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By Hugh M. Roberts

In the spring of 1915, then a 30-year old geologist in the employ of the E. J. Longyear Co., of Minneapolis, Minn., I accompanied prospectors to ex- amine outcrops of supposed nickel ore situated a mile or two in from the shore of a lake in the Kenora district of northwestern Ontario. The deposit proved to be bog iron ore containing traces of nickel. We were stormbound there for three days, a circumstance which gave rise to a tale that was told at our fire one night. It seems that Sandy and Jock, two prospectors, were crossing the bay of a large lake in a canoe. They were bucking headwinds; the waves grew higher. Jock called out from the stern, "Sandy, can ye na pray a little." Sandy pressed his knees a little closer into the bow and, between strokes of his paddle, sought for words, which came haltingly, "Save us this time . . . Oh Lord . . . and we promise . . ." when Jock, peering through the spray sang out, "I would na commit yourself, Sandy, I think I see lond ahead."

Jan 1, 1965

By R. E. Cech, T. D. Tiemann

It has been shown that hydrogen may be made to serve as a rapid and eflicient reducing agent for Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe sulfides if a scavenging agent for hydrogen sulfide is intimately mixed with the sulfide particles being reduced. Accelerated reduction kinetics are demonstrated for nickel sulfide. Copper, nickel, and cobalt sulfides, when treated at certain temperatures in a combined reducing agent-scavenging agent system, are converted to voluminous masses of fibrous metal product. Studies have been carried out to determine the conditions which lead, on the one hand, to irregular poly crystalline fibers and, on the other, to long single crystal filaments a few microns in diameter. A mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of single crystal filuments. The sulfide minerals of Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe are an important source of these metals yet there has been comparatively little scientific effort devoted towards understanding reduction mechanisms of these minerals. This may be, in part, due to the fact that the most convenient reducing agents for carrying out such studies, viz., hydrogen and carbon, do not react appreciably with sulfides. We have found that the reaction of hydrogen with metal sulfides can be markedly accelerated by placing a scavenging agent for hydrogen sulfide in close proximity to the metal sulfide. A brief series of experiments demonstrating relative reduction rates is reported in this paper to illustrate the effect. With the reduction process thus accelerated we have observed an unusual type of reduction behavior on some of the sulfides investigated. Under certain conditions the metallic product of the reduction reaction takes the form of filaments growing outward from the sulfide particles. The present paper deals largely with efforts to classify the various types of growth forms observed. This study has shown that filamentary growths from sulfides take a much greater variety of forms than has heretofore been reported by Ercker,1 Hardy,2 and Nabarro and Jackson3 in their reviews of metallic growths from copper and silver sulfides. THERMODYNAMIC CONSIDERATIONS The thermodynamics for hydrogen reduction of metal sulfides is quite unfavorable. For the sulfides considered here equilibrium constants typically range from 10-3 to 10-5. These low equilibrium constants impose severe kinetic limitations on reduction since hydrogen sulfide must be transported out of the system at concentrations of only a few hundred ppm. Unless extremely high gas flow rates are employed the atmosphere surrounding any sulfide particle will always be essentially in equilibrium with the sulfide. If, however, one places an efficient scavenging agent for hydrogen sulfide in close proximity to the metal sulfide particles the concentration of H2S near the metal sulfide will be held to a very low value. This would permit the reduction reaction to proceed with little or no inhibition from a buildup of reaction product gas. It is well known that calcium oxide is capable of removing hydrogen sulfide from a hydrogen gas stream of low dew point.4 If a sufficient quantity of calcium oxide is mixed with the metal sulfide particles the reaction: CaO+H2S=CaS+ H2O [l] will substitute moisture in place of hydrogen sulfide in the gas stream and this will not affect, in a direct manner, the reaction: MeS +H2=Me + H2S [2] A convenient method of considering the thermodynamics of the combined reducing agent-scavenging agent system is to consider the atmosphere when the partial pressure of hydrogen sulfide is the same over both the metal sulfide and the scavenging agent, i.e., pH2S (1) =pH2S (2). As a consequence: pH2O (1) pH2(2) =K1K2 The chemical driving force for reduction will depend inversely upon the moisture content of the gas and will be 0 when, in the system, pH2O = pH2.K1K2. Table I lists values of the equilibrium constants for reduction and H2S scavenging reactions for a number of sulfides at several temperatures. Data are taken from Rosenqvist4,5 and Kelly.6 The equilibrium constant products calculated from this data show that the limiting level of gaseous reaction product has been increased by a factor of 10' to l04 as a result of substituting a reducing agent-scavenging agent system for a simple reducing agent system. One possible side effect which must be considered is the possibility that the moisture evolved in the scavenging reaction might cause the atmosphere in the system to be sufficiently oxidizing to favor the formation of oxide rather than metal. This possibility was examined by comparing the equilibrium constant products listed in Table I with equilibrium constants for hydrogen reduction of the respective metal oxides. It was found that for copper, nickel, and cobalt the combined reduction-scavenging reactions could not develop a sufficiently high oxidizing potential in the

Jan 1, 1970

By R. E. Head

UNDER existing economic conditions, the treatment of gold ores occupies an outstanding position in metallurgical activity. The increased price of gold has automatically brought about a reclassification of old dumps and low-grade orebodies, and many that formerly were considered valueless are now being vigorously investigated and worked. This situation has developed problems that have taxed the ingenuity and ability of metallurgists to the utmost. Some gold ores give a high extraction of gold by standardized methods of treatment; other ores of apparently similar character yield but a relatively small percentage of their gold when treated by the same processes.

Jan 1, 1936

By F. Lynwood Garrison

There is probably no subject for study in the metallurgy of iron and steel of greater interest than the effect of manganese upon the properties of iron. Some of the peculiarities of iron and steel containing appreciable quantities of manganese were observed many years ago by Heath, Robert Mushet, and others; but it was not until the introduction of the Bessemer process, when a demand was created for large quantities of iron-manganese alloys, that such compounds of iron and manganese became articles of commerce. Since that time the demand for these alloys has steadily increased, the use of ferro-manganese not only becoming an absolute necessity in the ordinary Bessemer practice, but also essential to the manufacture of open-hearth, crucible steel and steel castings; in fact it is the only source of supply for all the manganese used in metallurgical opera-

Jan 1, 1893

By E. Lifshin, R. E. Hanneman

QUANTITATIVE applications of the electron micro-beam probe frequently involve the evaluation of complex mathematical expressions and/or the analysis of large amounts of experimental data. The purpose of this communication is to describe briefly a versatile and useful computer program system that is applicable to analyze rapidly a wide variety of practical microprobe problems. This system consists of a group of ten FORTRAN programs that can be stored on tape, cards, or in the memory disc of the computer. These programs, or links, can be run individually or in any prespecified sequence without interrupting the operation of the computer or without destroying information which is being transfered from one link to another. For the program system described here a GE-235 computer with disc storage was used, so that the DCHAIN method of program linking was employed. Included in the library are programs to: 1) initiate analysis of a new set of data and transfer control between all other programs in any predetermined manner; 2) generate theoretical calibration curves of composition vs relative intensity; 3) generate empirical deviation parameters from least-square fits of experimental calibration data from standards of known composition; 4) convert raw X-ray data to corrected composition; 5) determine inter diffusion coefficients by Matano analysis of con centrat ion -distance data on a uniaxial diffusion couple; 6) determine activation energies and frequency factors of temperature-activated processes such as diffusion; and 7) generate calibration curves for determination of the thickness of thin films using microanalysis. A detailed description of these computer programs and their underlying principles is available on request from the authors."' The first program to generate theoretical calibration curves of corrected relative intensities vs composition uses the Poole and Thomas atomic number correction' and the Philibert absorption factor' with a voltage-dependent mass absorption coefficient for electrons in the alloy. A modified Castaing fluores- cence correction is also used which includes the effects of both Ka and KO radiation and over voltage.' Once the theoretical curves have been calculated in 1 wt pct intervals, these results are least-squares fit to obtain Ziebold deviation parameters' which are stored in COMMON in the computer memory. The net discrepancies between the original theoretical calibration curve and the regenerated curve using the Ziebold parameter are computed. Although this link is explicitly written for K-K fluorescent interactions, it can be applied to K-L, L-K, and L-L interactions as previously disc~ssed."~ Similar programs have also been written to utilize the Wittry fluorescence correction, Birks combined corrections, and various other corrections.' These modified programs have proved to be quite useful for quantitative comparisons of the results of the various theories. The program for conversion of raw X-ray data to corrected composition includes corrections for drift, backround, and instrumental dead time. The corrected intensities are converted to composition by use of the Ziebold equation"2 and parameter obtained from the program system. The results can be obtained for either atom or weight fractions. In addition to accurately computing interdiffusion coefficients the Matano analysis program calculates least-square smoothed values of concentration, concentration gradient, and curvature for each point on the raw input concentration profile. In order to obtain high accuracies a unique method of performing a least-square polynomial fit to incrementally advancing profile segments which overlap is used.' This program has been successfully modified for use in ternary diffusion problems3 and can readily be modified to handle analysis of diffusion profiles which include phase boundary discontinuities. This link is generally applicable to analysis of interdiffusion data obtained by other techniques as well as by the microprobe. The primary function of the next program is to least-squares fit experimental diffusion data to the normal Arrhenius function: D = Doexp(-Q/RT), to obtain values of Do and Q. In addition the probable error and one, two, and three u statistical confidence limits of DO, Q, and log D are evaluated. This program is also directly useful for analysis of any other simple temperature-activated processes including conductivity, and certain deformation and chemical processes. The program to generate calibration curves for film-thickness determination using the microprobe is based on a numerical integration of the equation derived by Cockett and ~avis.' Values of film thickness obtained by this program for copper on various substrates are in good agreement with measurements made by other techniques. Versions of the above program system have been prepared for use with or without a remote teletype connection to the computer for processing on either a real-time or time-share basis. The instrumentation coupling a microprobe to a teletype for automatic data collection and analysis by the presently described program system has been reported elsewhere by the authors.' If teletype equipment is not used to communicate with the computer, standard methods of card reading and tape reading can be used. In either

Jan 1, 1967

By Alfred F. Beasley

The slags derived from the smelting of lead and copper ores are composed essentially of silicates. The problems arising from the smelting of these ores consequently involve the study of silicate fusions. In the absence of specific knowledge concerning the compounds occurring in slags, it has been the practice of metallurgists to treat them in terms of their total chemical composition. Slags have been classified as monosilicates, bisilicates, sesquisilicates, and subsilicates according to the relative amounts of oxygen in the acid and basic radicles of the hypothetical salt produced. While this has been a useful guide to metallurgists in computing the furnace charges, it falls far short of a basis for the scientific investigation of slags. In order to understand the nature of a slag as a whole it is necessary to learn the physical and chemical properties of the mineral compounds which go to make up that slag. The efficiency with which an ore is smelted in a furnace depends primarily on the physical properties of the compounds formed during the operation. When the melting points and fields of stability of each of the mineral compounds in slags have been established, it will be possible to determine the properties of any given slag by examining the nature and amounts of its mineral constituents. Earlier Investigations In 1884 and succeeding years an extensive survey of lead and copper furnace slags was made in Europe by Vogt, and a large part of the present knowledge of the subject is due to his publications.' Vogt's interest in artificial fusions was directed primarily towards the explanation of problems in igneous and economic geology and his subsequent works have been confined wholly to that subject.

Jan 1, 1930

By A. W. Gauger

Coal as mined contains varying quantities of inorganic components (mineral matter) which, on combustion, produce the residue known as ash. It has long been realized that the weight of this residue does not equal the weight of the mineral matter originally in the coal, because of the chemical changes that take place during the ashing process. Moreover, the ordinary ash analysis presents the ash as a mixture of oxides with little or no clue to the identity of the mineral species originally present in the coal. It is only for pyritic sulfur that an attempt is made to determine a mineral component. So far as the authors are aware, there are practically no experimental data in the literature as to the percentages of the different mineral species present in coal. The oft-quoted table of Marson and Cobb1 cannot rightly be considered as data, since the authors merely state that the table "shows the probable forms in which these ash constituents exist in coal." In view of the attempts to calculate analyses and determinations of the calorific equivalent of coal to the mineral-matter-free basis, as well as the importance of the mineral species in clinkering, combustion and coking, it seems strange that so few data are available on this phase of coal technology. For example, numerous empirical corrections for use in the scientific classification of coal have been suggested to compensate for the losses from the mineral matter during ignition of the coal to ash. These include multiplication of the ash percentage by various factors such as l 1/10 and 156, the use of the Parr unit coal formula (1.08 A + 22/40 S, where S = total sulfur) as well as certain modifications of the Parr formula that attempt to correct for the organic sulfur present in the coal. Although many experiments have been made to determine the loss on ignition of the clays associated with the coal measures and correction

Jan 1, 1934

By Charles Barrett

THE orientation of metal crystals and grains, both large and small,. can be determined conveniently and accurately without the use of X-ray apparatus. This seems to be appreciated by so few metallurgists that it may be useful to explain in detail the method we have found most satis-factory in the laboratory the reflection of light from crystallographic etch pits. This note includes a description of a suitable inexpensive instrument and instructions for etching various metals and for plotting the data. As the stereographic projection is used to facilitate handling the data, this note may be considered as an appendix to an earlier review of the metallurgical uses of the stereographic projection.1 Various methods involving etch pits have been used by other investi-gators, Bridgman's method2 consists of attaching the specimen to a sphere (a transparent sphere is convenient4), holding it at arm's length, and marking a spot on it when it has been turned so that the etch pits reflect light into the eye of the observer from a lamp standing behind him. It has an accuracy of about 2° and is extremely rapid. A greater accuracy can be obtained by having the reflected light fall on a screen, as has been done by Czoehralski, 5 Chalmers,6 and Schubnikov.7 All of these methods have been intended for undeformed single crystals. Tammann and his coworkers"' developed a method for estimating the number of grains in a polycrystalline aggregate having orientations in a given region of the stereographic triangle and thus obtained statistical information about deformation and recrystallization textures. While the method has had some use in recent years,9 it is not applicable to the majority of problems in physical metallurgy. Smith and Mehl10 determined orientations by plotting the directions of the sides of individual etch pits on a stereo-

Jan 1, 1940

By J. C. Irvine

Meramec Mining Co. has put into operation a crushing and conveying system on its newly established 2475-ft level, 200 ft below the lowest production. To develop this level without interrupting hoisting or mine haulage, a 15.8% decline was driven from the 2275-ft level. A 5-cu-yd LHD diesel loader and a diesel-powered drilling jumbo were put into operation midway down the decline, and were used to develop the remainder of the decline and the entire level. Development of the ore pass system to the crusher required the construction of Swedish-type dumps on the main haulage-ways of all production levels with a minimum disruption of ore haulage. Concrete was handled by both rail-mounted and rubber-tired vehicles. The system features four Swedish-type dumps with control chutes at the lower three dumps, a 42-in. gyratory crusher with attendant feeders, and an 1800-ft long roof suspended conveyor feeding two 5000-ton ore bins. The crushed ore from these bins is conveyed to the lower of the mine's two original loading stations for hoisting. The retention of the original dumping and ore pass system as an alternate route has given mine production a unique flexibility. Operation for 22 months has permitted evaluation of the system from a long-term standpoint.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. D. Price, G. V. Woody

MANY producers of by-product coke have spent considerable time and given considerable thought to the use of a substitute for low-volatile coal as an admixture with high-volatile coking coal for charging high-temperature by-product coke ovens. Generally speaking, there are two principal reasons for this, one being occasioned by the lack, in certain localities, of low-volatile coal delivered at a cost sufficiently low to permit its use, and another being the desirability of finding a substitute product with a delivered cost lower than the cost of the low-volatile coal. It was for the first of these reasons that the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation was particularly interested in this subject. This paper deals with the experimental work and the results obtained by that company in producing and using low-temperature char. OVERCOMING DEFECTS IN COKE FROM COLORADO COALS Colorado coking coals are all of the high-volatile type and were all laid down during he Cretaceous period, which makes them something like 80 million or so years younger, geologically, than eastern coals. They behave, when coked alone, something like the Pittsburgh-seam coals. They make a very brittle, highly cross-fractured, fingery coke of fair shatter value but quite low in resistance to abrasion. Mixed with a low-volatile coking coal such as Pocahontas or certain Oklahoma coals, they make a coke that is equal to virtually any of the eastern cokes. The inferior quality of Colorado coke has long been recognized, and a considerable amount of time, effort and money has been spent upon investigations of means for improving its physical properties. While it has been found that some improvement in quality of coke can be secured by the adjustment and control of such variables as pulverization, moisture content, oven temperature and bulk density of charge, and through the addition of certain inert materials such as pulverized coke breeze, pitch, high-volatile noncoking or semicoking coal, the benefits so gained have been comparatively small. There are no low or medium-volatile coking coals available within a reasonable freight-cost distance. Therefore a substitute for low-volatile coal was developed through low-temperature carbonization-or, more correctly speaking, through the partial devolatilization-of high-volatile coals. The blending of this lower volatile char with the high-volatile coking coal distinctly improves the quality of coke made from Colorado coal. There is nothing especially new about this idea. In 1908 a Japanese patent was taken out by Kotaro Shimomura, whose claim was: The method of making a nonfingery coke out of bituminous coals, without using natural coals of low-volatile matter; according to which a certain coal is heated at a temperature between about 300°C. and about 600°C. so as to leave about 15 to 25 per cent volatile matter in the coal; this coal is mixed with the

Jan 1, 1944

By Marcel Daly

THE writer has devoted a number of years to practical operations and to the study of geology in the oil fields. In consequence, he has been brought to investigate the theories advanced to account for the accumulation of oil and gas in commercial deposits. It is the result of these investigations and his personal conclusions that he wishes to sum up in this paper. The writer is an advocate of the organic origin of petroleum found in pools. He has been led to believe that the present theories of oil and gas accumulations are incomplete and, in certain respects, incorrect, although they may embody certain elements of truth; that the forces that are called upon to explain the movement are only secondary forces in the process, and insufficient, by themselves, to cause this movement; and that the phenomenon of accumulation is of much larger order than heretofore admitted and bears an intimate relation with the general as well as with the local deformations of the crust and is a direct consequence and a mechanical effect of these deformations to which the term "diastrophic" has been applied. As a complement to this theory, the writer offers a new interpretation of the "rock pressure" and of the mechanism of the "sealing up" of this pressure in oil and gas pools.

Jan 7, 1916

By Giovanni B. Barla, Stefan H. Boshkov

The block caving method is examined in this paper on the basis of experimental results and observations in the field, and through the use of numerical modeling by the Finite Element Method. The Grace Mine, developed by a panel caving method, served as a reference case. However, the results obtained and the simulation techniques which have been developed may find useful application in more general conditions as encountered in other mining operations by block caving. Following a brief description of the Grace Mine and of the mining method, the problems associated with the behavior of underground drifts at the production levels, during undercutting and caving, are addressed. The most important results obtained through monitoring of strains and loads in the supports of a runway are discussed, while giving relevance to the sequence of mining operations in the immediate vicinity. The most important geomechanical data, as provided for subsequent modeling, are described with reference to: (a) rock mass characterization and (b) in situ state of stress. Then, the numerical modeling procedures, developed by the Finite Element Method in order to predict the caving phenomena and the behavior of underground openings during undercutting, are discussed. Finally, an attempt is made to compare the pre- dictions of the numerical analyses with, the measurements carried out at the instrumented site. Suggestions as to how to improve the results both qualitatively and quantitatively are also given.

Jan 1, 1984

By Frederick T. Fischer

INTRODUCTION Post-Lower Ordovician karstification on a continental scale produced a wide-spread paleoaquifer in the upper portion of the Knox Group of the Southeastern United States. The presence of economic zinc deposits in the Knox of Tennessee is considered to be a con- sequence of this paleoaquifer(1). During The New Jersey Zinc Company's initial exploration of the middle Tennessee region the known artesian nature of modern Knox water and its potentially adverse effect upon mining activities was a matter of concern. This concern intensified as a mining situation appeared imminent and a program of hydrologic investigation was begun in early 1969 and continued through August 1972. The preliminary findings of this work were reported at the AIME World Symposium on Mining and Metallurgy of Lead & Zinc in 1970(2). This paper presents additional data acquired during subsequent stages of the program and relates the hydrologic relationships to the overall geologic framework of the area. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY The Elmwood mine is 85km east of Nashville and 8km southeast of Carthage in Smith County, Tennessee (Figure 1). Its physiographic location is in the Central Basin of Tennessee, a basin resulting from erosional breaching across the Nashville Dome of the Mississippian strata which now form the bordering Highland Rims. Both the Central Basin and Highland Rims are divisions of the Interior Low- lands Province. Outcropping rock units of the Central Basin are predominantly Middle Ordovician limestones with scattered high hilltops capped by Devonian and Mississippian strata. One outlier

Jan 1, 1977

By M. D. Everell

A study has been made of the relationships between grinding selection functions and physical properties of rocks, particularly the failure loads of irregular particles and the compressive and tensile strengths of large regular specimens. The rocks used were limestones of various structures and impurity contents, a carbonatite, and a high-purity crystallized calcite. The selection functions were obtained from carefully performed grinding experiments on selected narrow size ranges in various grinding machines-a laboratory batch ball mill, a Hard grove grindability machine, and a mill of the type suggested by Yang, Mempel, and Fuerstenau. The specific rates of breakage during milling and the failure loads of irregular specimens correlated well for the rocks studied. The testing of irregular particles is suggested as a means of predicting the behavior of commercial mills.

Jan 1, 1973

By S. R. Goodman, Hsun Hu

A study has hem made of the formation of annealing textures in an 18-8 austenitic stainless steel (Type 304L) from various deformation textures obtained by rolling at different temperatures. When the deformation texture is a mixture of the ferritic type and the brass type owing to the pres -ence of both martensitic ferrite and retained aus-tenite in the specimen, recrystallization takes place by the growth of the existing austenite phase. In a previous report,' it was shown that the rolling texture of austenitic stainless steel (Type 304L) changed gradually from the brass type to the copper type with increasing temperature of deformation above 200°C. These changes are similar to those in high-purity silver2,3 and electrolytic copper;4 a brass-type texture is favored at low rolling temperatures, whereas a copper-type texture is favored During the course of rolling -texture transition from the brass type to the copper type, the subsequent recrystallization textures change accordingly. The orientation relationship between the annealing textures and the various rolling textures, being consistent with previous observations on various fcc metals, can be described as [Ill] rotations of approximately 25 to 40 deg. Carhide precipitation may influence the annealing textures. at high rolling temperatures. Furthermore, the annealing textures in high-purity silver5 and electrolytic copper4 were found to depend entirely on the prior deformation texture. From a copper-type rolling texture a strong cube texture will form upon recrystallization, whereas from a brass-type rolling texture the annealing texture will be quite different from the cube orientation. In an earlier comm~nication,6 the formation of a strong cube texture in 18-8 austenite stainless steels (Types 304 and 304L) was reported briefly by the authors. The present paper constitutes the results of a complete study of the annealing textures obtained from a

Jan 1, 1965

By W. G. Fischer

Basic laboratory tests on trona and the surrounding shales initiated the Rock Mechanics program. The stress-strain curve, modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, the uniaxial rock strength, Mohr's envelope, the biaxial stresses at failure, and creep were investigated. A series of underground problems were then approached using this information and various field measuring devices, most of which were developed by the Bureau of Mines. Initially, stress concentrations near mine openings were evaluated using the stress relief technique. This required an accurate determination of the pre-mining stress field. Later, stress concentrations associated with the cave line were studied. After about 30 stress reliefs over an appropriate time interval the effects of one type of mining could be compared against another. The microseismic technique was used to investi- gate a possible application of warning devices near the cave line. A study of mine reorientation was made. Problems related to the shape and size of pillars and barriers were studied. The effectiveness of roof bolting patterns was examined. Control of roof stresses was attempted. A new system of mining in heavy ground has been developed using the information secured in the Rock Mechanics program. Without this system, mining in more than one instance would have been next to impossible. Indeed, from this one discovery alone, the Rock Mechanics program has paid off in improved safety as well as in dollars. The Westvaco trona* mine is located near the town of Green River in the southwestern corner of Wyoming. It is owned and operated by FMC Corp. on land leased from the US Government, the State of Wyoming, and the Union Pacific Railroad. A conventional room and pillar system is being used, (Fig. 1) with complete removal of the pillars during final mining. Return air bleeders surround

Jan 1, 1964

By William C. Grady

Microscopic pyrites are present in all West Virginia coals. Sizes of these pyrites range from 0.1 µ 500 µ (1/2 mm) , and four types are noted: massive, patches, framboids, and isolated crystals. The relative and absolute abundances of the four types vary from seam to seam, and these distributions have a marked effect on the ease with which a seam may be cleaned of pyritic sulfur.

Jan 1, 1978

By Claudio Gutiérrez

The action of quebracho in the selective flotation of fluorite and calcite has been studied. It has been found that the unavoidable ions produced by dissolution of these minerals can precipitate calcium oleate which profoundly influences the adsorption of oleate. The depressing action of quebracho is due, at least partly, to a decrease of the oleate adsorption. The depression of flourite flotation by quebracho in the presence of calcium is due to the fact that precipitated calcium oleate can become only physisorbed, its adsorption being strongly prevented by quebracho. It is concluded that adsorption experiments with flourite must be conducted with a flotation-size mineral, which has a lower dissolution rate than when finely ground.

Jan 1, 1980

By V. H. Wilhelm

The trend initiated in January 1936, of stabilized gasoline prices, increased demand and extraordinary drilling activity, continued in California during the year 1937. Crude prices were maintained during the year at the highest level since September 1930. Wildcat activity with resultant new discoveries and development of proven acreage were greater than in any year since 1928. Many fields in California in former years have been produced at full capacity, with consequent loss of reservoir energy, but at the present time continued activity is maintained to develop adequate reserves, so that production in these fields can be taken at a rate to correspond with good operating practice. Naturally, this good operating practice will be influenced to some degree by gas outlets and, in certain instances perhaps, by oil outlets. In any event, these last two controlling features will result in favorable rather than detrimental operation. In fields producing from great depths, ultimate production will be practically limited to the flowing and compressor life of the well, since there is as yet no economical method for pumping wells below depths of approximately 7000 ft. Experience has shown, however, that such pumping difficulties will be overcome and that production secured by pumping will add some to reserves established on the flowing life of the wells. California continued to operate under voluntary curtailment, but with unlimited transfers of allowable between various fields. Even though there was at all times considerable production above the Umpire's established quota, a constantly increasing demand reduced storage during the year. This increasing demand was due mainly to the rapid rise in Pacific foreign shipments from May to September. It is questionable, however, whether this favorable condition will be maintained over a prolonged period. (See Fig. 1.) Field Discoveries The great drilling activity during the year resulted in the discovery of three new fields in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as many extensions

Jan 1, 1938

By William Braden

In view of the current discussion of a proposed change in the United States mining law, abolishing the feature known as the extralateral right of a lode-location, it is an interesting circumstance that in the neighboring Province of British Columbia this feature was tried for eight years and then abandoned. The results of that abandonment have been such as to disprove the proposition, so confidently advanced by many

Jan 1, 1899