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Minerals are vital to any industrialized civilization. Annually, the United States uses more than 4 billion tons of new mineral materials, or about 40,000 pounds per person-about half being mineral fuels and the other half being metals and nonmetallics. Stable and economic domestic mining, mineral, metal, and mineral reclamation industries are essential to the economy. The value of United States energy and processed materials of mineral origin exceeds $200 billion annually. Although a number of minerals are imported, especially some designated as "strategic and critical," most U.S. mineral supplies are derived from the domestic mines and processing facilities that you will be seeing, reading about, and visiting as you use this visitor guide. We hope you enjoy your experiences. This pamphlet, a guide to mining and mineral operations that may be observed or visited and some other points of interest relating to minerals, is in-tended to aid tourists and students who are interested in mining. Some may wish to study our Nation's romantic past; others may plan to enter the minerals industry as a career; still others may have a primary interest in conservation practices. The pamphlet is also intended to aid State and local officials, Chambers of Commerce, and mining firms in answering some of the many questions of tourists and students.

Jan 1, 1977

By B. K. Shibler, W. G. Sandell, G. M. Potter, H. D. Snedden

"INTRODUCTION During the course of the investigation of the occurrence of manganese deposits in the western United States, examining 'engineers of the Bureau of Mines collected samples from seven manganese properties in Grand and beery Counties, Utah. These were supplemented by five samples submitted by property owners. Since all of the ores were too low-grade for use in producing ferromanganese for steel manufacture, some means of beneficiation was required to produce marketable concentrates, and metallurgical studies were made on each of the samples.Most of the ores Investigated are similar in one respect: At least part of the 'manganese oxide areas contains minute inclusions of gangue. This occurrence materially enhances the complexity of the ore, partly by .increasing the complexity of mineral association, but largely through making manganese-quartz liberation more difficult. In such ores, there is a marked tendency for the manganese minerals to be retained as shells or coatings on the surfaces of quartz particles when crushed. Particles of this type represent considerable loss of manganese in tailing, if gravity-concentration methods are employed, or tend to' float, thus carrying an appreciable quantity of gangue into the concentrate, if treated by flotation.Plus 48-percent manganese sinters were made from some of the ores tested, but, in general, intimate association of manganese minerals with silica limited the degree of beneficiation attainable."

Dec 1, 1947

By R. L. Cosgriff

A commercial, battery-powered mine vehicle has been equipped for remote operation in coal mines. This vehicle is controlled by an operator from the remote station. Command signals originating at the remote station as well as video and data signals originating on board the vehicle are relayed between the remote station and vehicle using a single coaxial line. This coaxial line is normally 2,000 feet in length and is reeled in and out from a drum mounted aboard the vehicle The vehicle has a maximum speed of 6 ft/sec and a minimum speed of 4 ft/sec using 36-volt excitation of the traction motor. If this traction motor is excited by two of the three batteries, 24-volt excitation, the vehicle will travel at approximately 2 ft/sec. The speed can be reduced by the operator to 1 ft/sec. This vehicular system has been tested in coal mines. Presently, the major limitation of this system is associated with fatigue failure of the splices in the coaxial line and lack of mobility caused by its 3-wheel design.

Jan 1, 1974

By M. Jaffe

The data developed in this study establishes the technical and economic feasibility as well as the improved health and safety characteristics of a novel mining concept. The mining concept is a modified longwall technique using prestressed tendons for roof control, longhole blasting for fragmentation, and remote mucking. The technical feasibility was found to be dependent on the state of the art, while economic feasibility was found to be dependent on particular minerals and on supply and demand. Since these two conditions are not necessarily coincident in time the data is presented in the report in a manner that enables the mining engineer to perform a rapid preliminary technical and economic analyses for a specific property.

Jan 1, 1977

By Robert J. Timko

In early June 1986, an underground fire of unknown origin erupted in one of several entries of a coal mine located in southwestern Colorado. For a time, mine personnel aggressively fought the fire. However, control of the fire was later lost. To prevent further damage and reduce the possibility of an explosion, all portals and shafts to the mine were sealed. The mine operator requested the U.S. Bureau of Mines' assistance in obtaining and analyzing mine fire gases taken from sampling ports placed through the mine seals, as well as down boreholes drilled after the fire. This report recounts activities within the first 2 years of the mine being sealed. It includes a description of gases analyzed and mine atmosphere status equations generated from the analyzed gases. The gases were analyzed by chromatography and included standard atmospheric gases as well as higher hydrocarbons that are found in postfire atmospheres. Nine equations were used to evaluate what was occurring within the sealed mine. Following a description of the rationale behind each equation, the 2-year trend is briefly analyzed.

Jan 1, 2010

By E. D. Gardner

This paper is the third of a series of three on placer mining in the western United States. The first paper4 discusses the history of placer mining in the Western States and the production of placer gold, geology of placer deposits, location of placer claims on public lands, sampling and estimation of gold placers, and classification of placer-mining methods, together with hand-shoveling and ground-sluicing. The second papers deals with hydraulicking, sluice boxes and riffles, recovery of gold and platinum from placer concentrates, treatment of amalgam, and marketing of placer gold. The discussion of sluice boxes and subsequent subjects in the second paper applies to all forms of placer mining. The present paper treats of dredging and other forms of mechanical handling of placer gravels, and drift mining.

Jan 1, 1934

Tennessee is the largest federal program state in the nation, with 62 active surface and underground coal mines. Tennessee's coal resources lie in 22 coal seams in 22 counties. Twelve seams are being mined at this time. Mining in the northern counties is primarily in steep slope areas in the Cumberland Mountains. The relatively flat terrain associated with the Cumberland Plateau makes area-rnining the most common production method in Tennessee's southern counties. The State of Tennessee gained primacy August 10,1982, when its regulatory program was conditionally approved, subject to the correction of certain deficiencies. On May 16,1984, the Tennessee General Assembly repealed most of the Tennessee Coal Surface Mining Law of 1980, effective October 1, 1984. With this action, withdrawal of the state regulatory program was formalized, and on October 1,1984, the Office of Surface Mining's Knoxville Field Office became the regulatory authority. Tennessee is not eligible to receive funds for an abandoned mine reclamation program because it does not have an approved regulatory program. Accordingly, the Tennessee Abandoned Mine Lands Program does not receive federal AML grants. Since 1984, AML projects have been completed under cooperative agreements between OSM and the state; emergency projects are completed by the Office of Surface Mining.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. T. Iannacchione

Roof-rock instability in advancing sections of underground coal mines is a major contributing factor to accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries. Such roof-rock conditions can also result in loss of production due to additional cleanup time and increased amounts of reject material. The Bureau of Mines is investigating fundamental geologic factors affecting coal mine roof-rock instability in order to develop techniques to predict zones of potential unstable roof-rock. Two distinct directional trends of unstable shale roof-rock in a mine working the Upper Kittanning Coalbed are delineated: one trend is associated with the sandstone-shale transition zone, the other with a fault system. The unstable shale roof-rock associated with the transition zone, a consequence of differential compaction, is comprised of slickensided roof-rock. Whereas, the unstable shale roof-rock associated with the fault system, a consequence of structural deformation of the strata, is comprised of fault planes. These faults, small in comparison to the sandstone-shale transition zone, are difficult to delineate with a standard drilling program. Trends of the transition zone associated with the sedimentary facies change are projected into unmined portions of the coalbed with the aid of exploration core data.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. H. Young

In response to increasing national energy requirements. highlighted by the continuing growth in demand for coal for the generation of electric power the output of bituminous coal and lignite in 1965 passed the 500-million-ton mark for the first time since 1956, thus emphasizing the steady up-ward trend from the recent low of 403 million tons in 1961. There were corresponding upward trends in consumption, exports mechanization, and productivity. Production.-The output of bituminous coal and lignite in the United States in 1965-512 million tons-was 5 percent greater than the 487 million tons produced in 1964. The gain was attributed largely to expanded consumption by the electric utilities, greater use at coke ovens, and an increase in exports.

Jan 1, 1967

By F. E. Harris

The United States produces about 30 percent of the world output of salt. Numerous deposits occur in widely separated areas, but the leading producing States are California, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Although no great amount of salt is produced at present in Pennsylvania, the potential sources in that State recently aroused a good deal of interest. The United States salt industry is highly organized; it comprises fewer companies than when small crude works with primitive methods and equipment eked out salt for local needs, but concentration of output brought about by modern inventions and methods of production has improved the quality of the produce greatly and accelerated production.

Jan 1, 1939

By Dorothy M. Richardson

The Bureau of Mines has participated in the American Petroleum Institute Research Project 48A (API-RP48A) program on the Separation and Identification of Sulfur Compounds in Crude Petroleum. The lack of reference compounds or infrared spectral data has made difficult the identification of individual sulfur compounds boiling above 140° C. The recent acquisition of 24 alkylthiophnnes has made possible a limited study of this important class of sulfur compounds. The infrared spectra of 2-monoalkylthiophenes and 2,5-dialkylthiophenes for the 2 to 15p range are reported. Correlations for determining the 2-alkyl and 2,5-dialkyl substituted thiophenes are derived from this information. The 2-alkylthiophenes show a unique pattern in the 5.50 to 6.54 region, while the 2,5-dialkylthiophenes show a distinctive pattern in the 5.6µ to 6.7µ region. A skeletal vibration occurs in the 9.5 to 10.0µ region for all of the thiophenes investigated. These data will aid the infrared spectroscopist in the identification of compounds of the type reported.

Jan 1, 1961

By Chas. F. Jackson

During the current business depression the Bureau of Mines has received many inquiries concerning placer mining, the prospects for men of small means to make wages by small-scale placer operations, the locations of placer deposits in the United States, methods of working placers on a small scale, and allied subjects. It has therefore seemed desirable to prepare a circular covering, in nontechnical language, the principal questions which have boon referred to the Bureau of Mines for answer. There are a number of bureau publications dealing with placer mining, most of which are now out of print, but which may be consulted in the larger libraries. Other articles on placer mining nave appeared from time to time in the technical press and several good textbooks have been written on the subject. A partial bibliography of this literature appears at the end of this paper. A recent pamphlet published by the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology to assist the prospector and inexperienced small operator has received wide and favorable attention and is recommended as a useful reference. In the present paper no attempt will be made to cover the subject of placer mining in a comprehensive manner, but discussion will be confined to elementary questions of particular interest to persons of limited experience.

Jan 1, 1932

By C. B. Manula

In this report, the application of the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS) to a Southwestern surface mine using draglines and front-end loaders is described. The specific objective of the study is to demonstrate the application of the simulator to analyze mine planning and to analyze alternatives for increased production. The simulator was verified by comparing long term production figures to the simulated results from data collected on a mine visit. A short term and a long term alternative are studied with projected productivities and scheduling. No economic analysis of these proposals were performed.

Jan 1, 1977

By E. P. Carman

In this report, the Federal Bureau of Mines presents a summary of the occurrence, properties, and uses of some natural bitumens, using the layman's or dictionary definition of bitumens - that is, naturally occurring hydro-carbons. Emphasis is on the less common solid and semisolid bitumens, particularly those occurring or used to some extent in the United States. This comprises data from many sources and references to these sources for more detail than is given in this summary. This paper was prepared primarily to answer questions about some of the less known bituminous materials. The word hydrocarbons could just as well have been substituted in the title for bitumens, but bitumens was used, since an abstract of the paper was presented at a meeting where the major emphasis was on bituminous materials. The reader will realize that coals, of which only the more unusual such as the cannel coals and torbanites are discussed in this paper, are primarily mixtures of bituminous materials and carbon. The amount of bituminous material, or volatile matter, in coals is greatest in the lower rank coals and the unusual types described in this paper, and decreases as coal rank increases. However, since no method other than destruction of the original coal substance by heat is known that will separate the volatile matter from the carbon, it appears reasonable to classify the coals with other bituminous materials, particularly since bituminous coal - the most widely used coal - by its name indicates the combination of bituminous materials and carbon.

Jan 1, 1961

By M. H. Marvin

This report presents the results of a program to develop backfilling techniques to mitigate undesirable effects of hydraulic borehole uranium mining. Large underground cavities, formed during the borehole mining process, can be backfilled to prevent ground subsidence and to allow mining of adjacent uraniferous sandstone. Three backfilling techniques were tested in the laboratory and in the field: bulk dumping of slurry into the borehole from ground level, slurry injection under water, and slurry injection above the cavity water level. These techniques were tested with sand and with sand and one percent cement (by weight) mixtures. The project was accomplished in four tasks: equipment preparation and transport, mining operation to generate a full-sized cavity, backfilling operation, and assessment through core samples and subsidence checks. The concentrations of cement mixed with sand proved to be inadequate to bond the sand. Bulk dumping resulted in a 30-degree angle-of-repose, much too steep to completely fill the cavity. Both slurry injection techniques filled the cavity satisfactorily. However, underwater injection is the recommended backfilling technique because the borehole water level does not need to be pumped down during backfilling. The borehole itself was filled by bulk dumping of slurry. In conclusion, backfilling of borehole mining cavities is entirely feasible, and the preferred method is slurry injection under water.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. E. Brewer

A critical review of the numerous test methods that have been devised for measuring the "plastic" and "swelling" properties of bituminous coking coals and the practical evaluation of the data obtained has long been needed. The author appreciates fully, first, the arduous problem of doing justice to the merits and limitations of the many original test methods and their manifold modifications and, second, the more difficult task of interpreting the test data obtained in their practical applications to the important problems involved in the coking process. It has been the constant aim of the author to point out the broader significance of the test principles employed in the different classes of test methods and the usefulness of the test data obtained in relation to the problem of coking bituminous coals, rather than to stimulate unduly a controversial criticism of the merits and limitations of any particular class of test methods or of individual test methods devised by different workers. The task has been quite difficult because of the almost total lack of accepted test standards and specifications.

Jan 1, 1942

By Richard L. Rains

In 1992, the Bureau of Mines evaluated mineral resources of the 34,043-hectare Caribou City and 41,943-hectare Stump Creek study areas in southeastern Idaho. No resources were delineated. The areas had been proposed for wilderness. Rocks underlying the study area are part of the Idaho-Wyoming Thrust Belt. At Caribou Mountain they have been intruded by diorite-monzodiorite. Where the intrusive rocks contact calcareous members of the thrust belt, skarn bodies have formed that host metal deposits. Gold, both placer and lode, occurs in the Caribou City area, and salt occurs in the Stump Creek area. Production records show 73.5 kg (2,363 ounces) of placer gold were produced; however, field studies indicate more than 2,000 kg (67,000 ounces) probably were recovered. Minor amounts of lode gold, silver, and copper were recovered from the hard rock mines. Production of salt from the Stump Creek study area in the 1860's was used by emigrants on the Oregon trail and also shipped to various mining districts for use in silver recovery. Oil and gas were drilled for, but all holes are plugged and abandoned. There are no current leases. Examined workings consisted of 25 adits, 3 shafts, 50 prospect pits, and extensive placer workings all in the northern tip of the Caribou City area, Current BLM records show 168 placer and 146 lode claims; 14 claims are patented.

Jan 1, 1993

By Oliver Bowles

The National Granite Commission at its annual meeting in Norfolk, Va., in January, 1930, passed a resolution requesting the Bureau of Mines to conduct an economic study of the granite industry. In with this request a preliminary review has been made of trends in the production and uses of block granite.. Some unfavorable conditions were thus brought to light, and certain suggestions regarding a more orderly and consistent growth in the industry are herein discussed. The results of the study are, presented in this report for the earnest consideration of. the industry, and comments are invited, not only on this report but as to future work that might be accomplished by the Bureau of Mines. The authors desire to acknowledge many helpful suggestions and comments from Paul M. Tyler of the Bureau of Mines and from Harris F. Sherman, secretary of the National Building Granite Quarries Association. Miss A. T. Coons of the Bureau of Mines rendered valuable assistance through her wide knowledge of granite statistics. The block granite industry has shown little expansion during recent years. While the value of the annual production has grown from about $14,000,000 in 1904 to nearly $25,000,000 in 1928, the increment in value is caused mainly by mounting prices rather than by increased production. Even granite for memorials shows a very small advance in production volume, although the value has increased from about $3,500,060 in 1904 to more than $11,000,000 in 1928, which is the most consistent growth of any branch of the industry. The value of building granite has fallen for a number of years much below the figure for 1904, and in 1928 was very little in advance of the value attained 24 years previously. The use of granite paving blocks and rubble has shown a gradual decline.

Jan 1, 1931

By Wilbert J. Huff

The Explosives Division of the United States Bureau of Mines makes certain laboratory and field investigations that deal with explosions, explosives, ignition, and combustion, together with many related problems, such as the cause and prevention of fires, and certain fundamental scientific questions bearing upon the determination of the chemical and physical mechanisms underlying some of the important phenomena encountered. Its work on explosives has been particularly directed toward determination of the chemical and physical characteristics of explosives designed for use in coal mines and in a more limited way to those used in metal mines, tunnels, quarries, and other engineering operations. This testing is handled by two units of the Explosives Division, as follows:

Jan 1, 1937

The purpose of this study is to formulate practical guidelines for active underground mining in close proximity to water bodies. This was accomplished through systematic completion of three phases of study: I) Collection and Documentation of Data; II) Application of Existing Guidelines to Case Histories of Previous Inundations; and III) Development of Recommended Guidelines for Underground Coal Mining Near Bodies of Water. Phase I of the study involved a worldwide data collection effort designed to obtain foreign and domestic guidelines for mining near water bodies, and accident records and case histories of accidental mine inundations. Within Phase II, existing guidelines were categorized and classified and then evaluated as to their effectiveness in precluding past inundations had they been in effect at the time of inrush. Advantages and disadvantages of existing guidelines were defined. Drawing on the broad data base established in previous study efforts, Phase III was directed at development of viable guidelines to promote the greatest possible coal extraction while precluding accidental mine inundation. Two levels of guidelines are presented; Level I Guidelines require little or no subsurface exploration on the part of the mine operator, while Level II Guidelines recommend various testing and investigative procedures to permit greatest possible mineral extraction. This report presents findings and conclusions of the study.

Jan 1, 1976