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By Richard D. Miller

The helium resources base of the United States was estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (Bureau) to be 894.6 Bcf as of January 1, 1989. These resources are divided into four categories in decreasing degree of assurance of their existence: (1) helium in storage and in proved natural gas reserves, 282.4 Bcf, (2) helium in probable natural gas resources, estimated at 237.7 Bcf, (3) helium in possible natural gas resources, estimated at 263.1 Bcf and (4) helium in speculative natural gas resources, estimated at 111.4 Bef. These helium resources are further divided into depleting and nondepleting, with the helium in storage being in a classification. The depleting resources are those associated with natural gasfields that are, or will be produced for the natural gas they contain. Almost all of the helium in potential (probable, possible and speculative) natural gas resources is included in this classification. These depleting resources are estimated to contain 775 Bcf of the total helium resource base. Helium resources contained in nondepleting natural gas resources, i.e., those in shut-in, abandoned, or otherwise nonproducing natural gas fields, are estimated to total 84 Bcf There is 35 Bcf of helium in storage in the Federal Government-owned Cliffside Gasfield near Amarillo, TX.

Jan 1, 1990

By H. H. Schrenk

There are several well-recognized procedures for controlling exposure to hazardous atmospheres in industry. They include (a) substitution of less toxic material, (b) enclosure of processes, (c) wet methods, (d) local exhaust, (e) general ventilation, and (f) use of respiratory protective devices. In addition to their employment as a control measure in occupational exposures, respiratory protective devices also are essential in emergencies that may arise from failure or improper use of other control equipment. Respiratory protective devices usually are employed to supplement other methods of control, as temporary expedients, or when other methods are not readily applicable or practicable. It seems reasonable to assume, however, that where respirators are used consideration has been given to the factors involved and that the devices can provide satisfactory protection if used properly. Their use should not be arrived at simply by a process of elimination of other methods that are more difficult to apply.

Jan 1, 1943

By Victor E. Kral

"SUMMARYA preliminary examination of the Buena Vista iron deposit was made in June 1942 by Paul E. Pesonen, mining engineer of the Bureau of Mines. Subsequent examinations were made by D. W. Butner, of the Bureau, in March 1943, and by the author in July 1944, who recommended exploration by diamond drilling, trenching, and sampling. Work on the project was done during the period March 28 to May 26, 1945.Property holdings, comprising 16 claims known as the Buena Vista group, are situated in sec. 4, T. 24 N., R. 34 E., Mount Diablo base and meridian, north Churchill County, about 37 miles east of Lovelock, Nev.Three diamond-drill holes totaling 575 feet were drilled; 45 small pits and ten trenches, totaling 435 linear feet, were excavated, and 84 channel samples totaling 862 feet were obtained under supervision of the Bureau.Purpose of the project was to determine the possible downward extension of the mineralized sections exposed in the outcrops and to determine grade of the ore.Bureau work was confined to one claim only - the Iron Mountain."

Jun 1, 1947

By Stuart Bjorklund

This paper is one of many reporting various aspects of the Bureau of Mines program initiated in August 1939 by passage of the Strategic Minerals Act J the scope of which was greatly expanded by subsequent legislation. In its program of investigation of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. The occurrence of chromite in the Knik Valley near Palmer, Alaska, was brought to the attention of the Bureau of Mines in September 1941 by George Johnson, of Anchorage. At that time a preliminary investigation was made by Robert S. Sanford, an engineer of the Bureau of Mines. The area was investigated on June 4 and 5, 1943, by Henry R. Joesting and Leo H. Saarela, engineers of the Territorial Department of Mines. In August 1942, a second chromite occurrence, the Highway deposit, in the Knik Valley, was reported to the Territorial Department of Mines by John E. Ryan of Anchorage.

Jan 1, 1948

By David E. Morse

Burundi, a small central African republic located between Tanzania and Zaire, remained essentially a nation of small family farms in 1978-79 with approximately 95% of the population engaged in subsistance agriculture. Coffee and tea continued as the nation's major export commodities. Mineral exports, small tonnages of cassiterite, wolframite and bastnasite, accounted for an estimated 3% of total exports in 1978 and 2% in 1979, or $2 million2 in both years. Burundi's major mineral imports in 1978-79 were cement, iron and steel, and refined petroleum products. Abnormal weather conditions, a drop in world coffee prices in 1978, and the conflict in neighboring Tanzania and Uganda in late 1978 and early 1979 combined to re-strict economic growth in Burundi during 1978-79. The gross domestic product (GDP) posted a gain of 6.7% in real terms for 1978 and an estimated 2.5% for 1979 which was significantly less than the 13.7% recorded in 1977, a time of high world coffee prices. The manufacturing and construction sectors were hard hit in 1979 by the conflict between Burundi's eastern neighbors because of transport disruptions which made building materials and manufacturing inputs almost unobtainable.

Jan 1, 1981

By James P. Ludwig

This report provides the results of a two year study of the projected time and cost requirements for new mine development in Wisconsin and is based on a unique blend of information from mining company officials, state regulatory agency officials and contractor experience. Through formal cooperative and review agreements with Kennecott Copy per Corporation, Exxon Minerals Co., U.S.A. and Noranda Mines Ltd., and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources plus informal arrangements with knowledgeable Wisconsin persons, lists of the tasks and subtasks required to plan a new mine in Wisconsin were developed. Times and costs were assigned to all tasks and subtasks and these data reviewed by all cooperators. Critical Path Method Diagrams were then developed for a generalized mining project. Total time and cost for the premine planning process was estimated to be 25..1 years and 223 person-years of professional time excluding public affairs effort respectively. By eliminating redundancies in the process and by increasing project efficiency through early public review and participation, recom¬mendations were made to lessen the time and lower the cost of premine planning. The streamlining recommendations could shorten the overall critical path length to 18.16 years and lower the cost to 208 person-years of professional time excluding public affairs effort. The estimated distribution of professional effort (cost) for mine planning in Wisconsin approximates 50.5% for traditional mine engineering tasks, 36.6% for environmental-regulatory tasks and 12.9% for traditional geological-exploration tasks.

Jan 1, 1979

By S. P. Sandoval

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the separation of aluminum from copper dump leaching liquors using a supported liquid membrane. Aluminum was selectively transported through porous polypropylene impregnated with di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid in an aliphatic diluent. The effects of variables, such as solution composition, temperature, and extractant concentration, were measured with a three-level fractional factorial experimental design. Experimental results were used to derive equations for predicting transport rates for aluminum, iron, and copper. The major variables influencing aluminum transport were solution temperature, feed solution pH, aluminum concentration in the feed solution, and extractant concentration. Copper and iron transport rates were almost zero when aluminum transport rates were high. Measured aluminum transport rates under the best conditions of 55° C, pH 3.0, 16 g/L A13+, and 65 pct extractant solution confIrmed the predicted value of 210 f.'g/(cm2.h). Transport rates for iron and copper were less than 5 ug/(cm2.h) under these conditions. Aluminum was recovered from the stripping solutions by sparging with gaseous hydrogen chloride to crystallize aluminum chloride hexahydrate, which was calcined to alumina. Sparging crystallization regenerated the stripping acid for recycle.

Jan 1, 1989

By G. J. Perrott, H. W. Clark

During the course of the cooperative smoke abatement investigation carried on by the Bureau of Mines , the city of Salt Lake and the University of Utah during 1919-1920 , a study was made as to the suitability of Utah coals for by-product coking with particular reference to low temperature coking . was done because it was realized that a smokeless fuel for domestic consumers was the best remedy for this class of smoke producer . A report of the technical side of the work was included in the final report of the cooperative investiga- Since this report was written (June 1 , 1920) further work has been done by other investigators .

Apr 1, 1922

Research workers from the Bureau of Mines and industry met with other government and industry representatives at the Mont Chateau Lodge, Morgantown, W. Va., on May 30-31, 1973, to discuss the current status of methane control in eastern U.S. coal mines. The opening remarks, the eight technical presentations, and the discussions of the members of a government-industry panel are published here for the benefit of those concerned with the control of methane in coal mines. In addition, an introduction has been added to present the background of work in this field.

Jan 1, 1973

By H. A. Doerner

Tellurium is a silver white solid with metallic luster, the e17atal.line torm being ver., brittle aud e.g,s!ly powdered. It has a specific gravity of 6,27, melta at 45a0c. and boils at red het, giving off a. golden 1ellow vapor when air 11 excludei. When heated in air, telluri'UiD burns with a bl\te name tinged with green, and evolves wh1 te vapors ot tellurium dioxide. An amorphous form of tel­lurium, obtained by red.uction and precipi ta.tion from so).ution, haa II specific gr1.vity ot 6,015, and when heated ia cho.nged to the cry:.,talline variety. Telluri,a 11 insoluble in water, c&rbon diaiJ.phido, or h;rd.rochl oric acids, but it 11 41a-1olved bJ nitric or concen t1·ated. sulphi.U·ic acid. It 1..oea not tamiah in moiet ah•• 11 ree11tant to alkaline solutions, e,;:ctpt concentrated KOB, but it 11 cliaaolvecl by tuaed. &lkl 1••. I ts 11.to!!lic weight h..'l.a been the "J.Ubject ot mch controverq, bu\ t.he value 137 .5 :.a bl!ten generally accepted, Tho chflmietr:, of tellurium ia eim1lar to that ot IUlphur. It tonne throo xid.ee TeO, To02, and Te0 , al10 tellur14ea, t•llurite,, and. tellur1.t11, A number of halide compoWld.1, a 3iulph1de, and. a .ulpbat.e are known.

Aug 1, 1922

By H. D. Hess, C. P. Mabie

This report describes in detail the results of petrographic research conducted on 21 phosphate ores representing important deposits in southwestern Montana , southeastern Idaho , and northeastern Utah . The ores are described and categorized by mineralogical and chemical composition , thermal behavior of organic carbon , and textural constitution . Descriptive and genetic classification schemes applicable to western phosphate ores are discussed ; results from related studies made of the collophane mineralogy are also presented . The latter studies were centered on determining unit - cell dimensions and CO₂ , P2O5 , and fluorine content of collophane concentrates of 11 high - grade phosphate- rock hand specimens selected solely for this purpose . On the basis of this investigation , operational methods have been developed for quantitatively describing textural and compositional features that are likely to be significant in determining the response of phosphate ores to conventional beneficiation treatments ; systems for classifying the ores in relation to these features have been proposed . Studies to date point out distinct textural and compositional variations in the western phosphates and illustrate their importance in determining optimum beneficiation procedure .

Jan 1, 1964

By A. C. Johnson

The T. L. shaft of the Eureka Corp., Ltd., near Adams Hill, Eureka, Nev., was sunk in 1954 and 1955 to permit exploration and development of the lead-zinc-silver ore that had been indicated by drilling. This paper describes the sinking of the 4-compartment, vertical shaft to a depth of 1,127 feet and includes pertinent details of equipment, methods, and costs. A shaft crew of 10 men, supplemented by 13 hoistmen, topmen, carpenter, and shop crewmen, sank and timbered the 1,127 feet of shaft in 630 workdays. Total labor per foot of shaft was 107.95 man-hours. Supplies per foot of shaft included 20 pounds of explosives, 1.61 pounds of drill steel, and 200 board-feet of timber. Power consumption, including that required for pumping, averaged 3,726 kw.-hr. per foot.

Jan 1, 1958

By E. D. Gardner

About five minutes after 3 o'clock on Thanksgiving morning, November 24, 1927, smoke was discovered coming up No. 2 shaft of the Magma Copper Co.'s mine at Superior, Pinal County, Arizona. Of the 49 men in the mine at the time, 42 were able to make their way to the outside unassisted, but 7 perished. Six bodies were recovered, and the seventh, that of an Apache Indian cage-tender at No. 2 shaft, is thought to be in the caved section between the 1,600 and 2,250 foot levels A second and independent fire broke, out in No. 1 shift about 2 a.m., November 27, burning .out the shaft timbers from the surface to the 200-foot level and destroying the surface fan and structures. About 20 men were underground fighting the fire in No. 2 shaft, but all were safely withdrawn, aril the fire in No. 1 haft was quickly controlled.

Jan 1, 1928

By James F. Neill, O&apos

Investigation of the Gilley fluorite deposit was based upon examinations made by several of the Bureau's mining engineers. Fluorspar was found in the dump talus of sloughed and water-filled trenches and shafts, and there were indications that faulting or other dynamic distortions favorable to deposition of this mineral in minable quality and quantity might exist. The inference was based upon a field study of the area and its comparison with fluorspar deposits in Kentucky. The proximity of this deposit to the iron furnaces at Gadsden and Birmingham was a factor that influenced its investigation, as the demand for metallurgical grades of this critical mineral is acute. The present supply for the district is obtained from out-of-State sources, and the value of any local deposit would be enhanced by the saving in freight charges. The Gilley fluorspar deposit is 17 miles east of Gadsden and 50 miles northeast of Birmingham, Ala. Mineral deposits occur as thin veinlets and small bunches of fluorite in upturned bode of siliceous limestone. The ore-bearing structure is a reverse fold, and the mineral deposit appears as a replacement along crumbled zone fractures of the contorted limestone.

Jan 1, 1950

By Leonard Obert

THE CRACKING AND POPPING of rock, often heard by men working underground, for years has been interpreted as a warning of danger and unstable ground. However, not until 1939 was it discovered that rock under stress generates subaudible and sometimes audible seismic disturbances (referred to as "micro-seismims" 4), which can be detected with the use of a suitable seismic apparatus. Since that date laboratory and field investigations have been in progress to ascertain to what extent this phenomenon can be utilized to detect, localize, and determine the magnitude of areas of instability in and around mine openings and to predict if and when failure will occur. These investigations have included a determination of the types of problems to which the method is applicable and the effect of rock type, geological defects, such as joints, fractures, faults, and other uncontrollable factors, on the reliability of results. Six reports have been prepared covering the investigations conducted between 1940 and 1952 (4-9). 5 These reports describe some of the characteristics of micro-seismims, as determined from both laboratory and field tests; the equipment used to pick up and record micro-seismims; the general test procedure and method of analyzing results; and applications of the method to specific mining problems.

Jan 1, 1957

By S. H. Ash

A CLAY, sand, and gravel deposit known as the "buried valley" of the Susquehanna River is situated in the Northern field of the anthracite region of Pennsylvania near Wilkes-Barre. The presence of this buried valley and the uncertainty regarding the extent and physical condition of the water-bearing valley-fill deposits have made great care necessary in mining operations to avoid breaking the strata between the mine workings and the valley-fill deposits to the extent that inundation of the mine workings would follow. The principal factor that threatens to cut short the life of the anthracite industry, to curtail production, and to affect the economic structure of the people and business dependent on anthracite for their livelihood is inundation of anthracite mines (6,7).3

Jan 1, 1950

Accurately measure time of detonation and explosive detonation velocity in a blasthole for analysis of explosive performance and delay intervals. Approach A blasthole-monitoring fiber optic probe was developed consisting of filer optic cable to carry the fight and a sensor to detect and convert the light signals into electrical signals. Events can then be recorded on an oscilloscope, tape recorder, digital computer, or start-and-stop timer. This method is simpler to use and more immune to electronic noise than existing resistance techniques. The fiber optic material,, are inexpensive and easy to obtain, and the recording devices, such as storage oscilloscopes, arc available or easy to obtain. The probe provides the mining industry, explosive manufacturers, and those studying blasting, with a practical alternative to complex and expensive coaxial cable reflectometry, resistor strings, or resistance wire methods for determining explosive and detonator performance. How It Works The fiber optic cable is a plastic light guide consisting of sixteen 0.01-inch-diameter optic strands having an overall outside diameter of 0.087 inch. The receiver module incorporates a photodiode to detect the signal and an integrated circuit receiver for signal amplification into one package about 1/2 by 5/8 by 7/8 inch.

Jan 1, 1989

By James J. Dowd

The investigation to evaluate the reserves of coking coal in the United States suitable for the manufacture of metallurgical coke is being made by the Bureau of Mines in three parts: (1) To estimate known (measured plus indicated) recoverable reserves of all coking coal; (2) to upgrade marginal coals through effective preparation; and (3) to study the carbonizing properties of coals and coal blends not now widely used for metallurgical coke making. This is the sixth of a series of reports giving the results of studies by counties under part (1) of the investigation. (See appendix.) This report covers Fayette County, Pa., which comprises the Uniontown and parts of the Brownsville, Connellsville, Donegal, Waynesburg, Masontown, and Confluence, Pa., Morgantown and Bruceton, W. Va., and Accident, Md., quadrangles. (See fig. 1.) A short resume of the chemical and carbonizing properties of the coals ar.9 included. Data on the coal beds in this county were obtained from mining companies, land companies, individual landowners, and other sources of authentic information.

Jan 1, 1951

By W. R. Hardwick

This Information Circular describes the development of block-caving methods and practices by the Miami Copper Co. ar the Miami mine in Gila County, Arizona. It is one of a series published by the Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in various mining districts of the United States. This report gives a history of the district and outlines early prospecting and exploration including methods of sampling and estimation of ore tonnage and value at the Miami mine. Early mining methods are described, particularly those that influenced developments in the caving method. Mine exploration, development, and operating methods for block caving are described with particular attention to those factors, physical, economic, engineering, and managerial that have improved efficiency in the mining operations over a long productive period. Extraction, ventilation, wage system, safety, water supply, power plant, and shop facilities are discussed. The last section gives a brief summary of such costs as are available for publication.

Jan 1, 1965

By A. Brown

This report details work performed and results obtained in a study of the water management aspects of oil shale mining and retorting in the Piceance Creek Basin. Three specific sites were investigated, and optimal water management systems for both conventional and in-situ extraction processes were generated. Water-related legal and environmental constraints on development were identified and the water management schemes were developed in compliance with these regulations. Limitations on shale oil production implied by limited water supplies were evaluated. Potential Basin-wide effects of development were evaluated using a computer model, and mitigation strategies were developed. Recommendations for additional investigation and analyses were presented.

Jan 1, 1977