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By Victor M. Braschi

The railroad history of Mexico began with the first presidential term of General Diaz. Concessions for the building of railroads had been granted in former years; indeed, an exclusive privilege was granted, August 22, 1837, to Francisco de Arrillaga for the construction of a railroad from Mexico to Vera Cruz, with a branch to Puebla, and other concessions were granted from then on at various periods; but the year 1877 was the real beginning of the regular and constant decelopment of the railways of Mexico. The programme laid out at that time by the new government, and responded to by the nation, was to develop its natural ele-

Jan 1, 1902

By M. E. Wadsworth, P. H. Yu, C. K. Hansen

A study of the rate of dissc5lution of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) in acidic solutions under oxygen overpressures was carried out by measuring the rate of formation of cupric ions in solution. Effects of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, surface area, and concentration of sulfuric acid were evaluated. A sized batch of chalcopyrite was leached in the temperature range of 125° to 175°C and in the pressure range of 75 to 400 psi of oxygen. In 0.5 N H2SO4 all products of reaction went into solution except for trace amounts of elemental sulfur. The dissolution of chalcopyrite followed linear kinetics and was essentially independent of hydrogen ion concentration for H2S04 concentrations between 0.2 and 0.5 N. The oxygen dependence indicated adsorption approaching limiting values with increasing oxygen pressure. The linear mechanism was explained in terms of steady-state adsorption of oxygen at the chalcopyrite surface followed by a surface reaction. The enthalpy of activation for adsorption of oxygen was found to be approximately 33 kcal per mole. An activation enthalpy of approximately 9 kcal per mole was observed for the surface reaction. Charge transfer reactions are not rate controlling in the process.

Jan 1, 1973

By W. D. Klopp, R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. J. Maykuth

The purification of commercial-purity tantalum powder by vacuum sintering in the temperature range 2600° to 2860°C has been investigated. Mixtures of tantalum oxide and tantalum carbide were sintered at 1800° and 2200°C. Tantalum bars containing 1 pct additions of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. were sintered in the range 1800° to 2600°C. Anulyses were conducted on the sititeyed mixtures to determine the extent of removal of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon at each sintering condition. The mechanism for remova1 of each impurity, and the conditions necessary for preparing ductile tantalum by vacuum sintering are discussed. INTEREST in the refractory metals has been stimulated in recent years by the need for structural materials capable of operating at temperatures of 1100°C and higher. These metals include columbium (niobium) (mp 2468°C), molybdenum (mp 2620°C), tantalum (mp 2996°C), rhenium (mp 3160°C), and tung- sten (mp 3415°C). In addition to its high melting point, tantalum possesses the advantages of forming a solid, nonvolatile oxide at temperatures of interest and of being ductile and easy to fabricate. The classic method of consolidating tantalum from powder refined from the ores is by vacuum sintering at temperatures on the order of 2600°C. This sintering treatment both densifies the compacted powder bars and purifies the metal by causing impurities to boil out. The present work was undertaken to provide more quantative data on the relationship between sintering conditions and purity and to determine the mechanisms of impurity removal.

Jan 1, 1961

By F. W. Metzger

INTRODUCTION Coal quality control in mining and mine planning has always been important and has become even more essential in recent years due to environmental considerations. The primary consumers of the sub-bituminous coals found in the Powder River Basin are electric utilities that require low sulfur coals to meet government air quality regulations. Electric generating plants are designed to burn coal of a specific quality, and the supplier of that coal must be able to guarantee shipments within specified quality tolerances. Over the past several years, Exxon Coal USA and, more recently, The Carter Mining Company, a division of Exxon Coal USA, have established an evaluation and development program to accurately define the geology and quality of their coal properties. This requires an adequate drill hole density so that detailed correlations of the coal seam and the lithologic units, or benches, within the coal seam can be made. These units are recognizable in the core and also on geophysical logs. Like any systematic approach, geologic modeling has been refined and improved through new technologies. Today, coal seam properties are mapped using computer applications. Rapid access and manipulation of these data allow for optimization of mining efforts. This presentation will demonstrate how a detailed mapping program can be important in both pre-mine development and in-pit quality control.

Jan 1, 1983

By W. Kane, M. Karmis

Roof and rib failures in underground coal mines are one of the major problems facing the industry today. In addition to safety considerations, the resulting economic impact of such failures is staggering. Uncovering and replacing buried and damaged equipment and clearing entries can account for a large expenditure in lost man-hours and machinery. Yet, because of the complex nature of its formation, geological variability, and structural characteristics, coal mine roof strata is one of the least controlable of all mine design parameters. This is especially true along the leading (southeastern) edge of the Appalachian coalfields where considerable faulting and movement has contributed to hazardous coal mining roof conditions. During this research, a detailed study of several mines, in the southern Appalachian coalfields, was undertaken to determine the most prominent geomechanical factors affecting roof stability and to evaluate their influence in promoting unstable ground conditions. In order to accomplish this task, the major geological and geomechanical features found to be detrimental to coal mine roof within the Appalachian basin were identified and mapped in four Virginia mines. Statistical processing by chi-square and regression analysis was used to determine the influence of geology, mine-layout, and support methods on roof stability. It was found that some easily determined parameters can be successfully used to predict potentially unstable areas. A simplified roof classification system was developed based on these geomechanical parameters, which can be used to assess the stability of a particular roof type. A roof rating index was also devised capable' of expressing the probability of a failure under a given set geomechanical condition.

Jan 1, 1984

By Akira Ishizu, Nobuo Matsui, Hideo Yamamoto, Tatsuya Nagahama

At Kamioka Mine of Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd., Japan there are three mills, treating a total of 6400 t/d of lead-zinc Ore. In the lead-zinc bulk differential flotation at Shikama Mill the addition of reagents is automatically controlled by the feed rate, the lead and zinc content in feed, froth and tailing, the pH and the concentration of cyanide ion in the pulp. As the zinc thickener overflow at Shikama Mill contains CU(CN)3--, ZnS, CdS, CN-, xanthate and frother, all the ingredients in the over- flow other than CN are floated by using the Nagahm flotation machine, and the water containing only CN- is effectively recycled to the lead- zinc differential flotation circuit. In the lead-zinc straight differential flotation at Mozumi Mill, the overflow of tailing pond is recycled especially to the cleaning flotation circuit by decreasing the pulp density. Thus the integrated recycling of wastewater greatly reduces environmental problem and in addition, it generates sizeable profit.

Jan 1, 1977

By George S. Ramsay

The Appalachian system contains the largest area of all known Carboniferous coal-fields. Beginning near the north line dividing Pennsylvania and New York, it extends southwest through West Virginia, southeastern Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee and terminates in Alabama—a distance of about 950 miles. The northeastern part of this field will be considered in this paper. The general dips of the measures are toward a trough about parallel to the Ohio river, from the Allegheny mountains and ridges on the west. The Potonlac field is an exception; the dip in this case being northeast, the folding to the east of the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania being of a greater degree and diminishing southwestward. The cause of the general dip to the west of the mountains seems to be the westward movement of the thrust east of the mountains, with the large Nittany fold including other folds to the east of the escarpment, raising the mountains high above the coal-fields to the west, making a general slope toward the Ohio river southwest, and crossing waves of anticlinals west ward. The synclinals contain the coals, while in many cases on the top of the folds or anticlinals some of the veins (or, in some cases, all) are eroded. The Coal-Measures of this field are generally divided into three principal divisions, known as the Upper, the Barren, and the Lower Coal-Measures, but there is a tendency to divide them into five groups, which is more convenient. Beginning at the bottom, the first would be the Conglomerate ; second, the Lower Coal-Measures; third, the Barren; fourth, the Upper Coal-Measures, and fifth, the Upper Barren or Permian Measures.

Jan 1, 1896

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Aug. 10 to Sept. 10, 1915: Members ACOSTA, JOSE NICANDRO, Min. Engr. and Chem., Shannon Copper Co., Gleeson, Ariz. ANDERSON, AMIL. ABNER,. Met Homestake Mining Co., Lead, S. D. BARB, P. A Apartado 92, Pachuca, Hid., Mexico. BERGH, SVEN VILHELM,. Min. Engr Rorstrandsgatan 32, Stockholm, Sweden. BOAS, Ross H., Min. Engr:, Care Highland Boy. Mine, Bingham Canyon, Utah. BONSALL, JAMES MALCOLM,.Chem., Copper Queen' Reduction, Works, Douglas, Ariz. BOWLES, Ross., Supt. Of Smelters,. Granby Min. & Smelt. Co., East St. Louis, Ill. BRIGHT, GRAHAM, Engr., Westinghouse Electric & Mfg.. Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa. BUTLER, RICHARD,. Min. Engr., Mines. Supt., Lindal Moor Mines, Ulverston, Lancashire, England.

Jan 10, 1915

By Nick Barton

Simple methods for estimating the shear strength of rock joints and waste rock are reviewed. For the case of rock joints, the methods are based on a quantitative characterization of the joint roughness and the joint wall strength. Size-effects are found to reduce the peak strength of large joint samples to values below the ultimate or so-called "residual" values measured in the laboratory. Tilt tests and surface profiling on natural size blocks within the jointed rock mass are recommended for obtaining scale-free properties. The joint parameters obtained can be used to model complete strength-displacement-dilation behavior if this level of input is required. Large scale tilt tests can be performed with advantage on both rock joints and waste rock. The behavior of these two materials is surprisingly similar. Both are influenced by the size-effects on the compression strength of the rock, and both have similar log-linear relationships between effective normal stress and the peak drained friction angles. The resulting high values of friction near the toe or close to a slope face in either material can be misleading.

Jan 1, 1983

By John Mitchell, C. C. Hanninen, L. D. Clark

INTRODUCTION Certain rock types can be fractured thermally by spallation and thermal cracking. Spalling occurs in the regions subjected to thermal shock temperatures and cracking takes place in the adjacent cooler regions. The analysis of the heat-affected zones requires that heat transfer calculations be made where the thermal conductivity of the rock is a function of temperature and direction. Generally, accurate thermal conductivity data is not available for the high temperatures and rise rates associated with most thermal rock breaking methods. This paper describes a method for determining the thermal conductivity of an orthotropic material whose conductivity is a linear function of temperature. The necessary data is obtained from one test which makes it especially useful for in situ applications. The properties data are determined through an iterative process of comparing theoretically computed values of temperature for assumed conductivity parameters with data measured in the laboratory. The conductivity of the rock is determined when the results of the assumed parameters yield computed temperatures which agree with those obtained experimentally. Transient temperatures are computed using the explicit numerical method at given points in a three-dimensional semi-infinite solid whose surface is symmetrically heated on a circular spot. The thermal conductivity is assumed to be a linear function K = [a] + Bt; however, if necessary, any reasonable linear or non-linear function might just as well be used. The stability, convergence, node size,

Jan 1, 1971

By Milton H. Ward

This paper contains a review and discussion of the major design parameters of a block caving mine, with special attention given to access, development, and operational methods. Information will be provided on the economics and costs of various design alternatives, and how they can influence financial results of a particular project. Technical and economic factors that pertain to an actual operation, Freeport Indonesia, Incorporated's block caving mine in Indonesia, will be provided, and highlights of the planning, development and operation of this mine will be presented. The major thrust of the paper will be to emphasize the importance of good planning and to encourage economic analysis of various methods of layout and design.

Jan 1, 1981

Jan 9, 1950

By C. S. Finney, John Mitchell

The decline of the beehive coking industry was inevitable, but it had filled the needs and economy of its day. A beehive plant required neither large capital investment to construct nor an elaborate and expensive organization to run. The ovens were built near mines from which large quantities of easily-won coking coal of excellent quality could be taken, and handling and preparation costs were thus at a minimum. The beehive process undoubtedly produced fine metallurgical coke, and low yields were considered to be the price that had to be paid for a superior product. Few could have foreseen that the time would come when lack of satisfactory coking coal would force most of the beehive plants in the Connellsville district, for example, to stay idle; and if there were those like Belden who cried out against the enormous waste which was leading to exhaustion of the country's best coking coals, there were many more to whom conservation was almost the negation of what has since become popularly known as the spirit of free enterprise. As for the recovery of such by-products as tar, light oil, and ammonia compounds, throughout much of the beehive era there was little economic incentive to move away from a tried and trusted carbonization method simply to produce materials for which no great market existed anyway. With the twentieth century came changes that were to bring an end to the predominance of beehive coking. Large new steel-producing corporations were formed whose operations were integrated to include not only the making and marketing of iron or steel but also the mining of coal and ore from their own properties, the quarrying of their own limestone and dolomite, and the production of coke at or near their blast furnaces. As the steel industry expanded so did the geographic center of production move westward. By 1893 it had moved from east-central to western Pennsylvania, and by 1923 was located to the north and center of Ohio. This western movement led, of course, to the utilization of the poorer quality coking coals of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. These coals could not be carbonized to produce an acceptable metallurgical coke in the beehive oven, but could be so treated in the by-product oven. By World War I the technological and economic limitations of the beehive oven as a coke producer were being widely recognized. After the war the number of beehive ovens in existence dropped steadily to a low of 10,816 in 1938, in which year the industry produced only some 800,000 tons of coke out of a total US production of 32.5 million tons. The demands of the second World War led to the rehabilitation of many ovens which had not been used for years, and in 1941, for the first time since 1929, beehive ovens produced more than 10 pet of the country's total coke output. Production fell off again after 1945, but the war in Korea made it necessary once more to utilize all available carbonizing capacity so that by 1951 there were 20,458 ovens with an annual coke capacity of 13.9 million tons in existence. Since that time the iron and steel industry has expanded and modernized its by-product coking facilities, and by the end of 1958 only 64 pet of the 8682 beehive ovens still left were capable of being operated. Because beehive ovens are cheap and easy to build and can be closed down and started up with no great damage to brickwork or refractory, it is likely that they will always have a place, albeit a minor one, in the coking industry. The future role of the beehive oven would seem to be precisely that predicted forty years ago by R. S. McBride of the US Geological Survey. Writing with considerable prescience, McBride declared: "A by-product coke-oven plant requires an elaborate organization and a large investment per unit of coke produced per day. Operators of such plants cannot afford to close them down and start them up with every minor change in market conditions. It is not altogether a question whether beehive coke or by-product coke can be produced at a lower price at any particular time. Often by-product coke will be produced and sold at less than cost simply in order to maintain an organization and give some measure of financial return upon the large investment, which would otherwise

Jan 1, 1961

By J. W. Snavely

WITH all the advantages of handling bulk materials by means of belt conveyor also go some problems, one of the most persistent being that of cleaning. When sticky materials are being carried; the build-up of material on the return idler rolls results in difficulty of belt training. Much attention has been given to the problem of cleaning conveyor belts, and a great variety of cleaning devices have been developed. Even the best involve troublesome maintenance, and none can completely remove the fine particles imbedded in the belt cover, which cause rapid wear of the return idler rolls, and at the same time, of the belt cover as well. One of the major rubber companies has been promoting a two-way belt system, in which the conveyor belt is given two successive 90" twists at each end to enable it to carry material in both directions simultaneously. For many years the flat belt transmission industry has installed quarter-turn and half-turn twists in countless numbers of instances. While quarter-turn and half-turn twists in transmission belts is a familiar application, the 180" twist apparently has never been previously attempted with a conveyor belt. About a year ago, two officials of the National Iron Co. of Duluth, Lester and Lewis Erickson, proposed twisting the return run of a conveyor belt on an installation that they were designing for one of the major iron ore producers. Since then the soundness of the idea has been demonstrated, both in theory and by practical test, with the result that the installation of two conveyor belts involving the twisting of the return run is now under way. These two installations are designed to have the return run of the conveyor belt twisted 180" as it leaves the snub pulley at the head drive. The clean underside of the belt is thus placed against the idlers on the return run as well as on the carrying run. Just before it enters the tail pulley, the belt will be twisted an additional 180°, restoring it to its normal position. Because this twisting of the return run of a conveyor belt is a radical departure from accepted practice, an elaborate and extensive test was conducted early in 1950 to demonstrate that this twisting of the return run could be done successfully, also to establish application data for accomplishing this twisting, and to determine if any special equipment would be required. In studying this concept of twisting the return run of a conveyor belt, a number of problems need to be solved, primarily the ones brought about by deliberately introducing an unequal distribution of stress across the conveyor belt and controlling that maldistribution of stress, while confining it to the return run portion. The tension conditions existing in the return run of a conveyor belt are clear to all designers. First, the return run carries the initial or slack side tension of the conveyor belt, the tension that must be supplied to the return run to provide proper frictional contact between the belt and the driving pulley so that the necessary power can be transmitted from the driving pulley to the belt without slippage. This slack side tension is supplied to the belt by means of takeups, either of the gravity type, which can be vertical or horizontal, or by means of the screw type. With inclined or declined belt conveyors the slope tension also must be considered, which is the tension imposed by the weight of the belt hanging from the top pulley. This slope tension frequently can furnish part or even all of the initial tension required. The maximum value of the slope tension will be at the top pulley, and it decreases in direct proportion to the length. In addition to the foregoing, it frequently is desirable to impose arbitrarily additional slack side tension to provide sufficient tension at the loading point at the tail, so that the belt will adequately support its load between the carrying idlers. Design Conditions for Twisting A number of design conditions exist, which must be satisfied successfully to accomplish the twisting of the return run without exceeding normal working limits in any portion of the conveyor belt. It is obvious that the belt edge, in its relation to the center of the belt, must stretch in making a twist, because as the twist is accomplished, the belt edge travels through a longer path than does the center of the belt. It is further obvious that if the edge of the belt is stretched, a redistribution of stress in the belt is required to allow this edge stretching. Moreover, this stress will be unequal across the width of the belt, having a maximum value at the edges, with a minimum value at the- center of the belt. With correct initial tension in the return run of a conveyor belt, the existing slack side tension will be unequally distributed when a twist is introduced. A condition then exists in which the edge stresses,

Jan 1, 1952

By G. Bhat, J. F. Libsch

lsoembrittlement curves depicting the influence of time and temperature in the range 800' to 1260°F (425' to 680°C) on the development of embrittlement in a commercial chromium alloy steel and a commercial molybdenum alloy steel are presented. Two distinct regions of embrittlement occur in the chromium alloy steel: I—at 800' to 1000°F (425' to 540°C) and 2—in the region just below the lower critical temperature. Embrittlement is most pronounced at 800' to 1000°F, decreasing very rapidly with increasing temperature above this region, only to increase again as the lower critical temperature is approached. The data suggest two distinct modes of embrittlement with possible superposition of the two modes at extended embrittling times in the temperature range 1100° to 1150°F (590' to 620°C). While the molybdenum alloy steel shows little susceptibility to embrittlement at 800' to 1000°F (425' to 540°C), considerable embrittlement may occur just below the lower critical temperature. THE subject of temper embrittlement in alloy steels has received considerable attention in the last few years. Points of view on the mechanism of embrittlement differ, however, resulting in part from the incompleteness of the data developed and in part from the speculation regarding the susceptibility of plain carbon steel to temper embrittlement. Libsch, Powers, and Bhat1 carried out short-time embrittling treatments on an AISI 1050 steel and demonstrated that hardened plain carbon steels are quite susceptible to embrittlement when tempered in the range from 850°F (455°C) to the lower critical temperature. The isoembrittlement diagram,' representing the embrittling characteristics of this steel, is reproduced in Fig. 1. It is evident from the shape of the curves shown that embrittlement in plain carbon steel increases progressively with both temperature and time in the embrittling range. A comparison of the isoembrittlement diagram for AISI 1050 steel with that presented by Jaffe and Buffum' for an SAE 3140 steel shows that up to 930°F (500°C) the isoembrittlement characteristics of the plain carbon steel are similar to those of SAE 3140 steel, although the embrittlement is much more severe in the latter steel. Above 930°F (500°C), the rate of embrittlement in the plain carbon steel increases continuously with increasing temperature; whereas, in the SAE 3140 steel, the embrittlement rapidly decreases. The influence of alloying elements upon embrittlement during tempering thus appears to cause a decrease in embrittlement above the region of maximum embrittlement, i.e., 850" to 1000°F. The question naturally arises as to what effect individual alloying elements have upon the embrittling characteristics of the plain carbon steel. Current knowledge on the influence of alloying elements on temper brittleness may be found in the review papers of Hollomon" and Woodfine. Hollo-mon," from the results of other investigators, has shown that, in general, the amount of embrittlement increases with increasing alloy content (except for molybdenum and possibly tungsten and columbium). Jaffe and Buffum," by a comparison of the embrittlement in a plain carbon steel with that of a SAE 3140 steel postulated that the presence of alloying elements in moderate amounts tends to retard the development of temper brittleness. It is difficult to determine what effect chromium has upon temper brittleness, since most of the information available has been based on the combined effect of other elements with chromium, particularly nickel and manganese. However, Wilten, and recently Jolivet and Vidal,' Vida1, and Woodfine have reported that chromium steels are temper brittle, that the embrittlement is reversible with a maximum rate of embrittlement at approximately 975°F (525"C)," and that the susceptibility increases with increasing amounts of chromium. Taber, Thorlin, and Wallacel" have found a large embrittling effect with increasing chromium content in a medium C-Mn-Ni steel. But Hultgren and Chang," from their experiments conducted on synthetically prepared ternary Fe-C-Cr alloys, could not conclude that these alloys are susceptible to temper embrittlement. However, on addition of manganese or phosphorus, these Fe-C-Cr alloys became susceptible, from which fact they concluded that the embrittlement developed in chromium-bearing Fe-C alloys is due chiefly to the presence of these elements. Considerable data are available to show that molybdenum decreases the susceptibility of steel to temper embrittlement. However, its effectiveness in preventing or decreasing embrittlement appears limited to its presence in small amounts. Vidal" has shown that a plain 2 pct Mo steel was susceptible. Hultgren and Chang" also have shown that molybdenum additions in excess of 2 pct to synthetically prepared Ni-Cr steels did not prevent embrittlement. Jolivet and Vidal' and Lea and Arnold found that molybdenum reduced temper brittleness. Lea and Arnold further stated that molybdenum decreased the rate of embrittlement rather than the total amount of embrittlement, whereas Preece and Carter" have shown that the presence of molybdenum greatly reduces the equilibrium extent of the change at a given temperature but does not appear to influence the rate of embrittlement. There appears to be very little information as to how molybdenum by itself affects the temper brittleness susceptibility of a plain carbon steel.

Jan 1, 1956

By K. E. Merklin, F. D. DeVaney

Students of the modern blast furnace seem unanimously agreed that they are observing a major revolution in practice. Rather than changing construction and operation of the furnaces, most of the great advances now under way deal with the raw materials feed. Prepared burdens have gained increasing significance during recent years. Sizing, concentration, and agglomeration have all become bywords to greater production and reduced operating costs. The remarkable results with test furnaces in which self-fluxing sinter makes up part or all of the ore charge foretell even greater improvements. Other investigators have reported many of these advances, and it is enough to predict here that more and more operators will turn to the use of self-fluxing sinter.

Jan 3, 1960

By B. M. Larsen

Jan 1, 1965

By O. A. E. Jackson

Pebble milling has been practiced in the reduction works of South Africa gold mines for well over 50 years. Originally flint pebbles were imported from Denmark to grind stamp-mill amalgamation- process tailing, which contained a good deal of extractable gold, but local operators soon found that large pieces of ore could be used for the same purpose. The ore is a hard, tough conglomerate in which quartz pebbles are cemented together by a matrix of redeposited silica interspersed with pyrite crystals. The gold, rarely visible, occurs as fine particles mostly segregated at the interface of the pebble and matrix, although a small fraction occurs within the pyrite crystals. There is seldom any gold in the pebbles themselves.

Jan 11, 1959

By H. M. Roberts

H. M. ROBERTS, Minneapolis, Minn. (communication to the Secretary*). -The rifling of drill cores is a frequent source of interest to men engaged in diamond drilling. Previous to the appearance of Dr. Crane's paper, there has been little record of connected observation or rigid speculation as applied to the cause of rifling. Replying to one of Dr. Crane's letters of inquiry, I ventured my opinion that the cause of rifling was a complex problem in physics, which I had not attempted to solve up to that time, except to ascribe it to the general cause of rotation and vibration of the rods. The question is worth attention not only as a matter of curious scientific interest but also for the reason that it stimulates thought on

Jan 10, 1916

By J. F. Blandy

IN October last, I was call upon to examine a copper deposit in the South Mountain, near the Pennsylvania and Maryland boundary. The specimens shown me contained oxides and carbonates with native copper, and were similar to some that had been described to me some years ago as existing at the Luray Gap in Virginia. An examination of Rogers's Report on the Geology of Pennsylvania, led me to expect to see his so-called "Primal Formation," such as exists throughout the southeastern district of the State. I was therefore much surprised on arriving at the summit of the Western Maryland Railroad to find myself on familiar ground. Instead of the "Primal" as I had known it in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I soon decided that the rocks were identical with the "Lake Superior Copper Formation." My visit was unfortunately a short one, part of two days, and in that time I had to pass over a good many miles, but I saw sufficient to convince me that instead of the Lake Superior Copper Formation being a local geological feature, it would have to be considered as a widely extended series of rocks. I was unable to even approximately estimate the thickness either of the trap zone or other members, schists and slates, of the series. In an article on the Copper Range of Michigan, prepared by C. P. Williams and myself in 1862, and published, in vol. xxxiv of the American Journal of Arts and Sciences, we endeavored to divide that range into zones, according to the character of the traps. The limited nature of the explorations at that time made this work very imperfect. Subsequent explorations have confirmed my notes then

Jan 1, 1879