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Since March 28, domestic producer prices on 99.5 percent aluminum ingot have been at 5l¢ per pound. Dealers in this same time frame have held ingot quotes at 49¢-50.5¢ per pound. COBALT: Imports from southern Africa in 1976 constituted 73 percent of total cobalt imports. Moreover, the United States is 98 percent dependent on imports of cobalt. For this reason, the Bureau of Mines is closely monitoring developments abroad to ensure an advance notice of any possibility of a shortfall in supply. Included in these imports were those from Zaire (41 percent directly from Zaire and 15 percent via Belgium-Luxembourg), Zambia (11 percent), and Botswana (6 percent). Also being closely watched are industry stocks.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. W. Weems

The specific objective of this investigation was to determine the compressibility factors for helium and carbon dioxide mixtures at -10° and -20° C and pressures to 1,000 psia. A Burnett apparatus was used. Data from the experiments were treated by the method of Barieau and Dalton. Tables of compressibility factors and approximations of the virial coefficients are presented for 10 binary mixtures as well as for helium and carbon dioxide. The results follow the same trend as data previously reported.

Jan 1, 1970

By Hewitt Wilson

Until recent years the term "whiting" was applied exclusively to the water-ground chalks of certain north European countries. In many industries these are still considered superior to the whiting made from domestic limestone and marble. However, the latter material has replaced much of the European whiting in the American market, largely due to improvements in grinding and classification by American manufacturers.4 To encourage the domestic industry, the Bureau of Mines in 1931 undertook a study of the preparation of whiting from American raw materials and a comparison of the finished products with European whitings.

Jan 1, 1937

By R. S. Sanford

The Muir Inlet or Nunatak molybdenum deposits arc in the Glacier Bay district, Muir Inlet, miles northwest of Juneau. The deposits were examined by Bureau of Mines engineers, and the area was mapped by a field party of the Federal Geological Survey during the summer of 1942. 5/ The following year the Bureau of Mines began developing the deposits. A total of 217 channel samples were taken, and 2 diamond drill holes totaling 256 feet wore drilled. The samples were sent to the' Bureau's laboratories at Rolla, Mo. for beneficiation.

Jan 1, 1949

By D. R. Flinn

The Bureau of Mines has studied the electrochemical parameters important to the preparation of coatings of the platinum-group metals. Using molten mixtures of sodium and potassium cyanides in an inert atmosphere, techniques have been developed that permit the preparation of baths for platinum, rhodium, and iridium electrodeposition. Cyclic voltammetric and slow sweep rate linear polarization techniques have been utilized to determine optimum potential and current values for preparation of plating baths and for the electrodeposition of coatings. Techniques are described for the deposition of platinum and rhodium coatings at near 100 percent anode and cathode current efficiencies, and for iridium at approximately 80-percent efficiency. Palladium deposition from these molten cyanide baths remains un-satisfactory. The chemistry of the palladium-containing cyanide bath is discussed. Examples of scanning electron microscope photomicrographs of typical platinum coatings are presented. Techniques are described for the preparation of platinum coatings on large objects.

Jan 1, 1982

By A. J. Kraemer

For a number of years the Bureau of Mines has been conducting an investi-gation of crude petroleum from producing fields in the United States and the Western Hemisphere and has published a series of reports on these fields. Analyses of crude-oil samples from some oil fields of Louisiana are given in Bulletin 291. Analyses Of 26 representative crude oils from various producing formations of southern Louisiana are given in this report. These samples are from 14 fields in 10 parishes in the southern part of the State, usually designated as the "Louisiana Gulf Coast area."

Jan 1, 1934

Robert C. Horton was sworn in as the new Director of the Bureau of Mines on October 13 in Washington. Horton, 54, was director of the Geology Division of the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation's operations in Grand Junction, Colorado, before being nominated by - it Reagan for this position. A geological engineer, he has been associated with the mining industry in the West for over 35 years. Legislation to expand the Defense Production Act for 1 year until September 30, 1982, was signed by the President on September 30. The Administration had requested, steel a 5-year extension, but the Congress chose to spend another year considering proposed revisions. The Act, among other things, authorizes the allocation of strategic materials for defense purposes and allows incentives including floor prices and Government financing to encourage domestic mineral projects.

Jan 1, 1981

By Frank C. Townsend

Waste disposal schemes using spent shale in embankments require a thorough knowledge of its geotechnical engineering properties for environ-mentally safe disposal. In this context, the objective of this laboratory investigation was to determine the physical properties, geotechnical properties, and composition of spent oil shale retorted by the PARAHO and TOSCO processes. Physical properties consisted of mechanical analyses, Atterberg limits, and specific gravity determinations. Geotechnical engineering properties were determined by compaction, maximum-minimum density, unconfined compression, triaxial compression, permeability, direct shear, Ko, cyclic tri-axial, resonant column, and Los Angeles Abrasion tests. Petrographic, chemical, and scanning electron microscopy analyses were used to determine compositional features. Unprocessed shale is hard and durable and more properly described as a carbonate rock instead of shale. PARAHO is classified as a GP, while TOSCO classifies as an SM. PARAHO requires no moisture for compaction to maximum densities; however, TOSCO does. Retorting causes a loss in durability but creates self-cementing characteristics, which for PARAHO a 3-to 8-fold strength increase was observed, while for TOSCO the increase was 1.5 to 3 folds. The shear strength, compressibility, and dynamic properties of compacted PARAHO are comparable to those for sandy gravels. Compacted PARAHO is semipervious, while compacted TOSCO can be semipervious to impermeable.

Jan 1, 1979

By Katherine A. Margolis

Refuge Chamber Expectations Training was created by a multidisciplinary team at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to inform miners of what to expect psychologically and physically if it became necessary to use a refuge chamber in a mine emergency. The presentation can be used either for one large group or for individual miners. The training is a multimedia Adobe Flash presentation containing pictures, audio, video, and interviews with miners who have used a refuge chamber in an emergency. It must be run on a computer with Adobe Flash Player installed (refer to the computer system requirements section).

Oct 1, 2009

By Peter Grandone

Bureau of Mines engineers engaged in studying stimulative methods of recovering oil have been making a series of tests on the effectiveness' of methods that may be applied in water flooding oil-bearing sandstones. The report gives the test procedures and results of a study of the rates and pressures used for injecting water into several sandstone formations in the Mid-Continent fields for the purpose of learning more about the mechanics and efficiency of the flooding process and to provide useful information for operators of water floods in this area.

Jan 1, 1949

The United States has not begun commercial operations to tap its largest poten-tial sources of oil supply - oil shale and coal. The reason is that domestic petrol-eum has been plentiful in the past and liquid products probably could be produced from it at the lowest cost. In view of the ever-increasing need for petroleum in the United States, the critical international situation threatening foreign supplies, the growing demands for steel, and the heavy costs to industry of constantly discovering and developing new oil fields, it is believed that the prompt development of a synthetic fuel industry based on oil shale and coal is not only requisite to safeguard our oil supply but is an economically sound course for the foreseeable future. To neglect its development is to close our eyes and minds to our own resources at a time when they are needed critically. It also is apparent now that neither the Government nor industry would be taking any considerable economic risk in starting the initial plants, especially as measured against their potential value in meeting critical oil and chemical demands and in building a new industry in the West.

Jan 1, 1951

By Ani Chitaley

A new method has been developed for handling supplies in underground bituminous coal mines. A survey indicates industry wide implementation potential for the proposed method. Reduction of supply handling accidents' by as much as 73% and improvements in the productivity of face operations by at least 3% are anticipated benefits. The new method is based on the palletization of daily supplies and the use of a forklift for carrying out the handling tasks at the underground section. A prototype of the forklift has been delivered to the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The forklift has demonstrated several important features necessary for underground supply handling such as compactness, maneuverability, visibility, ease of control and auxiliary attachments for hoisting, carrying timber and pulling. Design improvements are recommended for future generation underground forklifts. These relate to higher speed, increased battery duty cycle, higher payload and modified traction/steering to eliminate plowing of soft mine floors.

Jan 1, 1983

By Jacqueline A. McClaskey

The U.S. Bureau of Mines Information and Analysis Directorate collects world-wide data on virtually every commercially important nonfuel mineral commodity. These data form the base for tracking and assessing the health of the minerals sector of the U.S. economy. The Bureau's data collection activity was instituted by the 47th Congress in an appropriations act of August 7, 1882 (22 Stat. 329), which placed the collection of mineral statistics on an annual basis. The most recent authority for the U.S. Bureau of Mines survey activity is the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 (public Law 96-479, 96th Congress). This act strengthens protection for proprietary data provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior by persons or firms engaged in any phase of mineral or mineral-material production or consumption.

Jan 1, 1993

By Gordon L. Kinney

The only economically important mineral currently produced in Bangladesh was natural gas. Bangladesh was not a world? ranked producer of any mineral commodity, but the possibility of producing and exporting commercial amounts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) was being examined. Proved reserves of natural gas were sufficient to supply most of the country's industrial and domestic heating and electric needs and still support an export-oriented LNG plant. Other mineral production was of virtually no significance to the economy, although there were a few prospects for nonmetallic mineral development. Bangladesh continued to make economic progress during 1978 and into early 1979. Gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices rose from $6.6 billion in 1976-772 to $8.2 billion in 1977?78 and $9.3 billion in 1978.79.2 In fiscal 1979, the economic conditions were favorable until a severe drought hit most of the country. It W88 reported that conditions were the worst in 40 years, and 88 of July 1979, substantial crop losses were predicted. The agricultural sector accounts for over 53% of the GDP and about 75% of all employment. The poor weather will cause economic problems in the form of slower growth, larger trade deficits, and a higher rate of inflation. The 1978.79 statistics showed that real GDP increased just 4%.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. G. Iverson

The purpose of this investigation was to beneficiate the Talladega gray iron ores by flotation. A component of the problem was the determination of the degree of beneficiation possible by flotation as well as the relative selectivity of certain reagents in promoting flotation of either the iron minerals or the siliceous gangue minerals. The scope of the present investigation involved only the use of small-scale laboratory equipment. Treatment by roasting and magnetic separation was not included in this study, inasmuch as a similar comprehensive investigation was completed and the results were published by the Bureau of Mines in 1927. The results of the work on Talladega iron ores are briefly summarized in this report. In the search for efficient and economic methods of beneficiating low-grade iron ores, the flotation process is among those that are receiving considerable attention. The Talladega ores are of particular interest for a flotation study, because they contain two iron minerals (magnetite and specular hematite) that are somewhat dissimilar in their flotative response.

Jan 1, 1949

By Oliver Bowles

From remote antiquity stone has been employed for structural, ornamental, and memorial purposes. It was, and still is, so used because of its availability in innumerable localities and its architectural adaptability, dignity, substantiality, and durability. The principal varieties of stone used are granite, marble, limestone, sandstone, and slate. This report deals with granite. OCCURRENCE AND CHARACTER OF GRANITE Granites usually have been classed as igneous rocks derived from molten masses or magmas, but there is wide evidence that the origin of some granites may be attributed to regional metamorphism of preexisting rocks, rearrangement and recrystallization taking place without a liquid or molten stage. In any event granitization is a slow, deep-seated process.

Jan 1, 1956

By Carl Rampacek

Recent research by the Bureau of Mines has demonstrated that the segregation process has merit for treating oxidized and mixed oxide-sulfide copper ores. The process comprises heating the crushed ore with salt and coke or other carbonaceous materials at about 700° C. to produce fine flake copper, which then is recovered by conventional copper-flotation methods. Bench-scale laboratory tests of a number of oxidized and mixed copper ores assaying 0.78 to 5 percent Cu gave copper recoveries of 73 to 96 percent. The flotation concentrates assayed 21 to 76 percent Cu, depending on the ore being treated.

Jan 1, 1959

By D. S. Kimmel

The Bureau of Mines sponsored development of a system to remotely energize and de-energize the trolley wire in a section in response to demands from vehicles as they enter and leave the controlled section. The system developed utilizes a detector/actuator that controls a dc contactor at the outby end, and a 3 kHz oscillator at the inby end. A prototype system has been built and installed at the Bureau's trolley test site at Bruceton, Pennsylvania which has demonstrated the ability to also provide load discrimination for faults of 300 amperes or more. The system could readily be modified by locating the oscillator on the vehicle to provide automatic de-energizing of the trolley wire when the vehicle's pole is removed or the vehicle leaves the section.

Jan 1, 1978

By C. R. Hubbard

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineral resources of the Upper Missouri River Basin as a part of a comprehensive water and related land resources study by six Bureaus of the Department of the Interior, coordinated by the Department?s Missouri River Basin Field Committee. The mineral resource study covers an area of about 18,000 square miles within the Great Plains physiographic province of central Montana. Exposed formations in the plains are chiefly flat-lying Cretaceous sediments. Plutonic rocks crop out in the central parts of the mountain uplifts, with steeply tilted Paleozoic sediments exposed around the margins. Oil and gas have been produced from several fields in the study area; total value exceeds $45 million. Coal-bearing formations of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous age cover approximately 45 percent of the study area. Total production of coal since 1880 has been between 40 and 50 million tons, exceeding $75 million in value. Total metal production has been about $52.5 million. Industrial mineral production from 1925 through 1960, is valued at $24 million.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Hubbard

The Bureau of Mines investigated the mineral resources of the Upper Missouri River Basin as a part of a comprehensive water and related land resources study by six Bureaus of the Department of the Interior, coordinated by the Department's Missouri River Basin Field Committee. The mineral resource study covers an area of about 18,000 square miles within the Great Plains physiographic province of central Montana. Exposed Formations in the plains are chiefly flat-lying Cretaceous sediments. Plutonic rocks crop out in the central parts of the mountain uplifts, with steeply tilted Paleozoic sediments exposed around the margins. Oil and gas have been produced from several fields in the study area; total value exceeds $45 million. Coal-bearing formations of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous age cover approximately 45 percent of the study area. Total production of coal since 1880 has been between 40 and 50 million tons, exceeding $75 million in value. Total metal production has been about $52.5 million. Industrial mineral production from 1925 through 1960, is valued at $24 million.

Jan 1, 1964