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By Edward L. McHugh

In 1984, at the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied an 84,165-acre portion of the 84,935-acre Clover Mountains Wilderness Study Area (NV-050-139) in order to evaluates its identified mineral resources. The area studied is in Lincoln County, NV, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, NV. No mineral resources were identified in the study area. Volcanic rocks are the most common in the study area, consisting mainly of a thick sequence of ignimbrites in a cauldron complex. Cambrian to Triassic marine sedimentary rocks and Cretaceous to Oligocene clastic rocks are along and partly inside the west and south sides of the study area. No mineral production ha s come from the study area, but gold, silver, copper, and fluorspar have been mined nearby. Eleven mines and prospects in or adjacent to the study area were examined. Workings inside the study area include two shafts, 10 and 60 ft deep, and eleven shallow prospect pits at four sites along the west edge.

Jan 1, 1987

By V. T. Dow

In April 1957 the Bureau of Mines instituted a reconnaissance of titanium-and zirconium-bearing heavy sandstone deposits in the Four-State area of Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado. This report summarizes the study. Eighty-two deposits or groups of deposits, containing an estimated 27,920,000 tons of titaniferous sandstone, were examined in the Four-State area; 16 in southern Utah, 19 in Wyoming, 33 in New Mexico, and 14 in southwestern Colorado. The 16 deposits examined in Utah contain an estimated 1,043,000 tons with an average grade of 17.98 percent TiO2, 5.67 percent ZrO2, 20.98 percent Fe, and 0.09 percent equivalent Th02. The 19 deposits investigated in Wyoming are estimated to contain 21,873,000 tons of titaniferous sandstone having a weighted grade of 5.22 percent 702, 0.55 percent ZrO2, 24.8 percent Fe, and 0.01 percent equivalent Th02.

Jan 1, 1961

By H. W. Brandt

A field test was designed to inject a specially formulated two compound epoxy resin into the roof rock ahead of a working face to cement fractures and formation interfaces at the Westmoreland Coal Co., Winding Gulf Div., Eccles No. 5 Mine, Eccles, West Virginia. Five 30 foot long X 2 inch diameter, hold were drilled at an angle of 15° above the plane of roof line front the face of a working entry. The epoxy resin compounds were pumped through a proportioning unit and mixed in-line before being discharged into the drill hole under treatment it injection pressures up to a maximum of 450 psig. When the coal face was advanced an anomalous failure of the roof rock occurred in the treated section. Further testing was suspended until the cause of the failure could he determined. The polymers were tested, under confined conditions, in 2 inch pipe columns. Extreme temperature and pressure (up to 2400 psig) rises were recorded as they cured, It was concluded that this pressure source fractured the rock and caused the roof failure. The entire program was terminated after it was determined that the heat rise and resultant high pressures could not he controlled chemically or mechanically.

Jan 1, 1978

By Richard D. Miller

The helium resources base of the United States was estimated by the Bureau of Mines to be 1,070 Bcf as of January 1, 1985. 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, 280 Bcf, (2) helium in probable natural gas resources, estimated at 243 Bcf, (3) helium in possible natural gas resources, estimated to be 287 Bcf, and (4) helium in speculative natural gas resources, which makes up the remaining 260 Bcf. These helium resources are further divided into depleting, non-depleting, and stored classifications. 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 900 Bcf of the total helium resource base. Helium resources contained in nondepleting natural gas resources, those in shut-in, abandoned, or otherwise nonproducing natural gasfields, are estimated to total 133 Bcf. There is 37 Bcf of helium in storage in the Federal Government-owned Cliffside Gas Field near Amarillo, TX.

Jan 1, 1987

By G. L. Bartlett

"INTRODUCTION The major objective of our research is to help reduce the incidence and severity of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP). To that end, this project is designed to improve our understanding of the processes that lead to pulmonary dysfunction following mine dust exposure, and how those processes might be interrupted or attenuated. The response of the lung ' to inhaled particles is complex, and the course of development of disabling CWP is slow and unpredictable. From among the numerous cellular and molecular interactions involved in the pulmonary response to inhaled particles, this project is focussed on the role that the pulmonary alveolar macrophage (PAM) may play in regulating the activity of fibroblasts.The PAM is the lung cell that has the most immediate and the most obvious interaction with inhaled particles. Within a short period after particles are arrested in the alveolus of the lung, they are phagocytized (engulfed) by these specialized cells. The PAM then has a diverse potential repertoire of subsequent activities. Which reaction actually ensues is determined, in large part, by the nature of the phagocytized _particles. Activated PAMs produce a variety of products that may affect adjacent lung tissue, including superoxide free radical, elastase, collagenase, prostaglandins, platelet activating factor, etc. Those may well be important in the pathogenesis of CWP, but they are beyond the scope of this project. Background information that is cogent to this project has come primarily from investigations using animal models of silicosis and asbestosis. PAMs that have ingested silica particles synthesize and release molecules that control the behavior of surrounding cells. One such mediator is interleukin-1 (IL-1), a molecule that plays a central role in many aspects of the response to injury. It can stimulate fibroblasts (the cells that help to hold tissues together) to release the enzyme collagenase, resulting in breakdown of the structural collagen fibers that support the lung tissue. IL-1 also stimulates fibroblasts to undergo mitosis and to proliferate, which is an initial stage of fibrosis. Certain stimulants cause PAMs to release fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) that are distinct- from IL-1. Under other circumstances activated PAMs synthesize and release molecules that stimulate fibroblasts to accelerate synthesis of collagen fibers, thus contributing to fibrosis. Although these observations provide a valuable precedent for analysis of the mechanisms involved in CWP, their relevance to CWP cannot be assumed since most of those studies involved macrophages or fibroblasts obtained from tissues other than the lung, and because almost none of them have used CMD as the stimulating particles. Therefore, the goal of this project is to learn how exposure to CMD affects the behavior of PAMs, and in turn how products of dust-exposed PAMs affect fibroblasts and the process of fibrosis in the lung."

Jan 1, 1988

By Frank E. Cash, Max S. Petersen

"INTRODUCTION Explosives have been used in ever—increasing amounts since gunpowder was invented. For hundreds of years only low explosives of the deflagrating type were used, and they were fired by means of a flame or hot object. Ben¬jamin Franklin first ignited gunpowder from a distance in 1751 by means of an electrostatic spark. Further efforts to develop a satisfactory electrical method to ignite explosives from greater distances were overshadowed by the invention of safety fuse in 1831, as this offered a relatively simple and inexpensive means of firing explosives.The discovery and introduction of high explosives of the detonating type and the invention of the fulmitate of mercury blasting cap about the middle of the nineteenth century provided the needed impetus for inventors to develop means of firing the cap by electricity. The original high-tension igniter, following Benjamin Franklin's experiment in which the detonating compound was ignited by a spark, was discarded in favor of a low-tension igniter, in which the detonating compound was ignited by a heated wire. The past 2 decades have seen considerable improvement in the design and construction of electric detonators to make them safer and more efficient, yet in spite of the improvement it is estimated that less than 50 percent of the explosives used in industry today are ignited or detonated electrically. The trend, however, is toward the use of electric methods. In recent years numerous-mining companies have introduced electric blasting exclusively at their mines as a means of improving safety and efficiency."

Sep 1, 1946

By William A. Beck

"The Old Cline mine, also known as the Old Cruse mine, was first worked for gold in1895. The property was opened by several shafts and trenches; and some stoping has been done, producing several cars of copper-gold ore in the early nineteen hundreds. Chalcopyrite is visible in selected samples; and, with the aid of a mineralite, several samples showing a considerable amount of scheelite were found on the old waste dumps.The mine is in Township 6, Cabarrus County, N. C., 5 miles north of the village of Mount Pleasant, 10 miles northeast of Concord, and about one-half mile south of Watts Crossroads. It is one-fourth mile east of the county road.When examined, the property was owned by H. F. Tompkinson, Concord, N. C., and was leased, with option to buy, by L. Nash. Titles of record were not investigated.As stated above, the Cline mine was first worked in 1895. The property was Purchased in 1902 by J. A. Clark and A. A. Smith of Atlanta, Ga., and worked for gold and copper. No record is available of the quantity of ore removed during these operations.A Bureau of Mines mining engineer3/ examined the mine as, a copper prospect on October 13, 1944.The Cline mine is in an area characterized by flat to rolling topography, dissected by many streams and rivers. It lies in the Piedmont Plateau and Varies in elevation from 700 feet to 800 feet. The surrounding country is partly wooded and partly cleared farm land.A quartz vein occurs in country rock of quartzite and greenstone.4./ The ore occurs in a series of quartz lenses, having a width of 1 to 3 feet and dipping about 750 NE, and striking N. 300 W. All these lenses have fairly sharp boundaries and in some cases are entirely separated from each other, while at other times they are connected by thin stringers of quartz. They can be traced for 1,000 to 1,200 feet by a series of shafts and test pits."

Apr 1, 1946

By A. B. Hooker

The flame safety lamp with metal-gauze enclosure was invented by Sir Humphrey Davy more than a century ago, primarily for its safe light; however, it soon became the standard device for detecting the presence of methane in mine atmospheres. It still is the most widely used device for this purpose and is also the most practicable means of detecting deficiency of oxygen in coal mines. A permissible flame safety lamp is similar in all respects to one that, after a series of tests, has been approved by the Bureau of Mines as safe for use in gassy mines. However, safety depends largely upon the way lamps are maintained and used.

Jan 1, 1944

This report summarizes the work performed by the Bureau of Mines on the development of analytical procedures for determining metallic and interstitial impurities in high-purity tungsten. Fourteen published methods and seven unpublished methods are briefly described. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, in microgram to higher quantity levels, can be determined by several methods. Trace levels of 29 metallic impurity elements can be determined by optical spectrography, X-ray spectrography, and other instrumental methods.

Jan 1, 1968

By H. E. Dresch

This report summarizes the work accomplished under Bureau of Mines contract H0188068. The contract required design and construction of a high voltage (7.5 KV) explosion proof cable connector for use on underground coal mine drag cables. A connector was constructed with elastomeric phase insulators that provide insulation shielding throughout the connector length. Connector housing was made of flame resist-ant cast poly urethane with no exposed metal components. Electrical and mechanical testing of the completed coupler resulted in satisfactorily meeting most of the design testing requirements.

Jan 1, 1981

By Don M. Coulter

"INTRODUCTION Bauxite, in Appalachian Alabama, occurs in the Rock Run and Goshen Valley districts in Cherokee County; in Nences Creek Valley near Jacksonville; near Anniston in Calhoun County; north of Fort Payne in DeKalb County; near Ashville in St. Clair County; and near Talladega in Talladega County.In February 1942, Preston E. Cloud, Jr., assistant geologist, Federal Geological Survey, began a study of these bauxite deposits and the geology relating thereto.The Bureau of Mines established field headquarters at Piedmont, Calhoun County, in July 1942. Mineral agreements covering a total of 11,097 acres were executed with 15 landowners in the Rock Run district; 38 in the Goshen Valley district, covering 7,575.5 acres; and 3 in the Nances Creek Valley district, covering 988.5 acres. Drilling was done on the properties of 9 land¬owners in the Rock Run district, and on the property of 1 landowner each in the Goshen Valley and the Nances Creek districts. Drilling began October 26, 1942, and ceased on May 17, 1943.Power drilling was supplemented by a labor crew that drilled hand-auger holes in shallow deposits and sampled .old shafts, mines, and mine dumps.In all, 222 holes for a total of 13,250 feet were drilled. Of these holes, 88 penetrated bauxite but too low in grade to constitute ore."

Mar 1, 1948

By J. J. Dowd

1. The Pittsburgh bed is the most important bed in Ohio County, and virtually the entire production of coal in the county comes from this bed. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves in all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and 1,800 tons per acre-foot of-coal in place, are estimated at 365 million short tons as of January 1, 1954. Of this total, 356 million short tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics are too meager to make an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimated reserves.

Jan 1, 1955

By George A. Bell

This paper reviewing the leaching practice of the New Cornelia mines of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. at Ajo, Ariz., is the first of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on leaching methods and costs in the various mining districts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author acknowledges the assistance of T. G. Chapman, consulting engineer, and E. D. Gardner, supervising engineer of the Southwest Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Tucson, Ariz.

Jan 1, 1930

By Rolland L. Blake

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineralogy, tonnage, and beneficiating characteristics of oxidized (nonmagnetic) taconite iron resources of the Western Mesabi Range as part of its program to insure adequate future domestic mineral supplies. Magnetic taconite currently provides about 95 pct of Mesabi production, but the large tonnages of oxidized taconite between the magnetic deposits will be needed to help meet future domestic demand for iron ore. Three bulk samples that represent large tonnages from the Western Mesabi Range were selected to determine their mineral composition and liberation by light optical microscopy and to test their beneficiating response. This report describes the mineralogy and liberation characteristics of the three samples of the Biwabik Iron-Formation for 26.5 mi (42.7 kID) from Keewatin to Grand Rapids, MN. (Details of response to beneficia-tion were reported previously.) The samples represent mostly material from the Lower Cherty Member of the Biwabik-Iron Formation, although one sample included some Upper Cherty Member. Minerals of all three samples were quartz (chert), hematite, goethite, and minor to trace amounts of magnetite, iron carbonate, and iron silicates. It was concluded that the oxidized taconites of the Western Mesabi Range represent a subeconomic indicated resource that can be selectively mined and beneficiated as a future large source of iron feed for steelmaking.

Jan 1, 1983

By Carlon S. Land

The Bureau of Mines investigated the influence of a free gas saturation on oil recovery by water drive. A digital computer was used to calculate the combined oil recovery from solution-gas drive to various states of depletion. Results of these calculations are compared and optimum conditions for the maximum oil recovery are found for various fluid-rock systems. For most of the fluid-rock systems, the calculations show an optimum gas saturation other than zero. Using fluid and rock properties as parameters, graphs are plotted showing the optimum gas saturation and increase in oil recovery brought about by the gas saturation. The effects of fluid properties and relative permeability on the optimum gas saturation are seen in these graphs. The graphs can be used as guides in connection with other considerations in determining the optimum time to start a waterflood. They should also be helpful in determining the MER of a water-drive reservoir. The effects of compressibility and solubility of the trapped gas saturation are investigated for select cases using a backward difference scheme to solve the partial differential equation of three-phase flow. From these calculations, it is observed that some benefit of a gas saturation remains for injection pressures up to 1.5 times the original bubble-point pressure.

Jan 1, 1974

By F. J. Wiebelt

Production of small tonnages of asbestos has been reported from 18 California counties; 16 additional counties have occurrences of asbestos. The counties in the northern part of California that have had a recorded production are: Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, E1 Dorado, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, and Tuolumne. No deposit in the State has maintained consistent production. Serpentinized peridotites (potential chrysotile-bearing rocks) are widely distributed in the coast ranges, Klamath Mountains, and western foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Jan 1, 1958

By V. E. McKelvey

Any discussion of growth and future requirements has to begin with people--both their number and their needs. Both have been rising ever since any American can remember. Together, the number of people, which has been increasing rather modestly, and their wants and desires for material things, which have been increasing very sharply, seemed to have comprised a growth imperative in mineral consumption in the United States, especially during the last several decades. While the Nation's birthrate is now well below the replacement rate and still falling, the built-in momentum of the post-World War II population boom will continue to be felt well into the 21st century. Even using the modest projection of a 0.8 percent yearly increase, we are still looking at the possibility of 265 million Americans being around by Year 2000.

Jan 1, 1975

By R. J. Leary

The Bureau of Mines experimental blast furnace was blown with oxygen-enriched blast in combination with natural gas injected at the tuyeres. The air blast was augmented with oxygen to form an enriched blast containing 24,8 pct oxygen, and tests were run at natural gas injection rates of 4.5, 6.0, and 8.3 pct of the air blast. Similar enrichment to 26.8 pct oxygen was tested at natural gas rates of 7.2, 9.1, and 11,0 pct of the air blast. At intermediate proportions of natural gas to oxygen, (1) the fuel rate and the replacement ratio of coke by natural gas were unaffected by oxygen injections and (2) the productivity increased about 4 pct for each I pct oxygen added to the blast. The higher proportions of natural gas to oxygen were less efficient; in return for a lower coke rate, the fuel rate increased and productivity declined. A deficiency in reducing gas imposed a limit upon lower than normal proportions of natural gas to oxygen. Beyond this limit the formation of reducing gas was insufficient to support the rate of metal production. When this condition was encountered, the coke rate requirement for specification iron was abnormally high and production fell off badly. Adiabatic flame temperature is discussed as a means for proportioning oxygen and natural gas additions.

Jan 1, 1967

By Frank J. Wiebelt, Spangler Ricker

"INTRODUCTION Bauxite, in Appalachian Alabama, occurs in the Rock Run and Goshen Valley districts in Cherokee County; in Nences Creek Valley near Jacksonville; near Anniston in Calhoun County; north of Fort Payne in DeKalb County; near Ashville in St. Clair County; and near Talladega in Talladega County.In February 1942, Preston E. Cloud, Jr., assistant geologist, Federal Geological Survey, began a study of these bauxite deposits and the geology relating thereto.The Bureau of Mines established field headquarters at Piedmont, Calhoun County, in July 1942. Mineral agreements covering a total of 11,097 acres were executed with 15 landowners in the Rock Run district; 38 in the Goshen Valley district, covering 7,575.5 acres; and 3 in the Nances Creek Valley district, covering 988.5 acres. Drilling was done on.the properties of 9 land¬owners in the Rock Run district, and on the property of 1 landowner each in the Goshen Valley and the Nances Creek districts. Drilling began October 26, 1942, and ceased on May 17, 1943.Power drilling was supplemented by a labor crew that drilled hand-auger holes in shallow deposits and sampled .old shafts, mines, and mine dumps.In all, 222 holes for a total of 13,250 feet were drilled. Of these toles, 88 penetrated bauxite but too low in grade to constitute ore."

Mar 1, 1948

By Richard L. Rains

In 1992, the Bureau of Mines evaluated mineral resources of the 34,043-hectare Caribou City and 41,943-hectare Stump Creek study areas in southeastern Idaho. No resources were delineated. The areas had been proposed for wilderness. Rocks underlying the study area are part of the Idaho-Wyoming Thrust Belt. At Caribou Mountain they have been intruded by diorite-monzodiorite. Where the intrusive rocks contact calcareous members of the thrust belt, skarn bodies have formed that host metal deposits. Gold, both placer and lode, occurs in the Caribou City area, and salt occurs in the Stump Creek area. Production records show 73.5 kg (2,363 ounces) of placer gold were produced; however, field studies indicate more than 2,000 kg (67,000 ounces) probably were recovered. Minor amounts of lode gold, silver, and copper were recovered from the hard rock mines. Production of salt from the Stump Creek study area in the 1860's was used by emigrants on the Oregon trail and also shipped to various mining districts for use in silver recovery. Oil and gas were drilled for, but all holes are plugged and abandoned. There are no current leases. Examined workings consisted of 25 adits, 3 shafts, 50 prospect pits, and extensive placer workings all in the northern tip of the Caribou City area, Current BLM records show 168 placer and 146 lode claims; 14 claims are patented.

Jan 1, 1993