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By John C. Branner

Within a couple of years I have received many inquiries in regard to the manganese-mines of Brazil. These inquiries were doubtless directed to mc because I had lived and traveled in Brazil for more than eight years, and was therefore supposed to be pretty well acquainted with its geology and mineral resources. Somewhat to my chagrin, I not only knew nothing of manganese-mines in that country, but I had never before heard of the mineral having been found here in quantity, and I did not even know in what State the mines were located. The present summer found me in Brazil again, trying to finish up some of my early geological investigations along the northeast coast, and I have used the occasion to find out something about the manganese-deposits. Very little is known of these mines, even in Brazil. While at Pernambuco I was told that they were in the distant interior of the State of Bahia. In August I reached Bahia, and there I found out, concerning the mines and their geology, enough to be worth telling for the benefit of those interested in the mining or using of this mineral. Thus far, all the manganese-ore shipped from this State has come from two mines, the principal one of which is known as the Pedras Pretas mine. This was the first mine opened, is the best developed, and was the original discovery; the second one is on an adjoining tract, and the general geology and natural conditions are about the same in both. The Pedras Pretas mine is on the Nazareth-Amargosa railway, twenty-six kilometers west of the town of Nazareth, which is on tide-water, at the head of navigation, and is reached from the city of Bahia by a small side-wheel steamer that runs across the bay of Bahia and up the Rio Jaguaripe

Jan 1, 1900

After the explosion in the Black Heath pit, that company sent to England for some experienced miners to reopen the mine. The results of their work in this vicinity are mentioned in an advertisement for pit hands by the Mid-Lothian Co., as follows: "PIT HANDS WANTED.-In consequence of reports having been circulated of the insecurity of hirelings in the Mid-Lothian Mines, the Company deem it proper to make known, that the mines have recently been opened, and that not the slightest explosion from gas has occurred; the workings were laid out and are now progressing, ° under a plan furnished by Messieurs Foster & Hall, .two distinguished English Colliers, sent over from England to reclaim the Pits of the Black Heath Company after the recent explosion of gas-and the present under ground operations are now conducted under the management of one of the English foremen left here by these gentlemen, and supervised by Mr. Wm. Hall, who has under his superintendence the Black Heath Company's Works at present. The skill and capacity of those gentlemen, is fully evinced in their skilful reclamation of the Black Heath Mines, and their present successful working of said Pits; and their confidence in the safety of the hands in the Mid-Lothian Mines, will be seen, by reference to the annexed extract from the Plan left by Messrs. Foster & Hall for laying out and working the Mid-Lothian Mines, and from the Certificate of Mr. William Hall, as to the manner in which that plan is carried into effect. This publication has been deemed proper, as the Company are now in want of some ten or fifteen additional able-bodied, active Pit-hands, on hire by the year, for which they will give the most liberal hire. The Company have not hitherto spared any labor or expense, deemed necessary to secure the absolute safety and comfort of the hands in their mines; nor is it designed in future to omit any thing that can add to the security of their own hands, or the hired laborers of other persons-indeed they can, with great propriety, say, as far as they have progressed, that no mines in this country exhibit stronger, if as strong, evidence of general safety. The Company will receive on hire, no hands who do not voluntarily enter their service -and they request of those having hands to hire out, to remember that they will want upon hire, successively, at intervals of every ninety days, some additional four or five hirelings during the year, or to purchase, progressively, that number of healthy, able-bodied young men. "Owners of slaves at a distance from the Coal Mines, would do well to give some attention to the subject. There is no place in this country where slave labor commands as much, where their general health is better, and where the treatment and contentment of the slaves are surpassed. It is true that within the last few years several disastrous accidents have occurred, but from the scientific and practical skill attracted to the mines, these accidents will be of rare occurrence, it is to be hoped. A. S. WOOLDRIDGE, President, at the Mines in Chesterfield County.

Jan 1, 1942

By George Rice

A PROBLEM of possible subsidence of the surface from mining opera-tions, which might have had disastrous results, arose in 1913 at the Brier Hill mine, of the Penn Iron Mining Co., near Norway, Mich., now managed by Pickands, Mather & Co. for the Bethlehem Steel Co. A double track and sidings of the Chicago & North Western Railroad passed over part of the mine, and if subsidence had reached the surface it might have affected the stability of the tracks. The chief purpose of this paper is to record the facts disclosed by investigations of underground movement from 1913 to 1919, when the tracks were moved, and subsequently at intervals, as engineering data of value from mining carried on below the tracks in the steeply pitch-ing lenses. A secondary purpose of this paper is to describe a novel method for determining the rate of speed of upward breaking above the mine excava-tions. This method was found effective and might be used elsewhere under similar conditions. The mine workings under consideration were developed from the Brier Hill shaft, which was circular, concrete-lined, 14 ft. in diameter, and about 900 ft. deep. They extended about 800 ft. westward from the shaft, and nearly parallel to a corresponding length of the railroad tracks. The highest part of these workings was at a depth of 400 ft. below the tracks (Figs. 1-12). The mining company had the right to remove the ore, the railroad assuming that the surface would be sup-ported. Finally, without legal controversy, an amicable adjustment was reached as to what should be done to lessen or obviate the hazard of subsidence.

Jan 1, 1934

By T. W. Guy

IN approaching the problems of sampling coal, a brief statement of certain facts that are more or less taken for granted may he helpful: 1. The coal-mine operator needs reliable data as to the physical and chemical characteristics of his coal in order to plan and control intelligently its mining, preparation, and marketing. The consumer needs such data in order to select the equipment and the coal best suited to meet his requirements, to check the quality of fuel delivered, and the efficiency of its use. Various government control agencies require such data as a basis for classifications and establishment of limits, for use in carrying out the requirements of federal, state or municipal laws. 2. All such data must be obtained by analyses, measurements, or tests made on samples, which are taken to represent the coal tested. It is now becoming generally recognized that, in accordance with statistical laws, test results from samples are not expected to represent the exact qualities of the lot or lots from which they are taken, except within statistical, or "expected" limits. Such limits are definitely specified by some present standards of the American Society for Testing Materials and the British Standards Institution. 3. Samples that give ash within satisfactory limits are usually assumed to be sufficiently accurate for other analyses, except under special conditions such as meeting close specifications for coals showing wide variability in sulphur, fusibility of ash, or other quality. 4: In. modern coal sampling the increment is recognized as the basis for taking samples. For a given accuracy the number and weight of increments specified are increased with: (a) the expected ash, and (b) the top size designation of the lot to be sampled. 5. It is extremely important that every sampler recognize that: the specified number and weight of increments are minimums, and that. the precautions to be used in order to take them properly are also minimums; that in the reduction of the gross sample the sizes specified for the coal after each stage of the crushing are maximum; that the quantities specified to be taken after each crushing stage are minimum; that any short cuts or failures to meet the requirements specified will reduce the statistical accuracy of the results, although it is possible that one or two checks on a few results may seem to show otherwise.

Jan 1, 1943

By L. W. Saperstein, Y. J. Wang

The development of computer programs to solve complex ventilation networks has reached a point of refinement where these programs become a necessary tool of the ventilating engineer. Such a program is presented. This program has an increased efficiency over its predecessors; it also includes the important facility of fixed quantity branches. This is in addition to the earlier capabilities of free-splitting, internal or external fans, and natural ventilation pressures. The program is written in Fortran IV with double-precision arithmetic and is listed here. Sample problems with input and output are also given. The recent, and presumably continuing, official interest in mine safety is bound to result in more stringent control requirements for ventilation. Anticipating this requirement, the Dept. of Mining, The Pennsylvania State University, has developed a computer program for the solution of complex mine ventilation networks. It is the opinion of this department that the program has sufficient merit to warrant its use in normal industrial operating conditions. Although the undergraduate mining engineering students of this department are routinely trained to use the program, it was felt that this training did not present a fast enough means of dissemination; consequently, this paper was written. The conception of the program is not new;1; however, the present version incorporates features that changes it from a scientific endeavor to a useful operating tool. These features include those of earlier programs, such as free-splitting, external or internal fans, and natural ventilation processes plus the important ability of handling fixed quantity branches, and of increased efficiency giving reduced cost. The facility for fixed quantities will be discussed in more detail. The solution of any network depends upon satisfying Kirchchoff's laws. These state that the sum of flow at any junction is zero, and that the sum of the pressure drop in branches totals the pressure drop in the mesh constituted by those branches, that is that the pressure drop around any mesh is zero. The terminology is derived from Synge," and is, in fact, that used by Topologists. A branch is any airway of uniform characteristics; a junction is where two or more airways meet (the minimum number of two airways is useful for describing the point where a low resistance airway changes into a high resistance one due to some physical constriction); a mesh is a path, along some branches, that returns on to itself, but does not need to traverse the same branch twice in order to do so; and a tree describes all those branches in a network which, while connected through all the junctions, do not form any meshes. Obviously the branches-in-tree are open-ended and can be shown to be one less than the number of junction (J-1). The branches-out-of-tree, also called basic branches, are equal to the number of basic meshes and are M = N — J + 1, where M is the number of meshes and N is the number of branches. The major difference between this network and an electrical one is that the law attributed to Atkinson for pressure drop is utilized rather than Ohm's law. Atkinson stated that the pressure drop (potential) is equal to a resistance factor multiplied by the quantity squared. This is written H = RlQlQ where H is the head loss. Q? is written in this factored fashion so that H will always have the same sign as Q. A negative sign is used to indicate that flow in a branch is opposite to that of its containing mesh. A mesh takes the direction of its basic branch. Utilizing Atkinson's law in Kirchchoff's second law and bearing in mind that the first law must remain satisfied, the program will determine all quantities, or head losses as they are related, for the branches of the network. The program uses a Geuss-Seidel form of in-teration, starting from an arbitrary Q and using a correction factor of the type first suggested by Professor Hardy Cross' that will handle the nonlinear equation of Atkinson's law. A fuller description of the interative process is included in Wang and Hartman.' Iteration continues until the correction factor is less than or equal to a preset error (E) or until a maximum number of iterations (MAXIT) have been reached. Utilizing an E of 50 cfm, sample problems have had rapid solutions. Rapidity of solution is also ensured by the method of selecting meshes and basic branches. This is done by the computer, which chooses the highest resistance branches, fixed quantity branches, and those containing fans, as basic branches. Natural ventilation pressures are handled as fans of constant pressure and may be assigned to any branch. The computer will generate a fan characteristic by polynominal fitting if a few operating points from the desired fan are input. A fan may be placed in any branch of the network, except those with fixed quantities. The strength of the present program over its earlier versions is its ability to handle fixed quantity branches. This means that certain branches can have their quantity determined, or preset, by the ventilating engineer. Operating under this constraint, the program will analyze the network and output the pressure change necessary to achieve this desired quantity. A call for positive head loss would require an auxiliary fan; negative head loss would require a regulator. This represents a powerful tool for the ventilating engineer who must insure that certain quantities of air pass across the operating faces or through working stopes. McPherson6 suggested that a ventilation program would be useful for determining in advance which branches were receiving inadequate air, and that subsequent calculations would then indicate the necessary corrections. The present program makes these corrections. Thus the mine manager can know immediately the consequences of changes to his system;

Jan 1, 1971

By Hans Lundberg

In order to comprehend the help and information that may be expected from electrical prospecting, it is necessary to have at least a general knowledge of the methods and principles involved in preparing and interpreting results obtained in the field. Electrical prospecting is rather complicated, both in theory and practice, and in order to make a brief description clear to the practical mining man it has been necessary to idealize and generalize the problems, at the risk of having such simplification criticized by the theoretical man. This simplification must not be misinterpreted as showing a lack of theoretical knowledge. For its operation, electrical prospecting mainly depends on the fact that most metallic ores conduct an electric current much more readily than barren rocks. If an electric current flows through a block of ground within which a body of chalcopyrite is enclosed in country rock of schist, the current will find less resistance to its passage through the chalcopyrite than through the schist, even though the passage through the latter be much shorter. This is because the longer path through the chalcopyrite offers less resistance, owing to the superior electrical conductivity of the chalcopyrite (Fig. 1). The good conductor, chalcopyrite, in the poor conductor, schist, thus attracts the current and deflects the normal flow far outside the conduct-

Jan 1, 1929

By definition the word "grout" means a thin mortar, or a kind of plaster or cement, and "grouting" means to fill up or finish with grout. The words "cement," "plaster" and "mortar" mean a substance that is used in a soft state which subsequently hardens. Thus, grouting is the filling of void space with a substance that hardens. Construction cements are the most common substances used, either by themselves or in mixtures, but the term grouting is applied quite correctly when other substances such as plastics and certain chemicals are used. Also, the use of the term grouting to cover the filling of voids with materials that do not actually become hard, such as the flotation tailings used in grouting in the southeast Missouri lead district, should be considered correct, as some stiffening does take place and, anyway, it is a better descriptive term than any substitute. Engineers are interested in grouting because some of the materials with which they must work contain voids, and certain conditions can be improved if these voids can be filled with something solid and permanent. Grouting is done to accomplish several purposes: I. To stop the passage of fluids and gases, 2. To cement materials together to make them stronger, and 3. To prevent consolidation of materials by filling void space with something solid as a replacement for the air and water that could be forced out under load. The construction industry uses grouting extensively for all three purposes. Grouting is used to stop water percolation under and around dams. It is used to control water flow in tunnel driving and in shaft sinking. It is used to improve foundation conditions under civil engineering structures by permanently filling void space and thereby reducing settlement, or by cementing broken rock together and increasing its supporting strength. The oil and gas industry does a lot of grouting, primarily to stop the passage of gases and fluids. The search for oil at increasingly greater depths has meant greater investment per well, and the oil industry has spent large sums on development of improved drilling methods. This

Jan 1, 1949

By Paul A. Bailly

“For innovative leadership in bringing about a quantitative rationality to mineral exploration; for the impact his efforts and wide respect have made on national mineral policy issues; for his effective managerial role in major mineral discoveries; and for his lecture, ‘Managing for Ore Discoveries.’”

Jan 1, 1980

By C. G. Black

THE purpose of this paper is to present data obtained from an investi-gation conducted on the grindability of coal by the American Society for Testing Materials Tentative Standard ball-mill method. This investiga-tion has been conducted over a period of a year, during which time several hundred tests were run on a wide selection of different coals coming from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. The data herewith presented tend to show that the tentative standard ball-mill method might give results that are misleading and that a volume measure might be more indicative of the true grindability 'of materials of varying specific gravity. A means whereby the time element might be reduced has been studied and other phases of this work such as preparation of samples, mechanical screening, reporting results and duplicating tests have been investigated. It is hoped that all criticism offered in this paper will be taken as constructive, with the purpose in mind of perfecting the method now tentative to show the true conditions and of making optional the manner in which certain parts of the test might be conducted to meet diversified laboratory conditions.

Jan 1, 1936

By Joseph B. Umpleby

The oil industry is at the parting of the ways in relating fundamental engineering concepts to legal interpretations and field practices. The old concept, based on an erroneous analogy to wild game, that oil and gas are migratory substances and belong to him who reduces them to possession regardless of their point of origin in the reservoir, has come to be quite generally recognized as the basis of many of the serious ills and extravagances of the industry. The chain of consequences resulting from this erroneous conception has been traced elsewhere and need not be recounted here. The important problem at this stage in the development of the industry, when laws are being revised by legislative action and modified by court decisions; when added powers are being exercised by voluntary committees and official regulatory bodies; and when the need for control of output has forced itself to the forefront, is to see to it that new law and action are based on sound engineering concepts. Reservoir Energy Common Property Since the study of gas instituted by the Marland committee of the American Petroleum Institute in 1927, a great mass of information has accumulated concerning the function of gas in the development and production of oil. This wealth of data leads to the conclusion that every oil pool contains three resources: Oil, gas and reservoir energy. I take it that the central problem of this symposium is the ownership of these three resources and that "source" and "utilization" are involved because of their bearing on ownership through the demands of equity and conservation. In order to facilitate the discussion, permit me to state categorically, that: The oil and gas in a particular tract should belong to the owners of the mineral rights in that particular tract, but the reservoir energy should be common property of all owners of mineral rights in the pool I take it that apportionment of oil and gas among owners according to the relative amounts that exist in place in their respective tracts is

Jan 1, 1933

By Oswald J. Heinrich

The deposit of rock salt along the shores of Lake Huron, in Canada, has been brought before the public during the last six months, in consequence of the developments made by the diamond drill at Goderich. It is likely to be of more than common interest in the future, since now actual operations have been commenced to exploit the deposit and work it by regular mining. The methods of mining rock salt being but little known in this country, it may be of interest to make a few general remarks in regard to them before entering, upon the description of this new mining enterprise. According to the conditions under which salt is .found in nature, various methods have been resorted to, in course of time, to make it available for the human race. They consist in: A. Natural or solar evaporation. B. Artificial evaporation, either exclusively or in connection with the former. C. Mining the rock salt in its natural state, and converting it to a marketable product, if need be, by simply pulverizing it. Without going into the details of the various methods of making salt available in an economical point of view, dependent on its degree of pority, or on various local influences, we cannot refrain from alluding to the general principles which influence the mining and manufacturing of salt in countries where they have been carried on for hundreds of years. ECONOMICAL CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS. Salt being one of the articles of prime necessity, and one universally distributed throughout nature, it must always be sold at a comparatively low price. It would even be quoted in the market at prices far below those now ruling, if it were not for the high duties generally imposed upon it, for purposes of state revenues. But looking closer into the subject, it will be found that this duty is probably one of the least oppressive, although in some countries it exceeds sixfold the cost of profitable production. To produce the article at the lowest possible cost requires, therefore, a

Jan 1, 1879

By Carl G. Schwenk

Rocks of the Precambrian Shield of Rusk County, Wis., were recognized as a favorable host for volcanogenic base metal deposits by personnel of Bear Creek Mining Co. Most of the county is covered by a thick layer of glacial drift: consequently, geophysical techniques played a prominent role in the exploration program conceived and initiated there in 1966. The original work on three Precambrian exposures was followed by an airborne electromagnetic survey and subsequent ground follow-up. A geophysical evaluation of air-borne anomaly F-22 defined a target which was interpreted as a massive sulfide body. Numerous potential field and electrical tools were utilized to describe the geometry and physical properties of the target. Drilling confirmed the massive sulfide interpretation and eztentually outlined a 6 million-ton copper deposit.

Jan 1, 1977

By James Ferguson

THE fact that little if anything has appeared in the technical press or in the Transactions of the Institute on the subject of roll shells proper, used in various grinding appliances such as Cornish rolls or Chilean mills, may be taken as an incentive, if not an excuse, for the present article. No attempt is made to enter into a. discussion as to the theory or mathematics of crushing as performed by rolls, the subject being treated in a general way with respect to the manufacture of roll shells 'and some salient points touching on their adaptability and wear in service. While it stands to reason that skill coupled with judgment in the mechanical design of rolls, Chilean mills or other types of grinding machinery, with special reference to strength of parts, nicety of adjustment and other mechanical features, stand for efficiency in their operation .and satisfaction in service, the exceedingly important item. of roll shells or other wearing parts entering into their construction should not be lost sight of. In other words, a well-designed piece of grinding machinery is just as inefficient in service, when equipped with poor roll shells or shells made of the wrong or an inferior grade of metal, as good roll shells made according to the best practice the steel maker knows, working on an old or antiquated set of rolls. Unfortunately there is a tendency occasionally for the machinery builder to blame the steel maker or vice versa if roll shells do not wear well or evenly, or if they break before being worn down to their ultimate thin point. There is no occasion for this attitude, as the product, of each must stand on its own merits. But it is essential that the two work in harmony since the machinery builder usually does not furnish the shells for his rolls or grinding mills, but depends on the steel maker, who makes a specialty of this rolled product, to give the particular needed element of efficiency to his machine.

Jan 9, 1914

By Frederick L. Knouse

The south border of Espirito Santo begins about 400 km. north of Rio de Janeiro and extends along the Atlantic Coast northward some 325 km. and inland 100 to 150 km. The area under consideration, where quartz crystal of strategic grades has been mined, extends from 19º to 21º and 30º south latitude; and from 40º to 41º and 30º west longitude. This includes the central part of Espirito santo, chiefly south of the Rio Doce from the Atlantic ocean, and west across the border into Minas Gerais near the town of Aimores, in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais; Baixo Guandu, Santa Teresa, Santa Leopoldina, Colatina, Joao Neiva, Fundao and Domingo Mar-tines, Espirito Santo (Fig. I). During 1943 and the first half of 1944, this region accounted for approximately 3 to 5 per cent of the quartz crystal produced in Brazil. Shipments of crystal have been made chiefly by rail to Rio de Janeiro. This region is serviced by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Leopoldina to Rio de Janeiro through vitoria; and by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Centra] do Brasil through Bello Horizonte, Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro. The major deposits are accessible from the railheads by dirt roads, some being 5 to 30 km. off the road, reached by trail. In 1943 and the first half of 1944, the bulk of the production was from inter- mountain marshes and adjoining hillside alluvial placer deposits in the zone surrounding the town of Santa Teresa. Most of these deposits were formed from the erosion of pegmatite~, quartz veins and pockets in the gneiss, with minor quantities produced from miarolitic cavity fillings in the granitic rock. Early Operations Mining of quartz crystal in this region began in 1928 and has been stimulated by the market demand for military uses. Before 1936 little attention was given to it, either in Espirito Santo or eastern Minas Gerais. From 1936 to 1941 the Japanese sent agents to various points of production or potential production to acquire quartz through purchase. They bought crysta1 as small as 10 grams. Since '94' only the United States and Great Britain have received quartz from Brazil. The United States purchases crystals of 100 grams and larger for strategic purposes. The first known discoveries were made either in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais, or in Baixo Guandu, 01 Domingos Martines, Espirito Santo. Marketable quartz crysta1 was first found either in the massive quartz replacement veins of the Victor Hugo mine in the municipality of Domingo Martines, or in the large 'ores of quartz in the pegmatites near Baixo Guandu, extending into Minas Gerais. Production The production of quartz in Espirito Santo from 1936 through 1941 as recorded

Jan 1, 1948

By Frederick L. Knouse

The south border of Espirito Santo begins about 400 km. north of Rio de Janeiro and extends along the Atlantic Coast northward some 325 km. and inland 100 to 150 km. The area under consideration, where quartz crystal of strategic grades has been mined, extends from 19º to 21º and 30º south latitude; and from 40º to 41º and 30º west longitude. This includes the central part of Espirito santo, chiefly south of the Rio Doce from the Atlantic ocean, and west across the border into Minas Gerais near the town of Aimores, in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais; Baixo Guandu, Santa Teresa, Santa Leopoldina, Colatina, Joao Neiva, Fundao and Domingo Mar-tines, Espirito Santo (Fig. I). During 1943 and the first half of 1944, this region accounted for approximately 3 to 5 per cent of the quartz crystal produced in Brazil. Shipments of crystal have been made chiefly by rail to Rio de Janeiro. This region is serviced by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Leopoldina to Rio de Janeiro through vitoria; and by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Centra] do Brasil through Bello Horizonte, Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro. The major deposits are accessible from the railheads by dirt roads, some being 5 to 30 km. off the road, reached by trail. In 1943 and the first half of 1944, the bulk of the production was from inter- mountain marshes and adjoining hillside alluvial placer deposits in the zone surrounding the town of Santa Teresa. Most of these deposits were formed from the erosion of pegmatite~, quartz veins and pockets in the gneiss, with minor quantities produced from miarolitic cavity fillings in the granitic rock. Early Operations Mining of quartz crystal in this region began in 1928 and has been stimulated by the market demand for military uses. Before 1936 little attention was given to it, either in Espirito Santo or eastern Minas Gerais. From 1936 to 1941 the Japanese sent agents to various points of production or potential production to acquire quartz through purchase. They bought crysta1 as small as 10 grams. Since '94' only the United States and Great Britain have received quartz from Brazil. The United States purchases crystals of 100 grams and larger for strategic purposes. The first known discoveries were made either in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais, or in Baixo Guandu, 01 Domingos Martines, Espirito Santo. Marketable quartz crysta1 was first found either in the massive quartz replacement veins of the Victor Hugo mine in the municipality of Domingo Martines, or in the large 'ores of quartz in the pegmatites near Baixo Guandu, extending into Minas Gerais. Production The production of quartz in Espirito Santo from 1936 through 1941 as recorded

Jan 1, 1948

By Samuel S. Adams

Potash, the generic term for a variety of potassium-bearing minerals, ores, and refined products (Table I), owes its importance as an industrial mineral to the potassium requirement of growing plants. The term "potash" originally referred to potassium carbonate produced by the leaching of wood ashes. This process, for which the first U.S. patent was issued in 1790, was the basis for the largest United States chemical industry in the early nineteenth century. The agricultural use of potash soon eclipsed the chemical applications following the German discovery in 1840 that potassium is essential to plant growth. The initial discoveries of large deposits of soluble potassium minerals, essential for agriculture applications, were made in 1857 in Germany and in 1914 in the United States. More than 90% of the 20.4 million short tons K2O produced in the world in 1970 (Eilertsen, 1971 ) was derived from marine evaporite deposits and approximately 90% was used in fertilizers. The potassium content of an ore, mineral, or product is customarily expressed as % K,O, a unit of measure which is neither a natural nor synthetic compound of potassium (1 .O% K is equivalent to 1.2046% K,O) . Geology Potassium, the seventh most abundant element in the earth's crust, is present in silicate minerals in igneous, sedimentary and meta- morphic rocks. Potassium is also a major constituent of many surface and subsurface brines (Table 2). Economic potash deposits are essentially restricted, however, to widespread, thick accumulations of marine chloride evaporite deposits. These deposits yield high grade, large tonnage ore bodies, many of which are amenable to low cost mining and beneficiation. The products from these deposits are, moreover, ideal for use in fertilizer because of the high relative solubility of the potassium chloride and sulfate evaporite minerals. World potash production and reserves for such de- posits so vastly overshadow other sources of potassium that the following discussion will be limited largely to potash deposits in marine evaporites with brief reference to certain potash-rich brines. Approximately 85% of current domestic production is from bedded salt deposits and much of the balance is from brines. Marine evaporite deposits are accumulations of salt minerals deposited in structural sedimentary basins through the evaporation of sea-water or mixtures of seawater and other brines. The salt minerals are precipitated in assemblages and sequences of assemblages as determined by the compositions of the brines and the solubility relations in the salt systems (D'Ans, 1933). The evaporation of seawater normally yields carbonate minerals as the first precipitates (Table 3). Further evaporation and concentration of the brine leads to the precipitation, in succession, of sulfate, chloride, and supersaline mineral assemblages including the salts of potassium and magnesium. The common minerals, ores, and products of potassium deposits are listed in [Table 1]. Many potash deposits contain accessory evaporite minerals together with a variety of detrital and authigenic silicates (Braitsch, 1971).

Jan 1, 1975

By R. R. Goddard

By use of the frequency response method with a radioactive tracer, it was possible to determine fluid dispersion and distribution in a natural consolidated and an unconsolidated medium. Measurements were made in a linear flow system at oleic saturations of 69 per cent in the consolidated medium, and 100 per cent in both media. Dispersion and distribution were obtained by measuring the amplitude attenuation and the phase velocity of sinusoidal waves with a dual monitor apparatus. The gamma ray emissions permitted in situ measurements at any distance along the porous samples. One result of importance was that the effective diffusivity increased as the wave length increased. As a consequence, a dispersion coefficient appropriate for the injection of large slugs might exceed the value measured by use of small slugs. Since flow models based solely on fluid velocity and an effective diffusivity coefficient imply that the diffusivity should be independent of frequency, such representations were not adequate for the data of this study. A comparison was made with a capacitance model of porous media with deadend PVs, but even this model was not completely adequate. By using attenuation and phase velocity data, fluid dispersion can be predicted without postulating a differential equation satisfied by the tracer concentration, thereby eliminating the need of a complicated model to represent dispersion. INTRODUCTION The flow of similar miscible fluids through a porous medium can be fairly adequately described by two parameters: the average fluid velocity and the effective diffusivity.1-3 It has been pointed out recently, however, that significant discrepancies exist between this representation and the experimental data.4-7 An improved agreement can be obtained by introducing additional parameters based on the concept of dead-end pores. The purpose of the present investigation was to find out whether the frequency response method could be used to measure the relevant parameters. The method was used in the following form. A stream of fluid was flowed at a constant rate through a sample of porous material and the concentration of a radioactive tracer in the fluid was varied sinusoidally at a fixed frequency. The effects of flow through a porous medium are a decrease in the amplitude of the concentration wave and an increase in the velocity of the peaks of the waves above the average velocity. Attenuation and phase veIocity of the waves were measured as a function of frequency and fluid velocity. The simple two-parameter model implies that the diffusivity should be independent of frequency. Data reported in this paper show that the diffusivity decreases as the frequency increases. Hence, as shown also by many others, the two-parameter model is not completely adequate. Coats and Smith 5 used two additional parameters in their model: the volume of the dead-end pores and the rate of mass transfer between dead-end pores and the flowing stream. Their capacitance model of a porous medium containing some stagnant fluid, to which transfer occurs by molecular diffusion, did not explain the dispersion results of either the present study or of theirs. Instead, the capacitance effect can be better described as the result of extreme velocity variations within the pores of the medium, with transfer between the velocity zones by convection. EXPERIMENTAL PREPARATION OF POROUS MEDIA Data reported here were obtained with a natural Berea sandstone, and with two packings of 20/25 mesh sand. Pertinent information about these media is listed in Table 1. The sandstone core was first sealed with a non-

Jan 1, 1967

By E. C. Harder

In view of the gradually decreasing known reserves of high-grade manganese ore and the rapidly increasing consumption of iron-manganese alloys in the steel industry, it is well to turn our attention to the development of low-grade manganiferous ore deposits and to the utilization of these ores in steel manufacture. The dependence of this country on imported manganese ore and ferromanganese has been forcibly brought to the attention of steel makers during the last few years by the cessation of manganese-ore imports from Russia, the restriction of manganese-ore imports from India and of ferromanganese imports from Europe. Should the importation of manganese ore from Biazil cease, the steel industry of this country would face a serious situation. The present practice of steel making requires ferromanganese in large quantities and ferromanganese of the grade used at present can be produced only from high-grade manganese ores such as the United States appears to possess only in insignificant amounts. There are in the United States, however, large reserves of manganiferous iron ore which could probably be used extensively in the steel industry if certain changes in the practice of steel manufacture were made. Thus high-grade manganese ore could be conserved. Among the most important deposits of manganiferous iron ore in this couniry are those of the Cuyuna iron-ore district of Minnesota. It is probable that in case of restriction of foreign supplies, the users of manganese in the United States would have to rely to a large extent on the Cuyuna district to make up the shortage. Manganiferous iron ore was found in association with iron ore in the Cuyuna district in many of the early drilling operations and the possibility of its utilization was in the minds of various explorers in the dis-

Jan 1, 1918

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period July 10, 1919, to August 10, 1919. BALL, C. LEONARD.. Cons. Engr., Suffern Co., Inc., 135 Broadway, New York, N. Y. BARRY, CHARLES W Box 502, Idaho Springs, Colo. BATTLE, JOEL ALLAN, JR., Min. Engr., U.S. Bureau of Mines, Room 2114, Interior Bldg., Washington., D. C. BEER, GUIDO, Compagnia. Italian, Dir Bronzi Speciali, C. I., B. S. La Direzione, Italy. BITLER, WILLIAM F., Management of Coal Properties, The Provident Life & Trust Co. of Philadelphia, 409 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. BLOOM, SETH W., Chief Engr,, Northwestern Min. & Exchange Co., 130 E. Sribner Ave., Du Bois, Pa. BOYDELL, W. Guy B., Min. Engr., Tul Mi Chung Mine, Care Seoul Min. Co. Whang Hai Do, Chosen. Korea. BRYAN, RUSSELL R.., Met., Sunnyside Min. & Mill. Co., Eureka, San Juan Co., Colo. CHIAPELLA, STEPHEN EUGENE 323 W. 30th St., Los Angeles, Cal. CONWAY, EDMUND JOHN, Exploration Engr., Granhy Consolidated Min., Smelt & Power Co., Ltd., Anyox, B. C., Canada. DEMOREST, DANA J Prof. of Met., The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Ohio. EIDEMILLER, H. N., Geol., Benjamin C. Neely, Min. Lands & Leases, Crystal Falls, Mich.

Jan 9, 1919

By C. M. Loeb, T. E. Norman

The use of ball, rod and tube mills for grinding ore, cement and other materials has grown so rapidly during the past forty years that the world's annual consumption of ferrous grinding media for these mills is now estimated to be between one half million and one million tons per year. Ferrous grinding balls constitute the major portion of this tonnage. Obviously they represent sufficient value to justify thorough studies of the factors governing their performance. The selection of grinding balls is governed principally by: I. Quality (wear resistance, impact resistance, soundness, and the like). 2. Sources of supply and delivered cost. 3. Grinding characteristics or efficiency in the ball mill. This paper deals principally with the quality of ferrous grinding balls. In the study of these factors certain data relative to the fundamental nature of ball wear in ball mills have been obtained. These data are also presented and discussed briefly. The Development of a Suitable Wear Test A study of the fundamental factors governing the quality of grinding balls has been hampered seriously by the fact that a competent test has, in the past, involved the purchase of several hundred tons of balls of a specific type which were then run in one or more ball mills for a period ranging from several months' to several years' duration. Often, during the period of test, it became necessary to change operating conditions or the character of the ore fed to the test mill with the result that the rate of ball consumption changed and the test figures became of little value. Under such circumstances, progress in the development of better grinding balls, has been necessarily slow. Economic factors and variations in the quality of balls produced by different sources of supply generally make it necessary for each mill operator to determine for himself the most suitable type of balls for his mills. In our own ball mill grinding operations at Climax, Colo., we were faced with this problem. After we had run a few large scale wear tests at considerable expense we decided to investigate the possibilities of a small scale wear test which would be capable of testing numerous types of balls within a relatively short time. The most important requirement of any test is, of course, that it give results which can be used to predict accurately the wear in full scale operations. It was known that Ellis and his associates1,2 had developed a method of testing grinding balls by small scale tests run at the Ontario Research Foundation. Ellis' method of testing was used as a starting point in our investigations. In the course of our tests a number of modifications of the original method were found to be desirable so that, by an evolutionary procedure, a method of small scale

Jan 1, 1949