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By Donald D. Smythe

Tars paper describes briefly the topography and geology of the region where the mica-bearing pegmatites are found and discusses prospecting, the quality of the mica, its preparation, and evaluation of the deposits. Muscovite mica occurs in a number of widely separated localities in Brazil, but production has come largely from deposits in the southeastern and eastern part of the State of Minas Gerais (Fig. I). There the deposits form a discontinuous zone, which starts at a point 90 km. north of the city of Rio de Janeiro and extends north for some 500 km., roughly parallel to the coast. A maximum width of 180 km. is reached along the Rio Doce. To the west in Minas Gerais, and extending east into the states of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, the mica zone proper is fringed by areas in which there are scattered occurrences of mica-bearing pegmatites. A few of these outlying deposits have produced commercial mica, but most of them are unimportant. To the southwest, in the State of São Paulo, there are a number of mines, which at one time produced a very considerable amount of sheet mica, largely as a by-product of kaolin mining. These deposits, and, a few others lying between them and the main productive areas to the northeast, appear to be the southwestern continuation of the strong Minas Gerais mica zone. In the vicinity of Conquista, just north of the Minas Gerais boundary in the State of Bahia, and still farther north, near Jacobina, there are several known mica deposits. Their location indicates that they may be the northern continuation of the main mica zone. The major part of Brazilian mica production has come from four areas within the mica zone proper; from north to south, Governador Valadares, Raul Soares, Espera Feliz, and Muriaé. The first is 190 km. from north to south and reaches a maximum width of 180 km. The Raul Soares area extends 135 km. from northeast to southwest, and in places is 80 km. wide. The Espera Feliz area is 100 km. from north to south, and reaches a width of 35 km. The Muriaé area extends 150 km. from northeast to southwest and its width reaches 40 kilometers. Between the known productive areas, and in the areas directly to the southwest and to the north of them, little mica has been produced. These gaps, as well as certain irregularities in the outline of the mica zone itself, are to be ascribed either to lack of prospecting or to conditions preventing the discovery of mica, rather than to its nonexistence. Elsewhere in Brazil mica has been reported from eastern Goiaz, Ceará, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Matto

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert B. Kistler, Ward C. Smith

The borate industry is one of the few sectors of the mining and mineral-processing industry which the United States still dominates. Since about 1927, the United States has supplied over half of the world's total boron and borate raw materials, and many of the chemical derivatives as well. Chiefly responsible for this record are companies producing sodium borates from two large deposits in southern California, at Boron (Kramer) and Searles Lake. The sodium borates, or products derived from borax and borax-containing brines, are the preferred borates for industry because they are soluble in water and combine readily with most other chemicals. Calcium borates are required for certain end uses, and these are produced from smaller colemanite-ulexite-probertite bodies. Sodium-free borate compounds also are produced from boric acid, which can be manufactured from either sodium or nonsodium borate minerals. During the past hundred years, the use of boron compounds throughout the world has risen from a few tons per year to the equivalent of over a million tons of B2O3. Leadership in supplying borates shifted from country to country and from region to region during this period, generally as the result of the development of newly discovered deposits that were better in quality, more accessible, or more economically exploitable than previous sources (Table 1). Primary Products and End Uses The principal borate products offered by primary producers in the United States are listed in Table 2. In general, these products are utilized worldwide by almost all consumers, regardless of the original source of the primary borates, In the United States, the primary borates all originate in southern California. Colemanite is produced as crude or processed crude ore from the Death Valley area and is utilized by the fiber glass and ceramic industries without further treatment. Production from Searles Lake, CA is from brines that are processed in chemical plants where borax and other compounds are recovered and the principal borate products are produced. At Boron, CA, the world's leading producer is mining a deposit of mineral borax and operating a chemical refinery. The mineral borax is mined together with included clay, and refined borax or "10-mol" is one of the refinery products. The mineral and the chemical compound are identical, Na2B4O7 • 10H2O. In addition to ship¬ping all major refined borate products from [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert Mehl

METALLURGISTS are properly interested in papers dealing with subjects ranging from the theories of the metallic state to very practical details on the use of metals. A review of theoretical metallurgy naturally excludes papers concerned with the usefulness of metals and limits itself to those concerned purely with the science of metals. Even in this more limited field the reviewer is confronted with thousands of papers dealing with facts and theories of metallic behavior, from which he can select only a few hundred. The selection is necessarily highly arbitrary. Certain classes of papers definitely fall within the scope of this review. Thus, papers on the deformation of metals, on the structure of alloys, on recrystallization, to select only a few, are fully represented. Other subjects, which verge on what is generally accepted as the science of metals, such as the magnetic properties of metals, the less familiar electrical properties and theories, adsorption of gases by metal surfaces, and the like, are treated scantily. Particular attention is given to reviews of subjects that fall with in the groups chosen; in a summary such as this, which is largely in the nature of a progress report, capably written reviews are of importance, particularly since the monograph and text book literature is so meager in this field.

Jan 1, 1935

By J. F. Shirley, H. K. Burke

In January, 1964, three years of laboratory and pilot plant test work reached its culmination. The San Manuel Div. of the Magma Copper Co. switched its molybdenite extraction circuit from the sodium hypochlorite-ferrocyanide process to the new process described in this paper. The San Manuel Div. Concentrator of the Magma Copper Co. is located near San Manuel, Ariz., approximately 45 miles northeast of Tucson. The concentrator treats approximately 35,000 tons of ore per day containing about 0.85% copper and 0.025% molybdenite. The San Manuel ore body is a disseminated copper deposit in quartz monzonite and quartz monzonite porphyry. The primary copper mineral is chalcopyrite; minor amounts of chalcocite, bornite and covellite are also present in varying degrees. Pyrite makes up somewhat more than half the sulfide content of the rock. The molybdenite is nearly always found on fracture faces or associated with quartz veinlets.' On January 9, 1964, the sodium hypochlorite-ferrocyanide process that had been used for molybdenite recovery was replaced by the following process: 1) A conditioning step with hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate. 2) A two stage rougher flotation step with stove oil and sodium ferrocyanide. 3) One cleaning step with sodium ferrocyanide. 4) One cleaning step with sodium hypochlorite and potassium ferricyanide. 5) Four cleaning steps with an anti-foam Exfoam 636 and potassium ferricyanide. COPPER CONCENTRATOR Since molybdenite recovery is closely allied with previous steps in the operation, the copper concentrator will be briefly described first. The ore is ground to approximately 5% plus 65-mesh and 65% minus 200-mesh in a two-step grinding circuit consisting of rod mills in open circuit and ball mills in closed circuit with rake classifiers. A straight forward rougher circuit producing only one concentrate is used. The rougher concentrate is combined with the discharge from the regrind ball mills and is then cycloned, with the overflow going directly to the cleaner circuit and the underflow going to the regrind mills. The feed to the cleaner circuit is approximately 90% to 94% minus 325 mesh. The cleaner circuit consists of two stages in which the tailing from the final cleaner stage is returned to the primary cleaner and the primary cleaner tailing is returned to the rod mill discharge at the head of the circuit. Approximately 0.013 lb of the allyl ester of amyl xanthate (S-3302) per ton of ore is added to the rod mills and approximately 0.006 lb of sodium isopropyl xanthate (2-11) per ton of ore is stage added down the rougher banks. The frother used is methyl iso-butyl carbinol (MIBC) and it is added at various points in the grinding and the rougher flotation circuits. Lime is added to the ball mills and/or to the rod mills to maintain the desired pH in the rougher flotation. The rougher flotation has been operated at various pH levels between 10.5 and 11.5. Fuel oil is added in the regrind mills at a loading of approximately 0.01 lb per ton of ore. Factors Which Directly Affect Molybdenite Recovery: It has been found at San Manuel that, to obtain maximum molybdenite recovery, an oily type flotation collector must be added in the grinding circuit. When molybdenite is crystallized in the characteristic platy form, which appears to be the case almost all of the time at San Manuel, its surface has a greater tendency to adhere to oils than water. 2 Of the several oily type collectors available on the market, the allyl ester of amyl xanthate seems to be the best molybdenite promoter. The floatability of San Manuel's molybdenite does not appear to be affected, at least up to a pH of 11.5, by lime. It has been reported that at several plant operations high lime alkaline circuits have adversely affected the molybdenite recovery.3,4 It has been found through microscopic studies that the bulk of the chalcopyrite will float before the molybdenite in both the rougher and cleaner circuits. It is necessary to add fuel oil to the regrind mills to enhance the

Jan 1, 1965

By J. A. Richardson

J. A. RICHARDSON[t]-Mr. Stuckey's account of the geology of the kaolins of North Carolina suggests that they exhibit some features similar to those of the Malay Peninsula. About one half of British Malaya (some 26,000 square miles) is occupied at the surface by igneous rocks, of which granite and its associated derivatives constitute fully 90 pct. The average granite is a biotic variety. It is predominantly potassic but carries, in addition, notable amounts of soda and lime so that albite and albiteoligoclase are generally common constituents of the rock. The minor derivatives from granite "magma" likewise include potassic and sodi-potassic members. Decomposition of the granitic rocks has led to the formation of kaolin in many localities, but, in general, the deposits are rather small and, at present, none is exploited commercially. True primary or residual kaolins (as defined by Stuckey; p. 48 Vol. 173, p. 2 TP 2219) have been developed from feldspar veins, pegmatites and from other granitic differentiates which cut through the larger masses of granite; they are usually small and narrow. Kaolin has been derived from aplite, quartz porphyry, quartz micro-porphyry, felsites and microgranites belonging to a complex known as the Chegar Perah-Pulai intrusion in northwest Pahang and southwest Kelantan. The bulk of the component rocks has been more or less strongly sheared. Kaolin-like end products have been formed from both sheared and nonsheared varieties. Kaolin has been formed also by the complete breakdown of trondjemite flanking the northwestern and western margins of the complex Bukit Ranjut syenite intrusion in northwest Pahang. These trondjemites range in composition from essentially quartz-free albiteplagioclasites to quartz-free microcline rocks; they are, in effect, the syenitic homologues of white sodic and potassic granite-aplites. The granites in Malaya have generally undergone more or less severe surficial weathering leading to the production of a spongy and rather cellular or a soft "mealy" material (sandy clay) down to depths of about 100 ft; in places the granite is strongly decomposed down to 150 ft. There has occurred, therefore, widespread partial kaolinization, but, in general, no extensive deposits of good quality kaolin seem to have been formed by these processes of decay. Frequently, the katamorphic processes of desilicification have advanced beyond the production of kaolin towards the formation of lateritic end products. The more important Malayan kaoiins seem to be confined to the western alluvial plains, particularly in areas either where granite crops out at surface, or where it forms the bedrock of the alluvium. There are numerous excellent examples around Gopeng and elsewhere in the Kinta Valley of Perak. Such kaolins belong to Stuckey's groups of secondary deposits, and, like them, these also may be bedded. Field observations have established the existence of what for want of a better name is referred to by the Malayan Geological Survey as "granite wash." It is believed that granite, undergoing extensive deeply penetrative and probably rather rapid destruction under humid tropical weathering (temperature around 90°F; rainfall about 100 in. per annum; high humidity) "flowed," was moved by "creep" and, in addition, probably slumped in large waterlogged masses of sandy clay from topographic salients onto the adjacent flats. Either during this period of transmigration or later when the sludged granite detritus, after having more or less come to rest, was attacked by flowing water, differential sorting and erosion took place with the result that the resorted debris was moved and later deposited as bedded alluvium. In this way, banded "granite wash" was produced comprising alternating bands of clayey sand (resorted granite sludge) and white

Jan 1, 1947

By R. M. Larsen

The Rocky Mountain region is defined with some variations for different purposes or by different organizations. For oil and gas development, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, and Utah are included in the order of their apparent importance. Portions of adjoining states, such as North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho, arc attributary to this region, but have little or no oil or gas production. Nebraska and New Mexico are considered separately (see pp. 412 and 415), and most of the discussion in this report will be confined to Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. Utah has produced about 200,000 bbl. of oil from the San Juan and Virgin fields, which are isolated and shut in at present. The Clay Basin field in northeastern Utah produces natural gas and distillate, and the Farnham field in central Utah produces carbon dioxide gas. Other Utah areas of some interest are listed in Table I. The Cedar Creek (Baker-Glendive) field in southeastern Montana extends into North Dakota, but is listed under Montana. The other states are in the main wildcat areas, and exploration in 1944 was at a minimum. However, geological and geophysical parties are reviewing them for further testing. Oil production in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming was 459,000 bbl. more than in 1943. Increases of 713,000 bbl. in Colarado and 731,000 bbl. in Montana offset a loss of 985,000 bbl. in Wyoming. This was the first decline in Wyoming since 1938. Field production figures and state totals are given in Table I. Total drilling activities in these three states and Utah increased from 687 wells making 1,442,511 ft. of hole in 1943 to 916 wells making 2,245,803 it. in 1944. Wildcat drilling increased from 163 wells making 331,193 ft. of hole in 1943 to 171 wells making 389,144 it. in 1944. These figures include all drilling wells making footage, not starts or completions, and represent an all-time high in drilling. The year 1944 witnessed the greatest concentration of seismograph activity that the region has had. The Rocky Mountain Oil Scouts Association reported that in 1943, the previous peak year, 91 crew months of work were performed; in 1944, the time was 254 crew months. About 67 per cent of the work was in Wyoming, 18 per cent in Montana, and 12 per cent in Colorado. Twenty-three blocks totaling 400,000 acres were reported assembled in Colorado, and 161 blocks totaling 4,000,000 acres in Wyoming. Information about other states was not given. Fourteen unit agreements were approved by the Department of the Interior, as compared with 13 in 1943. The 1944 agreements were all in Wyoming. In five of the unit areas, oil or gas discoveries were made, four were dry, and five were drilling Or pending' Oil companies find it advantageous to unitize blocks containing any proportion of public domain. Units for

Jan 1, 1945

Executive ARTHUR S DWIGHT, Chairman B THAYER CHARLES F RAND P MATHEWSON J V W REYNDERS Membership WILLIAM H BASSETT, Chairman W Y WESTERVELT Vice-chairman P MATHEWSON H G MOULTON F T RUBIDGE Finance WALTER H ALDRIDGE, Chairman GEORGE D BARRON GALEN H CLEVENGER

Jan 1, 1923

A knowledge of the principles of punctuation is essential to effective and intelligible writing, for the ease and pleasure of the reader, and even his understanding, may depend upon the choice and the placing of punctuation marks. To 'punctuate' is to mark with stops or points; the word comes from the medieval Latin punctuare (punctuatus), which in turn is derived from the Latin punctum, a point. The purpose of punctuation is to show the manner in which the writing is to be understood; to indicate the relations between parts of a sentence and between successive sentences. To some extent "it does for the eye what vocal stress does for the ear", but especially it marks logical relations. Some punctuation marks, such as those indicating admiration, exclamation, and interrogation, are rhetorical as well as grammatical, but most of the common ones are logical or grammatical. My discussion will be confined to grammatical punctuation in ordinary writing. "The problem of punctuation in text matter", as George Summey * says, "is to employ words, points, and paragraph breaks in such a way as to achieve at the same time clearness, proper distribution of emphasis, and the desired kind of movement." The criticism of the punctuation of a sentence or of a group of sentences is not final until the context, within the paragraph, is read. A paragraph is a sentence or a group of' sentences forming an independent unit of the composition; it represents a unit of thought. A multiplicity of paragraphs produces a choppy effect; on the other hand, paragraphs of excessive length are tiresome, because the belaboring of one unit of thought wearies the reader. The aim should be to

Jan 1, 1931

By C. R. Van Hise

[Concluding Contribution of Prof. Van Hise to the Discussion of his Paper, and Others on the Same General Subject, presented at the Washington Meeting, February, 1900 (see Trans., xxx., 27, 177, 323, 424, 5 S); also of the contributions of Vogt, De Launay, Beck, Lindgren, hemp, Rickard, Bain, Keyes, Collins and Adams, presented at the Richmond Meeting, February, 1901, and printed in the present volume.] IN June, 1900, shortly after my paper was published in the Transactions, I made a briefer statement* before the Western Society of Engineers covering the same `round, which, in certain respects, is somewhat of an improvement. For instance, instead of using the terms descending and ascending with reference to the waters resulting in the two concentrations, my modified statement is as follows " The first concentration of many ore-deposits is the work of a relatively deep water-circulation, while the reconcentration is the result of reactions upon an earlier concentration through the agency of a relatively shallow water-circulation. Commonly the deep water circulation is lacking in free oxygen, and contains reducing agents, and the shallow water contains free oxygen. The deep water is therefore a reducing, and the shallow water an oxidizing agent."† Of the papers upon ore-deposits which, in vol. xxx. of the Transactions, follow my own, or which were presented at the Richmond meeting, a considerable number are wholly confirmatory of the conclusions which I have presented. Among these are the Washington paper of Emmons upon the Secondary Enrichment of Ore-Deposits‡ and his discussion at Richmond of other papers,§ that of Weed upon the Enrichment of Gold and Silver Veins,[ ]the discussion of Emmons', and at Richmond of Weed's paper by Collinst and Prof. De Launay,† the paper of Lindgren on Metasomatic Processes in Fissure Veins,¶ that of-Rickard upon the Formation of Bonanzas in the Upper Portions of Gold Veins,** and the remarks of Bain upon the Mississippi Valley lead- and zinc-deposits.†† It is therefore un-

Jan 1, 1902

By H. G. Doll

THIS paper discusses a method and apparatus for determining the dip of formations traversed by a drill hole, by means of electrical measurements in the hole. The process consists in recording the Spontaneous Potentials present along three oriented generatrices in the hole. By comparison of the three curves thus obtained, after application of a correction factor to compensate for any deviations of the hole, the dip angle and the dip direction are determined. Excellent accuracy is obtained for dip angles over 10°. Because the method is simple and the apparatus rugged, the measurements are rapid and reliable; consequently, they can be made at all the levels that are of interest at any time after the well has been drilled. Mechanical cores are not needed to evaluate the dips. A convenient, timesaving procedure is to perform the dipmeter survey at the time the electrical log is taken, using for both operations the same cable and truck. Actual examples of results obtained in wells of the Gulf Coast area are given.

Jan 1, 1944

By Theron Wasson

Michigan's production of 17,301,000 bbl. in 1945, which is in line with previous years, has been maintained by extensions to old fields like Deep River, Adams, Fork, and others. There were a number of new discoveries but, as in the past, these are not given very much importance because enough drilling has not been done to develop their potentialities; however, judging by the past, some of them will develop enough production so that 1946 -will probably be in line with other years. Activities in Michigan were confined to the Basin area of the lower Peninsula, which has been under development since 1925.

Jan 1, 1946

By William B. Phillips

The possible sources of potash salts in the United States have been considered from many points of view during the last several years, but it is only within the last two or three months that the situation has become acute. We import from Germany, the only sourcc of large supply, more than $10,000,000 worth of potash salts annually, and this business has been badly crippled by the European war. If there was ever a time in our industrial existence when the necessity of providing for our own needs was more acute than it is now, we are not aware of it. One has only to study the price lists of chemicals sent out by the large supply houses to see the change wrought within a very short time. Whether or not these prices are to maintain for a considerable time, no one can say; but it appears to be probable that we shall not see prices materially lower for a period of uncomfortable length, to say the least. It is not my purpose at this time to discuss the various sources of supply of potash salts that have been suggested or recommended. Some of them might afford a pleasing relief but all of them combined would not affect the situation seriously. If we are to have our own sources of potash salts, they will have to compare, in some efficient manner, with the sources upon which we have drawn during the last 20 or 30 years; i.e., they must exist in minable quantities. It seems to me to be quite idle to speculate upon our domestic sources of potash if those sources are not of a character similar to those upon which we have so long depended. A few thousand or, perhaps, a few hundred thousand dollars' worth of chemically derived potash may be produced under the stress of present conditions, but when we consider that each year demands more than $10,000,000 worth, we must look to underground sources; we must look to mines similar to the famous Stassfurt and Halle deposits. If we cannot mine potash salts, we shall have to do without them for a while.

Jan 1, 1915

By F. W. Bloecher, A. M. Gaudin

H. H. Kellogg—There is one point that the author has failed to emphasize sufficiently in his paper. What is commonly called the equilibrium contact-angle (the author's "maximum contact-angle") can have only one value on a smooth, flat, homogeneous surface under a given set of conditions. The equilibrium contact-angle is defined, for such a system, as the angle between the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces, measured through the liquid. The value of the equilibrium contact-angle is uniquely determined by the value of the interfacial energies of the three intersecting interfaces and is independent of other forces in the system. When the liquid-gas interface intersects the solid at an edge—as was the case for all the experiments reported in this paper—the orientation of the solid-liquid interface is indeterminate or varies through 90" for a right-angle edge. Mr. Morris has called the angle between the horizontal and the liquid-gas interface for this edge condition a "static contact-angle." I feel that this term is unnecessarily misleading. In the first place, "static contact-angle" sounds too much like "equilibrium contact-angle." In the second place, the magnitude of the "static contact-angle," which I would prefer to call the "supporting angle," is determined by the forces in the system other than those derived from the interfacial energies, hence "contact angle" is misleading. If Mr. Morris had said that the "supporting-angle" is variable and depends on the weight of the particle and size of the bubble and that it has a maximum possible value equal to the equilibrium contact-angle, his discussion would have been more accurate. T. M. Morris (author's reply)—Mr. Kellogg puts forth a reasonable criticism of some of the terminology used in the paper. I agree that the term "static contact angle" may be misleading. Substitution of the term "supporting angle" or "vector angle" may be more suitable. F. X. Tartaron—In this paper the author presents a very interesting mathematical development of the forces present when a mineral particle adheres to an air bubble. Excellent concordance is obtained between mathematical formulation and experimental results. It is the writer's understanding that when the mineral surface presented to an air bubble is greater than the area of contact, the maximum contact angle is obtained. However, this contact angle represents distortion of the bubble, the normal shape of which is spherical or in cross-section, circular. This distortion produces a force that acts in opposition to the force of adhesion between the bubble and particle. Hence, at maximum contact angle, the force of adhesion between bubble and particle is at a minimum for static conditions. However, when the size of bubble is increased, the size of particle remaining the same (and all other conditions remaining the same), the contact angle decreases, the distortion of the bubble decreases and the force in opposition to adherence of bubble and particle also decreases. Thus, there is stronger attachment between bubble and particle. When this situation is applied to actual flotation conditions, it is doubtful that it has any significance. The reason is that the bubbles are normally so much larger than the particles, that in substantially all cases, it is probable that negligible distortion of the bubble takes place. In table IV, the author makes computations for bubbles from 0.50 to 2 mm diam. This is from 0.02 in. to 0.08 in. Certainly the bubbles generated in a flotation machine are far larger than this. The surfaces of the author's bubbles range from 0.79 to 12.6 sq mm. The area of contact of the glass rod (0.15 mm diam) is 0.017 sq mm. Thus, ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact ranges from 47 to 741 in round numbers. If we take a %-in. diam bubble and a 65-mesh (0.208 mm) particle of cubical shape, the ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact is 2931. Mineral particles do not readily become attached to air bubbles. Taggart has shown that in pneumatic flotation machines collector-coated particles are only temporarily attached to bubbles. They keep falling off and down in the froth but at a delayed rate as compared with gangue. Spedden and Hannan's motion pictures confirm the difficulty of attaching particles to air bubbles. In the agitation froth process, according to Taggart, air is precipitated from the water selectively on to the collector-coated particles and these

Jan 1, 1951

By F. W. Bloecher, A. M. Gaudin

H. H. Kellogg—There is one point that the author has failed to emphasize sufficiently in his paper. What is commonly called the equilibrium contact-angle (the author's "maximum contact-angle") can have only one value on a smooth, flat, homogeneous surface under a given set of conditions. The equilibrium contact-angle is defined, for such a system, as the angle between the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces, measured through the liquid. The value of the equilibrium contact-angle is uniquely determined by the value of the interfacial energies of the three intersecting interfaces and is independent of other forces in the system. When the liquid-gas interface intersects the solid at an edge—as was the case for all the experiments reported in this paper—the orientation of the solid-liquid interface is indeterminate or varies through 90" for a right-angle edge. Mr. Morris has called the angle between the horizontal and the liquid-gas interface for this edge condition a "static contact-angle." I feel that this term is unnecessarily misleading. In the first place, "static contact-angle" sounds too much like "equilibrium contact-angle." In the second place, the magnitude of the "static contact-angle," which I would prefer to call the "supporting angle," is determined by the forces in the system other than those derived from the interfacial energies, hence "contact angle" is misleading. If Mr. Morris had said that the "supporting-angle" is variable and depends on the weight of the particle and size of the bubble and that it has a maximum possible value equal to the equilibrium contact-angle, his discussion would have been more accurate. T. M. Morris (author's reply)—Mr. Kellogg puts forth a reasonable criticism of some of the terminology used in the paper. I agree that the term "static contact angle" may be misleading. Substitution of the term "supporting angle" or "vector angle" may be more suitable. F. X. Tartaron—In this paper the author presents a very interesting mathematical development of the forces present when a mineral particle adheres to an air bubble. Excellent concordance is obtained between mathematical formulation and experimental results. It is the writer's understanding that when the mineral surface presented to an air bubble is greater than the area of contact, the maximum contact angle is obtained. However, this contact angle represents distortion of the bubble, the normal shape of which is spherical or in cross-section, circular. This distortion produces a force that acts in opposition to the force of adhesion between the bubble and particle. Hence, at maximum contact angle, the force of adhesion between bubble and particle is at a minimum for static conditions. However, when the size of bubble is increased, the size of particle remaining the same (and all other conditions remaining the same), the contact angle decreases, the distortion of the bubble decreases and the force in opposition to adherence of bubble and particle also decreases. Thus, there is stronger attachment between bubble and particle. When this situation is applied to actual flotation conditions, it is doubtful that it has any significance. The reason is that the bubbles are normally so much larger than the particles, that in substantially all cases, it is probable that negligible distortion of the bubble takes place. In table IV, the author makes computations for bubbles from 0.50 to 2 mm diam. This is from 0.02 in. to 0.08 in. Certainly the bubbles generated in a flotation machine are far larger than this. The surfaces of the author's bubbles range from 0.79 to 12.6 sq mm. The area of contact of the glass rod (0.15 mm diam) is 0.017 sq mm. Thus, ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact ranges from 47 to 741 in round numbers. If we take a %-in. diam bubble and a 65-mesh (0.208 mm) particle of cubical shape, the ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact is 2931. Mineral particles do not readily become attached to air bubbles. Taggart has shown that in pneumatic flotation machines collector-coated particles are only temporarily attached to bubbles. They keep falling off and down in the froth but at a delayed rate as compared with gangue. Spedden and Hannan's motion pictures confirm the difficulty of attaching particles to air bubbles. In the agitation froth process, according to Taggart, air is precipitated from the water selectively on to the collector-coated particles and these

Jan 1, 1951

By L. B. Slichter

After statement of the principles of similitude which apply to electromagnetic modeling, charts showing the inductive response of conducting spheres as dependent upon frequency, conductivity, and size are exhibited in this paper. The shape of the curve which relates intensity of response to frequency is significant in indicating the advisability of low frequencies in the exploration for conducting bodies, when consistent with the securing of a large percentage of the ideally possible response. Comparisons of theoretical response and that observed with models are shown, and relationships with the subject of applied electromagnetic prospecting are indicated. Maxwell Field Equations The Maxwell field equations summarize the physical laws that govern electrical field phenomena; they are the basis for the solution of electromagnetic problems. These concise equations, with adequately formulated boundary conditions, specify the complete electrical condition of continuous media, and the development of their solution amounts merely to a more convenient re-expression of phenomena already completely described. Thus, the immediate content of the field equations themselves is sufficient and sometimes convenient for the treating of certain questions (such as those relating to electromagnetic models) which are independent of the special factors of geometry, or the nature of an impressed field. The four Maxwell field equations are written below, in c.g.s. gaussian units: curl E = -B/c [21 div eE = 4pp [31 div B = 0 [41

Jan 1, 1932

By C. O. Swanson

In the iron ranges of northern Michigan, magnetic data have been used as an aid in geologic field work since the time of the earliest surveys. The presence of complex structures containing magnetic formations, and the general scarcity of exposures, guided the early work into this line of attack, and later field studies tended to place more and more emphasis upon this geophysical relationship, until, at present, the collection of magnetic data is a matter of routine in any areal survey. At first, horizontal deflections of the compass needle were the only data collected. In subsequent surveys, greater dependence was placed on dip-needle readings, which record variations in the intensity and inclination of the earth's magnetic field. Recently the trend has been toward adjusting the instrument so as to reduce the influence of changes in inclination, and using a more sensitive modification, called the Superdip,' in weakly magnetic areas. To a minor extent, the magnetometer has also been employed. The object of this paper is to present the writer's experience with magnetic data in this region. The conclusions are based on work covering a period of 10 years, and spread over nearly all of the iron ranges and a large part of the intervening areas. The viewpoints expressed are purely geological ones. In other words, any opinion as to the usefulness of a certain relationship is based upon the writer's experience with it as a guide in interpreting the structures of this region, and not upon its soundness theoretically, nor its usefulness under other conditions. A very brief summary of the conclusions is as follows. The most important step is that of collecting the magnetic data. This requires a suitable adjustment of the dip needle, and sufficient readings to accurately portray the variations in the magnetic field, which are apt to be irregular. Once the readings are taken and plotted in some clear fashion, the interpretation of them is usually merely a matter of observing their relation-

Jan 1, 1934

By R. W. Gurry

IN the course of a series of measurements of the rate of diffusion of carbon in austenite at about 960°C. (1760°F.) and 1110°C. (2030°F.), it became necessary to determine carbon concentration when austenite is saturated with graphite, because of indications that the hitherto accepted value of the solubility of graphite in this temperature range is too low. Specimens of carbonyl iron were saturated at temperature in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere which was in equilibrium with graphite. The carbon content of the steel was measured either by combustion or by the loss of weight after substantially complete decarburization in an atmosphere of hydrogen saturated at room temperature with water vapor. The absence of carbide or graphite as a phase at temperature was demonstrated by microscopic examination of saturated specimens that had been drastically quenched. The mean result of concordant measurements is that gamma iron saturated with respect to graphite contains 1.39 per cent carbon at 957°C. (1755°F.) and 1.89 per cent at 1110°C. (2030°F.). These two values, plotted along with what appears from the literature to be the best value (0.69 per cent) at the iron-graphite eutectoid temperature (738°C. or 1360°F.), yield a curve that is almost linear, and which, continued upward through a short interval, leads to a limiting solubility of 1.98 per cent at the iron-graphite eutectic temperature 1135°C. (2075°F.) instead of the commonly accepted value of about 1.7 per cent. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The samples of carbonyl iron, with the exception of those for microscopic examination, were cylinders 3.8 cm. long, 0.475 cm. in diameter. They were placed in a graphite holder and suspended in a vertical furnace, the temperature of which was controlled precisely by means of the resistance of the platinum winding.1 In the empty furnace the range of temperature over a distance of 4 cm. at the heat center was 9°C. (16°F.) but at a given location the temperature remained within ±0.5°C. (0.9°F.); it was measured by inserting a platinum-rhodium couple calibrated at the melting point of palladium, 1555°C. Since the presence of the sample probably improved the uniformity of temperature, it was decided to consider the average temperature of the sample to be 3°C. lower than the maximum measured in the empty furnace with the same setting of the controller. Data were obtained in the vicinity of two temperatures, 960°C. (1760°F.) and 1110°C. (2030°F.). The samples for microscopic examination, 2.2 cm. long, 0.475 cm. in diameter, were suspended individually on pure iron wire; for these no temperature correction was applied. The carburizing gas passed into the furnace was dry, oxygen-free hydrogen saturated at room temperature with

Jan 1, 1942

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Sept. 10, 1916, to Oct. 10, 1916. BLOOMFIELD, EDWIN CHARLES, Min. Engr., 1012 Standard Bank Bldg., Vancouver, B. C., Canada. BRINGS, HENRY, Min. and Met. Engr., Chief Engr., and Geol., Mollet-Mesrine, 1212 Mills Bldg., El Paso, Texas. CHASE, MARCH F., Vice-Pres., Commercial Acid Co., 1906 Boatmens Bank Bldg., St. Louis, Mo. CUMMINGS, ALVIN M., Asst. Mine Supt., Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Inc., Mineville, Essex Co., N. Y. DOUGLASS, GEORGE M., Genl. Safety Inspector, Amer. Smelt. & Ref. Co. 120 Broadway, New Fork, N. Y. EMRICH, CLARENCE T., Chief Chemist, Old Dominion Copper Min. & Smelt. Co., Box 1163, Globe, Ariz. GARDANIER, SUTTER ALBERT, Assayer, Mgr., Douglas Assay Co., Douglas, Cochise Co., Ariz.

Jan 10, 1916

By D. W. Gillmore, C. C. Wright

DEWATERING is a major problem in the preparation and utilization of fine-sized coals now being recovered in increasing amounts from colliery effluents, refuse banks, and silt ponds. Of the various methods which have, been proposed for dewatering fine coal, gravity drainage is probably the oldest and most widely used, and yet little information on this subject has been published. Consequently a laboratory investigation of gravity drainage phenomena was undertaken not only to provide basic data for predicting the drainage behavior of fine coals in cars, bunkers, basins, and silos, but also to obtain some understanding of the moisture retention properties of fine coal. Because of practical interest in the problem, a reproducible laboratory technique, which simulated plant conditions as closely as possible, was developed for the evaluation of drainage variables. The ap- paratus selected consisted of vertically-mounted lucite columns, nominally 4 to 8 ft in length and 2, 3 or 6 in. in diam; the bottom of the column was provided with a rubber stopper through which was inserted a -in. diam drainage tube; a wad of glass wool was placed on the upper part of this outlet tube to retain the coal and a plug was temporarily located at the lower end to prevent drainage during charging of the column, see Fig. 1. The most satisfactory testing procedure is as follows: 1—The fine coal, which has been thoroughly

Jan 1, 1953

By D. W. Gillmore, C. C. Wright

DEWATERING is a major problem in the preparation and utilization of fine-sized coals now being recovered in increasing amounts from colliery effluents, refuse banks, and silt ponds. Of the various methods which have, been proposed for dewatering fine coal, gravity drainage is probably the oldest and most widely used, and yet little information on this subject has been published. Consequently a laboratory investigation of gravity drainage phenomena was undertaken not only to provide basic data for predicting the drainage behavior of fine coals in cars, bunkers, basins, and silos, but also to obtain some understanding of the moisture retention properties of fine coal. Because of practical interest in the problem, a reproducible laboratory technique, which simulated plant conditions as closely as possible, was developed for the evaluation of drainage variables. The ap- paratus selected consisted of vertically-mounted lucite columns, nominally 4 to 8 ft in length and 2, 3 or 6 in. in diam; the bottom of the column was provided with a rubber stopper through which was inserted a -in. diam drainage tube; a wad of glass wool was placed on the upper part of this outlet tube to retain the coal and a plug was temporarily located at the lower end to prevent drainage during charging of the column, see Fig. 1. The most satisfactory testing procedure is as follows: 1—The fine coal, which has been thoroughly

Jan 1, 1953