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By A. J. Lena, M. F. Hawkes

Changes in hardness, tensile properties, microstructure, electrical resistance, and X-ray diffraction effects indicate that lattice strains are necessary for the embrittlement of ferritic stainless steels when heated for relatively short times at 475°C (885°F). It is suggested that 475°C (885°F) embrittlement is due to the accelerated formation of an intermediate stage in the formation of s under the influence of these strains. FERRITIC stainless steels (low carbon alloys of iron with more than 15 pct Cr) are subject to two forms of embrittlement when heated in the temperature range of 375° to 750°C. The embrittlement which occurs after long time heating between 565" and 750°C is well understood; it is caused by the precipitation of the hard, brittle s phase. Sigma is an intermetallic compound of approximate equi-atomic composition with an extended range of formation in Fe-Cr alloys. The maximum temperature at which this form of embrittlement can occur is dependent upon chromium content; and is approximately 620°C for a 17 pct Cr steel and 730°C for a 27 pct Cr steel. The other form of embrittlement occurs after relatively short heating periods in the range of 375" to 565°C; in the higher chromium steels, hours may be sufficient as compared to months for s embrittlement. This phenomenon is not at all well understood and several controversial theories have been proposed. The rate and intensity of embrittlement increase with increasing chromium content but the maximum rate occurs at 475°C re-gardless of chromium content. As a result of this, the phenomenon has been termed 475°C (885°F) embrittlement. The effect of 475°C embrittlement on the properties of ferritic stainless steels has been thoroughly reviewed by Heger.1 The embrittlement causes a pronounced decrease in room temperature impact strength and ductility, a large increase in hardness and tensile strength, and a decrease in electrical resistivity and corrosion resistance. Microstructural changes accompanying embrittlement are minor and difficult to interpret with a general grain darkening, appearance of a lamellar precipitate, grain boundary widening, and precipitation along ferrite veins having been reported at various times. With the exception of reported line broadening, X-ray diffraction studies by conventional Debye analysis of solid samples have been of little value. BY making use of electron diffraction methods, Fisher, Dulis, and Car-roll' have recently shown the existence of a chromi-um-rich, body-centered cubic phase in 27 pct Cr steels which had been aged at 482°C (900°F) for as long as four years. Two types of theories have been advanced to account for the embrittlement. The first of these requires the precipitation of a phase not inherent in the Fe-Cr system with various investigators suggesting a carbide,3 nitride,3 phosphide,4 or oxide." Theories of this type have difficulty accounting for the influence of alloying elements on the embrittlement and for the facts that a minimum chromium content is necessary for embrittlement and the intensity of embrittlement increases with increasing chromium content. The second type of theory that has been proposed relates 475°C embrittlement to s phase formation which is inherent in the Fe-Cr system. An assumption of this kind can adequately explain the influence of alloying elements, for they exert an effect on 475°C embrittlement similar to that on s phase for-mation as can be seen in Table I. The minimum chromium content is essentially the same for both phenomena and it has been shown12,13 that s is a stable phase in the embrittling temperature range. In addition, it has been reported14,15 that pure alloys embrittle to the same extent as commercial type alloys. There are, however, several factors which have prevented complete acceptance of a s phase theory. Foremost of these is that the embrittlement can be removed by reheating for short time periods above 600°C, which in the higher chromium steels is within the stable s region. No s has ever been observed after one of these curing treatments, nor has any s been found as a result of embrittlement at 475°C. In addition, the simple precipitation of s cannot explain the time-temperature relationships for reactions between 350°and 750°C. This behavior is shown schematically in Fig. 1. Newell 16 and Ried-rich and Loib4 have shown that 475°C embrittlement follows a C-type curve as illustrated, while Short-

Jan 1, 1955

Jan 1, 1896

By Parviz Montazer, Robert King, William Ubbes, Gideon Chitombo

This paper describes the results of a detailed study that was undertaken to define the spatial distribution of permeability within a five meter thick envelope around the CSM/ONWI room. Detailed fracture orientations and distribution were determined through mapping of the walls of the opening, logging of oriented core, and visual examination of borehole walls with a borescope and a T.V. camera. Over 3,500 measurements were made from which the three dimensional distribution of fractures was determined. Two principally different testing equipment designs and various methods of air injection tests were used in all boreholes to identify and characterize conductive fractures. Through analizing the distribution of permeability and fracture index around the room a zone of blast damage of approximately .5 m thickness was delineated. The effect of stress modification seems to extend farther into the host rock to approximately 3.5 m depth.

Jan 1, 1982

By John W. Rushton

What role does maintenance play in the design of a new mineral processing facility? Consider the fact that most new plants never reach design capacity the first year-or the second, third, or fourth years. The fact is, according to data collected from several plants which have started up in the last ten years, mill throughput and equipment availability doesn't peak, on the average, until the fifth year.

Jan 3, 1978

By Paul I. Eimon, Byron R. Berger

INTRODUCTION Epithermal silver-gold deposits form at low to moderate temperatures in near-surface environments. These deposits are found in all rock types, but historically, the most important deposits occur as veins in volcanic rocks (e.g., Creede, Colorado; Pachuca, Mexico) and as replacements in sedimentary sequences (e.g., Mercur, Utah; Carlin, Nevada). Increases in the open-market prices for silver and gold in the last few years have resulted in renewed interest in precious metals and the economic viability of large-tonnage low-grade deposits. These bulk-mineable deposits form as replacements in permeable horizons or as stockworks in the up- per parts of otherwise bonanza-type hydrothermal systems and newly recognized systems that erupted onto the surface as hot springs, fumaroles, or geysers. Large tonnage low-grade de- posits were an unconventional resource prior to price increases; however, now they constitute one of the main sources of precious metals in the United States and the importance is growing worldwide. This paper presents conceptual geologic- geochemical models of epithermal precious-metal deposits derived from studies of productive deposits throughout the world. Much of the data presented is not new. However, the interpretation of the data in terms of current concepts of hydrothermal processes is new. This paper deals with idealized and general ore-forming mechanisms, and no attempt is made either to explain the origin of the different chemistries of ore- forming fluids or to examine all of the variations in specific deposits due to local structural controls and host-rock compositions.

Jan 1, 1983

Jan 1, 1911

By R. F. Evans, J. M. Avery

MUCH has been written of the glamour of magnesium from sea water, the Aladdin-like creation of a huge magnesium plant in the Nevada desert using cheap hydroelectric power from Boulder Dam; the marvels of the Hansgirg process for the electrothermal reduction of magnesium oxide by carbon, and the ferrosilicon process for producing magnesium from dolomite. This is the story of the production of -magnesium by the electrolytic process, using steam-electric power supplied by a public utility, in a plant at Painesville, Ohio, 30 miles east of Cleveland on the shore 'of Lake Erie. The story is not without interest, since it involves several unique developments that provide the answer to a question frequently asked: How is it possible to produce magnesium metal economically at such a location as Painesville, Ohio? Basically, the answer lies in making use of facilities already in existence for the production of soda ash, which makes it possible to manufacture magnesium chloride, the principal raw material, cheaply enough to offset the high cost of electric power. To this is coupled the successful conversion of by-product chlorine into a product required for the war program. The source of magnesium for this operation is the enormous surface deposit of high-grade dolomite in the region south of Toledo, within reasonable freight haul of Painesville. This same geological stratum underlies the Painesville plant, but unfortunately at a depth of about 3000 ft. apparently too great a depth to permit underground mining to compete with the delivered cost of rock from surface quarries in other areas. The cost of dolomite obviously is an important factor, since the rock contains only some 12 per cent magnesium (20 per cent MgO) so that one dollar on the cost of stone means more than $8 in terms of its magnesium content, and more than that in terms of recoverable magnesium metal. PRODUCTION OF MAGNESIA FROM DOLOMITE In the summer of 1941, the Diamond Alkali Co. was well along with construction of a plant intended for the commercial production of refractory and other grades of magnesia from dolomite. The process to be used was designed to make maximum economic advantage of existing plant and operations by tying the production of magnesia in with the manufacture of soda ash in such a way as to make use of the lime (CaO) value of calcined dolomite. The process finally adopted after a lengthy research and development program has much in common with the old Clerc-Nihoul process, but includes certain innovations found to be necessary or

Jan 1, 1945

By AIME AIME

IV. THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN STEEL AND IRON. It would be well to decide on a definite carbon-content to serve as a boundary line between ingot-iron and ingot-steel, between puddled-iron and puddled-steel, and between any other varieties of wrought-iron and weld-steel. Two plans have been considered. One is to draw this line at 0.32 per cent. of carbon or its equivalent in other elements, for the reason that this carbon-content appears to correspond to the critical point, 0, in the diagrams of Roberts-Austen and Rooze-boom.8 This has the merit of corresponding to a definite physical boundary. The other plan is to draw the boundary at 0.20 per cent. of carbon, because this is a convenient place to separate the important classes " soft steel " and " half-hard steel," so that if this point was adopted "ingot-iron " would be synonymous with "soft steel," and " ingot-steel " would be the equivalent of the two classes, " half-hard steel " and " hard steel."

Mar 1, 1908

By Charles White Merrill, James W. Pennington

No metallurgical process developed in the 20th century compares with froth flotation in its effect on the mineral industry. Processes like gravity - concentration, amalgamation, and pyrometallurgical reduction are of ancient origin; others like cyanidation and electrolytic reduction were well established by 1900. Such metallurgical processes as heavy-media separation, ion-exchange, and solvent extraction belong to this century, but their influence is small compared with froth flotation. Data collected by the U. S. Bureau of Mines* in a canvass of 202 froth flotation plants reveal that, in 1960, 198- million tons of material was treated to recover 20-million tons of concentrates which contained approximately $1 billion in recoverable products. SIGNIFICANCE OF FLOTATION Froth flotation as described in this chapter refers to a wet process for separating properly ground mineral particles into two or more products. It involves the separation of mineral particles from each other in a liquid pulp by means of air bubbles. Finely crushed ore is agitated in water with the addition of air or other gases. Various chemicals and oils are added to cause the selected mineral particles to attach themselves to the air or gas bubbles. These bubbles, carrying the mineral particles, rise to the surface where they are removed in a froth, while the other particles remain suspended in the pulp. The earliest flotation divided the raw material into two products: a bulk concentrate that was removed as a froth and a tailing that remained in the flotation machine. The froth usually contained the valuable constituents. The successful application of such a process depended on the recovery of a single concentrate from which one or more valuable constituents could be recovered by a chemical or smelting process. With the advance of the art, however, the principle of selective flotation, by which two or more relatively pure products could be recovered from complex raw materials, was evolved. Other chapters in this volume describe the developments during the last 50

Jan 1, 1962

By George M. Fowler, R. E. Illidge

Part I. Developing BY GEORGE M. FOWL INTRODUCTION The Tri-State district comprises an area of about 2000 square miles in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and north [ ] eastern Oklahoma. The part that is in and contiguous to Missouri is still sometimes designated as the Joplin district (Fig. I). EARLY OPERATIONS Mining operations in what is now the Tri-State district date from about 1848 and have been continuous to the present. Apparently the first discoveries of ore were made about the same time near the present sites of Joplin, Oronogo, and Granby. Lead minerals were found at grass roots, probably in shattered rock in shallow excavations, then these minerals were followed in shear zones to deeper horizons. The mining of zinc followed. Before 1874, zinc ore was worthless and discarded as waste. According to published records, the total production of lead to that date was 49,000 tons of metal from 70,000 tons of concentrates. PRODUCTION The aggregate ore production from the Tri-State district was recorded at interval

Jan 1, 1943

By Arne Westgren

ONLY in exceptional cases can the ordinary methods of chemistry be used for determining the constitution of compound metallic substances. Recourse has therefore been taken to special methods, the main expedients of which are, as we know, thermal analysis and metal microscopy. To these may be added-though more accessory-the determination of electric conductivity, specific volume, hardness or other properties. The information obtained by these methods has been compiled in equilibrium diagrams. Naturally, the technically most important alloys, such as steel, bronze and some others, have been subjected to very close study, and many investigators have devoted themselves to the solving of their problems of constitution. The equilibrium diagrams of these systems are therefore known today with a comparatively high degree of accuracy, even though it must be admitted that many details regarding their transformation reactions still remain to be completely explained. The equilibrium diagrams of the other alloys as a rule have not been determined so accurately. Most of them are based only on approximate determinations of the homogeneity ranges of the various phases. Thus extensive, detailed studies remain before these diagrams may be considered as established. Unfortunately, it must also be admitted that many of the alloy diagrams given in the present handbooks are as a whole very dubious. As a matter of fact, many of them may really only be viewed as the results of rather superficial, orientating investigations. In fact, there also seems to be a general opinion prevailing in our day that much work still remains to be done before the equilibrium conditions of the alloys may be considered as fully explained. At present, in almost all institutes for research on metals, as well as in many university laboratories, investigations to this effect are being carried out. As a rule, the classical methods of metallography, the thermal analysis and metal microscopy are applied.

Jan 1, 1931

By Shueling Woo, Charles S. Barrett, Robert F. Mehl

When one solid phase is generated from another, fixed and rational orientation relationships are observed to subsist between the parent and the new crystal. The principle has been proposed1 that the relationships obtaining between the same two phases are identical whatever the type of phase change involved, or whichever of the phases may act as parent. Many types of phase changes have been studied: allotropic transformations in pure metals, precipitation from solid solutions, eutectoid decompositions, peritectic reactions, the formation of oxide layers, and others2 Phase layers generated by diffusion of one metal into another constitute an additional type of reaction. This report provides new data on the orientation relationships occurring between phase layers formed by diffusion, in the Cu-Zn system,§ and furnishes further evidence in support of the principle. Materials and Methods The Cu-Zn system is especially suitable for these studies since the high vapor pres- sure of Zn provides an opportunity readily to create one phase poorer in Zn upon a parent phase richer in Zn by removing Zn by vaporization, or to reverse this process by adding Zn from Zn vapor; e.g., the beta phase can be found as a layer upon gamma by dezincing, or gamma can be found on beta by addition of Zn from Zn vapor. Since orientation relationships are to be sought, requiring crystals large enough for orientation determinations, it is convenient to prepare single crystals or large grains of the parent phase. The samples were prepared from oxygen-free high-conductivity copper and Horse Head zinc by melting under a borax flux in a graphite crucible. Large crystals of beta brass were grown by the strain-anneal method, in plates sectioned from the cast ingots, by the following procedure. Rockwell-hardness indents were made at I cm. intervals and with various loads, then the plates were annealed for 4 days at 700°C. in Nichrome boxes packed with beta-brass chips and graphite. Surface layers were removed by grinding and etching to a depth of about 1.0 mm., and individual grains were cut out. Crystals of alpha and gamma brass were prepared by freezing, by lowering a graphite crucible at speeds less than one inch per hour through a furnace held at a constant temperature above the melting point. Single crystals were cut out with a jeweler's saw, ground, polished and etched. Care was taken to remove cold-worked layers from the finished crystals

Jan 1, 1944

By Charles S. Barrett, Robert F. Mehl, Shueling Woo

When one solid phase is generated from another, fixed and rational orientation relationships are observed to subsist between the parent and the new crystal. The principle has been proposed1 that the relationships obtaining between the same two phases are identical whatever the type of phase change involved, or whichever of the phases may act as parent. Many types of phase changes have been studied: allotropic transformations in pure metals, precipitation from solid solutions, eutectoid decompositions, peritectic reactions, the formation of oxide layers, and others2 Phase layers generated by diffusion of one metal into another constitute an additional type of reaction. This report provides new data on the orientation relationships occurring between phase layers formed by diffusion, in the Cu-Zn system,§ and furnishes further evidence in support of the principle. Materials and Methods The Cu-Zn system is especially suitable for these studies since the high vapor pres- sure of Zn provides an opportunity readily to create one phase poorer in Zn upon a parent phase richer in Zn by removing Zn by vaporization, or to reverse this process by adding Zn from Zn vapor; e.g., the beta phase can be found as a layer upon gamma by dezincing, or gamma can be found on beta by addition of Zn from Zn vapor. Since orientation relationships are to be sought, requiring crystals large enough for orientation determinations, it is convenient to prepare single crystals or large grains of the parent phase. The samples were prepared from oxygen-free high-conductivity copper and Horse Head zinc by melting under a borax flux in a graphite crucible. Large crystals of beta brass were grown by the strain-anneal method, in plates sectioned from the cast ingots, by the following procedure. Rockwell-hardness indents were made at I cm. intervals and with various loads, then the plates were annealed for 4 days at 700°C. in Nichrome boxes packed with beta-brass chips and graphite. Surface layers were removed by grinding and etching to a depth of about 1.0 mm., and individual grains were cut out. Crystals of alpha and gamma brass were prepared by freezing, by lowering a graphite crucible at speeds less than one inch per hour through a furnace held at a constant temperature above the melting point. Single crystals were cut out with a jeweler's saw, ground, polished and etched. Care was taken to remove cold-worked layers from the finished crystals

Jan 1, 1944

By Clarence E. Jackson, George G. Luther

The ever increasing array of information concerning the measurement of the effect of the welding process on the properties of a steel is an indication of the tremendous effort that is being expended in this field. The methods that have been considered may be divided into two groups: first, those that measure directly the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel, and, second, those that observe the change in some property, such as the hardness of the heat-affected zone, and assume a direct correlation between this change and the resultant ductility. The nick-bend test is a direct method designed for studying the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel. The test specimen (Fig. I) consists of a bar cut from a plate with a bead weld on the surface. The specimen is prepaxed with a saw-notch placed so as to restrict deformation to the heat-affected zone under the bead weld when tested as a static bend. Failure is caused by rupture of the low-ductility metal in the heat-affected zone. The angle at maximum load is used as an index of the effect of the welding process on the material. In the development of the nick-bend test considerable scatter was noted in some of the results, although the agreement of duplicate specimens welded at the same time and tested consecutively was excellent. Upon further investigation it was found that the change in ductility was dependent upon the interval of time between the welding operation and the testing of the specimen. For the six steels of Fig. 2, the angle at maximum load in lour cases was doubled and in one case was tripled. All steels that have been studied show an improvement in the angle of bend for longer intervals between welding and testing. This same behavior has been found in weldability tests using the Navy T-bend

Jan 1, 1945

By A. M. Hall

SULPHUR, even in small amounts, may often be harmful to nickel and high-nickel alloys, causing impairment of mechanical strength and destruction of malleability and ductility, as shown by Merica and Waltenberg.1,2 It may act. either in the form of nonmetallic inclusions produced in the liquid state during furnacing or as reaction products resulting from its diffusion into the solid metal. In recognizing the action of this element, ability to identify its various forms by means of the microscope is often of considerable importance, especially when direct quantitative methods are inapplicable. [ ] Of the sulphur compounds associated with nickel and high-nickel alloys, the sulphides that may be found in malleable nickel, Monel? and Inconel? are an important group. These sulphides were investigated by metallographic methods in order to provide descriptive data by which to identify them. The nominal compositions of malleable nickel, Monet and Inconel are given in Table I. The term "sulphide" is employed here in a very general sense, to designate a substance in which sulphur and one or more metallic elements are combined. The term includes any combinations of compounds and solid solutions. METHOD OF INVESTIGATION Three groups of small laboratory melts were made, one group to represent each of the three types of alloy under investigation. Within each group, a number of ingots with a sufficient variety of chemical analyses were prepared so that the effect of each of the elements entering the complete commercial alloy could be isolated and observed. In most cases, to facilitate metallographic study by exaggerating the number and size of the resulting sulphides, somewhat greater amounts of the minor elements were added than are present in the commercial alloys. Likewise, considerably more sulphur was added than is normal, but not enough to complicate the system. Transverse sections were cut at a point one third of the distance from the butt to the head of each ingot, polished and examined with an inverted stage metallograph equipped with a combination polarizing-analyzing vertical illuminator. The light source was a tungsten-mercury vapor arc lamp.

Jan 1, 1943

Jan 3, 1953

By John J. Curzon

The existence of mineralized ground in the area near Lake Chelan has been known since 1887, when Major A. B. Rogers, a locating engineer for the Great Northern Railway, came up Lake Chelan to Railroad Creek in search of a pass over the Cascade Mountains. The steep mountainsides near the crest of the Cascades proved too difficult for railroad construction, and the project was abandoned. Upon his return to Seattle, Major Rogers apparently told his friends, the Denny family, about the large, red, oxidized patches he had seen on the valley walls along Railroad Creek. The Dennys, being true pioneers in spirit, grubstaked J. H. Holden to explore the area and to stake any promising mining ground, and thus began the chain of events that culminated in the construction of the plant that is now known as the Chelan Division of the Howe Sound Company. Holden staked the first group of claims in 1892. Soon afterward, A. H. Murdock, who was then a storekeeper in Chelan, and who is still living at Waterville, and his partner, W. P. Robinson, staked adjacent ground. These two groups of claims formed a substantial part of the mining property being worked today. During the period from the original staking in 1892 up to 1928, when the Britannia Mining and Smelting Co. optioned the property, many attempts were made to bring the property into production, through the formation of several stock companies and by examination and testing by engineers from several well-known mining companies. Although the Britannia organization optioned the property in 1928, not much was done until 1930, when a subsidiary was formed—the Chelan Copper Mining Co.—to explore further the possibilities of the ground. Some work was done during the next few years, but it was not until March 1937 that the Chelan Division of the Howe Sound Co. took over with a program of "full speed ahead," and active development of the mine and construction of the complete plant was begun, including docks, tug and barges, 54 miles of power line, 11 miles of road, mill, shop buildings and complete camp. Production began in April 1938, and has continued without interruption, except for regular change days and holidays and a six-weeks strike in 1939. This interval of time has seen the gradual evolution of a mine and mill originally planned for a rate of 1000 tons per day into a compact operation that last year averaged 2264 tons per operating day. This operation, although rather small when compared with the large copper producers of the Southwest, is important to the state of Washington for several reasons: It has provided employment for several hundred people continuously since construction days in 1937; it has helped materially in the war effort, through production of vital copper and zinc, without which no war can be won; and last, but not least, it has conclusively refuted the old pessimistic arguments that a successful mine would never be found in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. The Holden mine has been producing

Jan 1, 1946

By S. H. Lorain, Norman L. Wimmler, S. Ricker, P. E. Oscarson, H. G. Iverson

This paper has been prepared with the principal objective of recording the results of the Bureau of Mines exploration of five major clay deposits in the Western Region. It is based mainly on data contained in unpublished Bureau of Mines reports. Acknowledgment is made to the Federal Geological Survey for its cooperative work with the Bureau of Mines, to the various State geological and mining departments, and other State and local agencies. Clay Exploration by the Bureau of Mines Much has been written and published on clays and clay deposits relating to their refractory, ceramic, and other qualities but such literature is lacking in analyses of the available alumina content of the clays and provides little indication of their possibilities as a source of alumina. With this new objective in view, a great many of the known clay deposits were reexamined and new ones discovered. The Bureau of Mines made preliminary examination of numerous areas in the western United States. Five of those most favorably indicated were systematically drilled, and in each a large amount of high-alumina clay has been found. These five major projects are Molalla and Hobart Butte, in western Oregon; Cowlitz-Castle Rock, in southwestern Washington; Ione, in California; and the Olson-Troy area in Idaho (Fig. I). Preliminary scout drilling was done in the Stockton deposit at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; the White ware deposit near Lewis-town, Mont.; and 13 areas in the Spokane or eastern Washington region, where the most favorably indicated area, known as the Excelsior, is now being drilled more systematically. Preliminary drilling was undertaken in numerous areas adjacent to the major deposits and others more remote. As a result, large additional clay possibilities were found. The Clay Deposits The clay deposits under consideration are of the sedimentary or transported types, parts of which have been altered further by the agencies of weathering, ground water, or hydrothermal action. There are extensive deposits of residual clays in northern Idaho and in eastern Washington, but they have been found to be low in the available alumina and to contain much free quartz, mica, and unaltered feldspar. To be of value, they must first be subjected to beneficiation to remove these gangue minerals. The sedimentary clays have been derived largely from the decomposition, erosion, and transportation of granites, gneisses, schists, and basalts. At Molalla, some

Jan 1, 1948

By Norman L. Wimmler, H. G. Iverson, S. Ricker, P. E. Oscarson, S. H. Lorain

This paper has been prepared with the principal objective of recording the results of the Bureau of Mines exploration of five major clay deposits in the Western Region. It is based mainly on data contained in unpublished Bureau of Mines reports. Acknowledgment is made to the Federal Geological Survey for its cooperative work with the Bureau of Mines, to the various State geological and mining departments, and other State and local agencies. Clay Exploration by the Bureau of Mines Much has been written and published on clays and clay deposits relating to their refractory, ceramic, and other qualities but such literature is lacking in analyses of the available alumina content of the clays and provides little indication of their possibilities as a source of alumina. With this new objective in view, a great many of the known clay deposits were reexamined and new ones discovered. The Bureau of Mines made preliminary examination of numerous areas in the western United States. Five of those most favorably indicated were systematically drilled, and in each a large amount of high-alumina clay has been found. These five major projects are Molalla and Hobart Butte, in western Oregon; Cowlitz-Castle Rock, in southwestern Washington; Ione, in California; and the Olson-Troy area in Idaho (Fig. I). Preliminary scout drilling was done in the Stockton deposit at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; the White ware deposit near Lewis-town, Mont.; and 13 areas in the Spokane or eastern Washington region, where the most favorably indicated area, known as the Excelsior, is now being drilled more systematically. Preliminary drilling was undertaken in numerous areas adjacent to the major deposits and others more remote. As a result, large additional clay possibilities were found. The Clay Deposits The clay deposits under consideration are of the sedimentary or transported types, parts of which have been altered further by the agencies of weathering, ground water, or hydrothermal action. There are extensive deposits of residual clays in northern Idaho and in eastern Washington, but they have been found to be low in the available alumina and to contain much free quartz, mica, and unaltered feldspar. To be of value, they must first be subjected to beneficiation to remove these gangue minerals. The sedimentary clays have been derived largely from the decomposition, erosion, and transportation of granites, gneisses, schists, and basalts. At Molalla, some

Jan 1, 1948

By Norberto Dominguez

In the year 1820 a commission, assisted by Sr. C. Fernando de Ainada, was appointed by Sr. Jose Ramon Mila de la Roca to report on the condition of the mining region of Parral, in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, where in recent years the mines of Batopilas have reached an important development under American management. The object of the inquiry was to provide Sr. De la Roca with facts to support a project for reopening mines that two centuries before had produced a large amount of silver. Although this plan failed, many facts of interest in the history of the mines were presented.. Much of the report dealt with questions that had only local application or were restricted to the conditions of labor and equipment in the opening of the nineteenth century. The historical part is presented in the following paragraphs: Abstract of the Report. Notwithstanding the difficulty of forming a just estimate of the system of mines in this mineral group in the valley of Senor Sail Jose del Parral without an examination of each of them, that which we shall say in a general way will suffice to convey an idea of their value and of the urgent necessity of reopening them. If this is undertaken, we believe the results will be of the highest consequence to the Republic, as well as to this immediate locality. The group of the Villa del Parral covers the mineral territory in which the village of that name was located. Its moantains contain large metallic veins, from which, as from the trunk of a tree, depend others much more slender, locally called ,fibras, crossing and interlacing each other in many directions. The first and oldest of these very rich deposits of gold

Jan 1, 1902