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By Orlando Martino

This regional report covers the mineral industries of Canada and 40 countries and areas in Latin America and the Caribbean Basin. Also included is a brief description of the mineral potential of Antarctica. The Latin American region encompasses an area twice that of the United States. Latin America and Canada have a rich and diversified endowment of mineral fuels, metals, and industrial minerals. Tables 2 and 3 provide a summary view of the importance of Latin America and Canada's output of its major mineral commodities in world mineral supply in 1989 and 1990.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. Craig Smith

This report presents the software documentation for PREY AL, a prefeasibility mineral property evaluation program developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines on a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet. It is presented in a step-by-step "user?s manual" format. Appendixes contain the technical assumptions, program default values, and a summary printout detailing capital and operating costs and cash-flow analysis.

Jan 1, 1992

By W. W. Adams

Every man-hour of work performed in and about the coal mines of the United States had a 2-percent heavier death load from accidents in 1938 than in 1937. This is an unorthodox way of stating that the death rate per million man-hours of exposure or employment was 2 percent higher in 1938 than in 1937, increasing from 1.74 to 1.78. Thus the average miner had a 2-percent greater chance of being killed in 1938 than he had in 1937. The average quantity of coal resulting from 1 man-hour of work increased 3.6 percent -from 0.615 ton in 1937 to 0.637 ton in 1938. The production of the average ton of coal was accompanied by a slightly smaller loss of life in 1938 than in 1937, the accident rate being 2.793 per million tons in 1938 compared with 2.833 in 1937.

Jan 1, 1941

By W. W. Adams

Coal mining in the United States established a good safety record in 1939. The death and injury rates per man-hour of exposure to risk were favorable compared with most previous years, and the number of persons killed or injured in proportion to the quantity of coal mined was also lower than in any other year for which figures are available. Moreover, productivity per man-hour was higher than ever before. The number of man-hours of work performed increased 9 percent over 1938, but there was a slight decrease in the number of men employed. Reports from operating companies showed 539,375 men employed during the year, and the period of operation averaged 179 workdays per man. Man-hours of work numbered more than 678 million. Accidents to the workers resulted in 1,078 fatalities and 54,015 nonfatal disabling injuries, causing disability of the employee for more than the remainder of the clay on which the accident occurred. For each million man-hours of exposure of the employees to mining hazards the fatality rate was 1.59 compared with 1.78 for 1938, and the injury rate was 79.65 compared with 82.61 for 1938. Production of coal averaged 0.661 ton per man-hour compared with 0.637 ton in 1938. The weighted average length of the workday was 7.03 hours or virtually the same as the previous year's average of 7.04 hours. Measured in man-hours, the average period of employment per man was 1,257 hours in 1939 and 1,147 hours in 1938.

Jan 1, 1942

By R. I. C. Manning

The Old Dominion Co, at Globe, Ariz., like the: Phelps Dodge Corporation with which it is closely allied, considers safety a major operating problem. Safety is fostered by this company in consideration of both the humanitarian and economic aspects; the officials, take pride in promoting the welfare of employees, and the management has found that the safest way is the most eco¬nomical and that unless an organization is operated economically it can not continue to exist successfully. In planning and operating any safety, organization, terry things must be taken into consideration because an Enterprise can not be operated solely for safety any more than it can for any other single part of the operations. All work must be planned and executed for the common interest.

Jan 1, 1931

By R. R. Brandenthaler

The development of the Seminole area into one of the major oil-producing sections of the country has been accompanied by many innovations and departures from former methods of development. On July 1, 1929, two years and nine months from the date of discovery, 20,490 acres were considered proved, and additional acreage is constantly being developed. Because of its peculiar conditions, extent, and rapid rate of development, the Seminole area provided numerous problems, the solution of which necessitated research in connection with practical field operation; as a result, there was a radical departure from methods usually employed in the development of a new field in the Mid-Continent area.

Jan 1, 1930

The Particulate Mineralogy Unit has been established at the College Park, Maryland, Metallurgy Research Center. The Particulate Mineralogy Unit will have the responsibility within the Bureau of Mines for the characterization of particulate minerals which have potential for adverse environmental effects. The Unit will provide a focal point for identifying particulates in connection with environmental problems related to the activities of agencies such as OSHA, HEW, EPA, and MESA. The Particulate Mineralogy Unit is seeking to clarify the ambiguities surrounding the mineralogy of and terminology used for asbestiform minerals and other mineral particles. The Unit?s investigations of the morphology, composition, and structure of asbestiform minerals and their nonasbestos analogs have made its members recognized experts in this field. The information which it develops on the characterization of asbestos and other particulate mineral forms such as silica should provide a technically rational basis for decisions by regulatory agencies. Those desiring further information, contact Dr. W. J. Campbell, Program Coordinator, College Park Metallurgy Research Center, College Park, MD 20740, telephone: 301-344-4014. ALUMINUM: For over a month, domestic producers have priced 99.5 percent grade primary aluminum ingot at 48¢ per pound. In the same period, merchants raised ingot quotes by 1.5¢-2.5¢ to a range approaching 44¢-47¢ per pound.

Jan 1, 1976

Norton Co., a manufacturer of abrasive products and diamond drilling and coring bits for oil and gas exploration, is building a $19.1 million addition, scheduled for completion in late 1980, to the Huntsville, AL. The plant makes alumina-zirconia abrasive grains used in grinding wheels and coated abrasives. ALUMINUM Martin Marietta Aluminum Inc. announced plans to expand production capacity of its 112,000-ton-per-year primary aluminum smelter at Goldendale, WA to 177,000 tons per year. The $125 million expansion was scheduled to come onstream in 1981. The Aluminum Company of America announced plans to restart a fourth potline during October at its 185,000-ton-per-year Point Comfort, TX primary aluminum smelter.

Jan 1, 1979

Jan 1, 1902

By Peter J. Nicholson

The methods of reinforcement to be discussed in this paper are all insitu methods, ones that can be used on the soil structure as it exists in the ground, and do not rely on excavation and replacement of the soil. Current practice in the United States, as well as new ideas and methods, will be discussed as they relate to slope stability, retaining walls, and to other uses such as control of mine or cavity related subsidence and to liquefaction control under existing structures. The method is based on the concept of "nailing" or reinforcing the soil in place, and thereby causing a mass of soil to act as a coherent unit. When performed properly, a true gravity structure can be constructed, one that will remain intact under both horizontal and vertical loadings and that will also resist vibrational and seismic loadings.

Jan 1, 1991

Jan 1, 1989

By J. W. Thompson

That the governor is hereby authorized to appoint a commission of seven persons, to be known as the industrial accidents commission-two of whom shall be employers of labor, two of whom shall be employees in either mines or industrial establishments of this Commonwealth, or duly accredited representatives thereof, two of whom shall be learned in the law, and one of whom shall be a person skilled and experienced in making investigations-to inquire into the causes and results of industrial accidents in the mines, mills, factories, stores, and upon the railroads, street railways, ships, wharves, and in all industrial establishments, and in all other places where men, women, and children are employed in manual labor in this Commonwealth; to study the most advanced methods for safe-guarding against these accidents; to inquire into the subject of fair compensation for those who are injured in these accidents, and for the families of those who shall be killed as a result thereof; and to study the operation and effect of the Workmen's Compensation Law of 1913. SEC. 2. The chairman of said co~mission shall be designated by the governor, and the person named on said commission as a skilled and experienced investigator shall be the secretary of the commission, The commission shall have power to employ such legal counsel and other officers and employees as it may deem necessary to properly perform its duties. SEC. 3. The secretary of said commission shall receive an annual salary of $2,400 and his actual necessary expenses; and the other members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual traveling and other necessary expenses. The salaries of any other persons employed by the commission shall be fixed by it.

Jan 1, 1920

Mine drainage and mine reclamation are topics of major interest to the mining industry, federal and local governments, and the general public. This publication and its companion three volumes are the proceedings of a conference held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 24-29, 1994. There were twelve sessions (69 papers) that dealt with mine drainage, including modeling, geochemistry, prediction, treatment, control strategies, characterization, hydrology, and case studies. These sessions comprise volumes 1 and 2. The six sessions (34 papers) that dealt with reclamation and revegetation of disturbed lands are included in volume 3. Volume 4 includes the six sessions (34 papers) that dealt with such topical issues as fires at abandoned mine sites, subsidence, hydrology, mine wastes, and policy. Poster session presentations are represented by 49 papers and 92 abstracts that have been placed in the back of volumes 2, 3, and 4, consistent with the subject of that volume.

Jan 1, 1994

By Alfred Traverse

The Brandon lignite is a small deposit of very low rank coal near the village of Forestdale in the town of Brandon, Vt. It occurs in association with other sediments, principally sands and silts. This lignitic coal has attracted considerable scientific interest since the middle of the 19th century because of the abundance of fossils in the sediment and the rarity of lignite in New England. A cooperative investigation has been developed by E. S. Barghoorn, W. Spackman, and the author in which different phases of the problem have been worked on in a coordinated research program. This paper presents results of an investigation of the very abundant fossil pollen and spores and some other microfossils of the deposit. The studies on which this manuscript is based were made in large part at Harvard University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Ph. D. degree.

Jan 1, 1955

By G. W. Josephson

WHILE methods of utilizing blast-furnace slag have been developing, a great deal of literature on the subject has accumulated, but no comprehensive summary of information that would be helpful to engineers, contractors, architects, chemists, and others in under-standing and more successfully using this byproduct of the iron and steel industry has been published in the English language. The National Slag Association recognized the need for such a publication, and the Problems Committee of the Association under-took in 1943 to accumulate the necessary material. Over a period of several years this committee compiled pertinent information in manuscript form, and in 1948 the Bureau of Mines and the National Slag Association made an agreement whereby the Bureau was to prepare the data for publication as a cooperative bulletin of the Bureau of Mines and the National Slag Association.

Jan 1, 1949

By David Bendersky

The principal objectives of this study are to: (1) survey electrical practices in metal and non-metal mines, (2) survey electrical practices in metal and non-metal mills, (3) clarify the federal regulations governing electrical practices in metal and non-metal mines/mills, (4) analyze electrical accidents, and (5) make recommendations aimed at improvement of the safety of electrical practices in metal and non-metal mines. Information was obtained from literature searches, accident reports, visits to 27 mines and 12 mills, and discussions with knowledgeable industry and government people. The various electrical power systems and practices at the mines and mills visited are described. Similarities and differences based on the type of mining and the minerals being mined or milled are presented. The federal regulations governing metal/non-metal mine/mill electrical practices (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 30, Sections 55.12, 56.12, and 57.12) are presented and discussed. Explanations of each regulation are provided in an appendix. The attitudes of mine/mill operators towards the federal regulations are described. An analysis of the electrical accidents in metal/non-metal mines and mills during the period 1972-1978 is presented. Recommendations, including specific research and development activities, aimed at improvement of electrical safety in metal/non-metal mines are submitted.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. W. Elder

"INTRODUCTION This report describes a method of horizontal drilling in an oil-producing formation underlying a 400-acre, approximately square plot of land in the Franklin Heavy oil field in Sugar Creek Township, Venango County, Pa. The method, which was developed on two previous projects in Ohio, 3/ consists of sinking a shaft to the bottom of a shallow oil sand and drilling holes in a general horizontal plane outward from the chamber in a pattern similar to that of the spokes of a wheel. The project was undertaken by the Venango Development Corporation in an attempt to find an efficient method of recovering oil from partly depleted sand formations.The Venango Development Corporation is composed of the following oil-producing and oil-refining companies and individuals: South Penn Oil Co., Forest Oil Corporation, Kendall Refining Co., Minard Run Oil Co., Quaker State Oil Refining Co., The Pennzoil Co., Alliance Oil Corpo¬ration, United Refining Co., Franklin Creek Refining Corporation, Canfield Oil Co., Pennsylvania Refining Co., Page Oil Co., Freedom Oil Co., D. W. and D. S. Grant, and J. P. Herrick, C. M. Davison and N. V. V. Franchot. Engineering features of the project were supervised by a committee off three engineers A. J. Saxe, chairman, W. M. Shoemaker, and C. N. Pfohl, who supervised the excavation of the shaft and the drilling of the first two holes by alternately spending a week at a. time at the project. The drilling method was under patent license from Leo Ranney, who served as technical advisor to the Venango Development Corporation; in addition, he furnished the design for the shaft and work chamber."

Sep 1, 1944

By Dupuy. Leon W., R. T. C. Rasmussen, W. A. Calhoun

"INTRODUCTION For many years it has been known that low-grade manganese deposits occur in the bluffs along the Missouri River Valley. Frequent attempts have been made to develop the ore and to produce a marketalble commodity but they have had little success. Under pressure of the war emergency and the shortage of manganese, the attention of the Federal Bureau of Mines was directedtoward the deposits.Manganese-bearing shale occurs from a point near Pierre, S. Dak., down the river to the Rosebud bridge near the Nebraska line (1).5/ The Bureau of,confined its work to the more accessible central portion of the deposits near Chamberlain, S. Dak. The ore occurs principally as concretionary nodules in the form of iron and manganese carbonates (manganosiarite and perhaps some manganocalcite; rhodochrosite has not been identified). At the surface the carbonate is often broken down so that the oxide of manganese gives the nodules a black The matrix or host rock is generally known as Pierre shale, composed of ""interbedded layers of bentonite, an altered volcanic ash, and dissemi¬nated bentonite particles,"" (2) and montmorillonite-beidellite clay minerals (3). The shale weathers to the very sticky gumbo characteristic of South Dakota and well-known to hunters and travelers in the area.The area selected for the experimental mining and pilot-plant work discussed in this report lies about 8 miles westerly from Chamberlain and is a few hundred feet north of U. S. Highway,16, on land owned or controlled,by M. Q. Sharpe of Kennebec, S. Dak., and the General Manganese Corp."

Feb 1, 1946

By M. A. Schellhardt

In recent years development of instruments and equipment for determining subsurface pressures and temperatures in. gas and oil wells has made it feasible to obtain information that eras not available in the past on many gas-production problems. The material presented in this report illustrates particularly the value of subsurface-temperature data in the study of subsurface leakage from gas wells. An abnormal decline in the shut-in pressure of the Lone Star Gasoline Co. A. Jones No. 1 gas well in the southern part of the Buffalo (Tex.) field was observed during an interval when a negligible volume of gas bras being withdrawn from the reservoir. Wellhead-pressure readings indicated that the shut-in pressure of the well declined from 2,295 pounds per square inch gage on February 3, 1937, to. 1,445 on February 12, 1935. Tests conducted by engineers of the Lone Star Gas Co. suggested that the subnormal pressure gaged on February 12, 1938, probably was not caused by a head of liquid in the well.

Jan 1, 1940

The STATE MINERAL SUMMARIES publication provides estimated data and summaries of mineral activities at the State level for 1990. Most of the estimates are based on nine months data. These summaries have been prepared in cooperation with State geological surveys or related agencies. Individual State summaries are published separately as State Mineral Industry Surveys and copies can be obtained from the appropriate State Activities field office.

Jan 1, 1991