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Jan 1, 1968

By D. K. Deardorff, H. Kato

THE transformation temperature of hafnium from hcp to bcc is 1750° + 20 °C in contrast to previously published values by Duwez and fast2 which are believed inaccurate. The Bureau of Mines determined this value by measuring the temperatures at which a sudden decrease was observed in the electrical resistance of hafnium alloys containing up to 18 at. pct Zr, and then extrapolating the temperatures to 0 pct Zr. Duwez1 previously reported a transformation temperature of 1310°C, obtained by use of a rapid-cooling thermal-analysis technique. Later, Fast2 published a much higher value of 1950° 100°C based upon: a) his own determination of 1690°C for the beginning of the transformation range for hafnium containing 5.7 at. pct Zr, and b) his belief that lattice parameters reported3 for Duwez' hafnium indicated i contained 19 at. pct Zr and that the 1310°C value should be associated with that composition. Russell4 subsequently stated that Duwez and Fast probably were reporting their lattice parameters in different units and reassigned a value of 6.0 at. pct Zr to Duwez' hafnium. If this assumption were true, Duwez' hafnium was of approximately the same purity as Fast's, but his transformation value was considerably lower. The reason for this divergence is not known. Fast's value for hafnium containing 5.7 at. pct Zr agrees well with our data. McGeary5 determined a transformation value of 1660°C by metallographic examination of heat-treated specimens, but the zirconium content of his hafnium was not definitely established. The specimens used in this investigation were 1/8-in.-diam rods 6 1/2 in. long, fabricated by hot-swaging bars cut from arc-melted buttons. These buttons were melted from crystal bar hafnium and crystal bar zirconium. The chief impurity in the hafnium

Jan 1, 1960

By R. F. Sheldon

Largest uranium deposit in the Northwest is Dawn Mining Co.'s Midnite mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The orebodies lie along the contact of granite and metamorphosed sedimentary rock and are controlled by faults and shear zones near the granite contact. In the oxidized zone the deposits consist mainly of the secondary uranium mineral meta-autunite; sooty uraninite and primary uranium minerals are known to occur at greater depths. Elevations in the mine area range from 2500 to 3500 ft. The rolling hills and low, rounded mountains are covered with grass and evergreen trees. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT Original showings were discovered with a geiger counter in the spring of 1954 by prospectors Jim and John LeBret. High radioactivity in several schist outcrops was found due to scaly coatings of a greenish-yellow, fluorescent mineral, later identified as meta-autunite. Prior to this time autunite was not known to occur in the state of Washington, and no significant uranium deposits had been found in the Pacific Northwest. Outcrops in the area were few, and most of the ground was mantled with 2 to 10 ft of overburden, but three other radioactive zones were discovered by prospecting the ridge southward along the strike of the schist near its contact with granite for three quarters of a mile. Midnite Mines Inc. was formed

Jan 1, 1960

By F. E. Lathe, L. Hodnett

This paper summarizes extensive data supplied by 40 copper converter plants in 18 countries, and includes a partial analysis and comments on the effect of converter slag composition and temperature on the fomzation and elimination of magnetite and the life of basic and neutral refractories. APRELIMINARY draft of this paper, including data from 26 companies which had submitted replies to a questionnaire, was presented at the Annual Meeting of the AIME held in New York in February, 1956. Publication was delayed in the expectation that additional replies would be received, and justification for the subsequent delay may be found in the fact that the present revised paper contains data from 40 converter plants situated in 18 different countries. The suggestion that a questionnaire be sent to the major copper and copper-nickel plants outside the U.S.S.R. and associated countries arose at the Los Angeles Annual Meeting in February, 1953, where several papers dealing with converter construction and operation were presented. In private discussions which followed, a group of metallurgists and refractories engineers raised the question why practices varied so much at different plants. Why did magnesite brick give superior service to chrome-magnesite in some plants but chrome-magnesite prove superior in others? Would metallurgical studies point the way to the development of still better refractories? Could magnetite formation be prevented in converter slags and reverber-atory furnace mattes? If this was feasible, why was a heavy circulating load of magnetite tolerated, when, in all probability, it increased copper losses in the reverberatory slags and, in some cases, made it necessary to shut down the furnaces periodically to clean out the accumulated magnetite? Was the sole purpose of coating brick with magnetite that of

Jan 1, 1959

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Jan 1, 1938

By George Branner

THERE is no record of the commercial production of bentonite as such in Arkansas up to the present although fuller's earth has been. mined intermittently in the state1 from 1891 to 1922. Very nearly all of this was obtained from decomposed basaltic dikes.2 Recently three bentonite deposits of close stratigraphical relationship have been identified in the Coastal Plain region of southern Arkansas, which suggests that there may be a considerable quantity of commercial material available. LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY The three deposits are located respectively in the SE. ;1/4 SE. ;1/4 sec. 13, T.- 2 S., R. 13 W., Saline County, the SE. ;1/4 SE. 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 16 W., Hot Spring County, and in sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 19 W., Ouachita County. The Saline County deposit is 14 miles by state highway 167 south of the city limits of Little Rock and 1 mile west by dirt road. This deposit is 12 miles south of Ward switch on the C. R. I. P. Railroad and 11 miles east of Vimy Ridge by dirt road. Vimy Ridge is also on the C. R. I. P. Railroad. The Hot Spring County deposit located in the SE. ¼ SE. ;1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 16 W. is about 100 yd. north of Durian switch on the C. R. I. P. Railroad and on state highway No. 9, 5 miles southeast of Malvern. The Ouachita County deposit has not been accurately located but lies in sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 19 W. It is approximately 2 miles by road from Chidester on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Jan 1, 1929

Jan 1, 1916

By Robert H. Merrill

In 1960, the Kennecott Copper Corp. and the U.S. Bureau of Mines entered into a joint research program to determine the changes in stress, strain, and displacement created by changes in slope angles. The field site was the Kimbley Pit, located near Ely, Nev. The supporting laboratory investigations were made at the Bureau's Denver Mining Research Center. Following a study to determine the rock stresses in the mining district, the strike and dip of geologic defects (fractures) in the rock, and the laboratory-determined strength of the rock, a new slope angle and pit configuration was selected, and instruments were installed to measure changes in stress, strain, displacement, microseismic noise rate, and sonic velocities at several points in the west wall of the pit. Between February and November 1966, the west slope was changed from an average angle of 45' to a slope angle that started at 45° on the south wall, and gradually increased to 575' at the center of the west wall, and to 61° on the north wall. The pit was deepened from about 500 ft to about 550 ft. About 2.55 million tons of waste and ore were removed by stripping and mining. Measurements made between November 1965 and September 1967 showed that the pit wall was stable before excavation began, that changes in the measured quantities occurred in the pit wall during the excavation, and that the wall returned to a condition of equilibrium after the mining was completed. The need for a method and the technology to pre-design a pit slope does not require elaboration. About 5 billion tons of material are excavated yearly by surface mining methods in the United States, and the economics, safety, and availability of lower grade metals, nonmetals and fuels could all be substantially improved if operators could preselect optimum slope angles. Mining companies and the Bureau of Mines have recognized the need for developing engineering methods to determine stable slope angles. In the industry, Kennecott Copper Corp. had been making an

Jan 1, 1969

By Edwin S. Johanson, Ronald H. Wolk, Clarence A. Johnson, Harold H. Stotler, Katherine C. Hellwig

The H-Coal process, an ebullated bed reactor system for converting coal to liquid fuel, is described. Results from long-duration continuous flow bench-scale operations with Wyoming Wyodak, Arizona Black Mesa, and Utah Kaiparowits Plateau coals are presented. Economic data on the conversion of these coals to liquid products are given. The potentials of the H-Coal process in regard to coal from western producers is stressed.

Jan 1, 1974

By Mi Chung

T HE ore-dressing problem at Tul Mi Chung is complicated by the unusually complex nature of the ores. These come from replacement ore- bodies in limestone at the contact with a granite batholith, and contain copper, gold, silver, bismuth, molybdenum, iron, arsenic, zinc, and lead, the first two metals constituting the principal sources of profit. Iron is present as pyrite, magnetite, and hematite. Arsenic occurs both as mispickel and lollingite (FelAsa), the latter carrying a certain amount of finely divided gold. The gangue minerals are those typical of limestone con- tact-metamorphism and include a large percentage of garnet, together with diopside, serpentine, calcite, epidote, zoisite, actinolite, 'mica and other minerals. A part of the gold occurs in a free state; some is combined with chalcopyrite and lollingite, and a consider- able proportion is contained in the pyrite. Researches towards the improvement of recovery have been energetically conducted since 1915. Amalgamation, gravity concentrating tables, vanners, can- vas plants, etc., have all been tried and discarded in favor of flotation. It was very quickly established that fine grinding was essential for satisfactory recovery. This was and is still accomplished in Hardinge ball and pebble mills. A comparative test showed that when the ore was crushed to the point at which it contained 20 to 26 per cent. coarser than 100 mesh, the gold recovery was only 55.9 per cent., whereas when crushed so that only 11 to 15 per cent. was coarser than 100 mesh, the gold recovery was increased to 82.5 per cent. No particular difficulty was ever experienced in making a satisfactory recovery of copper but the losses in gold were considered serious and led to the investigation described in this paper.

Jan 1, 1924

By John M. Cigan

Samples of copper-lead concentrates from the mine of Cia Minerals Santander, Inc., a Peruvian subsidiary of the St. Joseph Lead Co. were recently subjected to special analysis. This concentrate was known to contain bismuth which, under some circumstances, might have incurred a smelter penalty. In this case, customers for the concentrate accepted it and requested a higher concentration of bismuth. Although chemical analysis would disclose the presence of the metal, it was not possible with equipment available at the mill in Peru to determine the mode of occurrence in the fine grained ores.

Jan 11, 1964

By Kenneth L. Cook

GEOPHYSICAL exploration is continuing to expand in scope and variety of methods, in experimental studies of specific applications, and in development of theory for complex situations. Aerial surveys have been made economically more attractive by simultaneous recording of magnetic and radioactivity data, and aerial electromagnetic surveys have been attempted. The most significant success of mining geophysics was the discovery of huge lead-zinc-copper sulphide ore deposits in New Brunswick, Canada. Spectacular geophysical astivity has occurred in the area as a result of these discoveries, and geophysics is expected to continue to play a large role in this drift-covered area. Other developments this year find the Atomic Energy Commission making available monthly reports of the location of anomalous radioactivity detected in aerial and ground surveys and the AEC is installing supersensitive radioactivity assaying instruments in about 25 localities in the U. S. Interest in helicopters is being aroused because of potentialities for near-ground surveys and better location control of anomalies. Japan can be added to the list of countries using geophysical surveys extensively.

Jan 2, 1954

By Thomas T., Read

TWO American students entered the Ecole des Mines in 1856, Joseph Lesley of Philadelphia and Thomas Egleston of New York. Lesley remained there only one year, but Egleston completed the whole 'curriculum and received, in 1860, the certificate given to foreign students .in lieu of the official appointment and degree. awarded French students. Returning home he received, in 1861, an appointment by Secretary Henry of the Smithsonian Institution to sort, label, and arrange the collections of mineralogical and geological specimens which had been brought to Washington by the various government exploring expeditions in the West. Thomas Egleston, born in New York City on Dec. 9, 1832, was the son of Thomas Jefferson Egleston, who came to New York from Massachusetts some time before 1829. The first American ancestor of the family had settled near Dorchester. in 1630. T. J. Egleston and Joseph Battell established an iron-merchandizing business* at 166 South St., New, York, which prospered exceedingly; so much so that when Thomas J. Egleston died, July 12, 1861, his estate had a book value of over $500,000. Since an older brother was expected eventually to take over this business, Thomas, who had a liking for science, went to Yale,, where he completed the regular four-year course in 1854, and then remained another year for advanced work in chemistry under Silliman. I One biographer says he went to Europe, . early in 1-856, on account of his health. It was the custom at that time for wealthy young men to make a tour of Europe after completing their academic education. Whatever the precise reason, he began scientific work at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris but soon trans* It still operating as Egleston Bros. Inc., though no direct descendants of its founder are now living.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. S., Douglas

IN 1880, the late James Douglas, LL.D., was superintendent of the Chemical Copper Co., operating the Hunt & Douglas process for the treatment of the siliceous copper ores of the Jones mine at Phoenixville, Pa. In conjunction with this a refining furnace was operated. After correspondence with Ben Williams, of Bisbee Ariz., who was commencing the mining and smelting of the Copper Queen ore. Dr. Douglas decided-to make his first journey to Arizona. While making plans for the trip lie visited a friend in Philadelphia, a .Mr. Logan, a prominent lawyer. He, through Professor Treadwell, brother of the discoverer of the great Treadwell gold mine of Douglas Island, Alaska, had an option with his min¬ing partner, Mr. Lenig, on the Eureka and Wade Hampton claims near the headwaters of the Verde River in Yavapai County, Arizona. These two claims, later the source of practically all of the wealth of the Jerome district, were then owned by C. P. Head and Co. Prescott merchants. Hugo Richards, banker, and formerly sutler at Camp Apache; Rod and John McKinnon prospectors and Nova Scotians; and perhaps one or two 'other owners of minor interests. Mr. Logan, hearing of Dr. Douglas intended trip to Bisbee, asked him to go first to see the two mining prospects, and this, Douglas, in need of the $500 fee, agreed to do as the time on the option on the claims was running short.

Jan 1, 1935

By Robert M. Dreyer

AGGREGATE With an annual domestic production of over 1.6 billion tons at a value of over $2 billion (see Table 15.1.1), the production of aggregate (crushed rock, sand, and gravel) is a basic industry of utmost economic importance. Because of the role of aggregate materials as essential ingredients of concrete, asphalt surfacing, and plaster, their delivered prices are major factors in determining the cost of construction. The annual domestic production comes from nearly 10,000 plants. About 15% of these plants account for over one-half the production. In a rapidly inflating economy, the average mine sales price of aggregate has remained relatively stable. The actual mine sales prices, however, vary greatly depending on quarrying costs in various parts of the country. Of much more importance in construction costs, however, is the delivered price of aggregate. This varies for each job, depending on the distance from the quarry and resulting transportation costs, as well as the initial cost at the mine. Because of a proliferation of regulations limiting new quarries in the vicinity of the encroaching urban sprawl, the average distance which aggregate must be transported has been increasing rapidly. Although it is impossible to derive an average delivered cost for aggregate, it should be noted that even an increase of only $1 per ton in average delivered cost over the last decade (probably a minimal assumption) would mean an annual cost $1.5 billion higher than ten years ago. In recent years, structural engineering considerations, as well as an increasing use of lightweight concrete blocks, have resulted in a rapidly increasing demand for lightweight concrete and plaster, the essential ingredient of which is lightweight aggregate. Principal lightweight aggregates are: pumice, slag, perlite (thermally expanded hydrous volcanic glass), vermiculite, and expanded shale, formed by the thermal expansion of shale and slate. The United States now has the capacity to expand, annually, over 13 million tons of shale and slate and to expand over 600,000 tons of perlite. In locating a site for aggregate production. the following factors must be considered: (1) tonnage available; (2) quality of aggregate (including local variations); (3) distance from major use areas; (4) transportation costs, including those resulting from present and possible future haulage restrictions; (5) zoning regulations; (6) operating costs, including the cost effects of compliance with local regulations governing blasting, air pollution, water pollution and drainage, noise levels, and operating periods. At one time, locating a suitable site for the production of crushed rock, sand, or gravel, in most areas, was regarded as an extremely simple task. In the past few years, however, finding a site for profitable production of aggregate has assumed ever-increasing com-

Jan 1, 1976

By H. Cecil Spicer

The results described in this article are based on field work conducted during the periods APril-May, 1939, and MaY-JulY, 1940. The United States Potash CO. is mining potash on Government land under a permit from the Department of the Interior and the geophysical investigation mas completed under a cooperative arrangemerit made between that company and the Conservation Branch of the Geological Survey. The writer, a member of the Section of Chemistry and Physics of the Geologic Branch, was assigned to this investigation. Four definite objectives were in mind for the geophysical work in the studies over the salt deposits. The first was to determine the measure of success that could be attained in this type of work with the resistivity methods that were to be employed. These methods had been introduced into the work of the Conservation Branch by Benjamin E. Jones for the investigation of dam sites, and have been used under his direction by the author for such work. If the method proved to be applicable, an l was to be made to contour the top of the salt beds and also the other formation boundaries known to be present in this area. Salt-water aquifers were to be studied in an effort to determine their boundaries, and an attempt was to be made to delineate the potash-bearing beds. Others have made, and reported, resistivity studies over saliferous deposits in different areas. Friedell and Messrs. Schlumberger2 reported geophysical work performed in the disrovery of the salt domes of Alsace; Carrette and Kelly3 described the geology of the same area. Leonardon and Kelly4 published a resistivity curve obtained over the Hettenschlag dome, and a further discussion of this same area was given by the Messrs. Schlum-berger5 in a communication. Messrs. Alty6 described studies 0" salt deposits in which the sing[e-probe method was used. Sinerez7 mentions that electrical methods were tried over salt deposits in Spain. Geoffrey and Charrin8 show a resistivity curve obtained over marl, gypsiferous marl and salt which is similar to that obtained over the New Mexico salt deposits. Kelly9 reported resistivity work performetl with the ground comparator of Zuschlag over the salt deposits near Syracuse, N. Y., where the Salina formation is at a depth of 700 to 800 ft. Some structural studies on the potash basin of Alsace are described by Poldini.10 Another single-probe resistivity study, made over salt deposits in New Mexico, is briefly described by Heiland,ll through the courtesy of Harry Aurand, of the Midwest Refining CO.

Jan 1, 1942

By H. Cecil Spicer

The results described in this article are based on field work conducted during the periods APril-May, 1939, and MaY-JulY, 1940. The United States Potash CO. is mining potash on Government land under a permit from the Department of the Interior and the geophysical investigation mas completed under a cooperative arrangemerit made between that company and the Conservation Branch of the Geological Survey. The writer, a member of the Section of Chemistry and Physics of the Geologic Branch, was assigned to this investigation. Four definite objectives were in mind for the geophysical work in the studies over the salt deposits. The first was to determine the measure of success that could be attained in this type of work with the resistivity methods that were to be employed. These methods had been introduced into the work of the Conservation Branch by Benjamin E. Jones for the investigation of dam sites, and have been used under his direction by the author for such work. If the method proved to be applicable, an l was to be made to contour the top of the salt beds and also the other formation boundaries known to be present in this area. Salt-water aquifers were to be studied in an effort to determine their boundaries, and an attempt was to be made to delineate the potash-bearing beds. Others have made, and reported, resistivity studies over saliferous deposits in different areas. Friedell and Messrs. Schlumberger2 reported geophysical work performed in the disrovery of the salt domes of Alsace; Carrette and Kelly3 described the geology of the same area. Leonardon and Kelly4 published a resistivity curve obtained over the Hettenschlag dome, and a further discussion of this same area was given by the Messrs. Schlum-berger5 in a communication. Messrs. Alty6 described studies 0" salt deposits in which the sing[e-probe method was used. Sinerez7 mentions that electrical methods were tried over salt deposits in Spain. Geoffrey and Charrin8 show a resistivity curve obtained over marl, gypsiferous marl and salt which is similar to that obtained over the New Mexico salt deposits. Kelly9 reported resistivity work performetl with the ground comparator of Zuschlag over the salt deposits near Syracuse, N. Y., where the Salina formation is at a depth of 700 to 800 ft. Some structural studies on the potash basin of Alsace are described by Poldini.10 Another single-probe resistivity study, made over salt deposits in New Mexico, is briefly described by Heiland,ll through the courtesy of Harry Aurand, of the Midwest Refining CO.

Jan 1, 1942

By J. Moore Samuel

THE prospective change in ore receipts at the Copper Queen reduction works necessitated a careful study of conditions to determine the most economical method of smelting. The first step, calculating the known, probable, and possible results, showed the economy of a unimetallurgical flow sheet f which the three pyrometallurgical stages would be roasting, reverberatory smelting, and converting. The past and future ore receipts (not including converter flux) are as follows: AVERAGE MONTHLY FUTURE MONTHLY RECEIPTS, 1918 RECEIPTS TONS PER PER CENT. OF TONS PER PER CENT. OF MONTH TOTAL RECEIPTS MONTH TOTAL RECEIPTS Ore 84,553 82.3 43,000 44.0 Gravity concentrates 16,375 15.9 25,500 26.0 Flotation concentrates 1,883 1.8 29,400 30.0 Total 102,811 100.0 97,900 100.0 Of the 102,811 tons per month received in 1918, only 28,945, or 28 per cent., was treated in the roasters and an average f 14.1 roasters out of 20 were in operation; the remaining ore was treated in the blast furnaces. The change to "all reverb." practice, therefore, called for considerable additional roaster capacity, which could be obtained either by building additional units, or by remodelling the present units so as to give increased unit capacity. In view of the progress in roasting practice since the construction of the Copper Queen roaster plant and the heavy investment in that roaster plant, the second plan seemed to be the more desirable. The Copper Queen roaster plant consisted of twenty six-hearth, McDougall roasters, 18 ft. in diameter, equipped with cast-iron arms that originally were water cooled but now are air cooled. They have no top dry hearth and the feed is discharged through the top arch, near its periphery, by plunger feeders from two bins at opposite sides of the roaster.

Jan 7, 1921

By Paul D. Merica, R. G. Waltenberg

Although nickel was discovered and isolated as early as 1750 and its valuable properties recognized, many years passed before it was used commercially for wire, sheet, rods, etc., in the pure form. This was due partly to its high cost at that time and partly to the fact that it was not possible to refine and cast nickel into ingots sufficiently malleable to be amenable to the usual forging, rolling, or drawing processes. So remarkable was this fact, and so different from the experience at that time with metals such as copper and iron, that it has left its impress on the nomenclature within the nickel industry. To this day, furnace-cast nickel produced in such a manner as to be suitable for rolling and forging is called malleable nickel to distinguish it from the ordinary pig and shot nickel of commerce. In 1878, the firm of Jos. Wharton, of Philadelphia (which later became The American Nickel Works, a constituent of The International Nickel Co.) exhibited at the Paris Exhibition specimens of rolled pure nickel strip and of drawn nickel wire. About this time, there was considerable activity in the study of the refining of nickel and several methods were described, some of which were patented, for the production of furnace-cast malleable nickel including the use of manganese (Boed-dicker,1 Selve and Lotter2), the use of potassium permanganate (Berns-dorfer Metallwarenfabrik3) and the use of phosphorus (Garnier4). By far the most efficient method was discovered by Th. Fleitmann in 1879;5 it consisted in adding to the molten nickel, just before pouring the castings, from 0.05 to 0.125 per cent. of metallic magnesium. This soon became the recognized final malleableizing treatment for furnace-cast nickel.

Jan 1, 1925

By Samuel H. Dolbear

NOT WITHSTANDING the extremely low ebb of business activity, the nonmetallic industries have fared somewhat better than some other branches of mining. The average price level in nonmetallics, although far from satisfactory, has resisted any cataclysmic fall such as has been suffered by copper and other metals. Stocks, also, though too abundant, represent no corresponding overhang of the market, which should result, in some branches, in a more rapid recovery. Research work has continued in some industries with interesting developments.

Jan 1, 1933