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In attempting the predict coal cleat orientation in the subsurface for effective methane degasification of the coal beds in the Warrior coal field of Alabama, approximately 150 rock joint orientations and 45 coal cleat orientations were measured in each of 37 7 ½ minute quadrangles in Tuscaloosa, Walker, Jefferson, Fayette, Winston, Blount, and Bibb Counties. Data from these surface locations, and coal cleat data from eight underground mines was corrected for magnetic declination and titled beds rotated to the horizontal where necessary and plotted on rose diagrams for comparative analysis. Data collected on each joint and cleat consisted of attitude, quality, type, spacing, persistence, lithology, bedding thickness, surface texture, and filling. File data and published and unpublished reports from the State Survey and the State Mine Inspector's Office were re-viewed. Twenty-seven mining companies, most of which supplied information pertinant to the project were also contacted. The information obtained consisted of crop line information structure, and underground mine outlines, all of which were put on 7 ½ -minute topographic quadrangles. LANDSAT-1 imagery and Skylab photography were compared to dominant joint and cleat trends in the study area. Detailed results can be found in an open-file report entitled "Fracture Analyses in a Selected Area of the Warrior Coal Field, Alabama." A master's thesis entitled "The Relationship Between Surface Joints and Subsurface Structure in a Selected Area of the Warrior Coal Field" is being prepared to illustrate the relation-ship of the fracture system to the structure in the Warrior coal field. A proposal has been submitted for research on a project entitled "Rock Fracture Systems and Their Affects on the Extraction of Fossil Fuels in the Warrior Basin, Alabama"

Jan 1, 1976

By Will H. Coghill

This paper on milling methods and costs at a flat river (Mo.), mill is one of a series of information circulars on milling methods and costs which is being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines, The mill under consideration treats 5,000 tons of load ore daily by table concentration and flotation. It is 25 years old, and yet it is a new mill. Research has been in continual progress at the plant since its beginning, and accordingly a day never passes without a record of change for advancement. The changes have been so orderly that no evidence of obsolete equipment remains.

Jan 1, 1932

By Roswell W. Prouty

As part of a general plan for control and economic utilization of the waters of the Missouri River Basin as well as development of its inherent power resources, the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army has under construction a rolled earth dam near the site of old Fort Randall in South Dakota. The dam is in Charles Mix and Gregory Counties on the Missouri River at a point about 922 miles above its mouth. It is approximately 125 air-line miles southeast of Pierre and 55 miles southwest of Mitchell, S. Dak. The storage reservoir to be formed by the dam will extend upstream for 150 miles and, at maximum operating pool level, will cover an area of some 107,000 acres. It will have a storage capacity of 6.2 million acre feat.

Jun 1, 1949

By H. -F. Krausse

Roof failures in underground coal mines are related to the lithology and geologic structure of the roof. There are two distinct suites of roof rock above the Herrin (No. 6) Coal in Illinois, and each has distinctive patterns of structure and roof failure. In black shale-limestone roof areas, roof instability is correlated with thinning of limestone beds and presence of faults and clay dikes. In gray shale roof regions, the prime roof hazards are posed by rolls, shear bodies, and presence of coal or carbonaceous partings in the roof. Most structural features examined are believed to have formed during early stages of sediment diagenesis and compaction. Structural trends and lithologic patterns are strongly interdependent for this reason. In many cases geologic patterns are so complex and locally variable that prediction of roof stability far in advance of mining is difficult. The need for greater flexibility in roof control planning is apparent.

Jan 1, 1979

By Kenneth R. Maser

This report describes the development of a system which modifies an existing fly ash-foam remote mine sealing technique to make it capable of impounding water in a fire zone. The modification involves blending equal quantities of fly ash and bentonite to form the bulk of the seal, and blending a thin layer of fly ash and Huron Regulated Set Portland Cement (RSPC) as a coating. The modification replaces the pure fly ash approach, but continues to use a froth foam topping to complete the seal. The modified material system is implemented with minimal complexity by adapting a "Y" connector to the existing delivery system. Each bulk hauler (fly ash and bentonite, or RSPC) will pump into one leg of the 'Y'; and the blending will be controlled by two pinch valves. The development effort has involved an evaluation of potential material systems by using small sample, quarter scale, and full head tests. The small sample tests measured the basic properties of a large number of selected material combinations. Property measurements included capillarity, permeability, shrinkage, and shear strength. As a result of these tests, particular combinations of fly ash-bentonite and fly ash-cement were selected for scale model testing in a 1 /4 scale test facility. These tests simulated, in a scaled manner, the water rise and total head which would be experienced by a seal. The tests indicated that shrinkage in the fly ash-cement combination would always result in leakage; whereas, fly ash-bentonite mixes were impervious to water.

Jan 1, 1974

By Berger

A detailed description is given of radio apparatus for controlling a coincidence outfit for relative gravity measurements. This is probably of little interest, since many types of apparatus could be used. The general method employed is the interesting thing about this paper. As long ago as 1883 von Sterneck made a proposal to control two coincidence boxes with the, seine, clock, and many persons have suggested the use of radio for this purpose. In accomplishing this it would appear to the reviewer that this method is probably inferior to that used by the Marland Oil Co., but Berger and Brückner must be given the credit for important advances in the coincidence method. In their apparatus a clock at a central station actuates a relay, which operates a short-wave transmitter (40 m.). At the receiving station the amplification is accomplished at low frequencies... The signal operates a relay which moves a slitted screen in a coincidence apparatus. This screen has been improved considerably, to decrease the mean error in observing a coincidence. As usual, a telescope is used to observe the flashes of light. It has a scale in its focal plane and positions of successive flashes are easily read off and recorded by a second observer. This makes possible' a: higher accuracy in determining the exact instant at which coincidence would have occurred at the zero point on this scale. This method obviously depends on the constance of the mechanical and electrical lag inn both sending and receiving apparatus, and may be adversely criticized from this standpoint. -- A. E. Ruark.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. T. Baroch

This report summarizes cost data accumulated during 15 months of sustained operation of the Bureau of Mines Boulder City (Nev.) titanium plant, which had a capacity of about 1,350 pounds of titanium sponge per day. The plant was constructed during the 1952 fiscal year with funds supplied by the Ordnance Corps, Department of the Army. Its original purpose was to engage in process development work as a continuing phase of the Bureau of Mines policy to seek improvements in producing titanium metal. In early 1953 the Defense Materials Procurement Agency contracted with the Bureau of Mines for producing approximately one-half million pounds of usable ductile titanium sponge. Production began in May 1953, ended in September 1954, and yielded 492,503 pounds of acceptable metal. Operating costs covering this period of operation, with suggested depreciation and administrative costs, are given, as well as outlines of building and equipment capital costs. In addition, miscellaneous economic considerations are discussed, including labor and operating-time schedules.

Jan 1, 1956

By D. H. Carlson

The U.S. Bureau of Mines and Michigan Technological University (MTU) are collaborating to develop an apparatus for measuring diesel tailpipe emissions in underground mines. A tailpipe emissions measurement apparatus (EMA) is described that dilutes diesel exhaust and measures the concentrations of diesel particulate matter (DPM), CO, CO2, NO, and NO2 at known dilution ratios. The EMA was evaluated by side-by-side comparison of its measurements with those by laboratory-grade instruments. Concentrations of CO and CO2 measured by the EMA were usually within ± 14 pct of concentrations measured by laboratory-grade instruments for CO and ±20 pct for CO2. EMA¬ measured DPM concentrations were, on average, 29 pct lower than those measured by laboratory-grade instruments, with the differences being fairly consistent. The CO and CO2 differences are related to the method of calculating the EMA's dilution ratio, and the difference in DPM concentrations is attributed to thermophoretic and/or condensation losses related to the EMA's unheated sample probe. Preliminary analysis of data obtained with a heated sampling probe and modifications in the sampling procedures have indicated reduced variability in DPM and in the calculated dilution ratios.

Jan 1, 2010

By Bernard Lewis

The ignition problem: for a layer of firedamp bordering on a cloud of detonation products is evidently considerably more complicated than in the usual laboratory ignition experiments, in which a well-defined volume of gas is heated and the occurrence of ignition is observed after an induction period. An atmosphere of firedamp exposed to the detonation of a high explosive is subjected to heating by shock-wave compression and thermal conduction and to intermixing at the interface of the firedamp atmosphere and the cloud of deto¬nation products. Although a reliable physical-chemical analysis of the problem is not yet possible, one may nevertheless form a general view of the role of compression waves and the processes of heat transfer and diffusion at the interface. Near the mouth of a shot hole, or near a freely suspended cartridge, the firedamp atmosphere attains very high temperatures by adiabatic compression, and it is certain that such temperatures are sufficient to initiate chemical reaction. The pressure wave pattern is reproducible from one test charge to another if the initial experimental conditions are held constant; on the other hand, experiments on firedamp ignition do not yield a reproducible threshold condition for ignition, but only an ignition probability. Thus, the induction periods are sufficiently long that there is time for the compressed', heated gas layers to undergo random changes that may quench or promote ignition. Therefore, the analysis of the ignition problem hinges primarily on the discovery of the random events that modify the chemical reaction in the activated gas layers.

Jan 1, 1948

By Mary S. Esfandiary

U.S. scientists attempting to maintain continuous surveillance of scientific information are confronted with two acute problems: The steady, even spectacular; increase in the volume of such information and the fact that much of it is published in unfamiliar foreign languages, According to the National Science Foundation, almost one-third of the world's scientific literature is published in languages that are read by less than 5 percent of U.S. scientists. Most scientists in the United States must rely on abstract journals and translations to obtain information on developments in research and investigations conducted in the non-English-speaking countries. However, there are problems involved in procuring suitable abstracts and translations and in obtaining such information as cheaply and rapidly as possible.

Jan 1, 1961

By Scott W. Hazen, Richard F. Link, George S. Koch

The Mi Vida mine , Big Indian district , San Juan County , Utah , is in an ore deposit of uranium and vanadium minerals disseminated in certain sedimentary beds of the Triassic Chinle formation . Statistical analysis of assays of samples taken from the ore body affords an estimate of the grade of the ore body and provides a prediction about the direction of best mineralization beyond the sampled area . The basic data analyzed are assay results for uranium ( Uз Og ) , vanadium (V₂O ) , and lime (CaO ) from 225 channel samples cut at 79 sample points . Through the use of appropriate statistical methods , particularly regression analysis , the grade of ore may be estimated more precisely than by conventional means , and the most favorable direction to extend the mine may be predicted . Frequency distributions of assay residuals for uranium , vanadium , and lime are compared to frequency distributions of assays without regard to trend . Correlations among these variables are obtained and interpreted . The statistical methods employed illustrate certain techniques that may be used to analyze assay data from ore deposits in general .

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Hubbard

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineral resources of the Upper Missouri River Basin as a part of a comprehensive water and related land resources study by six Bureaus of the Department of the Interior, coordinated by the Department's Missouri River Basin Field Committee. The mineral resource study covers an area of about 18,000 square miles within the Great Plains physiographic province of central Montana. Exposed Formations in the plains are chiefly flat-lying Cretaceous sediments. Plutonic rocks crop out in the central parts of the mountain uplifts, with steeply tilted Paleozoic sediments exposed around the margins. Oil and gas have been produced from several fields in the study area; total value exceeds $45 million. Coal-bearing formations of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous age cover approximately 45 percent of the study area. Total production of coal since 1880 has been between 40 and 50 million tons, exceeding $75 million in value. Total metal production has been about $52.5 million. Industrial mineral production from 1925 through 1960, is valued at $24 million.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Hubbard

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineral resources of the Upper Missouri River Basin as a part of a comprehensive water and related land resources study by six Bureaus of the Department of the Interior, coordinated by the Department?s Missouri River Basin Field Committee. The mineral resource study covers an area of about 18,000 square miles within the Great Plains physiographic province of central Montana. Exposed formations in the plains are chiefly flat-lying Cretaceous sediments. Plutonic rocks crop out in the central parts of the mountain uplifts, with steeply tilted Paleozoic sediments exposed around the margins. Oil and gas have been produced from several fields in the study area; total value exceeds $45 million. Coal-bearing formations of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous age cover approximately 45 percent of the study area. Total production of coal since 1880 has been between 40 and 50 million tons, exceeding $75 million in value. Total metal production has been about $52.5 million. Industrial mineral production from 1925 through 1960, is valued at $24 million.

Jan 1, 1964

By Oliver Bowles

Marble is one of tile most beautiful and enduring materials employed in the construction industries. Because of its diverse colors, decorative patterns, and varying textures, it has furnished material for artistic architectural design for many centuries. The marble industry is described in some detail in Bureau of Mines Bulletin 106, The Technology of Marble Quarrying, which, unfortunately, is now out of print but may be consul ted at most large libraries. Onyx marble and travertine are discussed in Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6751. The purpose of this paper is to describe the main features of a distinctive group of ornamental marbles known as the serpentine marbles or verde antiques.

Jan 1, 1938

By James F. O'Neill

Brown iron ore deposits in Quitman County , Ga . , were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Georgia , Department of Commerce , and the University of Alabama . Ninety- one holes were drilled , having an aggregate footage of 2,188 feet ; seventy- one holes penetrated 248 feet of iron mineralization . Average thickness of the ore zone was 3.5 feet under an average thickness of 14.7 feet of overburden . The drilling developed inferred reserves containing nearly 30 million long tons of crude ore with an average analysis of 28 percent iron plus minor quantities of manganese . Test work done by the Bureau on the crude ore samples indicated that they would upgrade by current log washer practice , with the use of a 1 /8 - inch screen , and yield 4.4 million dry long tons of concentrate with an average analysis of 52.1 percent iron plus manganese . The weight recovery obtained was 14.7 percent . Research studies made by the Bureau showed that the weight recovery would be increased by changing the screen size without any appreciable sacrifice of grade . The average weight recovery was increased to 18 percent with a 10 - mesh screen and 22.8 percent with a 20 - mesh screen . Screen tests studies indicated that there was no appreciable interlocking of the iron and manganese minerals and the clay and silica waste particles of the materials retained on a 200- mesh screen . Clay was prominent in micron - size slimes . Silica was deleterious in the minus 20 - mesh size .

Jan 1, 1965

By Joseph J. Wallace

The 1952 Annual Report of the West Virginia Department of Mines lists seven beds that are being mined in Mingo County, of which the Cedar Grove is the most important. The Cedar Grove, Alma, and Coalburg contain the largest remaining known reserves. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves in all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and 1,800 tons per acre-foot of coal in place, are estimated at 3,007 million short tons as of January 1, 1953. Of this total, 2,396 million short tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics are too meager for making an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimated reserves.

Jan 1, 1954

By Donald P. Schlick

Respirable dust provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 are designed to protect the most important resource of the coal mining industry--its workers. The Act imposes two respirable dust standards of 3.0 milligrams per cubic meter of air after June 30, 1970; and 2.0 milligrams per cubic meter of air after December 30, 1972. Under Federal regulations, each operator is required to carry out a dust sampling program established by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, This program features the sampling of "high risk" face workers to establish that the exposure of each miner is below the dust standard, Mining sect ions, continuously in compliance with the regulations, may sample at less frequent intervals. In addition to requiring the mining company to take respirable dust samples, the Bureau of Mines will perform in-depth dust inspections twice a year, as well as frequent "spot inspections." The Bureau has established a semiautomatic computerized operation capable of processing over 1 million samples per year. This facility will be linked to various Bureau offices by a telecommunications system to provide automatic data printouts within hours after samples have been weighed.

Jan 1, 1970

By E. L. Singleton

The electrochemical reduction of aluminum chloride to aluminum was investigated in a closed, two-compartment cell utilizing a molten chloride electrolyte. The externally heated cell was divided into a reduction compartment and a combination AICl3 feed and metal removal compartment. Aluminum was deposited at 700° C on a molten aluminum catbode from a KCI-NaCI-AICI3 electrolyte. The AICl3 content of the electrolyte was replenished by either vapor or solid additions. The chlorine evolved was collected and measured to give a quantitative evaluation of AICl3 reduction. The effects of anode and cathode current densities and AIC13 concentration on anode current efficiencies were studiedo A range of 64 to 84 percent anode current efficiency was obtained with the 25-pound electrolyte capacity cell and related auxiliary equipment.

Jan 1, 1968

By L. A. Haas

S02 reduction with CO was studied in an integral flow reactor at a nominal flow of 0.5 liter per minute. Reactant gas contained 3 percent SO2, 6 percent CO, and the balance He. SO2 conversion was determined for three different types of catalysts. The first consisted of 16 commercial catalysts used for various chemical syntheses. Only the commercial catalysts which contained transition metals in alumina removed more than 30 percent 80a at temperatures below 510° C. Two other types of catalysts were prepared in the laboratory either by pelletizing equal amounts of powdered alumina and transition metal oxides or by impregnating commercial alumina tablets with transition metal ions. Regardless of preparation techniques, Cr and Fe in alumina were the two best catalysts. The observed results suggest that an intermediate (SCO) is formed by the interaction of surface metal sulfides and carbonyls. Alumina then catalyzes the interaction of SCO with S02 to form the end products (sulfur and carbon dioxide). Over 80 percent S02 was removed at 460° C with 2 grams alumina impregnated with 2.5 percent iron.

Jan 1, 1972

By Rolland L. Blake

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineralogy, tonnage, and beneficiating characteristics of oxidized (nonmagnetic) taconite iron resources of the Western Mesabi Range as part of its program to insure adequate future domestic mineral supplies. Magnetic taconite currently provides about 95 pct of Mesabi production, but the large tonnages of oxidized taconite between the magnetic deposits will be needed to help meet future domestic demand for iron ore. Three bulk samples that represent large tonnages from the Western Mesabi Range were selected to determine their mineral composition and liberation by light optical microscopy and to test their beneficiating response. This report describes the mineralogy and liberation characteristics of the three samples of the Biwabik Iron-Formation for 26.5 mi (42.7 kID) from Keewatin to Grand Rapids, MN. (Details of response to beneficia-tion were reported previously.) The samples represent mostly material from the Lower Cherty Member of the Biwabik-Iron Formation, although one sample included some Upper Cherty Member. Minerals of all three samples were quartz (chert), hematite, goethite, and minor to trace amounts of magnetite, iron carbonate, and iron silicates. It was concluded that the oxidized taconites of the Western Mesabi Range represent a subeconomic indicated resource that can be selectively mined and beneficiated as a future large source of iron feed for steelmaking.

Jan 1, 1983