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By GLADYS G. HEFFNER, William H. Waggaman, Edwin A. Gee

Thallium is one of the rare and relatively neglected elements that has recently assumed conspicuous importance. This element is widely distributed in nature but occurs in such minute quantities in most rocks and minerals that its recovery at present is only commercially feasible as a byproduct of other industries. World War II, with its unprecedented demand for products having special or unusual properties, led to a study of a number of the rarer elements that previously had been given comparatively little attention for one or more of the following reasons: 1. 2. Limited knowledge of properties. Small quantitios present in available raw materials. 3. High cost of concentration and recovery. Some of those rare elements, either alone or in the form of compounds, have already proved of such value for certain military and industrial purposes that their extraction from ores and waste products, oven at high cost, is fully justified. On the othor hand, further investigation of their character- istics, discovery of more adequato sources, and improvement in methods of con- centration and recovery would greatly broaden their field of usefulness and establish new and expanded industries. The current market for some of these elements exceeds the available supply. One of the functions of the Bureau of Mines is to study the properties of such elements in greater detail, locate the most promising raw materials from which they can be derived, and work out methods of extraction that will render the recovery of such elements more economical. The purpose of a serios of information circulars on the raror elements is to present in condensed form the facts and data so far available. This information may serve as a basis in planning more complete investigations loading to a full utilization of such elements.

Mar 1, 1950

By William R. Hardwick

Present information indicates that a copper deposit can be safely fractured with a nuclear explosive and the copper successfully recovered by the in-situ leaching method. The process is not yet at the stage where it can be presented t ) the mining industry as a technique proven in all its aspects, but it is a method with high success potential. Unknown factors must be evaluated by a full-scale test before the economics or the extent of the use of the method by the mining industry can be predicted. Preliminary calculations indicate that the cost of fracturing a copper deposit nuclear explosives may range from l.8 to 55.2 cents per ton or in some case: less than a cent per pound of recoverable copper. Copper may be recovered at less cost than by conventional methods. Deposits with 4 pounds of recoverable copper may be economic and production from a deposit may begin in less than half the time required for conventional methods.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. R. Spencer, E. Reeves

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers conducted an investigation to quantify sound levels and to determine the amount of sound reduction provided by engineering noise controls installed in a talc processing plant. Baseline sound level and sound intensity measurements were performed at the plant and the measurement locations were recorded for comparison to post-control measurements. Follow-up measurements were then made at the same locations after the initial noise controls were installed. The plant subsequently decided to implement additional noise controls and the researchers returned to conduct measurements for a final analysis of all noise controls. The most significant results showed a sound level reduction in the main mill area from a range of 93-104 dB(A) down to 90-94 dB(A), and a total sound power level reduction of 21 dB(A) for air classifying mill 3.

By Lowell B. Moon

The Stange and Byrnes Heirs manganese mines, adjoining properties in Bland and Giles Counties, Va., have produced at least 20,000 long tons of concentrates containing 8,000 long tons of manganese. They were selected as the site for a strategic-mineral development project because of the existence of geologic possibilities for extensions of the known ore body. In plan, the long dimension of the ore body parallels the axis of a major anticline. Localization apparently is due to longitudinal and transverse fracturing incident to two-way folding. That the manganese oxides were deposited by downward-moving solutions is suggested by the fact that mineable concentrations are confined to a coarse, porous sandstone under-lain by impervious silt and clay. Bureau of Mines project work began on January 15, 1941, and was completed on April 23. The work sampling the faces of the pit, bulldozer trenching, and churn drilling. Pit sampling consisted of 132 channel samples usually 5 feet long and taken at 20-foot intervals. Seventeen trenches aggregating some 4,500 feet in length were dug by the bulldozer. Trenches averaged 12.6 feet in width and 5 feet in depth. A total of 1,978 feet of churn drilling was done in 33 holes. In preparation for churn drilling it was necessary to construct roads to 21 of the 33 sites. A total of 2,867 linear feet of road averaging 13 feet in width was built.

Jan 1, 1950

By H. E. Peterson

Rhenium occurs in very small quantities (12).4 In order for the Federal Bureau of Mines to conduct an investigation of rhenium sources and methods of extraction, it was necessary to devise improved techniques for detecting and measuring minute quantities of the metal. A modification of the procedure of Malouf and White (46) was developed which can be used to detect rhenium in concentrations as small as 0.1 part per million and can be used to measure quantities of 1.0 part per million. It can be used for the analysis of siliceous and calcareous ores, of molybdenite concentrates, of fumes, of flue dusts, and of other metallurgical products. Development of the method involved devising an amine extraction procedure for separating rhenium from all interfering elements except tungsten and a selective distillation procedure for separating rhenium from tungsten. Adoption of these separation procedures permits use of large samples and precise determination of rhenium by colorimetric analysis of the thiocyanate complex of rhenium by means of a spectrophotometer.

Jan 1, 1961

By W. P. Diamond, F. Garcia, J. K. Marshall

Many longwall mines rely on methane drainage to supplement traditional fan-based ventilation systems. However, the surface production facilities for methane drainage systems, including gob gas ventholes, are commonly located in remote locations, sometimes without convenient access to electrical power, and they may be monitored infrequently. The first evidence that a methane drainage system may not be operating efficiently, or not operating at all, can be an increase in methane concentrations at a return air shaft or underground where the workforce is exposed to the risk of a methane explosion. A solar powered, remote gob gas venthole monitoring and cellular telephone-based real-time data transmission system has been developed and successfully field tested by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to address this problem. With this system, individual methane drainage boreholes can be monitored from the mine office to determine current operational performance parameters, as well as review past data to anticipate maintenance needs and troubleshoot operational problems.

By T. C. Green

A two-phase program evaluated commercial proximity warning devices and then served to design and develop an automatic electrostatic field strength measurement device with improved performance. The Phase I program consisted of test and evaluation of three commercial proximity warning devices, all of which operate on the principle of electrostatic field intensity measurement for determining proximity to high voltage power lines. Performance testing of these devices utilized full-scale cranes and power line systems and a scale model facility. The evaluation results were reported in the Phase I report entitled "Evaluation of Proximity Warning Devices" dated 22 February 1980. Under the Phase II program, a microproressor-based data acquisition system was designed and developed to collect and measure field strength at distributed points around the crane boom. This unit (referred to as the Distributed Sensor AC Electrometer) measures the field strength about a crane boom using 17 distributed sensors. Keyboard control is provided for the equipment operator. Measured field strength values are displayed on a line printer and recorded on magnetic tape. Laboratory testing of this unit demonstrated performance characteristics and field strength measurement accuracy within the design goals. A Phase III measurements program is proposed using the AC Electrometer to map the field strength contours about power line configurations.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. W. Jones, R. E. Kennedy

"INTRODUCTION In the manufacture, storage, transportation, and use of combustible gases and vapors, explosion hazards, which at times may be present when air becomes mixed with the gases and vapors, become of primary importance. Such conditions are especially dangerous where large volumes of gaseous atmosphere are involved, because an explosion under such circumstances is capable of doing tremendous damage to both property and personnel.Because of its interest in safety in the mining and allied industries, the Federal Bureau of Mines has investigated, and published results dealing with, the explosibility of various types of combutible atmospheres. The explosion hazards of natural gases have received attention, and results giving the limits of inflammability and ignition temperatures in air have been determined and published. 4/ Other investigations have shown how explosions of natural gas-air mixtures may be prevented by the addition of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. 5/Because of the increased demand for crude oil for war purposes, the application of secondary-recovery methods of stimulating oil production have received considerable attention during the last few years. The process consists in the injection of natural gas into partly depleted oil wells to cause the oil in the sands to flow into producing wells and so increase the amount of recoverable oil. 6/"

Feb 1, 1945

In this issue, the Bureau of Mines announces the availability of the latest of its Mineral Perspectives series: ?MP-4, mineral Industry of Western Europe." This publication describes the mineral industries of 19 Western European countries. For readers unfamiliar with this new series, reproduced below and on the two succeeding pages, is the section dealing with the mineral industries of France. Information regarding acquisition of this publication is found inside the back cover of this issue. FRANCE France is a moderately important producer of minerals, including iron ore, coal, potash, fluorspar, and uranium. In addition, France is a significant processor of imported minerals, chiefly for its own consumption. In general, it has exportable surpluses only of a little iron ore (low-grade ore exported to Luxembourg) and some nonmetallics.

Jan 1, 1977

By Scott Turner

Many of you radio listeners have probably never seen a mine . You may be glad of it, but you should not forget that there is a vast army of men in this country who not only have to see mines , but have to work in them day by day in order that you may be supplied with many of the things you need. Specifically , nearly a million men work in the mines of the United States , 700,000 in the coal mines , 110,000 in the metal mines , 100,000 in other mines and quarries , and 75,000 in the oil and gas fields . On a stormy night , the average citizen is apt to think of the perils of the seaman . Particularly in the old days before steamships , many a prayer went up " God help the poor sailor on a night like this . " At the same time , the sailormen often expressed fear for the poor landlubber , exposed as he was to the danger of falling chimneys , swaying signboards , and uprooted trees . So with the miner . Many of you may pity him , for working underground in complete darkness except for feeble artificial lighting , mining coal or ore , drilling hard rock , handling explosives , and perhaps breathing vitiated air . On the other hand , on stormy days , with rain , snow or hail falling , and with the temperature low , or on hot bright days , I have often heard miners joke about the poor fellows who had to stay " on top, " and could not get " down below" where there was no wind , where no snow fell, where the temperature was unchanging , and where a man could have his own working place , arranged to suit himself , with little interference from meddlers and with no automobiles to dodge . So do not feel too sorry for the miner . He is quite apt to be a strong , healthy , hearty person , making pretty good wages , and fairly well contented with his lot .

Dec 1, 1930

By J. C. Gerdeen

This project was a supporting effort with research contract H0230016 at White Pine Copper Company. Creep properties of White Pine rock were determined. These and properties for bolted joints were used in finite element analyses of sections of the White Pine Mine which included analysis of bed separations in the roof and sloping faults. In-situ experimental measurements were made of tension, compression, and bending of resin bolts by use of strain-gaged bolts. Evaluations of bolting effectiveness and comparisons of predicted and measured roof behavior are given.

Jan 1, 1976

By H. D. Kline

This publication describes mining and milling methods and costs at the Madison mine of National Lead Co., St. Louis Smelting & Refining Division, in the Fredericktown district of southeast Missouri and is one of a series prepared by the Federal Bureau of Mines on methods, practices, and costs of mining and milling throughout the United States. The are bodies of the Madison mine are known for the complexity and diversity of their are minerals. Sulfides of copper, nickel, and cobalt occur in commercial quantities with lead sulfide, which is the most valuable metallic mineral in are bodies of the Bonne Terre formation in southeast Missouri. Several attempts were made by various operators to mine the complex ores and separate the sulfide minerals before 1927 when National Lead Co. became interested in the Fredericktown district. Operating then as the St. Louis Smelting & Refining Co., the company began mining and milling ores from the Madison mine in 1944 and has operated continuously since then. A recently built refinery produces copper, nickel, and cobalt metal from a concentrate containing iron sulphides and small quantities of copper, nickel, and cobalt sulphides.

Jan 1, 1961

By Andrew M. Leszcykowski

A 1981 U.S. Bureau of Mines investigation indicates the Panamint Dunes Wilderness Study Area (WSA) has one active (intermittent) mine,--borrow pit MS 242 owned by the California Department of Transportation (Cal Trans). This mine produces cinders for road base and traction grit. It contains about 900,000 tons of inferred reserves. Examination and sample analyses indicate the Panamint Dunes deposit, covering about 480 acres of the WSA, may have silica resources and the Green Quartz Claim may have copper resources. Carbonate rocks occur in the WSA, but stone resources have not been identified. Adjacent to the WSA, the Big Four Mine contains 35,000 tons of inferred subeconomic zinc-lead-silver resources, and may have additional resources. Sample analyses indicate the Apple 1 Claim, also adjacent to the WSA, may have silver-lead-zinc resources.

Jan 1, 1985

By Karl C. Dean

All components of 15 automobiles manufactured between 1954 and 1965 were analyzed, and it was determined that a representative junk automobile would have the following composition (all figures in pounds): steel, 2,532; cast iron, 511; copper, 32; zinc, 54; aluminum, 51; lead, 20; rubber, 145; glass, 87; miscellaneous, 142. Time and motion studies and a cost evaluation were made to determine if such a typical vehicle could be economically burned in a smokeless incinerator and hand-dismantled, and if the resultant steel could be baled into a high-quality No. 2 bundle containing less than 0.10 percent copper. The cost evaluation showed that processing the composite car would cost about $51 to produce about $56 worth of marketable ferrous and nonferrous metal products and provide an annual rate of return on investment of 19 percent.

Jan 1, 1969

By Thomas V. Falkie

The purpose of this work was to investigate the rate at which coal is delivered from the underground working face by gathering arm type loaders as employed on continuous mining machines, to identify the factors -- geometrical, geological, mechanical, or procedural which affect the delivery rate, and to develop quantitative rate descriptive equations for the loading function. The mathematical techniques employed were factor analysis and multiple linear regression. It was determined that the coal-cutting function of the continuous mining machine is the factor that primarily influences the loading function. The geometrical factors -- the dimensions of the work area in relation to the dimensions of the mining machine - were the factors of secondary influence. Fifty-five percent of the experimental variation in the loading function was explained in terms of the six most prominent independent variables. It is expected that this work will be useful in operations-research studies as applied to underground coal mining, and with refinement will enable mine planners to select equipment based on the operating characteristics of the equipment and the mining conditions.

Jan 1, 1972

By Edward L. McHugh

The study area, which comprises 11,500 acres, includes the 9,610-acre Whitewater Wilderness Study Area, in the California Desert Conservation Area, 15 miles northwest of Palm Springs, CA. The U.S. Bureau of Mines evaluation of mineral resources is based on examination of prospects and mineralized areas during the spring of 1981. The Whitewater study area is mainly underlain by granodiorite to quartz diorite and their gneissic equivalents in an igneous-metamorphic complex. Late Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks locally overlie the crystalline complex in the eastern part of the study area. The study area lies between branches of the San Andreas fault system.

Jan 1, 1986

By William R. Archibald

This report presents the results of a program demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of hydraulic borehole mining of uraniferous sandstone. This mining technique involves the drilling of a borehole from the surface down into the ore body. A borehole mining tool consisting of a high-pressure cutting jet and a slurry jet pump is lowered down the borehole. Water from the high-pressure cutting jet cuts into the sandstone formation generating a water-sand slurry which flows to the slurry jet pump and is pumped to the surface. The cutting jet is rotated and moved up and down from the surface, thereby generating a cavity in the formation. When the cavity size reaches a point beyond the effective radius of the cutting jet, the mining tool is moved to an adjacent borehole and the process is started again. This program was carried out in four phases. Phase I included modifications to the borehole mining system (built and tested under a previous contract, No. H0252007, for the mining of coal) and factory tests of the jetting system. Phase II covered the field tests and a public demonstration. Phase III involved nozzle and equipment modifications and factory tests. Field testing continued under Phase IV along with an evaluation of this method. The field tests were conducted successfully on Rocky Mountain Energy Company's Nine Mile Lake property near Casper, Wyoming. Results indicate that; hydraulic borehole mining of uranium is technically feasible (300 tons of uraniferous sandstone were mined from a depth of 90 ft) and the hydraulic borehole method is economically attractive. However, additional testing is required to clearly define the economic feasibility.

Jan 1, 1978

By Mark S. Sanders

Six underground coal mine shuttle cars (three high seam and three low seam) were used to assess visibility using the concept of visual attention locations (VALs) and an improved human eye reference measurement instrument (HERMI Mark II). Each machine was assessed in the inby and outby direction of travel with no canopy and with the canopy in its highest, and lowest position. In addition, the illumination level at each VAL was determined. Results showed that the most important variable determining visibility was operator eye position. When this variable is controlled, the addition of a canopy has no effect on visibility. Further, with eye position controlled, there is no difference in visibility between high and low seam machines. The visibility and illumination assessments found blind spots in the operator's field of view located on the opposite side of the car from the operator and ahead of the machine. Suggestions for reducing the blind spots were made. The report also included a procedure manual for using HERMI and the system of VALs to assess visibility from underground shuttle cars, continuous miners, and scoops.

Jan 1, 1983

By H. D. Kline

This paper describes the methods of mining and washing brown iron are in 1957 at the Sawyer mine, leased by Wayne County Mining Co., and the Fore mine, leased by Four Mining Co., both in southern Missouri; it is one of a series prepared by the Federal Bureau of Mines on mining and milling methods and costs in various districts of the United States. The Sawyer mine is in Wayne County, about 10 miles north-northeast of Williamsville (fig. 1); the Fore mine is in Howell County, about 20 miles southwest of West Plains (fig. 2). Both are open-pit mines from which the crude are was upgraded by washing and hand-sorting to produce are of grade and quality suitable for sale to operators of iron and steel furnaces. The operations described are typical of many others that produce or have produced marketable brown iron are from small sedimentary deposits, several hundred of which outcrop on the crests or hill sides of southern Missouri (fig. 3). The 1957 production of marketable brown iron are by 40 separate operations in the southern part of the State was 281,427 wet long tons, valued at $1,637,243. Production from the Sawyer mine that year was 17,000 dry long tons of washed are, and from the Fore mine, 20,816 dry long tons.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. R. Allsup

Air pollutants in exhaust gas produced from LP-gas (propane) were studied using both laboratory engines and vehicles. The objective of the study was to evaluate engine parameters relating to the advantageous use of propane as a low-pollution fuel. Some comparisons are made between gasoline, natural gas, and propane. Results show that engines can operate over a wider range of A/F with minimum carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emission when using propane than when using gasoline. Mixture enrichment using propane is unnecessary during cold starts, thereby eliminating the emission penalty during warmup. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emission using propane are unaffected by ambient temperature. The photochemical reactivity of hydrocarbon emission is considerably lower with propane than with gasoline.

Jan 1, 1972