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By W. H. Durrell

DISCOVERY of large iron ore deposits in New Quebec and Labrador is, undoubtedly, one of the outstanding mining events of the twentieth century. To give an idea of size, the present concession is almost equivalent to a strip a mile wide around the earth at the equator. Importance of this iron ore area can best be appreciated by comparison to the famous Mesabi Range. On Mesabi, the area of favorable rock is 110 miles long and from 1 to 5 miles wide, with a, productive zone about 70 miles long. On the con- cessions the area of favorable rock in the Labrador Trough is 225 miles long and from 10 to 60 miles wide. In Quebec-Labrador, exploration already discloses that the productive zone is 90 miles long, with good chances of being extended at both ends. The Mesabi is covered generally by thick over- burden, and the iron ore deposits were found by T- test-pitting and systematic test-drilling. In Labrador and Quebec, most ore has been developed from a few surface deposits, and when it is considered that at least 95 pct of the area is covered by over- burden, and that there remains thousands of square miles of favorable territory still to be explored, it can be seen that the possibilities for developing additional ore are tremendous.

Jan 4, 1954

By Hsun Hu

Direct observations were made on the recrystalli-zntion of a cold-rolled (110) [001] crystal of 3 pct Si-Fe by annealing thin sections of the specimen inside the electron microscope during examination. Subgrain formation, presumably by polygonization, occurs rapidly, followed by a slow increase in the subgrain size before recrystallization can be detected. No migration of the subgrain boundaries was observed, and the formation of recrystallization nuclei by coalescence of subgrains is suggested. Re-c~ystallization characteristics of various texture components were individually examined. AS reported in a previous paper: orientations of the various deformation texture components in a 70 pct cold-rolled (110) [0011 crystal of 3 pct Si-Fe were completely confirmed by transmission electron diffraction patterns taken at various areas of the specimen. These orientations can be summarized as follows: Over most areas of the deformed crystal (111) planes are parallel to the surface. These areas correspond to either $- the two main defor: mation textures, the (111) [112] or the (111) [112].2-5 Within a few areas, (100) planes parallel to the surface are frequently found. These areas represent the minor deformation texture component, the (100) [Oll] type, which is derived from rotated Neumann bands.2'4'5 Only in very rare instances are (110) planes found parallel to the surface. This orientation corresponds to the very weak texture component of the (110) [001] type. In a pole figure, this (110) [0011 orientation is located within the orientation spread between the two main (111) [1121 type textures. Usually the electron diffraction patterns taken at various areas of the specimen are very simple ones, i.e., for any one area the pattern consists only of sharply defined spots of a single orientation. In some areas, however, more or less continuous rings of weaker intensities are superimposed on a simple pattern, indicating the presence of a wide range of additional orientations. In order to understand in detail the recrystallization of this cold-worked crystal, the recrywtallization characteristics of each of the various deformation texture components must be examined. This can best be done by using a high-temperature stage and transmission electron microscopy techniques, whereby small areas corresponding to the various texture components can be selected individually for examination. The present paper presents results obtained by this method. MATERIAL AND METHOD Specimens were prepared from a previously studied1 single crystal of a commercial grade 3 pct Si-Fe alloy with an initial orientation (110) [00l], cold-rolled 70 pct from 0.014 in. to 0.004 in. in thickness. Thin foils were prepared by electrolytic polishing as described in the earlier paper.' Specimens of this thin foil were then mounted in a high temperature stage similar to the one designed by Whelan.6 A direct current was used as the heating source. The temperature of the heating grid was calibrated by means of a Pt vs Pt-10 pct Rh thermocouple in a vacuum chamber (0.01 to 0.02µHg). Maximum variation within the temperature range of 250o to 000°C was about ± 25°C. After the desired areas were selected for examination, the specimen was heated to a low temperature for some time while the selected area was constantly watched. When no further change in structure and orientation could be observed, a higher temperature was applied. Photomicrographs and diffraction patterns were taken from time to time during examination, with the heater temporarily turned off* while the photographs were

Jan 1, 1962

By W. W. Mullins, F. A. Nichols

Solutions are developed, assuming surface diffusion and both internal and external volume diffusion, for the relaxation of bodies slightly perturbed from spherical and cylindrical geometries. Combined with those previously published for the nearly planar case, these results provide a means of gaging the relative contributions of the two diffusional proc-cesses in any given case. It is shown that in all sintering experiments to date, and probably in any attainable in practice, surface diffusion has played the dominant role, although most previous authors have assumed otherwise. It is also shown that surface diffusion predominates in normal field-emission tip blunting and also for the coalescence of gas bubbles introduced into metals by a bombardment. The surface-diffusion solutions for a perturbed sphere are combined with previous results for volume diffusion to show that the inclusion of interface diffusion permits considerably larger spheres to develop in diffusion-controlled precipitate growth before the onset of instability. A mechanism is also proposed for the spheroidization of precipitate platelets as well as rods. In a previous paper1 the relaxation of a nearly plane surface to flatness by the combined action of the transport processes of viscous flow, evaporation-condensation (in a closed system), volume diffusion, and surface diffusion has been analyzed under the assumption that all surface properties are independent of orientation. In this treatment, criteria were developed for deciding which process predominates, and solutions valid in the latter stages of the sintering of small wires and particles to a plane were obtained. A numerical solution, valid throughout the entire particle-sintering process for the case of surface diffusion, was subsequently obtained by the present authors.' It was found that the analytic solution (which assumed small slopes everywhere) is accurate to within -10 pct when the maximum slope of the profile is less than 0.3; the wire-sintering problem has also been solved nu- merically for the case of surface diffusion and here again the results converge to the analytic small-slope solution at late stages of the process, the two solutions agreeing in this case to within 10 pct when the maximum slope of the profile is less than -0.6. The purpose of this paper is to extend the perturbation solutions to nearly spherical and nearly cylindrical geometries. We treat only the two principal diffusional processes, i.e., surface and volume, but for these geometries we discuss volume diffusion both inside and outside of the solid. Our results, when coupled with Mullins' solutions1 for nearly planar surfaces, provide criteria for gaging the relative contributions of surface and volume diffusion to the over-all transport process in three basic geometries. A very interesting feature in the cylindrical case is the occurrence of instability for longitudinal perturbations with wavelengths greater than the cylindrical circumference, a classical result. This instability of the cylindrical surface is applied to give a quantitative explanation for the often-observed "erratic" pore closure in the late stages of the sintering of wire compacts; also, the theory previously presented for the spheroidization of rod-shaped precipitates by surface (interface) diffusion' is expanded now to include volume diffusion inside and outside of the particle. The results for circumferential perturbations on a long cylinder allow quantitative estimates for gaging the relative importance of surface or volume diffusion in the early stages of the sintering of spheres or wires. The results here demonstrate clearly that surface diffusion has played a very important, if not dominant, role in all sintering experiments discussed in the literature, although the surface-diffusion contribution to the kinetics has usually been ignored. The results for the sphere (surface-diffusion case) are added to the results obtained previously by Mullins and sekerka3 concerning instabilities of a growing spherical precipitate particle (with interface diffusion disallowed) to obtain a general solution to this problem including interface diffusion. The inclusion of interface diffusion is found to increase significantly the range of stability of a growing spherical precipitate for typical metallurgical cases. The following assumptions are made: (i) the initial surface lies everywhere near and has a slope differing only slightly from that of the reference

Jan 1, 1965

By D. L. Murphy

As the world's demand for iron ore increases and available sources are depleted, increasing attention will be centered on deposits in the Quebec and Labrador portions of the Labrador Trough. Improvements in the beneficiation of low grade iron ore stimulate exploration for deposits amenable to concentration. This study is centered on the Mt. Wright-Lake Carheil area, lying between Wabush Lake and Mt. Reed in Quebec. Described in detail are the general lithology, structural and economic geology, and mineralogy of the iron-formation. The iron ore province of Quebec and Baffin Island extends from the southern shore of Baffin Island southeasterly through the Labrador Trough to Matonipi Lake, approximately 185 miles northwest of Seven Islands. (See Fig. 1.) Future geologic field studies will very likely extend the limits of the province to include the ferruginous and associated rocks of the Lake Mistassini area. At present, only the deposits near Knob Lake and Lake Jeannine (Mt. Reed) have been brought into production although in the near future several other properties including those at Wabush Lake will commence operations. Within the next decade or so, as the world's demand for iron ore increases and available sources are depleted, this region will undoubtedly become a major mining district. Initial reports of iron-rich rocks in Labrador date back to the investigations undertaken by A. P. Low near the turn of the century. During the ensuing years the country was prospected chiefly for precious and nonferrous base metals because of its inaccessibility and the low tenor of the iron ore. In 1945 an evaluation of the direct shipping ores near Knob Lake indicated that sufficient reserves were present to justify the enormous capital expenditure required to bring the deposits into production. Initial open-pit mining began in 1954 following the construction of a townsite, a 360-mile long railway to Seven Islands, and an elaborate loading dock. Recent improvements in the beneficiation of low-grade iron ore have stimulated widespread exploration for deposits amenable to concentration, particularly along the southwest extension of the Trough. The Mt. Wright-Lake Carheil area, bounded by longitudes 66O45' and 67 30' west and latitudes 52 30' and 52 45' north, is a nearly rectangular tract of slightly less than 500 sq miles. It is in Saguenay County, 174 miles north-northwest of Seven Islands (see Fig. 1). Except for the periods of the spring breakup and the fall freeze up, the area is readily accessible by air.

Jan 1, 1962

By Aaron J. Miles, Eugene A. Stepenson

The pressure distribution in a producing oil or gas reservoir has been obtained mathematically in a limited number of special cases where the boundary of the reservoirs are simple geometric figures with the wells conveniently located within them. Using some of the previous work as a basis, it can be proved that a number of additional problems of pressure distribution can be solved by use of soap film. This method is particularly applicable to a reservoir drained by a number of wells, or to a reservoir of irregular shape, or to both. Since this method obtains the pressure distribution, it also establishes the drainage boundaries of the wells. This paper derives the analogy between the equation representing the pressure distribution in a reservoir and the equation of the deflected membrane. It also describes the apparatus and the method of operation. The experimental method is employed to solve a problem whose mathematical solution is known and the results compared. These are found to be in good agreement. The method is applicable to any homogeneous liquid, compressible or incompressible, or to a gas, flowing in a reservoir of uniform thickness, permeability and porosity. The flow state may be either the steady state or the transient state wherein the density or pressure of the fluid in the reservoir declines at a constant rate. PRESSURE-DISTEIBUTION PBOBLEM Fluids encountered in the oil reservoir are compressible and expand and move toward the drilled hole where the Dressure is lowest. The loss of fluid from the reservoir lowers the pressure in the more distant parts of the reservoir, permitting the fluids in these parts to expand and move toward the well. The area around the well affected by drainage is increasing continuously, and the density, pressure, and velocity of flow

Jan 1, 1938

By G. H. Clevenger

The reagents now used in flotation consist of various acids or salts, which may be either electrolytes or non-electrolytes, dissolved in water and some substance or combination of substances which function as collecting or frothing agents. At times the only dissolved salts present are those naturally occurring in the water used. The general effect of the electrolyte is to greatly sharpen the separation between the gangue and the concentrate. Examples of this are: The use of sulphuric acid with zinc ores; and of sodium carbonate or calcium oxide (lime) with silver-gold ores. Crude pyroligneous acid is also sometimes used when avail able. Various oxidizing agents, such as permanganates, bichromates, etc., are added in the selective flotation of lead-zinc ores. Many other reagents for performing certain specific functions, either real or imaginary, have been proposed, and a number of them have been tried upon a working scale. The wild orgy of experimentation which is now going on in flotation exceeds even that which followed the introduction of the Washoe process for the treatment of Comstock ores, when, among other things, sage-brush tea and tobacco juice were reagents added to the pans. Out of all this will, of course, eventually come a more or less standard practice for the treatment of each class of ore. Omitting a discussion of the functions of frothing and collecting agents, the reagents used in flotation for this purpose may be classified under five general heads: (1) Essential oils; (2) fixed or fatty oils; (3) alcohols and their combinations with organic acids; (4) coal tar and its refined products; (5) petroleum and its refined products. A flotative agent of some kind is required in flotation as now practiced. A single reagent, as, for example, certain of the essential oils, may perform the dual function of frothing and collecting agent, or a mixture of substances may be required. In this country, the essential oils used have been wood products, and have been almost exclusively confined to the steam-distilled pine oils. At the present time, the supply of these is limited, and the cost almost prohibitive, so that their use has been dispensed with as far as possible. The oils and tars resulting from the destructive distillation of

Jan 1, 1917

By Walter Harvey Weed

INTRODUCTION. IN a previous paper upon the enrichment of mineral veins by later metallic sulphides,† the writer has shown that certain masses of rich ores, such as are found in many mines, either near the water-line or as bonanzas in depth, are of secondary origin, and are due to a leaching of lean ore and the concentration of the material by reaction between the solution and the unaltered ore below. The geological and mineralogical evidence is believed to form an adequate basis for a chemical and physical explanation of the phenomenon. In the present paper the writer will give a brief synopsis of this theory, and will apply it more particularly to deposits of the precious metals, laying special emphasis upon the dependence of such enrichments upon the presence of iron sulphide (as pyrite, etc.) in the primary ore, and upon structural features which control the circulation of the enriching solutions below the water-level. It is believed that many, though not all, of the bonanzas and pay-shoots of rich sulphide ores, especially those carrying gold and silver, which are encountered in ore-deposits, are of such secondary origin. Apparently it is essential that the occurrence and structural relations of such ore-masses should be understood, as the success of the mine is often dependent upon the finding and extraction of these ores. A legitimate deduction, too, is that such ore-deposits decrease in value with depth. As my own studies have been mainly in Montana, my illustrations must be drawn from the ore-deposits of this and adjacent States, with such as I have noted in hurried visits elsewhere. The literature of ore-deposits doubtless affords also

Jan 1, 1902

By Richard H. Rein, John Chipman

The activity of SiO2, in the entire liquid system SiO2-CaO-Mg0-A12O3 at 1600°C is calculated from the distribution of silicon between these slags and Fe-Si-C alloys saturated with either graphite or silicon carbide, the activity coefficient of silicon in these alloys, and the requisite thermodynamic data. The activities of the other components in the ternary systems SiO2-CaO-A12O3, SiO2-MgO-CaO, SiO2-MgO -A12O3 are computed from these data by the IrON blast-furnace slags can be regarded as consisting of the four major oxide components, SO2, CaO, MgO, and A12O3 along with minor proportions of other oxides and of sulfur. The purpose of this study is to measure the activity of silica in the liquid solutions of these four oxides at iron-making Gibbs-Duhem equation with the aid of the known free energies of several of the interoxide compounds and the accepted phase diagrams. Based on these activities, new data are Presented for the free energy of formation of a number of the interoxide compounds. The free energy of mixing the liquid metasilicates of CaO and MgO shows slight positive deviations from the ideal. temperatures and to obtain activities of the other components by application of the Gibbs-Duhem equation and the properties of several interoxide compounds. Recent investigations on the activity of silica in the SiO2-CaO-A12O3 system1-3 and recogntion of a serious error in older data for the free energy of formation of SiO2 (Ref. 4) have succeeded in bringing a fair degree of concordance into the results of different investigators. In the present study, the activity of silica is obtained from the silicon-distribution experiments described in a previous paper,' the revised activity coefficient of silicon

Jan 1, 1965

By C. F. Cornell, R. C. Emmett, D. A. Dahlstrom

FOR many years the disk-type and cloth-covered drum filters have found widest application in liquid-solids separation, which uses continuous filters. The disk type is less expensive, occupies less floor space per square foot of filtration area, and re- quires negligible down time for filter media changing. However, because filter cloth is billowed out by the blowback in the cake discharge, it is very short-lived if the scraper blades are set too close. Consequently cake weight is very important in assisting cake discharge, which normally necessitates a minimum cake thickness of 3/8 to ½ in. Also, the vertical position of the disks eliminates the possibility of efficient cake washing for removal of soluble values. The disk-type filter is generally limited, therefore, to applications that require no cake washing and form relatively thick cakes within the normal range of filter cycle times. The conventional cloth-covered drum filter is a more flexible unit, permitting wider variation in the percentage of cycle time devoted to cake formation, dewatering, or washing, as required by the application. Thinner filter cakes can be discharged be- cause a horizontal line across the filter medium at the location of the scraper blade is equidistant from the edge of the blade at all points. The scraper blade therefore may be set a short distance from the filter medium or, where wire winding is not used, a floating scraper can be utilized so that the contour of the cloth can be followed. The drum filter is generally employed when there are difficult filtering slurries with resultant thin cakes or when cake washing to recover soluble values must be practiced.

Jan 2, 1958

By Nicholas J. Grant, Hanna Ibach, Bill C. Giessen

The system Ta-Rh was investigated over the entire comnposition range using metallogvaphic and X-ray techniques as well as thermal analysis. Terminal solubility limits, solidus temperatures, and the crystal structures of two new intermediate phases were determined. There are five intermediate phases: o, tetragonal, isostructural with o(Fe-Cr); a1, orthorhomnbic : a2, orthorhombic, isostructural with CozSi; 0 3, a high -temperature phase of unknozun structure; and a TaRh3, cubic, AuCu3 structure. a, aL, a,, and a melt peritectically; and a TaRh, has a maximum melting point. Five peritectic and one eutectic reactions occur. THE Ta-Rh phase diagram has not been fully treated in the literature; however, two inter metallic phases have been described.&apos;-&apos; This study attempts to work out the diagram covering the details of phase boundaries as well as the crystallography of the intermediate phases. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Starting materials were tantalum powder of 99.8 pct purity, supplied by National Research Corp., Cambridge, Mass., and rhodium powder of 99.9 pct purity, supplied by Bishop Co., Malvern, Pa. Analyses as given by the manufacturers are presented in Table I. In addition to the spectroscopic analysis, an oxygen analysis has been made of the tantalum powder. After preliminary trials, the standard procedure employed in making the alloys was as follows (see Ref. 4 for further details). The powders were weighed, mixed manually, compacted under 16,000 psi, and arc-melted at not more than 500 amp under thoroughly titanium gettered welding-grade argon of 400 mm Hg pressure. The gettering process was repeated after each melt. It had been shown previously5 that under these conditions no oxygen pick-up exceeding 0.001 pct in a hafnium button could be detected. The buttons, ranging from 5 to 10 g in weight, were inverted or, if possible, crushed and remelted three times. Melting presented no difficulty, except for tantalum-rich al- loys, which showed considerable spashing during melting. The average weight loss of 1 wt pct rose to 2.5 wt pct in these cases. Subsequent melting, however, resulted in losses of less than 0.1 wt pct. The melts obtained frequently showed small in-homogeneities, mostly in the tantalum-rich part of the system below 25 at. pct Rh. This was not due to insufficient blending of the elements, but to crystallization taking place from the cooled bottom. This condition was not improved by further re-melting; therefore the following precautions were taken. Cross sections of as-cast buttons were made. For the investigation only buttons were used where these inhomogeneities did not exceed 1 at. pct (estimated from the amounts of haSeS resent). In addition, only the center portions of such buttdns were utilized to minimize errors. Smaller buttons showed smaller concentration gradients and were used as a check. Finally, all alloys were homogenized to eliminate coring (see below). After this, the error in alloy composition due to inhomogeneity was cl at. pct. In order to confirm the concentrations of the alloys and to provide an impurity check, wet-chemical analyses and oxygen-fusion analyses of four key alloys were carried out. The results, together with the concentrations as calculated with the weight balance method, are presented in Table 11. It was found that for three alloys the agreement is very good (< 0.2

Jan 1, 1964

By H. S. Thomsen, W. C. Duesterhoeft, R. E. Hartline

The attenuation and phase shift which formations produce in the electromagnetic field of an induction-type electrical well-logging instrument are great enough to substantially affect the response of the tool to formation conductivity under normal logging conditions. The application of the general equations for the propagation of an electromagnetic field in a conductive medium to the transmitter-receiver coil pair of an induction-logging-tool coil system gives an expression for the response which properly takes the propagation effects into account. A comparison of a calculation of this type with the response computed from the commonly used geometric factor concept, which does not include the propagation effect, leads to a factor Go representing the ratio of the responses computed by the two methods. The value of Go decreases not only with increasing formation conductivity, but also with increasing transmitter-to-detector coil spacing. For a single coil pair with a 40-in. spacing, the value of Go is 0.972 in a 20-millimho/m formation. The value is reduced to 0.915 and 0.812 for conductivities of 200 and 1,000 millimhos/m. As a result, the basic signal generated by the induction-logging coil system is not linearly related to formation conductivity as expected from the geometric factor concept. A uniform conductivity scale can be obtained only by adding a suitable nonlinear element to the recording system. The addition of auxiliary coils, having spacings less than the main-coil span, to achieve focusing results in an even greater departure of the basic signal from linearity with conductivity. The solution of the field equations near the interface between two formations of different conductivity gives the curve shape on an induction logging tool in crossing the interface. The addition of auxiliary coils to achieve focusing can add anomalous character to the curve shape in crossing the interface, which might be mistaken for lithological detail. Preliminary calculations which include the propagation effects in the determination of the conductivity correction for thin beds lead to correction factors which are substantially smaller than those obtained from geometric factor considerations. It is apparent that thin-bed corrections derived from geometric factor calculations are of doubtful validity. INTRODUCTION Although the electromagnetic induction type of electrical well log has been used for a number of years and has gained general acceptance in quantitative well-log interpretation, no technically complete investigation of the mechanism and of its operation has been published. The studies which have been presented are based upon the premise that neither the shape nor the intensity of the induction field of the logging tool is in any way affected by the electrical characteristics of the formation. From the inception of induction logging it has been recognized that under some formation conditions the performance of the instrument could be expected to be substantially different from that predicted by the simplified analysis. This anomalous performance has been called "skin effect" since it is the result of the same phenomenon which causes high-frequency alternating currents to flow only near the surface of metallic conductors. In the range of conductivities encountered in the sediments, the formation actually does not exhibit the sharply defined conducting "skin" shown by metals. The gradual modification of the distribution of the currents in the formation, produced by the induction field of the logging tool, is the direct result of phenomena associated with the propagation of the electromagnetic field through the formation. Therefore, it can be much more appropriately described as the "propagation effect". One purpose of this paper is to review the results of a solution of the equations for the performance of a single transmitter-receiver coil pair induction-logging system which takes into account the propagation effect, showing the manner in which the tool performance established by this analysis differs from that derived from the less comprehensive analyses currently in use. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF THE INDUCTION LOGGING INSTRUMENT The high-frequency alternating current which is maintained at a constant value in the transmitter coil

By F. H. McDowell

For more than two hundred years Mexico has been enriching the world from her inexhaustible wealth of precious metals. From this source alone, over three thousand five hundred millions of dollars have been poured into the coffers of Europe and America. During these centuries the wants of the country in manufactured goods have been supplied from the mills and machine-shop of the Old World. English, French and German merchants in Mexico have vied with each other in their efforts to control the importing of these goods from their respective countries. The overthrow of Maximilian, the departure of the French and the restoration of the Republic, largely influenced by the strong stand taken by the United States Government during our own civil war, established a new order of things. Americans were encouraged to visit the sister republic, examine into the needs of the country, as well as its resources, and interest themselves in the work of development. More recently, under Presidents Diaz and Gonzales, liberal inducements have been extended to American capitalists to build railroads, open mines, erect reduction-works, raise cattle and improve the crude systems of agriculture. The Mexican Central Railway has been pushed south from the Rio Grande to the Capital, and, by its branches and connections, makes the whole mineral belt of the country accessible.

Jan 1, 1885

By H. H. Stout

IN the early fall of 1925, the writer was conducting, in the Ledoux and Co. labora-tory, New York, experiments directed to-ward ascertaining the effect on its impurity content when cathode copper was subjected to a current of various gases at an elevated temperature below the melting point, The apparatus consisted of a vertical 1-in. dia. silica tube about 12 in. long, heated on the outside, The cathodes were broken to pass a8-in. mesh, and a current of various differ-ent gases was passed up through a 4-in, long column of these loose cathode particles in the vertical tube furnace. Temperature was maintained to i500° to 1600°F. and the gas treatments lasted from 3 to 6 hr, The writer observed that whenever reducing gas (H2 or CO) was used, these cathode par-ticles stuck together at points of contact with each other. The cohesion was so marked and tenacious that an examination was made of the fractured surfaces, when cathode particles were broken from the cluster. Crystal growth was always found to have taken place across the surfaces where separate particles were in contact, but only after all oxides, sulphates, etc, had been completely removed. The idea of a possible new process was then conceived and was disclosed to A. M. Smoot (V. P. Ledoux and Co.) with intent to obtain his views. The first conception as given Smoot was "to gas-clean broken cathodes, put them in an extrusion press, solidify and extrude them at around 1500°F," Smoot&apos;s reaction, after a few moments considera-tion, was, "It looks perfectly all right to me."

Jan 1, 1940

By Damon H. McFadden

5.1-1. Geographic and Geologic Factors. Surface mines are located where the coal seam can be economically uncovered and where the product can be utilized competitively with other fuels. The planning and designing of a pit may follow various procedures. The sequence for consideration of the influential factors as considered here may not be complete for every pit, nor will it be necessary to be completely used in each design. It is suggested as a check and outline for the engineering approach. Controlling conditions for the layout should be listed and considered with the facilities and equipment for the exploitation. After these items, as listed below, have been discussed and the feasibility agreed upon, then the actual planning and design of the pit can be done. GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES. The location of the coal area sets the climatic stage. The rainfall, the temperature extremes, and the general weather conditions all affect the design of the pit. Overburden soil when wet may not be stackable and may be impossible to move by standard procedures. The coal seam itself may be so soft that it must not be traveled on when wet, as the losses may be the difference between a profitable venture and an unsuccessful one. Some equipment will work well on dry soil only, just as a dredge works only in the wet. The conditions must be checked and analyzed. Some equipment cannot handle frozen soil (wheel excavators), so temperature extremes must be noted. The extreme weather conditions may also govern the expected working days and therefore the ultimate production. The altitude (atmospheric pressure) may affect the equipment, and this should be checked. All of these conditions should be noted on the preliminary map of the area. GEOLOGIC FACTORS. The geologic and surface conditions of the coal field dictate the type of pit generally feasible. Rough terrain, rolling terrain,

Jan 1, 1968

By Edwin M. Chance

During the past 10 years, the safe and efficient lighting of the coal mines of this country has received an ever-increasing amount of attention. Several States have passed laws attempting to regulate the type of lamp to be used and the nature of the fuel to be burned, and the mining departments of coal-mining States have generally shown a keen and intelligent interest in this subject. The passage of the recent Employers&apos; Liability Act in Pennsylvania has made it necessary for many coal-mining companies to take out liability insurance, and the companies underwriting such insurance have made it desirable for the insured to permit the use of none but illuminants of established worth. While these conditions have not obtained for a sufficient length of time to permit the statement that the illumination of coal mines by portable lamps has been standardized, still, considerable progress has been made and the direction of future practice in this branch of coal-mining technology is very evident. Under these conditions it seemed that a review of the methods now used in coalmine illumination, together with a brief consideration of the principles underlying these methods, might be of some interest. Miners&apos; lamps may be divided into three classes: The open light, the electric cap lamp, and the flame safety lamp. It will be desirable to consider each of these classes separately, as each has properties peculiar to itself and one class is hardly comparable with another. In this country, without question, the open light is the most generally used of all miners&apos; lamps. This fact is explained by the relative freedom of a large proportion of our mines from gaseous conditions, and by the admirable systems of ventilation installed in those that show a tendency toward such conditions. In the metal mines, the miner&apos;s candle has had and still has considerable vogue. Because of the small amount of ventilation usually supplied in metal mines, the freedom of the candle from any tendency to produce noxious gases or offensive odors, and the small amount of air it consumes, are valuable assets, while, because of the light color of the rocks in which workings are driven, the meager light is not a serious handicap.

Jan 1, 1918

By G. W. Crane

When ore was discovered on the Tintic Standard property in the spring of 1916, new developments were immediately started both north and south of that property, on the supposition that in East Tintic the ore would be found to occur in northerly trending channels, similar to those so characteristic of the older camp. But 9 years of developments have failed to establish the existence of such a channel. This is due undoubtedly to important differences in the geology of the two camps, that were not recognized, and is indicative of the danger in the general tendency toward interpreting the geology of East Tintic too strictly in terms of that of the older camp. It should not be forgotten that while the two sections have had practically the same geological history, the net results of a long series of geologic processes have developed in them conditions that differ so widely and in so many particulars that the necessity of regarding them as essentially different districts seems apparent. In an effort to emphasize this fact, this paper is devoted chiefly to a comparison of the geological conditions as found in the two camps and is addressed more particularly to those familiar with the geology of the Tintic district. Following a short description of the several ore discoveries and of the Tintic Standard mine is a brief discussion of the evidence of ore channels in East Tintic. For my information regarding the Tintic Standard mine, I am indebted to the courtesy and generous assistance of Messrs. Wade and Snow of the Tintic Standard Mining Co. East Tintic District The Term East Tintic district is here used to represent that eastern part of the Tintic mining district lying between the productive portion of the old camp of Tintic on the west, the foot hills of Goshen Slope, on the east, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad on the north, and Silver Pass on the south, all in Utah County. As represented by the geological map, Fig. 1, it includes an area about 4 miles wide, east and west, and 5 miles long, north and south, within which the Tintic Standard mine is about centrally located. The map is a compilation of data supplied, for the most part, by the Chief Consolidated Mining Co. and represents the

Jan 1, 1927

By H. A. Coy

THE Mascot mines of the American Zinc Co. of Tennessee are situated in the Holston River valley, in Knox County, Tennessee, about 13 miles (20.9 km.) east of the city of Knoxville, and form a property of three operating shafts and one open pit. A second open pit is located at Jefferson City about 16 miles (25.8 km.) east of the Mascot mines. Geology Topography.-The principal topographical features of the region within which the zinc deposits occur is a series of parallel northeast and. southwest ridges which reach altitudes of 200 to 400 ft. (61 to 122 m.) above the valley. These ridges are formed of resistant formation such as sandstone, quartzites, etc., while the valleys are occupied principally by limestone, including Knox dolomite, and by shale and other formations subject to quick erosion. The Holston River valley is wide and open with a rolling surface. Sink holes are common to the limestone portion, the general aspect of the valley being that of well-rounded hills with low intervening valleys superimposed upon which is a characteristic sink-hole topography. General Geology.-According to Keith, the rock formation of the area extends from the lower Cambrian into the Silurian. The region has undergone severe deformation with heavy faulting, the underlying Cambrian having been brought to the surface by a series of low angle thrust faults, the strike of the faults and formations paralleling the general northeast and southwest direction of the topography and clipping at varying angles to the southeast. In general the Cambrian quartzites, sandstone, etc., occupy the ridges while the Cambro-Silurian dolomites, limestone and shales occur principally in the valleys. Of the latter, the Knox dolomite is of particular interest to this paper in that it is the ore carrier in the Mascot area. The ore is associated with more or less irregular breccia zones, the degree of brecciation varying from-a fine crushing to a breaking that involves blocks of large size. The breccia zones

Jan 9, 1917

By Norman Hedley, George Barsky, S. J. Sawinson

The cyanidation of precious-metal ores is a complex chemical process. Numerous reactions occur, some of which cause an undesired consumption of alkali and of cyanide. A knowledge of these reactions, their products, and the factors that influence the rates at which they proceed should be of value in working out the most economical conditions for cyanidation; but at present, much of this knowledge is lacking. This paper is confined to a study of some of the fundamentals of cyanidation. At the start of such an investigation it is necessary to simplify the problem under consideration by eliminating as many variables as possible. The results are then, of course, not immediately applicable to practice, but it is hoped in further work to round out the information and thereby make it of more practical value. For convenience in presentation, the paper has been divided into two parts, one devoted to a study of the reaction between cyanide and gold or silver, the other to a consideration of the factors that determine the rate of dissolution. I. REACTIONS INVOLVED IN DISSOLUTION OF GOLD AND SILVER IN DILUTE CYANIDE SOLUTIONS Ever since the cyanide process for gold and silver extraction was introduced there has been discussion of the equation representing the reactions involved. In undertaking a detailed study of these factors, it was felt that the most logical first step was to determine, if possible, what reactions could theoretically take place when gold and sill-er are dissolved by dilute cyanide solutions. It is possible to determine whether or not a given reaction will theoretically take place by calculating the free energy of the reaction. This free-energy value for any given reaction is the algebraic sum of the free energies of formation of each of the reactants and products, and, if these values are known, the calculation is simple. (A chemical change always involves an energy change and the amount of energy change involved is the factor determining whether a given reaction will take place or how far it will go. In chemistry we consider what is known as the "free energy"; that is, the maximum amount of energy that can be utilized as

Jan 1, 1935

THAT the march of civilization has synchronized with progress in the art of utilizing minerals is a proposition that needs no proof. It is a truism. Historians conveniently divide the time that the earth has been inhabited into the Stone Age, the Bronze (more accurately the Copper) Age, and the Iron Age. As archeologists are not entirely in accord as to dates, and as a few centuries make no difference whatever to this particular story, it may be approximated that the Age of Copper began about 8000 years B.C. and that it gave place to the Age of Iron about 1000 years B.C. The logic of this succession-stone, copper, iron-lies in the fact that copper first displaced stone, then iron displaced copper as the standard material out of which the utensils, implements, and weapons, the utilitarian articles of antiquity, were made. After the advent of iron, the mining and smelting of copper continued. Copper and bronze found use particularly in objects of artistic and ornamental nature; but the superior qualities of iron for many purposes were recognized. Useful manufactures of those days consisted principally of knives, hammers, chisels, spear-heads, arrow-heads, and battle-axes. First these were made of stone, then of copper and bronze, then of iron-particularly as there was plenty of iron ore, and the metallurgy was comparatively easy of accomplishment. Of course, the periods of transition dragged slowly. Definite as were the three Ages dominated by the mineral substance from which they get their names, ten or fifteen centuries probably elapsed from the time the first iron was smelted in a small charcoal furnace until it became the accepted material from which to shape a battle-axe. Contrast this with the pace of modern progress. In a brief span, half a dozen more or less deserving candidates for the distinction of having their name

Jan 1, 1933

By Ligon Johnson

. Only the acute phase of the smelter fume problem is new. The problem itself is older than the Christian era. While both lead and copper were mined and crudely smelted some 3000 years ago, it was not until the Roman occupation of the Iberian . Peninsula and the British Isles, which occurred but shortly before the beginning of the Christian era, that there was any evidence of smelting operations on a scale sufficiently large to permit a fume problem. Around Huelva, Spain, are found more than 30 million tons of slag from lead smelting conducted there by the Romans. Pliny tells US that more than 20,000 slaves were employed in the Iberian mines. Extensive mining and smelting by the Romans in England and Wales were coincident with the Iberian proceedings. These metallurgical operations were upon a sufficiently large scale to produce marked results both upon the surrounding country and the smelter workers, but, as they were those of a conqueror upon conquered soil, conducted by slaves, imperial Rome failed to recognize that such a thing as a smoke problem did or could arise, and whatever fume question there may have been at that time remained a question only to those who had no chance to answer any phase of it. The smelting operations of the Romans extended over about 400 years, and little is recorded of lead and copper smelting from that time until the 16th century. From the revival beginning at this period up to the present century, the growth of smelting has been comparatively gradual. In Great Britain, smelting was conducted almost wholly in localities where metallurgical operations were of paramount importance, and the communities .that grew up in smelter localities were due to and dependent upon the mines and smelters. This fact had much to do with the comparative freedom of British smelting from burdensome fume litigation and legislation. To a lesser degree these conditions applied to the German operations which, when coupled with the further fact that most of the early German operations were to a greater or less degree fiscal workings of Prussia, Saxony and Brunswick-Hanover, accounts for

Jan 1, 1918