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By ALICE V. Petar

Like many gem materials, amber has a colorful history which may be traced through the writings of the ancients and the ornamental relics discovered from time to time. Like few gem materials, however, it is distinctly useful in products whose value has no connection with the gem industry. Long prized for its beauty, amber was fashioned into articles of jewelry and ornaments to please the fancy of ancient rulers and to find a place among treasured pos- sessions in their tombs; it has been used by adherents of various creeds for rosaries and other religious symbols; and although still sold for these pur- poses it also lends itself to such commercial purposes as raw material for varnish. Amber is only on the border-line of the mineral kingdom; actually it is of vegetable origin, having been formed as resin from trees of the conifer family that existed during the Tertiary period. It is the hardest of the fos- sil gums. The United States produces no amber, although a few occurrences are known. Most of the world's supply comes from East Prussia, where it is ob- tained from both land and sea. For many years pieces of amber were gathered from the Baltic by fishermen and deep-sea divers; and although about 10 per- cent of the Prussian amber is still recovered from the sea, most of the out- put is mined from open pits on the Samland Peninsula.

Jun 1, 1934

By Michael M. Hamilton

In 1985, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied a 37,542-acre portion of the 57,002-acre Riordan?s Well Wilderness Study Area (NV-040-166) in order to evaluate its mineral resources. The area studied is located in Nye County, NV, about 60 miles southwest of Ely, NV. Subeconomic mineral resources of limestone and sand and gravel were identified in the study area. The Troy and Irwin mining districts, 4 miles to the west, were active between 1868 and 1963, producing small amounts of gold, silver, lead, and tungsten from mines well outside the study area. Except for minor prospecting activity, most mining activity in the study area has been since 1980, consisting of claim locations and geochemical surveys.

Jan 1, 1987

By G. E. McElroy

[The ventilation of development faces In nines for diluting Gas or dist concentrations and, in hot nines for providing air-motion cooling effect, by fan-pipe units discharging high-velocity steams of air close to the face, is an important phase of mine ventilation. The effectiveness of such units depends largely on the air-flow distribution between the pipe discharge and the face, n subject on which little definite information is available. A study of the air flow from grills into rooms3/ has provided some basic data, but under conditions so different from mine fan-pipe installations in development ends that the data are of doubtful application to mine installations, owing to differences in air-flow conditions.]

Jan 1, 1940

By Douglas F. Scott

This case study provides an example of how social marketing was applied to meet the needs of business customers. Federal regulations require that all companies develop a written program to track hazardous chemicals at their sites. The HazCom Writer, created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is a software tool designed to help companies prepare their required Hazard Communications (HazCom) written plan and list all hazardous chemicals at the company's worksite. The social marketing goal was to provide a product for small- to medium-sized companies to use for federal HazCom rule compliance. The HazCom Wm'ter is a direct NIOSH response to customer and stakeholder needs (including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the mining community, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration- regulated companies).

Jan 1, 2009

By W. H. Herschel, E. W. Dean

"IntroductoryThe common practice of the petroleum industry is to measure viscosity by the use of instruments of the efflux or capillary tube type. The Saybolt universal viscosimeter has been tentatively adopted as a standard by the American Society for Testing Materials and is used extensively in the United States.Several instruments of foreign origin are also more or less familiar, such as the Redwood, the Engier, and the Baroey.Effina-type viscosimeters are well adapted to the ordinary needs of petroleum testing laberatories as they are simple and rugged in construction and away to manipulate, even in the hands of operators lacking scientific training. They have, however, certain limitations and for certain spacial types of work there are notable advantages incident to the use of the so-called torsion types of type of viacosimeter. The most satisfactory type of torsion viscosimeter now available in the market some to be that of MacMchael, which has been discussed in detail in a recent paper (Herschel, W. H., The MacMichael Torsional Viscosimeter. Jour. of Int. and Eng. Chem., vol. 12, 1920, pp. 282-286). The present paper indicates conditions under which this viscosimeter may be used to advantage in the petroleum laboratory, and outlines simple methods of operation and calibration."

Jan 1, 1921

By Richard P. Cislo

The evaluation of the effectiveness of the time domain Coal Interface Detector developed by the General Electric Company under contract H0155120 is the subject of this report. The sensor utilizes differences in the time characteristics of shearer vibrations as sensed by an accelerometer mounted on the ranging arm to discriminate the cutting of coal and rock. Pour identical time domain sensors were supplied by the Bureau for field evaluation. The performance of the time domain sensor was evaluated by an extensive field test and data collection program that included four longwall mines and a total of nine mine visits. The intent was to determine the sensor's applicability to a wide range of mining conditions and to document its limitations. Results of the extensive field tests indicate that shearer vibration data processed by GE's time domain signal processing algorithm cannot be used to reliably detect when the cutting drum crossed the coal/rock interface.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. D. Leitch

"INTRODUCTION The character of mine drainage from areas of low pyritic coal3 and from average pyritic coal4 has been investigated, and to complete the study it seemed desirable to select a number of mines situated in high pyritic are as to determine whether or not this variation determines the relative acidity of drainage from mines operating in these characteristic coal fields. Advantage has been taken of some worked on in 1918 by Henry Leighton 5, then Professor of Economic Geology, University of Pittsburgh. He visited and has reported certain areas of high pyritic coal which we also visited during this study. Many of the mines were found to be idle in 1930 and a few were caved shut, apparently for several years. However, samples of the outflow from all mines visited were collected if possible and analyzed, and some general information was gathered for each mine. The map (fig. 1) shows the location of these areas as given by Leighton.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe information and assistance obtained from officials and others at the mines visited during this study are gratefully acknowledged, as well as the original suggestion from Dr. Glenn V. Brown of the State Sanitary Water Board who called attention to the desirability of such a study.Thanks are also especially due the coal laboratory of the United States Bureau of Mines, under the direction of H. M. Cooper, for the analyses and determination of sulphur forms in the large number of solid samples necessary to the work reported,This study has been carried on under the direction of R. R. Sayers, chief, health and safety branch, and W. P. Yant, supervising engineer, Pittsburgh Experiment Station, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines."

Jan 1, 1932

By Thomas A. Phillips

This publication is an economic evaluation of the Bureau of Mines electrolytic process for recovering lead from scrap lead-acid batteries. In this process, scrap batteries are crushed and separated into metal and sludge fractions. The metal fraction is cast as anodes and electro- refined. Lead in the sludge fraction is converted to lead carbonate by reaction with an ammonium carbonate-ammonium bisulfite solution. The lead carbonate is then dissolved in a fluosilicic acid electrolyte from which pure lead metal is electrowon. A cost estimate is presented for a plant capable of processing 10,000 scrap batteries per day. The fixed capital cost for this plant is estimated to he $14 million on a fourth quarter 1984 basis. Operating costs are estimated to be $0.15/lb Pb recovered. Assuming a lead selling price of $0.17/lb, the interest rate of return on investment after taxes is 11 pct. A lead selling price of about $0.21/lb is needed to obtain a 20-pct-interest rate of return.

Jan 1, 1986

By Graham W. Marks

Recently it was shown the total energy method of spectrochemical analysis is suitable for the quantitative estimation of many of the elements of which ores are composed. It was shown how this method can be applied to the determination of germanium, tin, and lead. Continuing, this work, the present report deals with analyses for beryllium, zinc, cadmium; and indium. There are three basic problems in these investigations. The first is to study the influence of those elements that make up the greater part of an ore sample on the spectral-line intensities of the elements for which analyses are being made, the latter generally being the minor constituents. The second is to develop proper methods for the preparation of standard spectrographic curves. Finally, we are concerned with improvement in equipment and procedure, so that greater accuracy can be achieved. As discussed previously, it is better to study as groups those elements that belong to the same group in the periodic table because their spectra are similar. Beryllium, zinc, and cadmium are thus related. Indium was included in this work because it is, associated with zinc and cadmium in zinc ores.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. B. Rosenbaum

Prolonged laboratory and limited pilot plant tests have shown that the Bureau of Mines buffered S02 -H2S process is capable of removing 95 to 99 percent of the S02 from industrial waste gases. Most of the S02 is converted to elemental sulfur; only about I percent converted to sulfate The process comprises (1) washing the flue gas to remove particulates and S03, (2) absorption of the S02 in citric acid or other carboxylate solution, (3) reaction of the loaded solution with H2S in a closed vessel to precipitate the absorbed S02 as elemental sulfur, and (4) separation of the sulfur from the regenerated solution by oil flotation and melting. Two-thirds of the molten sulfur is converted to H2S for use in the sulfur precipitation step by reacting sulfur vapor with natural gas and steam in the presence of an alumina catalyst. The chemistry and mechanism of the process are described, initial laboratory and pilot plant data are summarized, and second-generation laboratory operation and pilot plant design are reviewed. Preliminary cost estimates are presented for recovering sulfur from copper smelter gas, powerplant flue gas, and Claus plant tail gas.

Jan 1, 1973

By D. Pennington

Ground-water levels and subsidence have been monitored over a longwall panel of a deep coal mining operation located in western Pennsylvania. The monitoring network includes eleven ground-water monitoring wells completed to measure water level changes in separate shallow and deep aquifer zone-, and 50-foot surveyed subsidence stations parallel and perpendicular to the panel centerline. Monthly monitoring data were collected during the premining, mining, and postmining tine periods. Aquifer testing and borehole geophysical logging were conducted during premining, and post-mining conditions to document any changes in aquifer properties and ground-water flow patterns. Results indicate ground-water declines were located with respect to the mining face and mined longwall panel. Dewatering of the deep aquifer zone caused a significant water level decline in deep wells; however, the shallow aquifer zone was isolated fro major impacts by an aquitardal layer during, the, one-year period. Transmissivity data were greatly impacted by fracturing, in the highly anisotropic aquifer system. Borehole geophysical logging indicated changes in ground-water flow patterns and zones of increased fracturing from subsidence.

Jan 1, 1984

By Aner W. Erickson

"Preliminary examination of tungsten deposits on the Mountain View property near Hyder, Alaska, was made by Neal M. Muir, an engineer of the Bureau of Mines daring the summer of 1942. Fifteen samples were cut, rough esti¬mates of ore reserves were made, and it was proposed to extend the drift on scheelite-bearing vein 300 feet in a northwesterly direction.From May 22 to October 24, 1944, an exploratory project was conducted on the property by the Bureau. In the course of this work, the camp buildings were rehabilitated; the dam, hydraulic line, and machinery were repaired; 226 feet of drift was driven; 80 groove samples aggregating 3.9 tons in weight were cut; a 6,000-foot surface and underground traverse was run; and the area was mapped in detail.In its program of exploration 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 the national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches are under the supervision of Dr. R. S. Dean, assistant director.Special acknowledgment is doe Neal W. Muir, project engineer, and Robert S. Sanford, acting chief, Alaska Division, Mining Branch, for their supervision of the field work and revision of the report.Acknowledgment is also made to Silbak Premier, Ltd., for rendering valuable assistance in the repair of equipment and for extending various courtesies to Bureau of Mines personnel during the conduct of this project.The Mountain View property is located at latitude 55° 59' north, and longitude 130° 03' west in the Salmon River mining district of southeastern Alaska, about 5 miles in a northwesterly direction from the town of Hyder, which lies at the head of Portland Canal, as shown in figures 1 and 2. Vein outcrops and surface workings are at an elevation of 950 feet and occupy the west flank of a low ridge between Skookum and Fish Creeks, as shown in figure 3. The portal of the long adit exposing the vein at depth is on Skookum Creek about 550 feet north of the confluence of Skookum and Fish Creeks.Access to the property is over a 4-foot wide trail built and maintained by the United States Forest Service. This trail is suitable for pack animals and is adequate for transportation of supplies and material for exploratory work. During the periods of camp construction and past exploratory operations a 4,000-foot, single-cable, aerial tramway, now in disrepair, served for transportation of materials and all machinery from the Salmon River Highway to the property. The cost of such hauling was high, amounting to $12 a ton. Topography is suitable for construction of a ""cat road"" 2 miles in length, connecting the property with the Salmon River Highway. It is estimated that such a road could be built for $5,000 a mile, and supplies, machinery, and concentrates could be haled over it at a cost of less than $2.50 a ton."

Sep 1, 1946

By G. M. Kintz

In safety work a study of past accidents is of value in determining means of reducing future accidents of the same character. This is particularly true with reference to coal-mine explosions. Data from publications of the United States Bureau of Mines and from published reports of the State inspector of coal mines of Colorado are presented in this circular in the belief that they will be of value to operators by indicating methods of preventing future coal-mine explosions. The tables included are complete only with regard to major disasters. The Bureau of Mines considers as a major disaster one in which five 'or more men are killed. However, this circular also includes a considerable number of minor disasters, Various explosions in the coal mines of Colorado from 1883 to 1932, inclusive, are listed with information available as to their probable cause, number of men killed and measures which, if they had been in use at that time, might have prevented them. John McNeil, first Colorado State coal-mine inspector, on page 43 of his first report for the period ended July 31, 1884, made the following recommendations for the prevention of explosions in the coal industry: True causes could be traced either to insufficient ventilation, carelessness and lack of rigid discipline in carrying on energetic ventilation and other precautions needed to be enforced in a mine giving off explosive gases. *** When any quantity of fine coal dust is observed in an entry, air course, or room it should be made damp and be removed from the mine, and thus beep every place as free from dust as possible. *** A system of bratticing close up to the face of each and every place in the mine from crosscut last made (whether gas should just then show its presence or not) which should not be more than 50 or 75 feet according to the nature of the mine.

Jan 1, 1933

By K. L. Erickson, Gerald A. Munson

"The need for spodumene as a source of lithia for war purposes led to the exploitation of the Edison pegmatite deposit 1-1/2 miles southeast of Keystone, S. Dak. The operation was conducted during 1943 and 1944 by the Lor Mining Co., Rapid City, S. Dak. Spodumene concentrates in the ratio of 15:1 were recovered by hand picking from a sorting belt. This method was expensive and wasteful of spodumene, owing to the small size of the crystals.Data4/ obtained by the Bureau of Mines indicates that blunging with hydroflouric acid or sodium hydroxide is a prerequisite to selective flotation. Results of tests by Denver Equipment Co., Denver, Colo., indicate that economic recoveries can be obtained in an alkaline circuit after desliming.At the request of the Lor Mining Co., K. L. Erickson, metallurgical engineer, was permitted to work in the pegmatite research laboratory to verify previous investigations and to determine problems that might be involved in commercial milling. The ensuing investigation indicated that electrolytes in the mill water produced a profound inhibiting action on the flotation of Edison spodumone.An investigation of mill water from various sources showed that some waters are suitable for the process and others are not. Subsequent testing showed that all of the available waters are suitable after treatment. The flotation of the Edison spodumene in an alkaline circuit after desliming and using oleic acid as collector is efficient and economical when the water does not contain impurities.In its program of exploration 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. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B.Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches arc under the supervision of Dr. R. S. Dean, assistant director.As the work was of a practical nature, samples from possible mill-water sources in the southern Black Hills were obtained, and commercial softening and demineralizing methods were investigated. Data on various waters tested are given in table 1."

Jun 1, 1946

By Michael Schmitz, John A. Organiscak

ABSTRACT: A method (patent pending) has been developed to determine the quality of environmental cab filtration systems. This method utilizes specially configured filter cartridges to remove carbon dioxide from the ambient air with the environmental cab’s air filtration system. A real-time gas monitor is placed inside an unoccupied cab with the filtration system running to time decay the carbon dioxide to its lowest concentration or equilibrium level. The outside carbon dioxide concentration level can be measured concurrently with another gas monitor or with the same inside cab gas monitor during a representative period before and after the inside sampling is conducted. Cab filtration system leakage is comparatively deduced from the difference between the special cartridge filter efficiency and overall cab efficiency. Laboratory trials have illustrated that desirable high efficiency test filter configurations (greater than 99 % efficiency) can be devised, but have air quantity and test time limitations. These trials also demonstrated that CO2 penetration was reflective of controlled air leaks around a high efficiency filter under equilibrium conditions. This report examines the elements of this patent pending method.

By Eleanor Abshire

THIS PUBLICATION is the third to be prepared as a result of a cooperative project by the Bureau of Ships and the Bureau of Mines for accumulating literature published on zirconium and hafnium. The undertaking also resulted in the establishment of an information center on zirconium and hafnium at the Bureau of Mines station at Albany, Oreg., for the use of research organizations and others. The present bibliography consists of references (with abstracts) to pertinent literature on zirconium. The first publication in this series was Information Circular 7771, Bibliography of Zirconium, published in April 1957. It consists of 969 abstracted reports and 645 U.S. and foreign patents. The second publication, called a supplement to Information Circular 7771, is numbered Information Circular 7830 and consists of 844 abstracted reports and 62 U.S. and foreign patents. It was published in October 1958.

Jan 1, 1962

By R. J. Gajan

As part of its research program on secondary metal refining, the Federal Bureau of Mines has developed a fast method for determining aluminum, iron, copper, cadmium, and lead in zinc-base alloys. The new method is intended for use by trained technicians in laboratories with inexpensive equipment. It can be used either in the analytical laboratories of the many small plants that are characteristic of the secondary metals industry or in laboratories engaged in basic research to improve refining processes. A complete analysis for the foregoing elements can be made in less than 3 hours from a single sample in solution. The method is especially helpful when a small amount of sample is available. Aluminum and iron are determined spectrophotometrically and the other elements polarographically. The new method is now being used for control analysis in metallurgical research, and the results compare favorably with previously used spectrographic methods. Luke and Braun4/ described a photometric method for the determination of aluminum in zinc diecasting alloys in which the aluminum was complexed with Aluminon reagent (ammonium salt of aurintricarboxylic acid), forming a red lake. An adaptation of this method was used for determining aluminum. Beers law is obeyed between 0.01 and 0.06 milligram of aluminum.

Jan 1, 1961

By David A. Benjamin

From 1986 to 1989, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 59,600-acre Mexican Mountain Wilderness Study Area (UT-060-054) in order to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The study area is located in Emery County, UT, about 24 miles east of Castle Dale, UT. A review of the geologic and mining literature, and a field examination identified two uranium prospects in the Wilderness Study Area, and three copper prospects nearby. One-hundred ninety-five rock samples were taken.

Jan 1, 1989

By S. J. Aresco

The Bureau of Mines has been active in promoting the purchase of coal for Government use under specifications that define the requirements in terms of heating value of the coal, expressed in British thermal units, and the composition as shown by proximate analyses. To these, when required, are added the ash-softening temperature, the free-swelling index, and the Hardgrove grindability index. Under most of these specification contracts the bidders guarantee the quality of the coal, and that guaranteed by the successful bidder becomes the standard of his contract. The deliveries are sampled in accordance with instructions 5/ issued by the Bureau of Mines; the samples are analyzed in the Bureau laboratory to determine whether the coal is of the quality guaranteed by the contractor and, if it is not, a price adjustment is made. Analyses of the delivered coal and tipple samples (samples collected at mine tipples as coal is being loaded into railroad cars or trucks) provide valuable data for use in evaluating future bids. In addition, the continuous sampling of coal as delivered is a check on the practical results obtained in burning the coal.

Jan 1, 1962

By F. S. Crawford

The wide variation in the medical facilities, type of accident reports and provision for the welfare of employees, in addition to the compensation provided by the various State laws,- was -studi-eci, by the.. wri-ter in the Lake .. Superior_ r.egion . .. - -Several cDmpanies f~rnished. the information which follows. Names have been omitted , ~ut the information should be of .intere·st to companies desirous of improving t_his branch of thej..r accident-prevention work. : . . --Because a summary of the metho.ds used would merel:y: result in _ a.n a.ttempt to set _up an ideal, it was concluded that in preparing this paper a statem.ent .of_ tbe individual methods of -each company wou-l d .b-e .Qf .. the most inte-res.t, . and the.y h~ve . been .. li.steq with .no regard to the size of the company . . ··· -In the - appendix are -a -number of report. forms used by .various _operators for reporting accidents to t he company and .to the State. These are self- explanatory. and many a re mentioned in -the body of circu-1-ar-.

Mar 1, 1932