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By H. R. Aldrich

This paper presents some of the results obtained during the field season of 1919 while mapping, in detail, the stratigraphy of the Gogebic Range in Wisconsin. The detailed stratigraphic section for the range was first published, in 1919, by W. 0. Hotchkiss,1 State Gcologist of Wisconsin. The idea of the continuity of the definite succession thus established was the result of underground work in the productive part of the range in Michigan and Wisconsin, where most of the required data also were obtained. The bulk of the range in Wisconsin is heavily covered by drift; in fact, there is but one satisfactorily exposed section across the entire formation, few partial sections, and only scanty outcrops of any size. Evidently mapping of the detailed members of the formation could only be established at a few points; and if from these small areas the .unexposed portions were to be mapped by projection, the only apparent method for projection was straight-line interpolation modified or supported by data from the scanty outcrops and from test workings. It was found that by tracing a magnetic line, the position of which in the formation may be determined from test pits and outcrops, the projection of that member through the drift-covered areas can be accomplished. The magnetic line serves as a datum horizon within the formation to which reference may be made in correlating outcrops and ledge matter thrown from test workings. The foot wall is easily located also, and from the two datum horizons thus available and the known proportional thickness of the several members in the type sections, outcrops and artificially exposed ledges can be correlated by lithological characteristics. As a result, the tracing of magnetic lines became the basis of our work on the stratigraphy and we were able to carry the mapping of detailed members throughout the length of the range. It was found that the magnetic horizon at the base of the Tyler slate was most easily followed by the dip needle; that discontinuity caused by cross-faulting could be established; that folding along the strike could be detected in a repetition

Jan 1, 1922

By M. G. Magnuson, H. O. Hofman

When dry chlorine gas is made to act in the cold upon fiuely-divided gold,' it converts the latter with evolution of heat into auro-auric chloride, Au4 Cl4, a hard, dark-red, hygroscopic salt. Moisture splits this salt into aurous and auric chloride, Au²C14 = AuCl + AuCl³; treatment with water converts it into auric chloride and gold, 3 Au²CI4 = 4 AuC1³ + Au². Aurous chloride, when stirred with water, undergoes a similar decomposition, 3 AuCl = AuCI, + Au,. These decompositions of auro-auric chloride and of aurons chloride furnish the explanation for the practice of moistening an ore before it is treated by the Plattner chlorination-process; practical experience having shown that gaseous chlorine gave an unsatisfactory extraction with dry ore. According to Rose12 fine gold is acted upon more slowly by chlorine than gold containing some base metal, e.g., copper. He also says that small quantities of silver increase the rate of solution, but adds that the coating of silver chloride formed, checks, and finally stops, further action, if the percentage of Silver be increased beyond a certain undetermined amount. Bromine3 acts upon finely-divided gold in a manuer similar to chlorine; the auro-auric bromide, Au²,Br4,, however, is not hygroscopic. Upon treatment with water it is decomposed as is the corresponding chlorine salt. It is generally believed that bromine does not act as energetically upon gold as does chlorine. This seems to be borne out by the results in the leach- +1MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BOSTON, MASS.

Jan 1, 1905

By Edgar Kidwell

To any one acquainted with the practical conditions surrounding the mining engineer and mine-manager, especially in this country, the presentation to the American Institute of Mining Engineers of a paper on the above subject will need no explanation. The members of this profession are continually called upon to design and erect, both above and underground, structures which involve the use of beams. Not to mention the various buildings connected with large mining operations, I need only refer, in support of this statement, to trestles, derricks, headworks, etc., on the surface, and to timbered stations and other spaces of large span in the mine-workings. Notwithstanding the rapidity with which iron and steel are replacing wood in the construction of large buildings, there will always be cases in which the use of metal will be unadvisable. Especially will this be true in districts remote from large cities. Works of temporary character will continue to use timber. High freight-charges, the liability of delays in delivering iron, and the temporary character of many of the structures, will for many years to come make it advantageous for the mines west of the Mississippi and on Lake Superior to construct their buildings almost exclusively of wood. The timber-resources of the country are decreasing so rapidly that already the engineer finds difficulty at times in obtaining beams of large size. This difficulty will steadily increase, and will force the constructor to resort more frequently to built-up beams, such as have long been used in Europe, owing to the difficulty of obtaining there such large sizes of timber as have

Jan 1, 1898

By George L. Heath

It may at first appear doubtful that any further ideas can now come from such a well-trodden soil, when we consider that the ground of the subject has been so thoroughly gone over in many of its phases and that observations have been recorded in technical journals, ever since the days when Luckow and his cotemporaries brought the electrolytic deposition of pure copper to the position of an exact scientific method. Certain facts, however, which seem worthy of note, have come under the writer's observation during an extended use of the method in a large refinery, involving frequent tests of refined Lake and electrolytic copper, and thousands of assays of native copper concentrates and tailings. This work has required a careful study of the conditions suited to the assay of refined copper, and of ores and tailings— conditions which must be varied for each particular case to secure the best results. Especially is this true when we come to the exact determination of pure copper in the high-grade refined metal of the present day. Very slight traces of impurities (especially tellurium, selenium, bismuth, tin, arsenic and antimony) seriously injure the properties of copper, notably its electrical conductivity. The increasing demands of electrical science and construction lead to the conclusion that the analysis of all high-grade American coppers, at least, has become, and must be in future (in or-

Jan 1, 1898

By Herbert Haas

The following notes describe a laboratory for metallurgical chemistry and technical analysis which I built late in 1903, while engaged, as constructing engineer, in erecting a pyrite smelter at the Afterthought mine, Ingot, Shasta county, California. This design partly supplements the paper of Mr. C. H. White, which was presented at the Atlantic City Meeting of the Institute in February, 1904.' The work of a chemist at a busy smelting-plant differs radically from the work of a student, who takes all possible care to have his analysis exact within hundredths of a per cent., and has plenty of time to devote to the operation. The works-chemist, having the shortest time in which to make his determinations, should have a laboratory arranged as conveniently as possible to save time in carrying out his work. By a conveniently-arranged laboratory, I do not mean an elaborately furnished one; but rooms suitably fitted up and supplied with the necessary apparatus to do the work expected from the chemist within the requirements of technical analyses. It is not uncommon at large smelters to have the night ae-sayer prepare 30 or more samples for titration, in time for the

Jan 1, 1905

By H. A. Wheeler

It may surprise some of our members to learn, that, among the industries based on the mineral resources of the United . States, clay now ranks third, being exceeded in value of product only by pig-iron and coal. The present annual value of clay-products exceeds the value of the outputs of gold or silver, and also exceeds the combined values of copper, leacl, zinc, aluminum, mercury, antimony and nickel. These facts are shown in Table I. which gives the statistics for the year 1902 :

Jan 1, 1905

By Heinrich Ries

Fullers' earth is a clay-like substance, which has the property of decolorizing or clarifying oils. An ultimate chemical analysis shows it to differ from most ordinary clays in having usually a high percentage of combined water and a low amount of alumina. There is probably a large amount of hydrous silica present. Fullers' earth possesses little or no plasticity, and in order to work properly has to be ground very fine. A chemical analysis is of little value at present in determining its quality; only a practical test suffices. Up to about two years ago all of the fullers' earth used in this country was imported from England; but about that time deposits were discovered in Florida, "† and since then rumors of its occurrence have been coming from all parts of the country. Next to the Florida deposits of fullers' earth, those of South Dakota are the most extensive thus far discovered in this country. The earth was first discovered near Fairburn, Custer county, and other deposits have since been prospected at Argyle, Minnekahta and other localities. Fairburn.—One of the first deposits located and opened up is five miles southeast of Fairburn, Custer county. The mine is a mile from the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad, and the section exposed shows, beginning at the top: Feet. Micaceous sandy clay,......... 6 Fullers' earth,..........9 Micaceous sandstone,......... The fullers' earth passes upwards into the sandy clay, but in its purer portions it is a yellowish, gritty clay, with a somewhat

Jan 1, 1898

By Waldemar Lindgren

Jan 1, 1905

By Gardner F. Williams

Chemically, the diamond is composed of the element carbon in its pure crystallized state. The diamond crystallizes in the isometric system, and the most common forms are the octahedron and dodecahedron, while the (24-sided) tetrahexa-hedron is not uncommon. Cube diamonds with beveled edges representing the combination 8 0 8 and 8 0 2 are occasionally found in the Bultfontein and Premier (Wesselton) mines at Kimberley, South Africa. The diamonds from various mines have distinctive forms of crystallization, or variations of the same forms, so characteristic that those familiar with South African diamond-mines and their products can determine positively from which mine any given parcel of diamonds has been obtained. It is not always possible to determine the source of each individual diamond, for similar stones are occasionally found in digerent mines; but these are exceptions to the rule. There is a difference in the luster, shape or crystalline form of the diamonds from the various mines that gives each mine some distinctive characteristic. In one mine nearly all of the crystals are sharp-edged octahedrons, while in another, dodecahedrons with rounded faces predominate. One might give no end of peculiarities of the diamonds from the various mines; but it will suffice for the purposes of this paper to state the fact that such distinctive characteristics do occur. From this observation it may be concluded that the diamonds in the mines of the Eimberley district, which occupies a small area (see Fig. I), did not have a common origin. The diamond is the most impenetrable of all known substances, and will scratch any other stone, or the hardest steel. It is a very strong reflector of light, and refracts incident rays more than any other substance except crocoite.l

Jan 1, 1905

By Arthur C. Spencer

The object of the following paper is a description of the Treadwell gold-deposits in their geological aspects. quite apart from any consideration of the economical methods of mining and milling which have been developed and successfully applied

Jan 1, 1905

By George A. Laird

THIs old and once famous district played, through its enormous production of silver and gold, an important part in the history of the State of San Luis Potosi. According to a pamphlet prepared under the direction of the Governor of the State, Sr. Don Blas Escontria, and presented to the visiting members of the Institute during the Mexican meeting of 1901, this district is situated 20 km. east of the city of San Luis Potosi, in a range of mountains of moderate height, extending 135 km. N. and S., and 16 km. E. and W.; and the mineralized area hitherto developed is about 600,000 sq. m. The history of the district, as given by the record dated 1778, and formerly kept in the Sail Francisco convent, says that it was discovered in 1575 by Sr. Don Pedro Irarte, and adds that the city of San Luis Rey de Francisco de1 Potosi received its name (in allusion to the famous Potosi mines in Bolivia) by reason of the remarkable productiveness of its gold- and silver-mines in the first period of their exploration, during which they paid to the Crown, as quintos (the fifth part of the product), $97,000,000, as appears from the accounts of the royal treasury. The amount of the quintos paid during the " bonanza period " of 80 years was $72,000,000. The larger sum first mentioned probably represents a longer series of years. But either will suffice to indicate the great wealth of the mines. In 1663, the decadence of the industry began with the caving-in of several mines, concerning which the record of 1778, already cited, says, in substance, that on Good Friday one of the owners in the enterprise, in view of the unfavorable prospect of a lawsuit in which he was engaged, set fire to the timbers supporting the underground galleries and workings of the Sail

Jan 1, 1905

By H. H. Campbell

Many attempts have been made to write a formula by which to calculate the strength of steel from its chemical composition, but most of these endeavors have failed because there were too many disturbing conditions. It is idle to collect from the pages of trade-papers, books, or the proceedings of scientific societies, a multitude of observations. The combination of such results will simply show that steel of the same composition will vary in tensile strength through wide limits—a fact that has been known for generations. That cold-working, overheating, and many another form of heat-treatment alter fundamentally the strength of steel, is ancient history, although it is only recently that the microscope has pointed out the road to an explanation of the phenomena. It mag be urged that the microscopic structure must betaken into consideration in any formula giving the ultimate strength, but from the standpoint of the present investigation this is unnecessary. We are trying to determine primarily, not what changes in ultimate strength may be made by variations in the condition of carbon, but what effect is produced by changes in the amount of carbon, when its condition remains constant. For such an inquiry, in order that the condition of the carbon should remain as nearly uniform as possible, it is essential that all testrpieces be made under the same conditions; and it is believed that the tests described in this paper satisfy that requirement. The investigations were made at the works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, Steelton, Pa.; the ingots from which the tests were made were 6 in. square in every case; they were heated in the same furnace and forged at the same ham-

Jan 1, 1905

By Edwin S. Sperry

Metals differ widely in their behavior under the cuttingtool. Some, like iron or steel, require a slow speed and light feed, a tool shaped differently from that used for other metals,

Jan 1, 1898

By Alfred H. Brooks

The developments of the past five years have shown that Alaska, as a field for mining, stands in the first rank among the possessions of the United States. Its annual gold output is now about $8,000,000. It produces silver, copper and coal in commercial quantities and its recently discovered tin and petroleum promise to become important products. Concurrent with the gradual development of this wealth, the mining public has ceased to regard the territory simply as an arctic province where a few placer-miners struggle with adverse conditions to secure a grub-stake or a modest fortune. Of late years there has been a large influx of capital to investigate its mineral resources, but in its area of nearly 600,000 sq. miles there still remain large, unexploited and little-known fields. This work of investigation has been carried on under adverse conditions, and reflects credit on all who have shared in it, whether prospectors, mining engineers, or geologists. It is the purpose of this paper to outline briefly what has been, and is being, accomplished toward furthering the knowledge of Alaska's mineral wealth, and in this connection to present a brief history of the operations of the United States Geological Survey in the territory. A list of the publications of the Geological Survey, which pertain to Alaska, is presented as an appendix, in the hope that it may prove useful to those who are interested in the mining of this northern province. During the Russian occupation of Alaska, from 1783 to 1866, but little attempt was made to delineate its geographic features or to study its geology and mineral resources. The Russian-American Co., which long held control of the territory, was entirely absorbed in the exploitation of its fur trade,

Jan 1, 1905

By John Birkinbine

Forty years ago, when the first shipments of iron-ore were made from the Lake Superior region, the supply for the blastfurnaces active at that date was in most cases a local consideration ; the majority of the smelting-plants being close to the oremines. Of those which depended in whole or in part upon ores brought from distances greater than an economical wagonhaul, few obtained supplies by canal or railroad from points 50 miles removed. At the present time the ore-supply is a local consideration for but a small proportion of American blast-furnaces, and 700 miles or more separate a greater num-

Jan 1, 1898

By J. Morgan Clements

The manufacture of coke in Peru, as practiced at the coalmines of the Quishuarcancha and Goyllarisquisca districts, is intermediate between the primitive coke-heap and the bee-hive oven. The method of coking is quite simple. In constructing the coal-heap, preparatory to burning, the ground is first leveled, and a simple stack of stone and clay is built, giving the bottom, to a height of 6 ft., approximately 6 ft. of external diameter. The size of the stack varies in different districts, but is generally 9 ft. high, and slightly smaller at the top than at the bottom. The walls of the heap are from 12 to 14 in. thick, which allows an inside diameter of from 3.75 to 4 ft. These walls are pierced at intervals by three or more tiers of openings or flues, connected with the central flue. The radial flues have a diameter of about 5 in. and are built with a gentle upward slope. The stack (shown in Fig. 1) is permanent; and in this respect the practice in Peru differs from other primitive practices in which nothing is permanent except the yard. Above the permanent 6-ft. portion of the stack there is added a cap of clay, about 3 ft. high, which contracts toward the top, where it has an inside diameter of about 2 ft. This clay cap is temporary, and frequently has to be renewed after each burning. Before charging the coal, there are first built, from the lowest tier of flues upon the ground, a number of temporary flues, leading from the central stack out to the edge of the coal-heap, and constructed of blocks of coal for the greater part of the distauce, the outer edge alone being of rough stoue. The coal is then piled up over these flues and around the stack to a height of about 6 ft. The bottom flues are the only ones that

Jan 1, 1905

By James E. Jopling

The county of Marquette, Michigan, includes nearly all the iron-mines that have been worked on the Marquette range, which stretches in a generally western direction from the mines at Negaunee, 10 miles from Lake Superior, to those beyond Michigamme, some thirty miles further. The geographical position of this range, nearer to eastern ports than the other iron-ranges, and its ready access from the lake, gave it for a long time a controlling advantage. The country in which the mines are situated is from 800 to 1000 feet above the level of the lake, and is for the most part broken by steep hills, which rise from 100 to 200 feet; between these the land is rolling or

Jan 1, 1898

By M. E. Wadsworth

The Michigan State College of Mines was established ten years ago last September as the fourth and last of the iustitutions of Michigan which are devoted to higher education. From the moment of its inception its single object has been to send out men who are qualified to take active part in the development of the mineral wealth of our State and nation, and any study which is essential to this end will not be found wanting in its courses of instruction. The institution has been singularly happy in its location. It is an axiom of modern education that any school which is to obtain the greatest return for the money and energy spent in

Jan 1, 1898

By Edward Halse

The occasional occurrence in metalliferous veins of rounded fragments of rock, matrix or ore, lying loose, embedded in clay, or enclosed in some kind of cement, may be attributed to four causes:— I. They have been washed in from the surface, or from an upper portion of the vein.. II. They are of concretionary origin. III. They have been produced by movements in the country-rock or in the walls of the vein. TV. They have been formed in situ, by the upward, downward or lateral flow of water in the vein itself. In this paper the word " conglomerate " is confined to a rock composed of rounded fragments or pebbles cemented together, as distinguished from a " breccia," in which the rock-fragments are angular. * I. Boulders and Pebbles which have been Washed in from the Surface, or from an Upper Portion of the Vein. In this type it is presupposed that the vein at one time communicated by a fissure or open space with the surface, or with the upper portion from whence the fragments have been washed. One well-authenticated occurrence was described long ago by Fournet. Owing, no doubt, to later dislocations in the lode, pebbles from an old alluvium and sands containing titaniferous iron, as well as fragments of wood, were found in a vein at Huelgoet, in France. " Toutes les parties tendres du filon de Pranal ou ces phenome'nes sont les plus prononces ont 6th excaves jusqu'a d'aasez grandes profondeurs par I' impetuosite des torrents, qui out depose la matiere alluviale.'"

Jan 1, 1906

By M. E. Wadsworth

The region about the south shore of Lake Superior is to geologists one of the most interesting districts of the United States, embracing as it does, in a limited area, old crystalline rocks, together with forms that are almost in their original condition of a beach sand and mud. In this region was first established the base of the geological column, the Azoic (" without life") System of Foster and Whitney, or the Archæan (" the beginning ") of Dana. Overlying this system are found the sandstones and limestones of the Paleozoic (" ancient life "), and their associated lava-flows (Algonkian ?). These systems possess a strong economic interest, owing to the stores of iron in the Azoic and of copper in the Paleozoic or Eozoic of this district, which forms one of the most important mining regions in America. The geology of this section is so difficult and complicated that, in its general discussion, perhaps no proposition can be stated concerning any portion of it to which exceptions cannot be taken. Indeed, out of the general discussion of different points comes in time the truth, and various geologists, even now, are working over this region in the endeavor to arrive at some consensus, or at least to determine upon what points they can agree, and upon what points difference of opinion will have to exist between them at present, until further evidence can be obtained. The writer will endeavor to give in a brief form that which appears to him at present to be the most correct statement of the geological structure of the region, admitting that from time to time, as more complete evidence shall be obtained, he expects to change his views in the future, as he has done in the past, if that evidence shall cause him to believe that he has been mistaken.

Jan 1, 1898