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Jan 1, 1920

By Granville S. Borden

This brief is a reconnaissance report on some prospects in the field of taxation which can safeguard our Mineral Resources. The brief is a prospectus soliciting help and enthusiastic cooperation in the common task of developing these prospects in a manner which will be most beneficial to all parties-the owners, operators, employees, tradesmen, the federal and state governments, and the people of this nation.

Jan 4, 1950

Jan 1, 1967

By Robert B. McCormick

THE major use for quartz crystal is in the manufacture of radio oscillator plates and telephone resonator and filter crystals. Quartz crystal is also cut and polished as a semiprecious gem stone, particularly in the colored varieties (amethyst, Brazilian topaz, and others), and often is carved into various objects of art. Prisms, wedges, lenses and other optical parts often are made of quartz crystal, usually for special- purpose instruments. Chips and small clear crystals below 100 grams in weight, called “lascas” by the trade, are the raw material for fused quartz products. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Greeks believed quartz to be permanently frozen water and therefore called it krustallos, which, literally translated, means clear ice; but ages before their civilization, prehistoric man had crudely cut and polished crystals for rough charms and ornaments. About 2000 B.C., the Egyptians brought the art of cutting quartz to a high level. While there are earlier examples of crystal art that have great value, working in crystal during that period became a means of artistic and religious expression that has endured through the ages. Art museums and private collections throughout the world contain many priceless pieces. They include findings from the tombs of the earliest Egyptian rulers, as well as magnificent art objects in both clear and colored crystal encrusted with silver, gold, enamel, and precious gems of oriental and European workmanship. Pierre Curie first measured the piezoelectric effect of quartz, in 188 1, by placing a weight on the surface of a quartz crystal and measuring the resulting electrical charge, which he found was proportional to the weight applied. The following year the inverse piezoelectric effect was proved by the Curies. By applying a voltage to a piece of quartz, a measurable physical displacement occurs. The first practical application of this effect was the construction of a bimorph unit to measure voltage by measuring the amount of the displacement of the end of the bimorph. The piezoelectric properties of quartz crystal remained largely a laboratory curiosity until World War I, when a supersonic device for

Jan 1, 1949

By John Wulff, R. Buehl, H. Hollomon

Although the main features of the transformations occurring in 18-8 have been published already, certain conclusions merit questioning and discussion. The questions may be summarized as follows : 1. If ferrite is formed by cold-working austenite, what happens to the carbon with which the ferrite and austenitc are both presumably supersaturated? 2. What is the nature of the alpha-ferrite formed at grain boundarices by chromium-carbide precipitation at these boundaries?

Jan 1, 1940

By R. Buehl, John Wulff, H. Hollomon

Although the main features of the transformations occurring in 18-8 have been published already, certain conclusions merit questioning and discussion. The questions may be summarized as follows : 1. If ferrite is formed by cold-working austenite, what happens to the carbon with which the ferrite and austenitc are both presumably supersaturated? 2. What is the nature of the alpha-ferrite formed at grain boundarices by chromium-carbide precipitation at these boundaries?

Jan 1, 1940

By Donald A. Dahlstrom

The selection and sizing of filters depends on the characteristics of the type of filter and the feed slurry. In addition, the rate functions of cake formation, cake washing and cake dewatering must be determined in order to design the filter station on the basis of desired performance. This chapter discusses the applied theory used to determine the rate functions and illustrates how to incorporate these into the filter cycle to obtain the required objectives. This also permits the sizing of the filter and auxiliaries as well as the selection of the proper type of filter.

Jan 1, 1978

By Burton H. Boyum

GREATER depth of exploration drill holes and increasing cost of drilling have been principal factors in reviving interest on the Marquette Iron Range in controlled directional drill-hole deflection. This deflection is obtained by the application of the Hall-Row wedging technique. Modifications were made in the technique and equipment in the effort to simplify and strengthen the procedure. The practice is similar in many respects to the oil well type of deflection with a whipstock.

Jan 1, 1947

By Richard Divine

IN the Parkes process of extracting precious metals from lead, zinc is added to the molten lead containing gold, silver, copper, and, some antimony. These metals, with the exception of antimony, form an alloy with the zinc by reason of their greater affinity for it than for the lead, and this alloy, being lighter than lead, rises to the top, carrying the precious metals with it, whence it can be removed by skimming. These skimmings are further treated for the separation of the zinc therefrom, and the recovery of the precious metals, the zinc being driven off by heat and again used for another operation. In addition to the zinc that combines with the silver, etc., a certain amount is necessary to saturate the lead, and it is therefore necessary to treat the desilverized lead to free it from this residual zinc. To do this it is heated again in a reverberatory furnace and air or steam is blown through it. This oxidizes the zinc together with a small amount of lead and antimony, leaving the lead free from zinc and antimony, and forming oxides of these metals, which rise to the. top and are skimmed off. This process relates to the separation of the metals in these oxides or skimmings. The skimmings are cooled, crushed, and mixed with carbonate of soda and pulverized oil coke. The mixture is heated in a reverberatory furnace on a bath of lead, to about 1,000°C. The metals are reduced by the coke, the lead and antimony go into the lead bath, while the zinc is volatilized and burned to oxide. This impure oxide is at the present time treated at Omaha by the Hall process of electrical precipitation, making a very pure metallic zinc. It can also be very easily refined by the old Schnabel process of using ammonia and carbon dioxide as a solvent. It seen-is to be in an ideal form for this purpose, and very few changes from the original method are required to obtain the zinc oxide practically C. P., leaving the lead and antimony as residues.

Jan 8, 1914

By Guy Crane

I. INTRODUCTION THE geology of the Tintic mining district, fully treated, would occupy an elaborate monograph. This less comprehensive paper is devoted primarily to the occurrence and origin of the orebodies of the district, while space is given to those phases of the general geology only which seem necessary to a proper setting of such a discussion. The first geological report on the Tintic district to be issued was that by Tower and Smith, published in 1899, in the form of a paper in Part III of the Nineteenth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey, and also as Folio No. 65, Geologic Atlas of the United States. About four years ago a second investigation was begun by Waldemar Lindgren and G. F. Loughlin, of the U. S. Geological Survey. With the exception of a paper on the oxidized zinc ores of the Tintic district by Mr. Loughlin, the results of their work are still unpublished. The writer's acquaintance with the district began in the fall, of 1913, and has extended over a period of about two years.

Jan 10, 1915

By F. J. Arriagada

A conventional technique used to process auriferous sulfidic concentrates involves a pre-leach oxidative-roast step. The structural characteristics of the calcine have a strong influence on the eventual recovery of gold by cyanidation. Surface analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and BET gas adsorption have been utilized to determine quantitatively the structural morphology of calcined pyrite and arsenopyrite samples in the range of 450 to 750 °C under an oxidizing atmosphere. In the case of. pyrite calcines a highly porous hematite product was found below 500 °C; at higher temperatures, a coarser oxide network , was observed. The surface area of these calcines was found to decrease sharply with increase in temperature. In contrast, the surface area of arsenopyrite calcines was found to follow a bimodal-type behavior with roasting temperature with maxima at 500 and 625 °C. In the case of pyritelarsenopyrite mixtures, the surface area was observed to increase dramatically as the content of pyrite increased. The appearance of pyrrhotite as an intermediate phase in the oxidation reactions is postulated to have important structural implications.

Jan 1, 1984

By Christopher W. Schram, Allan B. Tanner, Frank E. Senftle, George R. Boynton, Philip W. Philbin

A borehole sonde using a 252Cf neutron source and a Ge(Li) gamma-ray detector was field tested in a coal bed in Belmont County, Ohio, to ascertain whether such a device could be useful as a coal-exploration tool. As the sonde was lowered into the borehole, successive spectra were accumulated over short time intervals. The intensities of the capture gamma rays from hydrogen and of decay gamma rays from aluminum were determined simultaneously in each spectrum. A log of the intensities versus depth shows the depth and thickness of the coal bed. With the sonde stationary at points above, in, and below the coal bed, capture gamma rays were measured to show the variation in concentration of certain elements. From the spectrum recorded in the bed, a complete ultimate analysis, the percent ash content, and the heat content were determined without recourse to an external standard. Delayed gamma-ray analyses of the core were also made on the surface in the vicinity of the borehole in a fixed-geometry irradiation facility wing the detector in the borehole sonde. The concentrations of 10 elements were determined by this method on a coal split from the drill core. These experiments show that it is feasible to use a 252Cf- Ge(Li) borehole sonde as an aid in coal exploration.

Jan 1, 1979

By Quentin Singewald

SOME of the broader relations between structure and ore deposition along the London fault, deduced from a thorough study of the geology of the eastern part of the Mosquito Range, should be of general interest to economic geologists. The first part of this paper is a generalized state-ment of the geology of the region in which the London fault is located; it may be supplemented by reference to several earlier publications by the writers and to the U. S. Geological Survey's Professional Paper 148, on the Leadville district. The second part deals with the structure of both the fault and the disturbed zone adjoining the fault. The third part dis-cusses the salient features of the ore deposits, particularly emphasizing structural control. The two generalized maps are complementary to one another but contain too many data to show on a single small map. The London fault is between Leadville and Alma, and the ore deposits along it are said to lie in the Alma district. Field work in this district, during six summers since 1927, has been a part of the cooperative work of the U. S. Geological Survey, the State of Colorado, and the Colorado Metal Mining Board. The writers have made use of work by R. D. Butler, J. W. Vanderwilt and R. E. Landon. G. F. Loughlin and C. H. Behre, Jr., who have worked on the west side of the range, have con-tributed valuable suggestions. Mining men of the district have aided in many ways.

Jan 1, 1936

By Elliott J. Roberts

In spite of the fact that the percentage of true colloids in an ore grind is very small,' these pulps exhibit many of the properties of true colloidal suspensions. A quartz particle, appreciably finer than 10 microns in diameter, has a settling rate so low that at a dilution of 5:l or over, the capacity of a settling tank to settle such particles would be uneconomical if the individual particle rate prevailed. However, by grouping the finer particles into aggregates or flocs, the settling rate can be increased to an economical value. The colloidal chemistry of pulp thickening is thus chiefly concerned with particles having diameters of between 1 and 10 microns, although particles as coarse as 40 microns in diameter are more or less involved. These particles must be associated in such a manner that they settle at an economical rate and give a clear, supernatant liquid or overflow. The treatment of the subject may be divided into three phases, cach phase having a more or less different colloidal aspect. The first phase is the problem of getting the pulp or suspension into the proper condition of flocculence; the second is the behavior of the flocculent pulp in its initial and intermediate stages of settling; the third is the behavior of the flocs in the find period of settling or thickening stage. Let us look first into the methods and mechanism of obtaining the flocs and then consider their behavior and properties. Flocculation Colloids are merely ordinary substances reduced to a very small particle size, the upper limit being placed by definition at 1 micron (0.001 mm.) diameter by the soil chemists and at from 0.2 to 0.1 micron by various other colloid chemists. The lower limit is reached only when the particles approach molecular dimensions. The term L'colloid" should not necessarily imply lack of crystallinity. Particles as small as 0.01 to 0.02 micron give perfect X-ray patterns, while with 0.005 micron particles the bands on the powder photograph are merely broaderled and diffused.2

Jan 1, 1935

The Murray Plant of the American Smelting & Refining Company is situated seven miles south of Salt Lake City, and has a fine view of the Salt Lake Valley with its fertile farms and orchards. It is located on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake and Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroads, and has a fine electric car service, cars running every 15 minutes. The beautiful and majestic Wasatch range lies about five miles to the east and the Oquirrh Range to the west, and from these mountains a large proportion of the ores treated are obtained.

Jan 1, 1925

By C. S. Corbett

EARLY in the development of every oil field, the operators of relatively large tracts of land must decide upon a spacing plan for the wells to be drilled upon their respective tracts. Usually it is desirable to have a system of regular spacing laid out over the entire tract, making such adjustments as may be necessary near land boundaries. Unless the dip of the producing formation is very steep, the equilateral triangular arrangement is the one most generally preferred, for the very good reason that it gives the maximum amount of drainage area for the wells up to the limit at which mutual drainage interference begins. Assuming that the equilateral triangular pattern is to be used, there still remains to he decided the matter of distance between wells. Many variable factors enter into the problem of proper spacing, some of which are physical and some economic. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss these factors, as that has been done in several comprehensive articles during the past few years. In the end the decision must be based upon an estimate of the relative importance of various factors which apply to the field in question and to economic conditions in the oil industry at the time the development is getting under way. Even if the best possible spacing distance should be chosen when the problem arises, changing economic conditions and variation in physical conditions in different parts of the field may cause the original choice to become more or less unsatisfactory. Obviously, it is advantageous, once a spacing plan has been adopted, to avoid alteration of it as the field becomes better known or as conditions in the industry change, and yet be able to vary somewhat, the acreage per well in extending the area of development. Or, it may be desired to provide for an ultimate spacing considerably closer than conditions seem to warrant early in the development of the field. With these contingencies in mind, it is of interest to examine the possibilities which the equilateral triangular system affords. Orientation of Coordinate System In this system the well locations may be considered as the inersectionst of three sets of coordinate lines, the lines of each set intersecting those of the other two sets at 60. For convenience in placing such a system

Jan 1, 1930

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

The NATIVE ELEMENTS are divided into the two distinct sections of the Metals and the Non-metals, and these are connected by the transition class of the Semi-metals. The distinction between them as regards physical characters and chemical relations has already been given (Art. 453). The only non-metals present among minerals are carbon, sulphur, and selenium; the last, in one of its allotropic forms, is closely related to the semi-metal tellurium. The native semi-metals form a distinct group by themselves, since all crystallize in the rhombohedra1 class of the hexagonal system with a fundamental angle differing only a few degrees from 90°, as shown in the following list :

Jan 1, 1922

By Donald Ofte

LIQUIDUS temperatures of molten alloys were measured in an oscillating-cup viscosimeter by observing the abrupt increase in the alloy viscosity when the apparatus was cooled below the alloy liquidus temperature. The liquidus transformation can be an elusive thermal effect in an alloy system where a small amount of material is involved in a low-enthalpy liquidus reaction, or where other unfavorable physical conditions interfere. Using the viscosity technique, liquidus temperatures were measured in binary alloys of plutonium with cerium, gallium, and iron, as well as ternary Pu-Ce-Co alloys. The previously described oscillating-cup viscosimeter1 is a torsion pendulum consisting of a right circular, cylindrical tantalum cup fitted to a rigid shaft which, in turn, is suspended by a torsion fiber in a highvacuum system. When the torsion pendulum is placed in oscillation the viscosity of the liquid contained in the cup is a function of both the decay of the oscillation caused by the viscous drag of the liquid contained in the sealed tantalum cup, and the period of the oscillation. The period is measured by a photo-electrically operated timer to the nearest thousandth of a second. Prior to each measurement, the apparatus is held at temperature between 5 and 18 hr to assure thermal equilibrium throughout the 8 to 10-cc alloy sample. When the cup, filled with a liquid metal, is oscillating. only a very thin outer layer of the fluid is in motion. This moving annulus represents the liquid's contribution to the moment of inertia of the torsion pendulum. When the viscosity increases, more liquid is placed in motion, and the slight increase in the moment of inertia causes a corresponding increase in the period of oscillation.

Jan 1, 1967

Frontino operates three underground lode mines at Segovia in the area of northwest Antioquia, Colombia, which has been an important gold producing district since the late 1800s. Auriferous pyrite, the pre-dominent sulfide, carries very finely disseminated gold. Other minor sulfides are galena, pyrrhotite, and sphalerite in quartz gangue with the host rock being granodiorite. Silver is associated with the galena and also occurs as a sulfo-salt. In 1.973 and 1974, at an annual milling rate of 145,000 mt (160,000 st), average mill heads were 7.80 g per mt (0.23 oz per st) Au; 20.0 g per mt (0.58 oz per st) Ag; and 0.37% Pb; with a production of 1,150 kg (35,700 oz) Au and 4,500 kg (141,000 oz) Ag. Over 300 mt (330 st) of Pb concentrate were shipped. The ore is crushed to minus 16 mm (5 18 in. ) and fed to a rod mill with the discharge passing over a 1.07 m by 1.07 m (42 in. by 42 in. ) jig operating in closed circuit with the underflow from a cyclone in closed circuit with two ball mills. Cyclone overflow is bulk-floated for sulfide recovery from which the tailings are sent to the river as waste with the flotation concentrate joining the jig concentrate for cyanidation. The combined gold bearing concentrates, after cyclone classification, are reground to a very fine mesh in closed circuit with cyclone classification, with the overflow going to the primary thickener. Regrinding, classification, and thickening is done in cyanide solution, and the primary thickener produces a pregnant solution for Merrill -Crowe precipitation. The thickener underflow is the feed to the agitators, thickener, and filter from which the overflow and filtrate are sent to precipitation. The washed filter cake is repulped and floated for the recovery of a galena concentrate for shipment. About 40% of the recovered silver is in this concentrate. In the refinery the precipitate is melted into a dore bullion. This 600 mt (660 st) capacity mill employs several interesting techniques. Gold recovery of 85% to 90% from a complex sulfide denotes good practice. While total power at 42 kwh per mt (46 kwh per st) is high, it would be recognized that the grinding units are small in size and the flowsheet is complicated due to the gold occurring in the sulfide minerals. The extremely low-cost electric power is generated by

Jan 1, 1981

By Rudolph Emmel

The mines operated by the South American Development Co. are located in the Zaruma mining district of southwestern Ecuador. They are near the old mining town of Zaruma, which is the only important city in the canton of the same name. The district is situated in the upper end of a valley lying between two spurs of the Cordillera, one of which may be considered the Coast Range and the other an intermediate range. The mining camp proper, known as Portovelo, and the plant are 2.4 km. south of Zaruma, on the north bank of the Amarillo River, a tributary of the Tumbes River, which flows southwestward through Peru to the Pacific. Portovelo is difficult of access; it is reached from Guayaquil by means of river steamers and muleback. 'Embarking at Guayaquil, the route is down the Guayas River, across the Jambeli Canal, and up the Santa Rosa River to Santa Rosa, a distance of 177 km. From Santa Rosa, the road or trail follows the Santa Rosa River, then across the summit of the Coast Range into Portovelo, a distance of 74 km.—a two-day trip on muleback. The mining property of the South American Development Co. comprises 297 lode claims and 142 placer claims. The combined lode claims cover an area, roughly rectangular in shape, 9000 m. long from north to south by 4000 m. wide; the northern edge of the rectangle is about 3000 m. north of the central plaza of Zaruma. Mineral lands in Ecuador are held by virtue of an annual tax per claim paid to the central government, no surface rights being included. HiSTOry The Zaruma mine has been worked by white men since 1549, probably before that it was worked by Indians. The followers of Pizarro, led by traces of gold in the sands of the Tumbes River, followed that stream to its source, worked the gold veins that they found and established the city of Zaruma. Among the mines worked by them were th Sesmo, Leonora, Viscaya, and Mina Grande. Only the soft ores at the outcrop were

Jan 1, 1925