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By C. C. Miller, A. B. Dyes

The cost of finding and developing new reserves is continually rising. We must meet these rising costs with more economical operations. This can he accomplished if we revise our ideas of proper well spacing and well allowable to consider the concept of optimum well spacing. According to this concept, the optimum spacing is the one which leads to the maximum present worth for a reservoir when ail factors affecting total cost and total revenue are considered and when the wells are produced in the most eficient manner. Application of this principle efficiently utilizes available well potential and properly considers the recovery eficiency in addition to fixing the spacing on the basis of the amount and value of the oil to he recovered. This Study presents an analysis of one producing zone containing low gravity crude to illustrate the effect of these factors on the present worth and on the optimum economic spacing under two production drives—-evolved gas and water drive. The maximum present worth occurs when the optimum number of wells for open-flow operation is employed. Frequently, this optimum development cal1s for very wide spacing and the ideal field rates are not unreasonable. Under other circumstance. where proration is necessary, an optimum combination of well spacing and well allowable exists which permits production at relatively high rates. The optimum well density in a field depends on the recovery efficiency and the valule of the oil. In solution gas-driven reservoirs this optimum spacing for operation at high producing rates can vary from extremely wide spacing to handle viscous low gravity oil in thin formations to relatively close spacing in thick sands where good recoveries are expected. Because of the better recovery from water-driven fields, the optimum spacing in these fields is closer than in solution gas-driven fields. Also, the water encroachment pattern is dependent upon the well spacing, and an adequate numher of wells is needed to assure a good sweep eficiency. The economic optimum well density in a water-driven field is high enough for this purpose. INTRODUCTION From year to year domestic oil becomes more difficult to find. The fields we do locate are frequently smaller and deeper than older fields and the costs for men, material and equipment are continually rising. To replenish our reserves we must continue to search for and develop new fields, but experience has shown we cannot expect prices to rise in proportion to costs. Consequently, we must meet increasing costs by more economical operations. A vigorous effort is being made within the industry to improve exploration methods, to cope with the problems of deeper drilling, and to obtain a secondary yield from older fields. Many significant contributions have resulted from these efforts. The economic operation of new fields can be further improved by developing these fields on optimum spacing and producing the wells at higher rates. This would avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells and provide additional capital for seeking new oil. While the benefits of these practices are obvious, the problem of defining the optimum development of a field for natural depletion can become very complex. A study of the effect of well spacing and several reservoir variables on economic worth of a specific field is reported here to illustrate the problem and to show the magnitude of the benefits to be realized. This study is necessarily limited to the field conditions selected and is not intended as a general solution of the well spacing problem. It does, however, indicate factors to be considered, the trends to be expected, and the direction in which we should proceed in developing new fields. NO consideration is given to land and legal considerations which might arise. METHOD OF ANALYSIS The optimum method of developing and producing a field is to use the combination of spacing and prora-tion which gives the maximum return. In addition, we do not want to lose recovery. These considerations of maximum return and maximum recovery present no serious conflict. The value of each method of operation is conveniently expressed in terms of its present worth. According to the present worth method of evaluation,' an acceptable annual percentage return is assigned to the operation, and all incomes, capital costs, and expenses are discounted at this rate to the start of the operation. This net value is the present worth. If we apply the same discount rate to several alternate methods of operation, the one yielding the greatest present worth is the best method. If we express net income in terms of price per barrel of oil produced, drilling and equipment costs on a well basis, and expenses as cost per well year, this evalu-

By J. Murray Riddell

The method of treating hazards wherein value is decreased, is cited by R. D. Parks. Quite properly, the theory of probabilities is made use of when multiple hazards are under consideration. E. F. Fitzhugh, Jr. deals with the enhancement phase graphically and uses percentage of expectancy as derived by a study of conditions and the selection of a chance factor. It is believed that both of the authors referred to fully recognize the part which human judgment plays, and as coupled with experience, training, and the application of the theory of probabilities; in that respect the composer of this paper is in accord. Within the past year, the task of arriving at a mathematical method for handling the enhancement phase, and, additionally, coupling the negative and positive phases, was explored. In citing the hazard, or negative phase, reference is made to the text by Parks.

Jan 1, 1949

By Theodore H. Eyde

In the southwest porphyry copper province, the virgin prospect with good copper mineralization cropping out has disappeared. Future discoveries will require an increasingly sophisticated arsenal of exploration techniques and concepts. One of the latter, stratigraphic analysis, is a technique which is often overlooked. A surprising number of exploration geologists still think of porphyry copper deposits as occurring wholly within intrusive bodies such as quartz monzonite or granodiorite. Disseminated copper mineralization, though genetically related to intrusive rocks, can occur within both the intrusive and the intruded rocks. At present, as much as 30% of the total copper produced from disseminated copper deposits in the Southwest originate from the intruded rocks rather than the intrusive.

Jan 4, 1972

By T. E. Leontis, R. S. Busk

WORK was initiated several years ago at The Dow Chemical Company to determine the applicability of powder metallurgy processes to magnesium and its alloys. Although it was found possible to apply the normal techniques of compacting and sintering, it was discovered early that the technique of extrusion offered special promise. This technique and the alloys produced were therefore studied extensively, and the present paper is a partial report of those studies. It is expected that a second paper will discuss more extensively some of the alloy systems simply mentioned here. Although the literature on powder metallurgy is very extensive, there are only two articles dealing with magnesium13,14 and there is no reference to the direct extrusion of the powder of any metal without the preliminary step of compacting. Furthermore, no mention has been made of the possibility of designing alloys by the technique of powder extrusion, particularly alloys that cannot be made in any other way. Sauerwaldl3 discusses the extrusion of magnesium and aluminum powder to produce alloys containing nonequilibrium phases, but again he emphasizes the importance of pre-compacting before extrusion. There seems to be general agreement that some form of hot-pressing is essential to obtain in a compact the full theoretical density of the metal used.'-" The nearest approach to the technique of direct powder extrusion is that of extrusion of pre-sintered compacts,'-" for which the best review through 1944 is that by Kieffer and Hotop.11 Ensign* discussed a specialized technique of "extruding" already compacted and sintered gears for the purpose of sizing. Sauerwa1d13 discussed the compacting and extrusion of magnesium and magnesium-aluminum alloy band-saw chips. The properties of the extruded compacts were found to be comparable with those of extrusions prepared from solid billets. He also extruded a compacted mixture of magnesium and aluminum powder and found the properties to be somewhat different from those obtained on an extrusion made from a cast billet of the same composition. The second reference dealing specifically with the powder metallurgy of magnesium is Stern's patent," in which is described the extrusion of scrap chips and turnings following a hot-pressing and sintering step. Considerable emphasis in most of these articles is placed on the necessity of atmospheric protection to minimize the danger of oxidation. Experimental Procedure The first experiments were made with the small extrusion press shown in fig. 1. With this press, billets of about 1/2 in. diam are used to produce wire

Jan 1, 1951

[United States PAGE Alabama 226 Alaska 226 Arizona 226 Arkansas 227 California 227 Colorado 230 Connecticut 231 Delaware 282 District of Columbia 232 Florida 232 Georgia 232 Idaho 232 Illinois 233 Indiana 234 Iowa 234 Kansas 234 Kentucky 234 Louisiana 235]

Jan 1, 1928

By William E. Bruce

In recent investigation of drilling processes, the U.S. Bureau of Mines measured the operating characteristics of two percussive drills. Basically, this entailed measuring maximum piston velocities while drilling. The maximum piston velocity is not necessarily the same as the striking velocity. The latter is usually somewhat lower1 because most commonly used drills provide an air cushion which slows the piston just before it comes in contact with the drill rod. Penetration rates for the two drills were determined in nine rock types, and the physical properties of the same nine rocks were measured and tabulated. Then the penetration rates were plotted against the individual properties to determine the general relationships on which methods for predicting drilling rates could be based.2

Jan 1, 1970

By Louis B. Slichter

Prospecting is certainly the world's biggest and best gambling business. It is a game where the chips cost many thousands and where many millions, even billions, can be won. An attractive feature of this gamble is the fact that the players are free to rig the odds as favorably as possible. Only the limited bounty of nature, the restrictions of the laws of the land, the competition from other players, the limited sagacity of the player himself- only these, and other factors, restrict the possibilities for large winnings. Today probably about half the land surface of the earth remains to be searched for signs of ore visible at the surface. It is fortunate that so much land still remains for exploration by relatively economical methods. Looking to the future, it is a good guess that the costs of finding ore will increase in response to increasing technical difficulties. To continue to achieve profits from prospecting, it will become necessary to analyze the business more skillfully, in a more and more sophisticated manner. Whenever feasible, qualitative concepts must be replaced by their quantitative equivalents, improvements, and extensions.

Jan 6, 1960

THIS paper presents briefly some of the principal results of 3 ½ months field work during the summer of 1938 in the Chichagof mining district, southeastern Alaska. The report is preliminary and presumably will be followed later by a more complete report to be published by the Geological Survey. The paper is concerned principally with the structural geology of a block of steeply dipping graywacke as revealed underground in the Hirst Chichagof and the Chichagoff mines, the two principal mines of the district. The two mines have produced about $16,000,000 worth of gold and silver. The attitude of the graywacke, which is locally cut by dikes and sills of aplite, is remarkably uniform and trends about N. 62º W. The average dip is about 67º SW. The graywacke is cut by large faults, the best known of which are the Hirst and the Chichagof, whose average trends are about N. 30ºW. and average dips about 75º SW. The faults at some places split into the bedding of the graywacke and at others are deflected from their normal trends for considerable distances along the bedding. The relative movements along the faults was northwest and up at about 30º for the south- west or hanging-wall sides. The ore bodies are elongate quartz lenses in the faults. Most of the quartz is mineralized but locally large quartz masses are too low grade to be mined. The emplacement of the ore bodies appears to have been structurally controlled in large part by the intersections of the faults with the bedding surfaces. Places where the faults split or are deflected appear to have been particularly favorable places for ore deposition. There has been some post-quartz movements along the faults but it is thought that such movements have not been extensive enough to greatly modify the original positions and shapes of the ore bodies.

Jan 1, 1939

By Wolfgang O. Gluschke

INTRODUCTION Virtually all countries have general legislation covering most aspects of mining and mineral processing, including investment and tax laws, safety and health regulation, and specific rules applying to exploration reporting procedures. Yet most developing countries negotiate individual agreements with foreign investors for major mineral projects, in particular when all or part of the expected output is exported. Such agreements are known under several different names, as for example concession agreement; technical assistance agreement or service contract; management agreement; production sharing contract; joint venture; or contract of work. The objectives and conditions governing such contracts are as diverse as these titles are. While a mining project is only one among a large mumber of similar undertakings in industrial countries, in most developing countries such projects usually have a dominating position within the country's economy. The general legislation is often inadequate and insufficiently detailed to cover all aspects of large projects with extensive foreign inputs and international markets. Therefore, the need for specific arrangements. Specific arrangements may also become necessary due to the complexity of markets for mineral products, the large number of participants - equity partners, suppliers, financial institutions, buyers, etc. - or economic and political conditions in the host country and fiscal regulations in the home country of the investors. Most agreements are concluded between governments, or government agencies, in developing countries and private industry headquartered in developed market economies - Canada and the United States of America in North America, Western European countries, Japan, South Africa and Australia - or, in some instances, with state-owned firms in these countries. There are fewer agreements between developing countries and the centrally planned economy countries - Eastern Europe and the USSR - which cannot be considered here because of absence of adequate information. Agreements can be concluded at any of the different stages from exploration through closing of a mine. While most contracts are negotiated at the time when a potentially viable ore body has been delineated and investigated sufficiently to anticipate a realistic time for commencement of production, other agreements start with "grass-roots" exploration, during operation of a mine, smelter or refinery or, exceptionally, after a temporary shutdown. While several major provisions are included in all types of agreements, others are covered in much more detail (or not at all) in some contracts reflecting the specific work programme of each project. While it is realized that subdivision and classification of complex contractual relations is necessarily arbitrary to a certain extent, such grouping is useful in practical terms, especially for the non-specialist. The following discussion, therefore, will start with a description of the major forms of contractual relation - concession, investment contract, joint venture, management agreement, service and production sharing contracts. Major issues covered in all, or almost all, agreements will then be dealt with. These include stages of development, corporate structure and control, fiscal arrangements, infrastructure development and environmental law, and dispute settlement and renegotiation. FORMS OF CONTRACT RELATIONS There has been marked change in the type of agreement entered into during the 1960s (and before) and the early 1970s and the period thereafter. While straight "concessions" - granting of exclusive rights to foreign investors over a certain deposit or areas with little restriction or well-defined obligations - were the rule during the first half of this century, more complex agreements have evolved since. Some of these cover every conceivable aspect, foreseen or only possible, and define rights and obligations of all partners to the last detail. Over the years, agreements have without doubt become more beneficial for the developing host countries, in part as a result of well-publicized nationalizations, as for example in Chile, and in part due to changed attitudes in all countries

Jan 1, 1985

By J. M. Gaines, C. H. Herty

IRon oxide (FeO) plays an extremely important part in the manufacture of steel. In the open-hearth furnace and the Bessemer converter it is the chemically predominant compound and controls to a large extent both the operation of the furnaces and the composition and quality of their products. Almost all of the refining action is carried out through the medium of FeO, which oxidizes carbon, manganese, silicon and phosphorus. At the end of any open-hearth or Bessemer heat the steel contains dissolved iron oxide, which must be wholly or partly eliminated. The type of deoxidation product depends on the amount of dissolved iron oxide and on the deoxidizer used. After the heat has been deoxidized and while it is being teemed, iron oxide diffuses from the ladle slag into the metal, causing losses of deoxidizer and increase in iron oxide content of the steel. It is generally believed that non-metallic inclusions are responsible for a great many failures of steel in service and for decreased yield of steel during rolling. The basis of most non-metallic inclusions is dissolved iron oxide. This investigation was undertaken in order to determine the amount of iron oxide that will dissolve in iron under various conditions. Steel-making slags are complex and it has been thought best to determine solubility under simple slags as a first step. The study is being continued under slags whose compositions approach those of operating slags Previous Investigations The solubility of oxygen in iron has been determined by a number of investigators (see Table 1) but their effort's have been directed toward the

At its meeting on February 21, 1933, the Board of Directors passed the following resolution defining and expressing the policy of the Institute with respect to official participation or action in controversial matters: WHEREAS, the Board of Directors at its last meeting passed the following resolution: "The Board of Directors, having been appealed to by several Local Sections for advice concerning the attitude and policy of the Institute relating to the endorsement of candidates for public office, the following statement of

Jan 1, 1938

A. E. Hunt, Pittsburgh, Pa : I have heard these papers read with a great deal of pleasure. I am particularly interested, in a financial way, in the bauxites as ores of aluminum, and it is safe to prophesy that there will be many more mining engineers in the future who will be interested in these ores of aluminum, in the same way as many are

Jan 1, 1895

By A. F. Meger

REPRESENTED here are the ideas and varied experiences of many people in the Hanna Coal Co. who have helped develop, over a number of years, an efficient and flexible method for spraying con- trolled amounts of oil on coal. Since the George- town preparation plant began operations early in 1951, oil treatment of coal has received special attention. It is believed that oil treating will satisfy present customers and also attract new markets. The first step in developing the new method of oil spraying was the construction of a dust cabinet for testing 50-lb samples of treated coal with the available oil sprays on the market. Tests results were tabulated for both indoor and outdoor storage.

Jan 7, 1954

By H. M. Howe, W. E. C. Eustis

THE processes which form the Subject of this paper have been experimented on in the laboratory of W. E. C. Eustis, but have not passed beyond the experimental stage. The first is the invention of Mr. J. L. Thomson, of Capelton, Quebec, Canada, the others have been invented by the writers. THOMSON'S PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF NICKEL This consists essentially in first rendering the nickel magnetic, and then separating it from the materials. with which it is mechanically

Jan 1, 1882

By S. S. Solomons, V. H. Tillmann, L. Smaniotto

INTRODUCTION The Zinc Corporation, Limited and New Broken Hill Consolidated Limited (ZC/NBHC) mines are situated at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia (refer Fig. 1). Both companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Australian Mining and Smelting Limited (AM&S). Annual production from both mines is 2.3 million tonnes of lead, silver and zinc ore mined by a variety of underground methods. From 1911 to 1968, conventional overhand cut and fill stoping (both open and square set timber) was used almost exclusively, though some trials with shrinkage and sublevel stoping were undertaken. The trial stopes used short holes in conparison with today's sublevel open stopes. Mechanised cut and fill methods with regular rockbolt support were introduced in the early 1960's and undercut and fill stoping replaced square set timber stoping for pillar extraction in the late 1960's. Since 1968, increasing emphasis has been placed on longhole open stoping (LHOS) although some areas of the orebodies are comrnrnitted to the abovemehtioned methods since existing stope development makes it impracticable to change. In 1979, approximately half the total production was mined by LHDS and it is expected that the LHOS proportion will increase in the future. A vertical crater retreat method of longhole mining has also been successfully introduced to replace the undercut and fill stoping of some pillars and it is expected that this stoping method will be used in some future primary ore extraction. This paper reviews the progress of LHOS technology at ZC/NBHC with emphasis on the stope planning and design process and the importance of rock mechanics applications. The objective has been to maximise the primary extraction of the orebody giving due consideration to stability and safety. This has led to the design of a novel sloped wall longhole stoping method which should eliminate the formation of pillars by mining the orebody in a "continuous" manner incorporating a sloped sand interface between the blocks of ore being mined and the previously mined sandfilled stope. The expected results include the complete extract of the orebody without the formation of pillars and with minimal dilution of ore with sandfill. The evolution of the method can be best illustrated by following the mining progress of the relatively new Southern 'B1 Lode orebody at the NBHC mine. GEOLOGY Southern '8' Lode is the southern extension of the 'Bt Lode orebody, which is currently being mined further to the north in ZC/NBHC (refer Fig. 2). The ore block being developed and stoped extends for a vertical height of 90 metres from No. 17 level down to approximately ten metres above No. 19 level. The ore minerals are sphalerite and galena with the zinc:lead ratio averaging approximately 3:l with a minor amount of silver associated with the galena. There is a sharp contact between the ore and the country rock on the footwall and keel, while the hanging wall gradates into medium and low grade material. The gangue is primarily quartz together with garnet, biotite, feldspar, gahnite, sericite and minor apatite. In various horizons within the orebody, grey feldspar, quartz and garnet pegmatites occur as stratiform layers. The ore and country rock are competent with some inconpetent boundaries.

Jan 1, 1981

By E. O. Lilge, H. Siebert

A design of a multiple-bomb leaching unit particularly suited for the study of heterogeneous reactions, i.e. sol id-liquid-gas interfaces at high temperatures and pressures is presented. The component parts and overall design are described and illustrated in detail. The system has been tested by a limited number of experiments and found to work satisfactorily. Heterogeneous reactions at solid-liquid-gas interfaces, at high temperatures and pressures, are studied in either autoclaves1'4 or bombs5'9. Autoclaves are usually fairly large vessels which have a stirring arrangement incorporated in the design. Mechanical design limits the use of these vessels to relatively low temperatures and pressures. They are particularly well suited to rate or kinetic studies. Bombs can be designed to be operated at high temperatures and pressures, and are smaller vessels; because of this, stirring arrangements are not easily incorporated. In this paper a multiple-bomb system is described, that has been designed to incorporate the desirable features of both the autoclave and the bomb. The described unit has flexibility for an over all study of leaching. Most of the component units in this assemblage are standard equipment, designed and produced by well known manufacturers. No claim is made to the design of this equipment, and although described in some detail, this is done merely for clarity in the elucidation of the system presented. The general layout of the multiple-bomb assemblage is shown in Fig. 1A and 1B. The basic units in this system are: 1) 6 stainless steel 100 ml bombs (Fig. 4)

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Whitney, G. N. Maniar, D. R. Muzyka

Previous results have shown that Pyromet 860, an Fe-Ni-base heat-resistant alloy, is stable at temperatures as high as 1500°F for aging times as long as 100 hr. This Paper describes the results of long-time creep-rupture testing at 1050" to 1400°F at various stress levels. Times as long as 37,660 hr were employed. The effects of time, temperature, and stress on the precipitates and their morphologies were studied by optical and electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffraction, and microprobe techniques. phase, containing cobalt, nickel, and molybdenum, was detected after extended exposures from 1200" to 1400°F and careful study was performed to describe the kinetics of its formation in this alloy. µ phase formation apparently has little effect on the elevated-tem-perature properties of Pyromet 860. For times as long as 500 hr at 1300°F and below, with µ phase present, m significant effects on ambient temperature properties were noted. For longer times at 1300°F and after 1400°F exposure, the effects of u phase on ambient temperature tensile strength properties are not clear due to y' effects and grain boundary reactions. Electron-vacancy, N,, numbers were calculated using different methods described in literature and correlated with the present findings. In the selection of alloys for use in gas turbine applications, structural stability ranks as a primary criterion. High-temperature strength and cost are also of major concern. With these factors in mind, Pyromet 860 alloy, an Fe-Ni-base superalloy was designed. This alloy combines the cost advantages of Fe-Ni-base alloys such as A-286, 901, and V-57 with improved strength and structural stability'1,2 and no tendency to form the embrittling cellular 77 phase. A previous study3 reported on the stability of Pyro-met 860 at temperatures from 1375" to 157 5°F and times up to 100 hr. That study showed that the y' precipitates increased in size and separation and decreased in number with an increase in time or aging temperature. No deleterious phases were found to occur. In the present work, samples from four production heats were subjected to long-time creep-rupture testing at 1050" to 1400°F at various stress levels. Various heat treatments were used on the starting samples and tests were run up to 37,660 hr. The effects of time, temperature, and stress on the precipitates and their morphologies were studied by optical and electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffrac- tion, and microprobe techniques. Electron vacancy numbers, Nv , calculations were made by TRW.4 Experimental results are correlated with the Nv data used to predict occurrence of intermetallic phases such as a phase. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Mechanical Tests. Material for the present study came from four production size heats of Pyromet 860 alloy, weighing from about 3000 to about 10,000 lb. All of these heats were made by vacuum induction melting plus consumable electrode vacuum remelting. The nominal analysis for this alloy is compared with the actual analysis of the four heats in Table I. Sections of these heats were forged to 9/16-in. round bar,3/4-in. square bar, 3-in. round bar, 4-in. square bar, and a gas turbine blade forging about 16 in, long, about 6 in. wide, and weighing about 20 lb. In general, all forging of this alloy is done from a 2050°F furnace temperature. Longitudinal test blanks were cut from the centers of the smaller bars, from mid-radius positions for the 3- and 4-in. bars, and from the air foil of the gas turbine blade and heat-treated according to the procedures outlined in Table 11. Heat treatment A is the "standard treatment" recommended for this alloy for best all-around strength and ductility. Heat treatment B is a modification of treatment A for improved tensile strength at moderate temperatures. The treatment coded C was designed for treating large sections according to a procedure previously described.' Heat treatment D was developed to yield optimum stress relaxation characteristics at 1050°F for a steam turbine bolting application. After heat treatment, the test blanks were machined either to plain bar creep specimens with a gage diameter of 0.252 in., to combination smooth-notched stress-rupture bars with a plain bar diameter of 0.178 in. and a concentration factor of Kt 3.8' at the notched section, or to notch-only specimens. All specimens conformed to ASTM requirements. Metallography. Most of the creep-rupture tests were continued to failure. A few bars were fractured as smooth or notch tensiles after creep-rupture exposures. After fracturing, ordinary metallographic sections were made primarily in gage areas adjacent to fractures to represent a "high-stress" region and through specimen threads to represent a "low-stress" region. All metallographic sections were made in a longitudinal direction with respect to the test specimen axes. For optical microscopy, the samples were etched in glyceregia (15 ml HC1, 5 ml HNO,, 10 ml glycerol). For XRD analysis, the phases were extracted electrolytically in two media: 20 pct &Po4 in H20 for selective extraction of y' and 10 pct HC1 in methanol for carbides and other phases.

Jan 1, 1970

By Henry Faul

MEASUREMENT of radioactivity of rocks and ores has developed into a complete method of geophysical exploration. The problem falls into three natural categories: (I) surface radiation measurement in the field and underground; (2) radioactivity logging of drillholes; and (3) laboratory analysis of samples. Portable counters are used in the field for tracing radioactive formations and for quantitative estimates of radioactive content of surface rock. Wartime advances in battery design make it possible to construct small precision counters that can be carried easily. Even the smallest conventional diamond drillholes can be logged, and actual content of the radioactive element can be measured. The exact grade of very thin active layers or veins can be estimated only approximately. Samples may be analyzed for their alpha, beta or gamma activity, and beta assaying is the best suited to rapid routine operation. Simple calibration with standard samples is sufficient for rough work, but a density correction is necessary when greater precision is required. Samples with high emanating power should be fixed and stored for three weeks to reestablish the radium-radon equilibrium prior to precision assaying. Carnotite can be fixed by sintering or molding with plastics. Among the important new developments, a low-voltage Geiger tube has been designed recently, and crystal scintillation counters hold great promise for high-efficiency gamma-ray measurement.

Jan 1, 1947

By R. C. Allen, Ralph Arnold

The writers have no new system and no new principle of taxation to propose. The general subject of taxation is as old as governments are and as familiar to taxpaying Americans as the general thesis on the inalienable rights of man. We believe, therefore, following the committee of the National Tax Association, that improvement in the general conditions of taxation, including mine taxation, maybe brought about mainly through a better adjustment of known and tried principles and methods of taxing to modern complex forms of property and income, and that not much is to be expected from abandonment of experience for new ways and means, methods and principles, should anything new be discovered, which in our opinion is very doubtful. The committee referred to has constructed the general framework of its Model System of State and Local Taxation1 on familiar forms of taxing, by eliminating some that ' have proved bad, suggesting improvements in others, and adopting the best, leaving plenty of room for the accommodation of the general plan to the varying conditions of taxation in the several states. Unfortunately, the taxation of mines is dismissed by the committee with the statement that the subject has been reassigned for further investigation and report by a special sub-committee, frankly recognizing that the peculiar difficulties of this phase of the subject require special study and investigation. Much may be hoped for from the labor of this sub-committee if the problem is approached from the viewpoint of recommendations already published. In this paper, the writers state their opinion on some of the broader aspects of mine taxation with too little attention to the grounds on which they rest. Contrary to inclination space requirements compel them to resort to summary statements without adequate discussion for a satisfactory presentation of the whole subject. All they can do is to qualify the witnesses and record the testimony. The senior writer was introduced to the practical aspects of the subject of this paper in 1913, when, as State Geologist of Michigan, he was

Jan 1, 1920

By W. E. Coughlin, R. L. Faverty, F. H. Lightner

The intent of this paper is to present the general strategy and method of implementation to achieve a "fast-track" mine development. The major objectives of a "fast-track or rapid development schedule are to minimize front-end development expenditures and to realize an early cash flow from operations. The Borealis project of Houston International Minerals Corp. (HIMCO) is used as the working example to illustrate the development schedule. Borealis is a 2.9 kt/d (2,500 stpd) gold-silver heap leach operation near Hawthorne, NV.

Jan 1, 1984