughout. The importance of the phenomenon in its influence on the configuration of oil and water with respect to oil production behavior was noted earlier by Engel-berts and Klinkenberg' who coined the term "viscous fingering". THEORY Necessary and Sufficient Conditions ior Instability anc Initial Kinematics There are several levels of increasing complexity in the theoretical description of instabiIity of fluid displacements in permeable media. Of these, the simplest description, ;tdapted to low permeability systems, is selected for presentation.' More inclusivc tlescriptions are reserved for separate publication.

By S. K. Gilman, V. E. Hugo

A common problem encountered in the mineral sands industry is that the mineralogical measurements used in defining the resource are not readily converted to metallurgical recoveries, which are used to predict the quantity of the final products. The problem stems from the different objectives of the exploration and metallurgical assessment programmes, and is often compounded by the use of different laboratory techniques and mineral definitions. Common mistakes include the misapplication of routine analysis, incorrect interpretation of mineral recovery, the confusion of mineral recovery with product yield and inconsistent definition of the same mineral. Experience has shown that unless these potential mistakes are identified, the measurement techniques used during exploration and metallurgical assessment are not compatible, often resulting in large errors in the prediction of mineral production. There are no easy solutions to the problem, as there is no universal assay technique which can cost effectively characterize all the mineral sands resources. The recommended course of action will therefore require several iterations to optimize the assay technique to suit the resource. Fundamental to the success of the measurement technique is the understanding of the mineralogy, its behaviour during mineral processing and the quality requirements for the final products.

Jan 1, 2003

By F. Hassani, D. O’Donnell, M. Momayez, P. Guevremont

Shotcrete is a practical and economical support system in many Canadian underground mines. Although shotcrete technology has gained acceptance in the mining industry, there are some problems that have emerged with respect to quality assessment and thickness measurement of the liner. This paper presents recent tests performed with miniature seismic reflection technology (MSR) developed and patented at McGill University primarily for thickness measurement of this heterogeneous liner. MSR is also capable of providing information regarding the quality of shotcrete in terms of its mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio. Work was performed on site in an underground mine in Ontario, Canada. This paper also presents the results from laboratory tests performed on fiber-reinforced and non-reinforced shotcrete panels that were used to assess the P-wave velocity in both materials. The results of these tests were used in a second site investigation. The NDT thickness measurements showed good agreement with direct thickness measurement such as coring. In addition, the MSR technology has the advantage of being more accurate and more affordable compared to other non-destructive testing (NDT) systems in the market.

Jan 1, 2002

By M. A. Schellhardt, E. J. Dewees, R. Vincent Smith

"INTRODUCTION Abnormal material requirements of the nation at war impose an intensive demand upon many irreplaceable natural resources. Natural-3as reserves) for example, are being subjected at the present time to extensive depletion by large-scale withdrawals of gas to supply unprecedented demands for fuel and raw materials for the synthesis of strategic products. Fluids produced from many so-called gas-condensate type reservoirs have become an important source of hydrocarbons vital to the war effort.Development of gas-condensate type reservoirs in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas in recent years created many problems not common to ordinary gas-producing operations. Early in the development of condensate-type gas fields, general practices were evolved and applied to insure efficient re¬covery of the hydrocarbons existing in the gas phase under initial reservoir pressures and temperatures, put often the practices were predicted mainlyregardingupon generalized theory regarding the behavior of the fluids and were not always the most efficient, because field and laboratory procedure for testing these hydrocarbons had not progressed as rapidly or as far as field development. Specific information regarding the composition and properties of fluids ultimately recoverable from many gas-condensate reservoirs, especially, is lacking."

Oct 1, 1944

A symposium was held on January 30 and 31, 1973, at Pittsburgh, Pa., to review the state-of-the-art in designing and utilizing diesel-powered equipment in underground mining. The Health and Safety Activity of the Bureau of Mines sponsored the symposium with major assistance from the following four participating organizations: The American Mining Congress J. Allen Overton, President The United Mine Workers of America Arnold R. Miller, President The National Independent Coal Operator's Association Cloyd D. McDowell, President The Bituminous Coal Operators' Association, Inc. Guy Farmer, President Seventeen papers were presented during four half-day sessions devoted to the general subjects of the diesel engine, the place of the diesel in underground mining, health protection using diesels underground, and maintaining safety of diesels underground. Eleven of the speakers were from industrial organizations here and abroad; one represented the Provincial Government of Nova Scotia; two were with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and three reported on Bureau of Mines work related to diesels.

Jan 1, 1975

Within ten months of the first significant intersection on the Vera deposit, approval was given to proceed with a $28.3 M underground development of the Vera-Nancy gold mine. Contrary to what the timeframe suggests, the development of the underground mine was planned in a logical and methodical manner which enabled confirmation of the resource, evaluation of the orebody for mining and sufficient production to recommence milling operations at the Pajingo treatment plant. This paper describes the underlying factors on which the project was planned and developed. The approach has successfully enabled the mine to be in production 18 months after discovery without compromising any future production or potential expansion

Jan 1, 1998

The speed and internal accuracy of today's electronic calculators can be utilized to write an efficient slurry calculation program. The calculator's input/output printing feature offers additional benefits for data organizing and record keeping. This program allows slurry calculations to be performed without the urgency of immediately transferring a calculated result onto a process flowsheet or specification sheet. The number of flowsheets required for some hvdrometallurgical processes means the number of process stream blocks or ladder diagram entries can become substantial. Slurry calculations for such projects tend to become repetitious and tedious, and the chances for errors increase both in calculation and data entry onto process documents. Using this program has minimized both types of errors. Checking process flowsheets is particularly expedient with the program because you may "walk" through the flowsheet on a weight basis, i.e., solids rate and solids density, and have the program verify and/or correct the volume entries, gallons, and specific gravities. The program was initially used on a beneficiation project to check some 500 data entry values on ladder diagrams covering seven process flowsheets. Numerous hand calculation errors were determined and corrected, and the time for completely checking and correcting the flowsheet ladder diagrams was substantially reduced.

Jan 4, 1981

By S. R. Zimmerley

[In the course of a flotation investi£ation, a siliceous gold ore was ground in a'ball mill to ':1inns 300-meeh. It wa. found that the small amotIDt of _Ius 300-mesh material had a gole.. assay approximately twice that of the oriGinal ore, &~d that this overs.ize nroduct also contained much abrac..ed iron. .,Joreove I the gold assay of the abraded iron t which was !1epnrated ma§metically', ~iVFl.£ eight ti;nes that of the are. These facts suggested that some r31aticnship ex?...,ted between the abnorma11y high gold content an the prese:1ce of brA-cit)" iron. It was decided, therefore, to investigate furt~er th~ Fl.Gsociation of the bold ~ith the iron abraded from the balls during sri~Qing ]

Jan 1, 1937

By J. A. Burkhardt

Field measurements and theoretical studies have been made of pressure surges—momentary variations in fluid pressure—produced by movement of pipe in mud-filled boreholes. Pressure measurements were recorded by five pressure gauges located at various positions in the borehole. An important positive pressure peak was found to occur as the casing moved with maximum velocity. Important negative peaks were found as the casing was lifted from the slips and as brakes were applied to stop pipe movement. A rigorously formulated theory has successfully predicted the sequence and magnitudes of these positive and negative surges and has established a basis for understanding how they occur. Both the measurements and theory indicate that the most important pressure surge is usually due to viscous drag of the flowing mud. The theory of viscous-drag pressure surges has been approximated by simplified graphs and calculation procedures to facilitate ready use in field operations. Comparison of measured results with those predicted by the simplified theory shows that the magnitude of this surge can be predicted accurately. INTRODUCTION It is widely recognized that raising or lowering pipe in a fluid-filled borehole produces momentary variations in fluid pressure, commonly called pressure surges. Both negative (or "swabbing") surges and positive (or "fracturing") surges may occur. In 1934, Cannon1 measured the negative surges and showed that they could be large enough to cause flow of formation fluids into the well-bore and, in extreme cases, lead to blowout conditions. Later, Coins2 measured the positive surges associated with lowering pipe. His results and subsequent field operations strikingly demonstrated that pressure surges could be an important factor in some cases of lost returns. In addition, although the evidence is less clear than in the case of blowouts and lost returns, other investigators 3, 4 feel that pressure surges probably play a part in many instances of minor gas cutting, salt-water flow and other hole trouble. The importance of pressure surges in drilling operations led naturally to attempts to explain the physical causes, nature and magnitude of the surges. Cardwell5 was the first to publish a theory which allowed the quantitative prediction of momentary pressure variations. He assumed that the drilling fluid was a 300-cp Newtonian fluid in turbulent flow. Most field muds have a considerably lower viscosity and are generally believed to be Bingham plastic in nature.6 However, card-well's results were useful because they were presented in a form convenient for field use and, in some cases, gave a reasonably accurate predicted value for the maximum pressure surge. Subsequently, Ormsby7 published a more comprehensive theory of pressure surges. He discussed both laminar and turbulent flow and considered the theory of mud-bypass devices for reducing pressure surges. As a consequence of his more rigorous approach, his results were more accurate but more complex and difficult to use. Further, both Ormsby and Cardwell considered only the pressure surge arising from viscous drag of the moving mud. Clark later published idealized graphs of surges and presented equations for predicting their magnitudes. In addition to pressure variations arising from viscous drag, he considered those caused by inertial effects. His theory was in this respect more complete than those of Cardwell and Ormsby, although he did not discuss pressures due to breaking of the gel. Furthermore, his equations, while not exceptionally complicated, were too complex for ready use at a drilling location. One difficulty common to all three theories is that none was tested rigorously by direct comparison with measured pressure surges. Their accuracy, therefore, could, not be demonstrated. Further, the two theories based on most realistic assumptions (Ormsby and Clark) required the solution of one or more rather complex algebraic equations. The research described in this paper was undertaken to supplement that described and to overcome some of the difficulties noted. It seemed obvious that a fully satisfactory study of pressure surges should encompass three main phases. 1. A valid theory useful in all field situations must be developed. This theory must be based upon realistic assumptions, must be formulated rigorously and should lead to clear concepts whereby the nature of pressure surges can be easily understood. 2. The theory, however complex and involved, ultimately must be presented in simplified form for convenient field use. This may involve extensive machine computations and the use of figures and empirical equations. 3. The accuracy of the simplified equations must be established by comparing measured pressure surges with those predicted by the theory. These must agree both in their characteristic nature and in magnitude. 'This means that careful measurements of surges occurring in actual field operations must be made.

By W. R. Hardwick

This Information Circular describes copper mining and concentrating methods, practices, and costs at the Silver Bell Unit of American Smelting and Refining Co., Pima County, Ariz. It is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in various mining districts of the United States. The Silver Bell mining district, one of the older districts in Arizona, is in the western part of the Silver Bell Mountains in Pima County, about 40 miles west of Tucson and about 20 miles southwest of Red Rock, a station on the main line railroad of the Southern Pacific Co. The Oxide and the El Tiro open-pit mines of the American Smelting and Refining Co. are in the district (fig. 1. The principal ore deposits are in T. 12S., R.8E., Gila and Salt River base line, at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. The present town of Silver Bell, established in 1952, is reached by a paved highway, the Avra Valley road, that turns west from Highway 84 at Plata siding near Rillito and extends westward 25 miles to the townsite (fig. 2). The present town is about 5 miles southeast of the old town of Silver Bell that flourished from 1900 to 1930.

Jan 1, 1963