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By John B. Myers

VERMICULITE is a name used to describe micaceous material that exfoliates when heated. It is hydrated magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate. The chemical composition, color, physical appearance, and degree of exfoliation vary. COMPOSITION, PROPERTIES, AND ORIGIN Vermiculite has the characteristic micaceous structure of basal cleavage and readily splits into thin laminae, which are soft, pliable, and inelastic. The monoclinic crystal faces are often marked by triangular lines at 60° and 120°. Hardness is 1.5; specific gravity, 2.2-2.7; luster pearly to greasy; colors, amber, bronze, reddish brown, dark green, and black. Feel is soapy, particularly when wet. When heated it exfoliates by expanding at right angles to the cleavage into long wormlike pieces (the name vermiculite is from the Latin veamiculari, to breed worms). This important characteristic of expansion is believed to be a mechanical separation of the layers when the contained water is converted into steam. Warping of the unit layers may also contribute to the expansion. The increase in bulk volume of commercially prepared material is 8 to 12 times but individual flakes may increase in size more than this. Pure vermiculite is a distinct mineral and has the structural formula (OH), (Mg,Fe)3 (Si,Al,Fe)4 010.4H20. It rarely occurs in this pure form, but generally as a mixed mineral of varying structure. One explanation is that the mixed material is composed of unit layers of inter-stratified pure vermiculite and biotite. The essential difference between the two is that unit cell structure of vermiculite contains a layer of water molecules whereas the biotite cell contains potassium instead of the water. The water content of the mixed vermiculite is less than that of pure vermiculite but more than that of biotite. Pure biotite does not expand when heated. If the proportion of biotite layers in a vermiculite is too high it will adversely affect the degree of exfoliation. Within a given deposit, the great mass of material may approach a definite com-position with local areas of greater biotite content. It is not uncommon to find also small pockets of pure biotite but these are generally segre-

Jan 1, 1949

INTRODUCTION Data available on prophyry copper occurrences in the Andean, Caribbean, Appalachian, and Cordilleran orogens may be categorized in a manner to suggest a hypothetical evolution for deposits that occur in the western hemisphere. A classification of de- posits is also suggested. A classification dependent on internal structure of a porphyry copper deposit would lead to two broad categories, breccia pipe and stockwork models. A classification of this type is examined herein but it is not universally accepted in the literature. Modeling based on igneous petrography as well as metasomatism attendant with the sulfide mineralization is more widely accepted by economic geologists whose evaluation of porphyry systems is influenced by the presence or absence of a phyllic zone. Lowell and Guilbert model deposits ordinarily include a phyllic zone, whereas those of the diorite model do not. Position of the phyllic zone in the alteration sequence is a significant ore guide. Should the phyllic zone be absent, dependence on alteration zoning to identify metallization is weakened. Presence or absence of the phyllic zone therefore is a significant parameter in the economic evaluation of a porphyry copper deposit (Hollister. et al., 1975). The Lowell and Guilbert (1970) model commonly includes a phyllic zone in quartz- bearing rocks. Parameters of both calc-alkalic and the quartz monzonite models mentioned elsewhere in this volume are sufficiently close to the Lowell and Guilbert (1970) model that it should be expanded to encompass them. The diorite model remains separate and distinct because deposits of this type are characterized by an absence of quartz in the pluton, commonly highly gold: copper ratios, low molybdenum content, and regular absence of sericite in the alteration zones. Therefore, for the benefit of those

Jan 1, 1978

By J. C. Bartlett

As American students of mining, philosophy, philology, music, history, or art have found it necessary or highly advantageous to supplement their course of study at home by a residence of some years at a foreign university, so, ever since mining has been practiced in this country in any other than a rude and wasteful manner, many American students of mining have sought in London or Paris, but chiefly in the Academy of Freiberg, Clausthal, or Berlin, such infor-

Jan 1, 1877

By Albert W. Giles

The splitting of the coal by partings is a familiar feature of many coal beds. The partings are normally argillaceous, more rarely sandy or calcareous. The material is usually fine-grained, less frequently coarse-grained to conglomeratic. Many partings are wedge-shaped, others are lenticular, and in some coal beds thin partings but one or two inches thick persist as thin sheets throughout areas of regional extent. The origin of the partings differs, and in some cases is obscure and uncertain. Origin of Thick Partings Wedge-shaped Partings Wedge-shaped partings are normally of indefinite linear extent but of short transverse section. They are developed adjacent to the borders of the original peat-forming swamp or around islands formed within the swamp, hence their presence is indicative of the approximate limit of the coal bed or of an interruption in the continuity of the coal bed. Following deposition of the parting gradual reestablishment of swamp conditions is followed by burial of the parting with accumulating peat. Partings developed adjacent to the borders of swamps normally thicken toward the periphery of the swamp and represent either detrital materials carried in from adjacent land areas during floods or materials carried in by advancing waves and currents after a barrier confining the swamp had been breached by the waves. Partings formed in the manner first mentioned should become coarser and more arenaceous toward the source of supply of the detrital materials, and the overlying and underlying coal should gradually grade into carbonaceous shale as the margin of the original swamp is approached. Partings formed by advance of waves across a barrier should be largely or entirely arenaceous, thin wedges of short longitudinal section, possibly with fossils of marine or brackish affinity. The subjacent coal normally should "pinch out" against the barrier, and the overlying coal continue to the barrier, or even extend across it, depending on the geographic conditions established following the breaching of the original barrier. Islands may be formed in swamps in a number of ways. They may represent local uplift of the swamp floor during earthquakes, or

Jan 1, 1934

By R. S. Wagner, C. E. Miller, H. Brown

A dc field was applied to liquid BI-Sx or Au-Ge alloys of eutectic composition. The liquid alloys were kept at a temperature slightly above the eutectic. The concentration changes due to electrodijfusion are large enough to cause nuclcation and growth of the primary phases at the respective electrodes. Nearly complete separation of Bi-Sn eutectic was obtained as well as substantial separation of Au-Ge eutectic. The effect of an electric field on the solute distrihn-tion was itluestignted itt tlirectiortally solidified rods of a dilute Bi-Sn (0.5 al. pc,t Bi) alloy. Field-freezing was carried out in small-diameter cupillay tubes to avoid cotuectice mixing -of the liquid. The relative sollcte corzcentratioi, Cs/Co , was rneusred by n radioac1il.e tracer netlod. Cs/Co can be made both largev than unity or srialler than the equilibiuwz distvibrrlion c.oejyicienl, k, , oiler a substattiul portion of the soliclifi&apos;erl rocls. A direct current, passed through a liquid-metal solution, can cause substantial concentration changes by electrodiffusion. The magnitude of the change depends on the difference in ionic mobilities of the atomic species in solution. Electrodiffusion has been studied in many binary and ternary liquid alloys.&apos;y2 It was found that the rate of material transport decreases with time for a constant applied field, as a concentration gradient is established in the solution. A steady-state concentration profile is achieved when electro-diffusion is compensated by chemical diffusion. This may seem to limit the use of electrodif fusion for metallurgical application. However, a way of utilizing the effect of electrodiffusion is to combine it with crystallization or controlled freezing. rakin was first to propose this as a new method of separating metal alloys of eutectic composition at temperatures slightly above the eutectic temperature. It was possible by this method to separate Bi-Sn and Bi-Cd eutectics into their component phases. Angus et al discussed the possibility that the effective distribution coefficient, keff, could be varied by proper application of an electric field during solidification. The combination of electrodiffusion and solidification, called field-freezing, was discussed in detail by Pfann and aner. It was shown that field-freezing can be used as a crystal-growth process, an efficient method for eutectic separation, and a new means of changing the effective distribution coefficient. k,ff, beyond the usual range of ko < k,ff < 1. The liquid layer adjacent to the solid-liquid interface can be either increased or depleted in solute due to

Jan 1, 1967

By John M. Karpinski, David S. Cahn

A new device based on a constant rate of loading has been developed for the compression testing of green and dry pellets. This device has a lower test variation for green pellets than the existing constant deformation rate tester. While the test variations for dry pellets are similar for both types of machine, the new tester is sensitive enough to measure dry pellet deformations of 15 µ in. for cyclic loading studies. In the study discussed here, the compressive load at which a pellet breaks proved to be a normally distributed random variable, and the load-deformation relationship was found to be linear for dry pellets but not for green pellets. The paper emphasizes the need for a standardized test procedure throughout the industry. For many years the green and dry compressive strengths of pellets have been considered as possible criteria of pellet performance during induration. Little attention, however, has been given to standardizing the unfired pellet compressive strength test or to determining the characteristics of this test. The purpose of this study was to compare the constant deformation rate test with constant loading rate

Jan 1, 1969

By LE B. GRAY

ALL meeting of the Chemical Section, National Safety Council, in Rochester, N. Y., put his hand on at least ten salient points that apply to safety in nearly any laboratory ; these are as follows : 1. Impress your laboratory worker at the start that he is dealing with powerful and dangerous-forces and that every experimental set-up must be studied from the stand- point of its fiber, electrical, explosive, and health hazards.

Jan 1, 1929

By D. D. Homer, R. H. Cromwell

The Minas de Matahambre No. 2 shaft, vertical, four-compartment lined with steel sets and hardwood lagging, has been sunk 2057 ft. On account of rock structure, over-all cross-section dimensions are 23 by 6 ft. Certain sections have been concreted. Two compartments are for handling ore and men, one for supplies and men, and one for manway, cables and counterweight. Two 250-ton capacity skip pockets with air-operated gates and steel cartridge pockets have been installed underground. A steel "A" headframe, a 250-ton steel receiving bin, and skip-to-man-cage changing equipment have been provided. Skip capacity is 102½ cu. ft. The hoist is a Nordberg double-drum 10 ft. by 6 ft. 6 in. geared, electrically driven, with parallel grooving for 1-?in. cables. Maximum hoisting speed is 1600 ft. per minute. The motor-generator set, control panel, slip regulator and hoist accumulator are housed in the basement of the hoist house. The electrical equipment is General Electric. The direct-current hoist motor is 800 hp. Control is of the Ward-Leonard-Ilgner type. The motor-generator flywheel set, normal speed 720 r.p.m., consists of an 800-hp. induction motor, a 22-ton flywheel (dia. 117 in.) and a 650-kw. generator.

Jan 1, 1934

By W. E. Remmers

THE defect in wire known as "cuppiness" has appeared and disappeared from time to time but the exact cause of its appearance or disappearance has not heretofore been known definitely. This defect is not limited to one particular metal or alloy but seems to be found at various times in all of the materials that are drawn into wire. Fig. 1 represents cuppy wire made from an aluminum alloy and Fig. 2 illustrates copper wire that became cuppy in drawing without intermediate annealing. Differences of opinion are current among the manufacturers of wire and in the literature (see Bibliography at end of paper), some believing that the source of the trouble lies in segregation in the wire rod, oxides, sulfides, slag, etc. ; others that the trouble is created by an unevenness of stress distribution across the section of the wire, usually thought of as being a function of die shape. All of the published work is of a qualitative rather than a quantitative nature. With this in mind, it was deemed advisable to make a study of the shape of the wire-drawing dies, as well as the oxygen content of the copper to be drawn.

Jan 1, 1929

By Heinrich Freyn

THE American iron and steel manufacturer finds himself to-clay barely at the threshold of enormous possibilities for practicing rational economy in the use of fuels. The fuel cost is by no means the smallest of items which enter into the cost of manufacture of iron and steel products, but the great wealth of this country in high-grade fuels, together with a protective tariff, has heretofore made fuel economy relatively unimportant. In Germany, the use of raw coal for the purposes of iron and steel manufacture has been all but abandoned and large sums of money, formerly irrevocably wasted, are now being saved. When scanning the literature of this country devoted to the application of gas power, but little information will be found on a subject which, however, is destined to become of considerable importance in the United States, namely, the use of coke-oven gas for the generation of power in gas engines. This lack of information can be traced to the fact that the regenerative by-product coke oven with its large amount of surplus gas is still far from having attained in this country the universal application which it has found in Europe. This statement needs hardy any corroboration other than the evidence of statistical investigations made by E. W. Parker of the United States Geological Survey, according to which only approximately 25 per cent. of the total coke produced in this country in 1912 was made in by-product coke ovens, whereas 75 per cent. was produced in bee-hive ovens. This entailed the enormous loss of over $80,000,000 in non-recovered by-products, such as gas, tar, and ammonia, without considering the substantial loss due to the non-recovery of benzol from the coal. There are two more or less distinct fields of application of the by-product coke oven: one, to furnish as the main product metallurgical coke of specified quality, and surplus coke-oven gas as the by-product, and the other, to carbonize high-volatile coals, and thus produce as the main product large quantities of gas, high in heat value and rich in illuminants, adapted primarily for domestic heating and lighting, while domestic coke becomes the by-product.

Jan 4, 1914

By J. C. Bartlett

As American students of mining, philosophy, philology, music, history, or art have found it necessary or highly advantageous to supplement their course of study at home by a residence of some years at a foreign university, so, ever since mining has been practiced in this country in any other than a rude and wasteful manner, many American students of mining have sought in London or Paris, but chiefly in the Academy of Freiberg, Clausthal, or Berlin, such infor-

By W. F. Boericke

INTRODUCTION THE Wisconsin zinc district, or the Upper Mississippi lead. and zinc district as it is also termed, lies in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin, and embraces adjacent portions of Illinois and Iowa. It includes Iowa, Grant, and Lafayette counties in Wisconsin, and Jo Davies county in Illinois. In Iowa, Dubuque formerly produced considerable lead, but there has been little mining there in recent years. The map, Fig. 1, shows the entire district, with roads, railways, streams, and the various towns, or "camps," around Which the mines. are clustered. The hatchwork indicates the areas iii which lead and zinc have been mined. The district is about 60 mi. (96 km.) north and south and about 40 mi. (64 km.) east and west. Not all of the territory is mineral bearing, and there are considerable areas that are believed to be barren. The grouping of the mines is patchy and irregular, though certain broad zones of mineralization extend almost the full width of the district, as from Mineral Point west through Mifflin and Livingston, and from Shullsburg west through New Diggings and Hazel Green. It is worth noting that the best mines of the district have, to date, been found within 10 mi. east or west of the fourth principal meridian line, thus lying within a long, narrow, north-and-south belt extending the length of the district. In a field as large as the Wisconsin, which has only within com-paratively recent time been worked intensively for zinc, the. chances are good for, opening new and important orebodies in parts of the district not yet, or insufficiently, prospected. However, the prospecting has been most successful around, or adjacent to, the old lead diggings of nearly a century ago, and the camps that were well known then are still centers of activity. In their order of importance they are: New Diggings, Benton, Mifflin-Livingston, Galena, Linden, Hazel Green, Shullsburg, and Highland.

Jan 8, 1919

Jan 1, 1901

By John T. Galey

An intensified search for gas, because of the shortage in the area, led to the completion of 482 wells in southwestern Pennsylvania during 1944. This number was 27 more than the number in 1943, but 118 of the wells were nonproductive. Shallow Development Oil The initial production of the 25 producers completed was slightly less than was obtained from four wells above last yearJs total. The largest well, 20 bbl., was found in the Big Injun (Miss.) sand in Morris township, Washington County, at a depth of 2085 ft. It is currently producing about 3 bbl. per day. Outside the main producing area, a well drilled in Nicholson township, Fayette County, obtained 15 bbl. per day from 1864 to 1866 ft. in the Gantz (U. Dev.) sand. The Federal subsidy of 75¢ per barrel, effective , 1, 1944, which increased to $3.40 the current pipe-line price in this area, seems to have been insufficient stimulus to materially increase drilling for oil, although more repressuring operations are contemplated. Gas The volume of initial open flow of gas developed is off slightly over 10 million cu. ft. from 36 more wells than were completed a year ago, and the average rock pressure of this new gas is more than 100 lb. less than that obtained a year ago. Apparently the best find of this year was reported in Patton township, Allegheny County, where an initial volume of over 4 million cu. ft, was encountered in the Speechley (U. Dev.) sand at a depth of from 3293 to 3303 ft. The rock pressure there, 1190 lb. per sq. in., is nearly virgin. However, this area is fairly well delimited by dry holes and docs not seem nearly so promising from the standpoint of reserves as the Armbrust area, which was discovered several Years ago. In the patton township locality another fair well with 1303 M cu. ft. open flow and 400 lb. Per 59. in. rock pressure completed in the Hundred-Foot (U. Dev.) sand at a a depth of 2125 feet. Armstrong County, as usual, leads in number of producing wells completed with lowest percentage of failures but ranks only fou th in volume of production developed. Only two wells here had more than one million cubic feet capacity, but the rock pessure was under 200 Ib. Per sq. inch. In Fayette County, where the largest portion of new gas was found, activity appears to be shifting eastward. In Luzerne township, four producers having a total combined initial open flow in excess of 10 million cu, ft, were found in the Big Injun (Miss.) sand. The best well was found also in the same area in the Speechley sand (U. Dev.) at a depth of 3460 ft. This was a 2500-M CU. ft. well in Georges township. Several wells of more than a million cubic feet capacity were found in Jackson, Washington, Wayne and Whitley townships, Greene County. None of these, however, was in a new pool.

Jan 1, 1945

By William B. Phillips

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

Jan 1, 1915

By Jean A. Andre

In 1969 "Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne" produced 221,000 tons zinc ingots and 22,000 tons zinc dust, thus rating highest on the world&apos;s zinc producer list. The Company&apos;s plant at Balen, Belgium, with an output of 135,000 tons electrolytic zinc is the most important one of this group; it is an integrated metallurgical zinc and lead unit with recovery of most by-products. The present paper describes the zinc production facilities. The roasting section includes four fluid bed roasters (total concentrates charged: 740 tpd) and two sulfuric acid having a corresponding capacity. Calcine is leached in a fully automated plant by a two-step continuous process. Leaching residues, mixed with lead furnace slag, are treated in a shaft furnace. The recovered zinc fume is leached separately. In the near future, the leaching residues are to be treated by a wet process, developed in the Company&apos;s own laboratories. Purification of solutions is accomplished in two steps: antimony and zinc dust are added in the first one, only zinc dust in the second one for removal of cadmium. Electrolysis cells are partly of a conventional type. A new type of cell configuration was put onstream in October, 1969, planned output 60,000 tpy. Main features of the new cell rooms are the fully automatic pulling, stripping and replacing of the jumbo-size cathodes (immersed area 2.6 m2). Zinc cathodes are remelted in induction furnaces followed by in-line automatic casting and stacking machines.

Jan 1, 1970

By G. R. Fitterer

NONMETALLIC inclusions in steel have received much attention by metallurgists during the past few years. Many investigators have been emphatic in stating their belief that these impurities are the chief causes of steel failures, while others think that their effects are negligible. One of the main reasons that definite information on the effects of these impurities is lacking is that no reliable method has been developed for the exact determination of the amounts of these different impurities in steel. Some valuable new information has been brought out by a reliable method for nonmetallic inclusions which has been developed at the Pittsburgh Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Metallurgical Advisory Board. This procedure satisfactorily extracts some of the more common inclusions from steels, thus enabling the investigator to correlate steel failures with inclusion content. Although the data given herein are the first to be published on the subject of the electrolytic extraction method, the interest in the subject is evidenced by the fact that it is already being used by some 20 to 30 steel companies for their various purposes. Some of the comments received from these laboratories indicate that the method is highly satisfactory: the unfavorable comments, when traced to their sources, have been found to be based on some small mistake made in either installation or operation. The chief discrepancy seems to have occurred in attempts to apply the method to the extraction of inclusions from alloy steels. The procedure can be used only for the plain carbon steels and for such low alloy steels as those containing the usual amount of copper (0.2 to 0.3 per cent). Steels containing the carbide-forming alloys such as chromium, tungsten, etc., present far too many difficulties for the accurate determination of inclusions. Luckily, the iron and manganese carbides do not offer any difficulties and no contamination of the oxide-sulfide residue results. It is highly probable that some modification of the following

Jan 1, 1931

By F. F. Lines

IT is not the intention of the writer to enter into a discussion of the relative merits of the duplex process as compared with the straight scrap and pig iron process, working under the same conditions, but rather to present in a general way several modifications of the former process, and then describe the method adopted by the Maryland Steel Co., as best suited to local conditions, and also to meet the metallurgical problem presented in the removal from the iron of an unusual constituent-chromium. The principal factors to be considered in deciding whether or not duplexing should be employed are: (1) Chemical constituents of pig iron. (2) Variety and quantity of steel to be produced. (3) Relative cost of pig iron and scrap. (4) Regularity of operation. (5) Capital to be invested. (6) An existing Bessemer plant. Having decided to adopt the duplex process, several combinations may be used, viz.: (1) Acid-lined converter with basic open hearth. (2) Acid-lined converter with electric furnace. (3) Basic-lined converter with basic open hearth. (4) Basic-lined converter with electric furnace. (5) Basic open hearth with electric furnace. The combination of an acid-lined converter with a basic open-hearth furnace is the one most commonly employed, and as it is the one best adapted to the conditions encountered at the plant of the Maryland Steel Co., we will briefly outline the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of working.

Jan 4, 1915

By J. J. Kanter

The choice of a nonferrous metal or alloy for a given Application is frequently predicated upon a consideration of properties other than merely the capacity to withstand stress. When ability to withstand stress is the dominant engineering requisite of the material to be used, economic considerations seldom lead to the choice of nonferrous metals and alloys. In most instances where a nonferrous metal is used it is because of some special quality of either corrosion resistance, electrical properties, thermal properties, antifriction, or fabrication advantage that commends its application. The mechanical properties, as a rule, present an incidental engineering consideration entirely secondary to the special quality deciding its use. Indeed, great ingenuity has often been exhibited by engineers and metallurgists in overcoming the mechanical shortcomings of a nonferrous base material. in order to take advantage of some outstanding property. . With this thought in mind, we might better appreciate some of the problems in stress design. encountered with nonferrous metals and alloys pertinent to a symposium on their creep characteristics. Our considerations must necessarily be far from complete because of the broad range of materials in the nonferrous category for which creep properties assume a technical interest. Creep deformation of these metals can be subject for study at temperatures ranging from ambient to incandescent, depending upon which one is under consideration. Whereas the steel metallurgist thinks of creep as an essentially high-temperature engineering consideration, the same is not necessarily true in the field at hand. The diversity of the creep problems in the nonferrous field is perhaps accountable to some extent for its virginity as a symposium subject. Each research has necessarily been sponsored by some organization or group interested either in promoting the use of a certain nonferrous base or in obtaining data toward the solution of a mechanical difficulty encountered in applying a material indispensable for its special attributes. Perhaps as many techniques of creep testing have been used as there are base metals implied under "nonferrous." Some of the creep problems that have occasioned researches are associated with steam-pressure vessels such as tubes, drums, castings, and forgings of copper-base and nickel-base alloys, cable sheathings of lead and lead-base alloys, electrical transmission lines of copper and aluminum, engine parts die-cast from alloys based on zinc, aluminum, copper— soldered and brazed joints-—as well as numerous duties at extremely high temperatures met with alloys based on cobalt, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, platinum, and other precious or semiprecious metals. Postwar technology will have the benefit of much creep research on nonferrous metals, which for reasons of security cannot be discussed on this occasion. Suitability OF Metals As already intimated, the bulk of the constructional metal that ordinarily is

Jan 1, 1945

RESEMBLING in some respects the enterprise at R Chuquicamata is that of the New Cornelia Copper Co. at Ajo, Arizona. Controlled from its inception by the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co., New Cornelia became a unit of the Phelps Dodge Corporation when the latter absorbed the Calumet & Arizona company in 1931. Both Ajo and Chuquicamata are situated in low mountains in extremely arid desert country. Both ore deposits consisted-the past tense is used advisedly because the oxidized ore has nearly all been mined at Ajo-of a horizon of leachable oxidized ores overlying sulphide or concentrating ore. The principal technical problem in each case was the development of a method for treating the oxidized ore. In both instances the capping of waste rock was comparatively thin and power-shovel mining in open cuts was the obvious method of exploitation. Nature had smiled on neither place in the matter of climate. Though Ajo does not have the persistent winds for which Chuquicamata is notorious, the comforts of living are largely artificial. And it is only fair to emphasize that at each place the mining companies have achieved remarkable success in providing these comforts. Of course, in point of size New Cornelia must be content with the inferior role. From May, 1917, when production was started, to the middle of June, 1930, the company leached 16,368,000 tons of oxidized ore, thereby virtually exhausting the ores of this class. Up to the same date, about 15,000,000 tons of sulphide ore had been mined, and a rough estimate gives 170,000,000 tons remaining in reserve. The total tonnage does not loom very large in comparison with Chuquicamata&apos;s billion tons; but it is exceeded by similar figures for only four of the Porphyry group.

Jan 1, 1933