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By AIME AIME

HONORARY COMMITTEE. HON. C. D. WALCOTT (Chairman.), Director U. S. Geological Surrey. HON. FREDERICK I. ALLEN, Commissioner of Patents. DR. FRANK BAKER, Superintendent National Zoological Park. MR. CHARLES A. BELL, President American Security and Trust Co. MAJOR JOHN BIDDLE, Engineer Commissioner of District of Columbia. ADMIRAL C. M. CHESTER, Superintendent U.S. Naval Observatory. GENERAL WILLIAM CROZIER, Chief of Ordnance, U. S. A. ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY, Admiral of the Navy. COLONEL CLARENCE R. EDWARDS, Chief Bureau. of Insular Affairs. MR. WILLIAM C. FOX, Director Bureau of American Republics. MR. CHARLES C. GLOVER, President The Riggs National Bank. GENERAL A. W. GREELY, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A. MR. BERNARD R. GREEN, Superintendent Library Building. GEN. G. H. HARRIES, Vice-President Washington Electric Railway Co. HON. E. A. HITCHCOCK, Secretary of the Interior. COMMANDER H. M. HODGES, Chief Hydrographer, U. S. N. PROF. W. H. HOLMES, Chief Bureau of American. Ethnology. PROF. S. P. LANGLEY, Secretary Smithsonian Institution. GENERAL ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. ADMIRAL N. E. MASON, Chief Bureau of Ordnance, U. S. HON. WM. M. MEREDITH, Director Bureau of Engraving and Printing. HON. V. H. METCALF, Secretary Department of Commerce and Labor. HON. WILLIS L. MOORE, Chief -U. S. Weather Bureau. HON. PAUL MORTON, Secretary of the Navy. MR. F. H. NEWELL, Chief Reclamation Service, U. S. Geological Survey. HON. S. N. D. NORTH, Director Census Office. CAPT. E. C. PENDLETON, Superintendent Naval Gun Factory. MR. GIFFORD PINCHOT, Chief Forester, Department of Agriculture. MR. HERBERT PUTNAM, Librarian of Congress. ADMIRAL CHAS. W. RAE, Chief Bureau of Steam Engineering, U. S. A: MR. RICHARD RATHBUN, Assistant Secretary Smithsonian. Institution. HON. W. T. RICHARDS, Commissioner General Land Office.

Jul 1, 1905

By A. L. Sweetser

Experience has shown how difficult it is to obtain information regarding laboratory-tests in connection with the chlorina-tion-process for the extraction of gold from its ores, and I therefore present the following method, somewhat in detail, for the benefit of those who may desire to pursue research work in this field. The ore chosen was a partly-decomposed porphyry, extremely siliceous and comparatively soft, and of an average value per ton of from $25 to $26 in gold and $0.68 in silver. The chemical analysis gave: Fe,O,, 3.35; FeS, 1.5; MnO,, 0.75; ZuCO,, 4; A1,0,, 3.20; H,O, 0.7 ; SiO, and insol., 83.50 per cent. The ore, first crushed to pass a 5-mesh screen, was coned and quartered until a 45-lb. sample was obtained. Samples for assay and analysis, taken from this lot by means of riffles, were crushed to pass a 100-mesh screen. The original sample was divided into 10-lb. lots, of which one was crushed to pass a 10-mesh screen; another through a 12-; the third through a 20-, and the last through a 30-mesh screen. Because of the production of an excessive quantity of fine material it was deemed inexpedient to crush finer than 30-mesh size—a decision the wisdom of which is proved by the data in Table I., showing the increasing ratio of slimes, in proportion as the ore is crushed finer. In order to determine the percentage of fines in the sizes of mesh selected, a weighed sample of ore was taken from each mesh, and a sample from the 10-mesh lot was passed successively through 20-, 40- and 100-mesh screens, and the percentage remaining on each screen determined. This process was repeated with the 12-, 20- and 30-mesh lots, with the results given in Table I.

Jan 1, 1908

By C. A. Stewart

I. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESULTS. The field-work upon which this paper is based was done in the summer of 1910, and was made possible by the courtesy of the Imperial Copper Co., which gave me access to its property. For their kindness in this respect I wish to express my thanks to W. F. Staunton and Meade Goodloe. Moreover,. B. F. Smith and G. B. Gentry, mining engineers in the employ of the company, gave invaluable assistance by placing maps,. etc., at my disposal, and by discussing with me the problems of the district; and it is a great pleasure to acknowledge this indebtedness to them. In order that the significance of some of the details that follow may be better appreciated at first reading, a general outline of the conclusions reached is given here. In the Silverbell mining-district a series of Palaeozoic limestone blocks is completely surrounded by post-Palaeozoic igneous rocks, intruded in the following order: alaskite, alaskite-porphyry, biotite-granite, andesite, and quartz-porphyry. The biotite-granite is believed to represent a differentiation of the. magma from which the alaskite-porphyry came ; and this conclusion-has an important hearing on the origin of the ores. The intrusion of both alaskite-porphyry and biotite-granite was followed by the emission of magmatic waters, which sericitized and silicified the alaskite-porphyry and granite, and produced in the limestone, by the addition to it of silica, iron, and alumina, great masses of garnet, quartz, and wollastonite. Following close upon these solutions came metal-bearing magmatic waters, which impregnated porphyry, granite, and alas kite with cupriferous pyrite, and deposited in the garnet zones chalcopyrite and copper-bearing pyrite that make important bodies of contact-metamorphic ores. Secondary enrichment has taken place in the disseminated ores in the igneous rocks,. raising their copper-content to 2 per cent. in some cases,. and extensive drilling has been undertaken to block out these deposits. East of the contact-metamorphic deposits there is a fissure-vein of lead-silver ore in the quartz-porphyry. This rock is distinctly younger than the alaskite-porphyry and the granite; and the lead-silver ores belong, therefore, to a period of mineralization distinctly later than the copper-deposition.

May 1, 1912

DEFENSE Materials Procurement Agency has been moving rapidly to encourage copper industry expansion programs. Although copper production is at a high level, a shortage exists on a world-wide basis as well as on the domestic scene. Projected expansion programs will not ease this current demand for most of them are 2 to 5 years off. Refining facilities are adequate but there is a shortage of ore and scrap, and it is for this reason that the expansion programs are directed at developing more sources of supply. The domestic expansion programmed thus far and understood to have been arranged with price escalation should the domestic price go to 271/20, were summarized by American Metal Markets as follows (dates of announcement are given in parenthesis: .1-Copper Cities Mining Co.'s, $15,000,000 expansion near Miami, Ariz., to be operating about 1954. DMPA will buy 22,500 tons of copper a year up to a given amount on an agreed price of 23¢ per pound, with some exceptions and depending upon salability at a higher price to other purchasers in the U. S. (September 25th). 2-An RFC loan of $60,000 to North Butte Mining Co. to be paid off on the basis of deliveries at a purchase price of 241/20 per pound (September 25th). 3-A $25,000,000 expansion program by Phelps Dodge to provide 38,000 tons per year by late 1954. DMPA would purchase it at a price of 22¢ per pound up to 112,500 tons providing other purchasers in the U. S. will not pay a higher price (September 26th). 4-Anaconda Copper Mining Co. $40,000,000 expansion in Nevada to provide more than 30,000 (might be increased to 45,000) tons per year. DMPA would purchase the copper at 250 per pound for a limited period of time if it is not salable to industrial users at above this price. Production would start around 1953 (November 14th).

Jan 1, 1952

By G. G. Brown

Enthalpy-entropy diagrams are presented for natural gases of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0 gravity over the pressure range of 5 to 10,000 Ib. per sq. in. and temperature range of 32º to 700°F. The charts indicate directly the work requirement and temperature rise for adiabatic compression or temperature change for free emansion of natural eases. Computation and Uses of Charts The Mollier diagram (Fig. 4), in which the enthalpy (heat content) is plotted against the entropy with lines of constant temperature, pressure,, and in some cases volume, has been found most convenient when dealing with the compression, expansion, and flow of fluids. In dealing with the flow of fluids, the sum of the increase in the enthalpy, AH, plus the increase in kinetic energy, AM —, plus the increase in potential energy, ?MZ, representing the total increase in energy of the fluid in flow, is equal to the sum of the heat q, and work added, —w, to the fluid while flowing between the entrance and exit of the flow system. AH + AM— + ?MZ = q-w [1] In cases where there is no significant change in potential energy or in kinetic energy (velocity), it follows that the increase in enthalpy is equal to the total energy supplied to the fluid. Under such conditions' the changes in the property of the fluid as it flows through a throttling valve, choke, or any other similar arrangement, may be read directly from the enthalpy-entropy diagram by following a horizolltal line between the known pressures' When compressing Or expanding a gas by means of a Or or engine in which no heat is added to or subtracted from the gas, but only work done, the changes in the properties of the gas may be determined along a vertical line of constant entropy between the entering and exit pressures. The power required for the compression of the gas may be readily determined by converting the increase in enthalpy into the desired units. The enthalpy-entropy diagram for natural gases is to the gas engineer what the steam diagram is to the steam-power engineer. For this reason it would be extremely convenient if a reasonably satisfactory enthalpy-entropy diagram could be prepared as a function of the gravity of the gas. A careful study of the known properties of natural gas indicate that this is possible. The effect of temperature upon the enthalpy at constant pressure is expressed as the "heat capacity" or "specific heat" of the gas. The best available data for natural and petroleum refinery gases indicates the relationship shown in Fig. I. From this it is clear that the specific heat of natural gases is a function only of the gas gravity and the temperature at atmospheric pressure. The effect of pressure on the enthalpy of natural gases is dependent upon the pressure-volume-temperature relationships,

Jan 1, 1945

By Wheeler O. North

The United Eastern Mining Co.'s property is in the Oatman, Gold Roads mining district of Mohave County, Ariz. The mine and mill are 26 mi. (41.8 km.) southwest of Kingman, the nearest railway connection. The ore consists of a mixture of calcite and quartz with some andesite. The values, which are mainly gold, alloyed with approximately 34 per cent., by weight, of silver, are extremely fine so that fine grinding is a most important factor in extraction. The milling process, briefly, consists of single-stage, coarse-crushing, two-stage ball milling in cyanide solution, followed by combined mechanical and air agitation, and by straight counter-current decantation. The Merrill zinc-dust precipitation method is used to recover the values, and is preceded by the Crowe vacuum treatment of the solution. The most notable features of the plant are the absence of filters, and the use of short peb mills loaded with steel balls, for fine grinding. As originally designed, the capacity of the mill was to be 200 tons per day, although the grinding end was to be capable of handling double that amount. By adding extra agitators and thickeners and by some alterations to the grinding end, the daily capacity has been raised to 285 tons. This, it is hoped, may be increased to 300 tons during the warm months of the present year. Tonnage Milled per Day 1917 average....... 234; maximum month.... 272; minimum month..... 146 1918 average....... 253; maximum month,... 276; minimum month..... 217 As this article primarily deals with plant operations, those interested in the mechanical description are referred to the article by Mr. Otto Wartenweiler,1 the designing engineer, which gives the details and costs of design and construction. The following changes have been made since that article was published: Two special simplex Dorr classifiers have been substituted for the two duplex Callow screens and bucket elevator, which classified the Marcy discharge and returned the oversize for regrinding. Three Dorr

Jan 1, 1920

By E. C. Harder

BAUXITE is known mainly as the ore from which aluminum is smelted but it has large use also in the manufacture of artificial abrasives and as a basis for certain chemical industries. A small amount is used for refractories and for other purposes. COMPOSITION Dana and others give the mineral formula of bauxite as A1203.2H20 and the composition as A12037 73.9 pct; H2O, 26.1 pct. It has been definitely shown, however, that bauxite does not exist as a specific mineral but rather as a rock. The term is now used synonymously with aluminum ore and it embraces gibbsite (hydrargillite or alpha trihydrate), A1203.3H20 (A12037 65.4 pct; H2O, 34.6 pct); boehmite (alpha mono¬hydrate), A1203.H20(Al203) 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct); diaspore (beta monohydrate), A1203.H2O(A12037 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct), and mixtures in various proportions of any two of them. Bauxite of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic in Europe is predominantly a mixture of gibbsite and boehmite, subordinately a mixture of boehmite and diaspore, or gibbsite and diaspore. The bauxite of North and South America, tropical Africa, Asia, and Australasia consists largely of gibbsite. Corundum (A1203) is not included under bauxite, although gradations from bauxite to emery or corundum exist. All bauxite, irrespective of the aluminum minerals composing it, contains certain impurities, including silica, in the form of clay minerals (kaolinite, halloysite, and others) or quartz, iron oxide (as hematite or goethite), titania (as leucoxene or rutile), iron sulphide (as pyrite or marcasite), iron carbonate (siderite), and calcium carbonate (as calcite); the last three mentioned in minor amount and of local occurrence only. Bauxite belongs to a group of partly consolidated materials called laterites, formed by surface weathering. This group includes also impure siliceous and ferruginous bauxite and siliceous and

Jan 1, 1949

By Frederick Laist

I. EXPERIMENTAL FLOTATION CONCENTRATION INTRODUCTION EARLY in 1914 it was decided to test, on a fairly large scale, the treatment by flotation of Anaconda slime and mill tailing. For this purpose a standard-type Minerals. Separation machine was installed at the Washoe Reduction Works during May and June, 1914. This was followed by the. installation of a full-size Callow pneumatic machine plant. Experiments were also made, on a smaller scale, with the Froment, the Towne, the Fields, and the Anaconda flotation machines. The last-named machine was developed at this plant. In addition to the tests made in the standard-type Minerals Separation machine some tests were made using a Minerals Separation machine of the sub-aeration type. During the series of experiments a large variety of oils was tested. Experiments were also conducted using both round-table feed and tailing to determine whether it would be better to displace the round tables by flotation for the treatment of the slime, or to supplement the round tables by flotation of the round-table tailing. A series of tests was also made on the treatment of the mill tailing by grinding followed by flotation to determine the relative merits of flotation and leaching for the treatment of this product. In addition, flotation tests were made on mixtures of mill tailing and slime. The round-table feed referred to above is the total slime from the mill. It contains about 35 per cent. colloidal solids and approximately 90 to 95 per cent. of the total solids will pass through 200 mesh (0.067 mm.). It assays from 2.3 to 2.6 per cent. Cu. The mill tailing referred to above is the total discard from the mill, exclusive of the slime. It is all finer than 2 mm. and about 90 to 95 per cent. will remain on 0.25 mm. It assays about 0.60 per cent. Cu. A brief summary of the experimental flotation results follows:

Jan 3, 1916

By George Holderer

THE Enos Coal Mining Co. owns an area underlaid by coal, of approximately 5000 acres. This property is situated 9 miles from Oakland City, in the southern part of Indiana. The mine has been in operation 5 years, during which time some 350 acres have been stripped, and stripping is now proceeding at the rate of about 100 acres per year. TOPOGRAPHY These coal lands consist of gently-rolling agricultural fields which in times past were farmed for wheat. There is no timber and but very little brush to contend with. The overburden varies from 10 to 60 ft. in depth. A thin bed of slate overlies the coal, followed by limestone, which varies from 3 to 15 ft.; this, in turn, is followed by sandstone, slate, shale and clay. There is a very wide variation in the thickness of all of these beds. The coal has an average thickness of 5 ft., and is a good grade of high-volatile bituminous. MINING OPERATIONS Briefly, the sequence of operations is: drilling holes with churn drills; blasting with L. 0. X.; stripping overburden to uncover coal and, finally taking up the coal, which is sent to a tipple for cleaning and sizing. In order to show what is being accomplished by the use of L. 0. X., results will be shown from May to November, 1926, inclusive, and compared to the same period in 1925. No work was done in No. 1 pit during May, 1925, hence all figures are unduly low for this month. Drilling There are in use 8 No. 44 Loomis clipper drills, caterpillar traction with gasoline engines; recently these were equipped with extra heavy stems, measuring 26 ft. overall and 4 ½ in. dia., to increase the speed of drilling. In addition, 4 No. 1 ½ G non-traction drills have been acquired, and are used to save the time of the larger drills when recleaning is necessary.

Jan 1, 1927

Jan 1, 1968

By McHenry Mosier

MeRcuRy is one of the strategic metals of which the supply has been raised from critical uncertainty to more than enough for essential demands. Work by the Bureau of Mines has contributed substantially to increased production of mercury in the United States and to consequent accumulation of Government stocks. Other contributing factors have been higher prices for mercury and Government loans to operators. The Bureau has undertaken 13 exploration projects, 10 of which have been completed. This work has comprised 28,376 ft. of several types of drilling and 23,798 lin. ft. of surface trenching, and has indicated commercial ore containing 34,800 flasks of mercury and marginal ore containing 26,200 flasks, a total of 61,000 flasks; equivalent, respectively, to domestic production for 8 months, 6 months, and 14 months. As Government stocks are now adequate, domestic production (currently at the rate of 50,000 flasks per year) is gradually being curtailed through Government control of labor and operating supplies. Introduction Mercury was one of the seven metals designated as strategic by the Army and Navy Munitions Board in 1939, when Congress appropriated funds for the investigation of domestic sources of supply of war minerals. The Bureau of Mines immediately started a limited search for strategic minerals, but the first mercury project was not begun until December 1940. The U. S. Geological Survey assisted in the search for cinnabar by contributing information on domestic mercury deposits, preparing maps, and making geological studies of exploration projects. The present high rate of production of mercury in the United States was encouraged by the increase in price to $196 per flask at New York (Fig. I) and Government loans to operators for mine development and plant construction. The Bureau of Mines has issued, for restricted distribution subject to wartime controls, 13 War Minerals Reports on individual mercury deposits (listed in appendix A). In March 1942 it also published a Progress Report of the Metallurgical Division, R. I. 3627, Cinnabar-reduction Plants of the Southwestern Arkansas Quicksilver District. Uses of Mercury Mercury and its compounds have more than 3000 uses. Its principal use is as a catalyst in the manufacture of gases for chemical warfare; the next largest is in pharmaceuticals. Mercury is essential also for: (I) certain electrical apparatus, (2) industrial control instruments at many war plants, (3) munitions, including blasting caps, (4) insecticides in agriculture, (5) antifouling paint for ship bottoms, (6) dental preparations, (7) general laboratory use, and (8) amalgamation of free-milling gold ores.

Jan 1, 1949

By McHenry Mosier

MeRcuRy is one of the strategic metals of which the supply has been raised from critical uncertainty to more than enough for essential demands. Work by the Bureau of Mines has contributed substantially to increased production of mercury in the United States and to consequent accumulation of Government stocks. Other contributing factors have been higher prices for mercury and Government loans to operators. The Bureau has undertaken 13 exploration projects, 10 of which have been completed. This work has comprised 28,376 ft. of several types of drilling and 23,798 lin. ft. of surface trenching, and has indicated commercial ore containing 34,800 flasks of mercury and marginal ore containing 26,200 flasks, a total of 61,000 flasks; equivalent, respectively, to domestic production for 8 months, 6 months, and 14 months. As Government stocks are now adequate, domestic production (currently at the rate of 50,000 flasks per year) is gradually being curtailed through Government control of labor and operating supplies. Introduction Mercury was one of the seven metals designated as strategic by the Army and Navy Munitions Board in 1939, when Congress appropriated funds for the investigation of domestic sources of supply of war minerals. The Bureau of Mines immediately started a limited search for strategic minerals, but the first mercury project was not begun until December 1940. The U. S. Geological Survey assisted in the search for cinnabar by contributing information on domestic mercury deposits, preparing maps, and making geological studies of exploration projects. The present high rate of production of mercury in the United States was encouraged by the increase in price to $196 per flask at New York (Fig. I) and Government loans to operators for mine development and plant construction. The Bureau of Mines has issued, for restricted distribution subject to wartime controls, 13 War Minerals Reports on individual mercury deposits (listed in appendix A). In March 1942 it also published a Progress Report of the Metallurgical Division, R. I. 3627, Cinnabar-reduction Plants of the Southwestern Arkansas Quicksilver District. Uses of Mercury Mercury and its compounds have more than 3000 uses. Its principal use is as a catalyst in the manufacture of gases for chemical warfare; the next largest is in pharmaceuticals. Mercury is essential also for: (I) certain electrical apparatus, (2) industrial control instruments at many war plants, (3) munitions, including blasting caps, (4) insecticides in agriculture, (5) antifouling paint for ship bottoms, (6) dental preparations, (7) general laboratory use, and (8) amalgamation of free-milling gold ores.

Jan 1, 1949

By AIME AIME

CONVENTION plans for the A.I.M.E. Regional Meeting to be held on the Minnesota Iron Range Aug. 12 to 1.5 are being completed to give the visiting member?s from all parts of the country a wide variety of technical and recreational features. High spots of the social events are the official dinner, dance, luncheon and golf: and of course, special provision is being, made for the entertainment of visiting ladies. The technical sessions will fit in with scheduled trips to view all phases of mining, beneficiation and transportation of iron ore. Men from the West and Southwest will find much of interest in the detail of the mining operations. A trip to the steel plant of the

Jan 1, 1941

By AIME AIME

THE climax of the various programs and entertainments in connection with the holding of the World Engineering Congress* in Tokyo in October was the complimentary dinner given by the visiting members of the Institute to our members in Japan. At the same time President Bradley conferred an honorary membership on Baron Takuma Dan, the vice-president of the World Engineering Congress.

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1925

By H. W. Gillett

MAINTENANCE of membership by the technical so¬cieties and the activity of these societies in spite of the adverse business situation have been noteworthy. This forcibly brings home the fact that industry recognizes that sound technical guidance is well worth its cost. The numerous difficulties and losses due to defects of various kinds arising from gas-metal reactions are now generally recognized and interest in these problems is widespread. The forthcoming A. I. M. E. round-table discussion of gas-metal problems will do much to clarify the situation and will permit us to assay our present knowledge and to suggest the proper direction for profitable future research. "The Age Hardening of Metal" was the title of the annual I. M. D. lecture delivered by Dr. Paul D. Merica. A critical review of the known facts relating to age-hardening phenomena was first given, followed by the presentation of a theory correlating the detailed observations which have been made regarding the mechanism of the hardening.

Jan 1, 1933

By Ross E. BROWNE, Ross B. HOFFMANN

IT seems strange that a theory so devoid of value in its application to our practical problems should attract such widespread acclaim. This appears still more remarkable when one considers the foundation on which it is built. The criticism naturally suggested is as follows: First; the special theory of relativity is based on an assumption which is counter to the fundamental conception of relative motion. Second; the theory claims only a slight modification of Newtonian mechanics-a modification so minute that, even if true, it would have no practical value in its application to any visible occurrence here on earth.

Jan 1, 1931

By Gordon MacVean

THE adoption of rock dusting, as a safety measure, has made notable progress in the West Virginia coal mines since May, 1925. At that time there were but two mines in the State that were thoroughly rock dusted, mines No. 2 and No. 12 of the Boone County Coal Corp., at Sharpless. Since then it is probable that 75 per cent of the coal operators in the State have given consideration at one time or another to rock dusting. This growth of interest followed the meetings of the various mining institutes all over the country, during the summer of 1925, at which papers were presented, drawing the attention of the coal mining operators to the merits of this safety measure. Yet outside of the experience with rock dusting at the Old Ben Coal Corp., of Southern Illinois, and the Carbon Fuel Co., of Rains, Utah, there had been no actual occurrence in the coal mines of the United States, which could be taken as positive evidence of the efficacy of rock dusting in the prevention of the propagation of coal dust explosions. The U. S. Bureau of Mines, however, had run innumerable tests under conditions which closely approximated actual coal mining conditions and had clearly shown that rock dusting was effective.

Jan 1, 1926

By AIME AIME

THE 131st meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was held in New York on Feb. 16 to 20, 1925, with the largest registration of any previous meeting, the total being 1320 compared to 1276 in 1924. The technical sessions were more largely attended and aroused more discussion than ever before. There were joint meetings with the Mining Section of the National Safety Council, under the auspices of the Industrial Relations Committee of the Institute and two very important lectures, the Howe Memorial Lecture, under the auspices of the Iron and Steel Committee, and the lecture by Dr. Carl Benedicks, of Sweden, on Corrosion, under the auspices of the Institute of Metals Division. The Petroleum Division conducted its annual Symposium on Oil which will be published later in book form. At the annual business meeting on Feb. 17, the following ticket was elected, and the reports of the President, Treasurer, and Secretary 'were presented:

Jan 1, 1925

By M. C. Manderson

Abstract-The sharp drop in world phosphate demand that took place in 1975, due to temporarily high prices, now seems to be reversing itself. And prices for both phosphate rock and phosphate fertilizers, which declined dramatically from their 1975 highs, now appear to be bottoming out. This recent price weakness has delayed new mining ventures that had previously been planned for completion by around 1980. While there is ample capacity to supply near-term rock needs, the stage seems to be emerging for a better supply-demand and price environment in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Jan 1, 1978