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By F. J. Wiebel

"INTRODUCTION As a result of a general survey of the iron-ore deposits of Califor¬nia, the Bessemer was one shown to offer possibilities of developing com¬mercial ore reserves. Surveying and exploring were done at the request of Congress for an investigation of raw materials for the production of steel.A wartime steel plant has been established at Fontana, San Bernardino County, and a backlog of iron-ore reserve for the maintenance of permanent steel industry on the West Coast will be of National benefit in the postwar period.W. D. McMillan, a mining engineer the Bureau of Mines, examined the property in May 1942, and it was reexamined by D. W. Butner, also of the Bureau, in October 1943. Geophysical work was done by the Bureau in 1944, and the property was explored by diamond drilling from April to August 1944 and February to SeptemberACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contri¬bution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, under the direction of Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, under the direction of R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests."

May 1, 1947

By Spencee L. Willett

A sand and gravel deposit exists in the Wildrose Canyon Wilderness Study Area (WSA), Out it is limited to local use because of the distance from major markets and resulting high transportation costs. The WSA has no identified metallic minerals, oil, gas or other energy related deposits. INTRODUCTION The WSA encompasses 17,366 acres (7,028 ha) in the Panamint Range, Inyo County, California. Access to the area is by State Route 190, approximately 45 miles (72.4 km) east of Lone Pine, California and 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Stovepipe Wells, California (fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1983

By W. T. Wertman

LABORATORY research has been started at the Bureau of Mines Morgantown Petroleum Research Laboratory, Morgantown, Va., to investigate the possibilities thermal-recovery methods for producing crude oils of high API gravity found in oil reservoirs of the eastern United States. This bibliography on thermal methods of oil recovery was compiled as a part of the work. Crude oil discoveries to December 31, 1958, in the United States were estimated to exceed 270 billion barrels. Cumulative production of crude oil through 19.55 was about 60 billion barrels, and the American Petroleum Institute estimates that an additional 30.5 billion barrels are economically recoverable by present methods. On this basis, about two-thirds of the oil that has already been found can be classified as economically unrecoverable for lack of a satisfactory method. The rap icily rising costs of proving new deposit; of domestic petroleum, the lack of new discoveries of large oilfields in the united States, and I he growing demand for crude oil have caused an acceleration of research to develop new or improved methods fur producing "unrecoverable" oil in known reservoirs.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. A. Kosek

Work has been conducted under Bureau of Mines Contract Number HO 357078 to develop instruments for detecting CO, NO and NO2 in a mine atmosphere, using fuel cell technology. The approach has been to optimize the fuel cell sensor configuration for the specific detection of CO, NO and NO2 in the presence of other mine gases utilizing recent advances in catalyst, electrode and solid polymer electrolyte membrane technology. Para-metric testing has been conducted on three electrode sensor cells to define performance and life characteristics as a function of temperature, feed flow and applied sensor voltage. Extended life testing has been performed on sensor cell configurations exhibiting favorable characteristics. Reliable, efficient gas sampling and electronic control circuitry has been fabricated for use with the sensor cells, and integrated into devices to meet the performance and design specifications for portable, battery-powered, hand held direct indicating gas detectors for use underground. Twenty of the production-type, direct indicating CO detectors have been tested and delivered to the Bureau of Mines under the present contract. Three prototype diffusion head CO monitors have also been delivered for evaluation under the pre-sent contract. The gas sampling pump and related parts have been replaced by a diffusion tube assembly in which CO reaches the sensing electrode surface by diffusion alone. In addition, delivery will be made of ten direct-indicating nitric oxide detectors and ten direct-indicating nitrogen dioxide detectors. These instruments are very similar in design to the direct indicating CO detector.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. G. Wallis

This report presents the results of a study to develop a detailed mining method design based on longwall mining with sublevel caving. The method is applicable to low-dipping coal seams 20 or more feet thick such as are found in the western United States. The report covers (1) the development and description of the mining method, (2) evaluation of the engineering feasibility of the design, (3) estimates of productivity and recovery, and (4) an engineering cost analysis and economic feasibility evaluation of the mining method design.

Jan 1, 1977

By Michael M. Hamilton

In 1984 and 1985 the U.S. Bureau of Mines performed a mineral survey of the South Jackson Mountains Wilderness Study Area covering 60,211 acres of mountainous terrain of Humboldt County in northwestern Nevada. Approximately 550 lode claims have been located within or adjacent to the study area from 1900 to the present. Total recorded production for the area is 28.19 ounces gold, 1,105 ounces silver, 959 pounds copper, 6,016 pounds lead, and 12,446 pounds zinc; an additional two carloads from one mine contained an unknown amount of metal. In early 1986, there were eight active properties with a total of 126 claims. Wescord Resources and Long Lac Exploration (Texas) Inc. are involved in a joint exploration of the Jackson Mountains for volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. Development at the Claudia mine continues in 1986. Results of the survey indicate that there are no identified mineral resources or reserves within or adjacent to the study area. Twenty-two properties have mineral occurrences containing gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron, antimony, vanadium, and cobalt, with silver, copper, and iron being the most abundant.

Jan 1, 1987

By Harold E. Marr

A simple algorithm is presented for processing digitized X-ray spectra obtained with a Si(Li) or Ge(Li) semiconductor detector coupled to a multi- channel analyzer. The simplified least-squares procedure is used to smooth out the statistical fluctuations in the spectrum by repeatedly fitting a quad- ratic equation to a predetermined number of channels and performing a traveling smooth across the spectrum. A logarithmic transform is applied to the raw data to minimize the distortion of the gaussian-shaped peak profiles. The efficacy of the technique is evaluated by observing the distortion of several gaussian-shaped peaks that have been subjected to the smoothing operation. The locations of maximums and minimums in the spectrum are predicted in the process as well as the values of the peak heights. The convolution integers from a least-squares fit of a quadratic equation are calculated as part of a FORTRAN subroutine. The building-block approach to computer programing in a small laboratory is discussed.

Jan 1, 1972

By Robert J. Timko

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

Jan 1, 2010

By Lisa A. McDonald

The environmental compliance process affects all aspects of hardrock-mining operations, from exploration through post-closure. The primary components of the environmental compliance process are requirements under the National Environmental Protection Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the permitting requirements associated with various other federal, state and local laws. This study considers the Greens Creek Mine and the development of two other projects (Alaska-Juneau & Kensington). These mines were used as the foundation for a case study of the impacts of the environmental compliance process on hardrock-mining activity in Southeast Alaska. The case study presents the institutional and legal requirements, followed by a discussion of the impact of this process on the production and timing of the three mines. The results of this preliminary study reveal some interesting findings, some expected and others unexpected, regarding the impact of the permitting process on the exploration, development and (proposed) operation of the three mining projects in the Juneau area. Determining the cost of compliance with these requirements is an important step in evaluating the appropriate course of action to protecting the environment while providing the necessary raw materials needed for society. This preliminary study highlights the initial starting point for such an analysis.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. Douglas Causey

In 1984, at the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Mines studied 9,600 acres of the 12,350-acre Antelope Creek Wilderness Study Area (MT-065-266) in order to evaluate its mineral resources. Within this report, these 9,600 acres are referred to as the study area. The Antelope Creek Wilderness Study Area, Phillips County, MT, adjoins the north end of the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge. Considered part of the Missouri River Breaks, the area straddles the edge of a thrust fault zone that has deformed the Mesozoic strata in the west half of the area. Shale, siltstone, and sandstone of Cretaceous Age are exposed in the area. Coal beds averaging 3.0 ft thick occur in the Judith River Formation. About 0.20 million short tons of coal were mined from the Judith River Formation adjacent to the west boundary of the area; no production is known in the study area.

Jan 1, 1986

By Forrest T. Moyer

The safety record of the coal-mining industry, both anthracite and bituminous, in 1966 was improved over that of 1965 in all general measures of injury experience. The improvement was more pronounced in the anthracite industry. The total of 10,679 disabling work injuries comprised 233 fatal and 10,466 nonfatal injuries, 26 and 692 fewer, respectively, than in 1965. The number of fatalities in 1966 was the lowest annual total since complete records were started in 1910. Similarly, the number of nonfatal injuries in 1966 was lower than in any year since 1930 when such data were first collected.

Jan 1, 1969

By James D. Noll, Eileen Birch

In a previous study, the e?cacy of commercial and prototype impactors for sampling diesel particulate matter (DPM) in coal mines was investigated. Laboratory and ?eld samples were collected on quartz-?ber ?lters and analyzed for organic and elemental carbon. Coal dust contributed a minimal amount of elemental carbon when commercial cascade impactors and prototype impactors, designed by the University of Minnesota (UMN) and the US Bureau of Mines (BOM), were used to collect submicrometer dust fractions. Other impactors were not as e?ective at excluding coal dust. The impactors evaluated in that study were either not commercially available or were multi-stage, expensive, and di?cult to use for personal measurements. A commercial version of the BOM impactor, called the DPM Cassette, was recently introduced by SKCs. Tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the DPM Cassette for measuring diesel-source elemental carbon in the presence of coal dust. Bituminous coals from three mines in two di?erent coal provinces were examined. The dust particle diameters were small and the coal dust contained a high percentage of carbon, there by giving a worst-case condition for non-anthracite coal mines. Results for the DPM Cassette were essentially identical to those obtained by the BOM impactors in a previous study. At a respirable coal dust concentration of 5.46mg m3, which is 3.8 times the regulatory limit, the DPM Cassette collected only 34µg m3 of coal-source elemental carbon.

The selective placement of coal stripmine overburden is examined. Physical and chemical properties of spoil detrimental to revegetation and groundwater are detailed. The United States is divided into regions or similar problems. Five mining methods already used in the industry, that are capable of selectively handling waste are examined in detail. Technical and economic comparisons are made for the systems when applied to realistic mine settings. The same analysis is conducted for five novel methods capable of selectively handling waste. Comparisons are made between novel and existing methods. Suggestions for new and modified equipment are outlined. Recommendations for further research are provided. This volume contains all Appendices to the report.

Jan 1, 1981

Improve the Bureau-developed system for locating and communicating with miners trapped underground following a mine disaster. Approach Include in the wireless system a portable second-generation transceiver that is more reliable, compact, easier to deploy and operate, and ruggedized to withstand a mine environment. How It Works In an emergency, the new transceiver is snapped onto a caplamp battery for power. (Normally the 1 1/2-pound transceiver is either carried by the miner or is strategically located in the mine.) Its antenna wire, coiled inside the transceiver container, is removed and deployed in a roughly square configuration around a coal pillar or on the mine floor. The antenna consists of 300 feet of lightweight wire, which provides a large magnetic moment while remaining intrinsically safe, The photograph shows the

Jan 1, 1981

By Marilyn Biviano

(l)The direct economic costs to this nation resulting from a decision to embargo South African strategic and critical minerals imports are estimated at $1.85 billion per year.2,3 About 94 percent of these estimated costs are for two platinum-group metals (PGM's), platinum and rhodium. The estimated costs of a 5-year embargo beginning in 1988 for the strategic and critical minerals analyzed are presented in Table 1.4 (2)There are sufficient alternative world sources to South Africa for manganese, chromium, palladium, titanium, and vanadium to meet U.S. industrial demand in the event of an embargo. (3)Alternative world sources to South Africa for platinum and rhodium cannot meet U.S. industrial demand. Non-South African world supply sources can meet about 40 percent of domestic platinum consumption requirements and 50 percent of rhodium requirements. (4)As a result of the increase in prices for platinum and rhodium during the embargo, expansion of domestic platinum-group metals mining and secondary production is expected. During a five year embargo, domestic primary and secondary production expand and together satisfy about one-third of U.S. platinum requirements, one-third of U.S. rhodium requirements, and over one-half of domestic palladium requirements.

Jan 1, 1988

By Z. Zborovszky

The feasibility of using the nucleation properties of combustion generated particulates for the identification of their sources was investigated, using the Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) Spectrometer. The Investigated materials included coal, wood, belt materials, electrical insulation, brattice cloth, and diesel exhaust. The materials were heated In an oven using filtered air flow, and their time, temperature, and the critical supersaturation spectrum of condensation nuclei (also referred to as the CCN spectrum) produced by the combusting material were recorded. Some data was obtained on a typical metal-mine background containing blasting products. The data was processed and analyzed In an attempt to specify parameters and limits that would allow the identification of the combustion sources. It appears that under controlled test conditions It Is possible to Identify the source on the basis of data derived from the CCN spectrum. More general use of the Idea for fire detection under uncontrolled practical circumstances in an actual mining environment does have potential but would require further research.

Jan 1, 1978

By Charles Anema

The Mancarried and Helicopter Receivers were developed under the contract for trapped miner location. This program was a five phase program with 15 mancarried and 5 helicopter production receivers delivered under Phase IV and equipment documentation required under Phase V.

Jan 1, 1976

By Lyda W. Hersloff

An environmental monitoring program was established to assess the baseline of parameters which may be impacted by a research and development hydraulic borehole mining operation. During the baseline program, two aquifers were identified at the borehole site with the overlying sand aquifer being distinct from the ore sand aquifer on the basis of radiological parameters. The direction of flow of groundwater was determined to be north 19° west at a rate of 1.82 feet per year. Tests to determine the effect of backfilling the boreholes indicated that using overburden from the open pit mining operation would not significantly increase the radiological consti¬tuents of the ore sand aquifer. Mining measurements of the- radon flux from the borehole indicated that the actual release rate of 0.035 pCi/sec was several orders of magnitude less than the calculated estimate by the Environmental Protection Agency. Finally, a gamma survey conducted at the site indicated that the terrestrial component of background radiation was consistent with that in areas near uranium deposits. The methodology used as well as the supporting data are given in this report.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. G. Knickerbocker, David Schlain, F. K. Shelton, J. H. Jacobs

"Many manganese ores contain from 0.1 to several percent cobalt. If such ores arc used for the production of ferromanganese, the cobalt is lost; on the other hand, if they are used for the production of electrolytic manganese, the cobalt can be recovered during the purification of the electrolyte.The production of cobalt in the United States is insignificant compared to the amount consumed, most of which is imported from the Belgian Congo. Cobalt-bearing manganese ores may therefore constitute an important reserve of cobalt in times of emergency. Moreover, the combined value of manganese and cobalt in some ores may be sufficient to warrant the recovery of both metals by the electrolytic manganese process, whereas the recovery of either manganese or cobalt alone might not be economically feasible.In view of the potential importance of manganese ores as a source of cobalt, a survey has boon made of the cobalt content of manganese ores. Most of the data have been obtained from analyses made in the Bureau of Mines, but valuable data have also been obtained from publications of the Geological Survey, various State publications, and other sources. Unfortunately, most published analyses of manganese ores do not include cobalt determinations; when such analyses were fairly detailed, but did not include cobalt, it was presumed that cobalt was not present in significant quantity.Information on the cobalt content of domestic manganese ores is given in table 1. Ores containing 0.1 percent or more cobalt are listed in table 2, and the districts in which such ores occur are shown in figure 1. Most of the known cobalt-bearing manganese ores occur in the southeastern part of the United States. A group of deposits in central Arizona and a few scattered deposits in other States also' contain cobalt."

Apr 1, 1946

By R. C. Hickman

Preliminary evidence indicated that the Chattanooga Shale might constitute a potential vast low-grade source of uranium. Investigation by core drilling indicated that while the Chattanooga Shale may constitute a resource for the future, the very low (0.006 percent) average uranium content is not economic when compared with the relatively higher grade western ores. A total of approximately 12,000 feet of test drilling was done in 72 drillholes, and large samples were mined for extractive and metallurgical testing. An experimental mine site was selected on the basis of the drilling project.

Jan 1, 1967