Search Documents

By W. H. Furlonge

WHILE fulfilling professional engagements, my travels over this portion of the Transvaal have been quite extensive—always on horseback however, so that anything like a thorough investigation of the ground passed over has been necessarily impossible; still, the more minute examination of certain small areas, coupled with general observations, has enabled me to form some idea as to the prominent geological features of the country as a whole. Anything like a complete or comprehensive description is indeed out of the question, as there are no proper maps of the country and the facilities for observation are limited. A large plateau, called the "High Veldt," stretches from east to west across the Transvaal. It is generally level, or gently rolling, and has an average elevation of 6000 feet above the sea; it is destitute of timber, and in fact greatly resembles the western prairies of North America. Rock-outcrops are not common in it. It terminates very abruptly to the east and northeast, the descent of 2000 or 3000 feet into the mountainous country that occupies its borders being made in a

Jan 1, 1890

By Reinhardt Thiessen

IN THE general study of coal, all evidence points in the one direction -that coals had their origin in a manner analogous to that of peat. The best method of studying coal, whether it concerns its chemistry, composition, or physical condition, is to study peat. The essentials in a study of peat are a knowledge of the chemistry of plants, knowledge of decay and of the transformation process of plant-substances into peat. A number of facts must be emphasized, namely, (1) peat is formed under wet conditions only; (2) plants grow in the place where peat is formed; (3) all the plant substances go into the bog; and (4) all the plant substances are subjected to a series of phases of decay which are (a) in the air completely above the water level but in relatively moist conditions; (b) above the water level, but covered by debris; and (c) completely submerged by both water and debris.

Jan 3, 1925

By Thomas Leonard Watson

Introduction,...... Historical Statement,....644 Geology of the District,....645 The Weisner Quartzite,....647 Topography,. .....653 Rock-Weathering,..... The OcheR-Deposits,.....655 Petrography of the Quartzite,..655 Associated Ore-Deposits,....657 Chemical Composition of the Ocher,. 658 Mode of Occurrence of the Ocher,..659 In the Fresh Rock,....660 In the Residual Clays,...661 Origin of the Ocher,....662 Economic Features,..... Methods of Mining,..... Preparation of the Ocher,...664 Uses,........ Introduction. Knowledge of the existence of yellow-ocher deposits in Bartow county, Georgia, dates back to the early mining of manganese- and iron-ores in the vicinity of Cartersville. Systematic mining of the ocher in this area really began, however, probably not longer than a decade back, although the date of its first working is as early as the year 1877. The district has been, for a number of years, one of the principal producers of yellow ocher in the United States; and at no period of its development have mining activities been greater and more successful than at present. Systematic field-study of the ocher- and manganese-deposits of Georgia was begun by me while I was a member of the

Jan 1, 1904

By Rodney Lawrence, Tim Hackett

INTRODUCTION The western USA contains significant coal reserves in seams 10 feet or more in thickness which lie too deep for surface mining. As part of a demonstration of the use of two legged shield supports in the United States, Kaiser Steel Corporation, under contract to the US government used the longwall method to mine a ten foot thick coal seam in New Mexico. Caliper type shield supports and double drum shearers were used in three longwall panels. During the test, technical, production, and safety data were collected to objectively evaluate the performance of the shields in mining the thick coal seam. This paper presents discussions of practical operating experience and summary statistics to aid the mining industry in planning longwall mines in similar conditions.

Jan 1, 1981

By Chester O. Ensign

Results of the application of geologic knowledge to grade control have been remarkable. Grade reduction from dilution has been diminished from greater than 9% at the time of the program's beginning to about 2% at present. This has resulted in an increase of about 1.8 lb of copper per ton of ore mined and has made a substantial contribution to earnings at White Pine during the past two years. Even more improvement is expected in the future. The White Pine orebody, situated in the southwestern portion of the Keweenaw peninsula of upper Michigan, is a gently dipping stratiform or bedded deposit. Copper distribution is stratigraphically controlled with higher values being confined to specific beds in the ore column. Room-and-pillar mining is practiced. Mining technique and geologic characteristics present a special array of problems in controlling the grade of ore.

Jan 4, 1964

By Jonathan S. Jackson, Bayne B. McMillan, W. Joseph Schlitt

Various dump leach models have been developed by Kennecott, and these are reviewed with an eye toward production forecasting. Some of the models have been bated on first principles, utilizing the chemistry and physics of dump leaching. While providing considerable insight into the leaching process, these have proved to be too cumbersome for use in estimating production. Other models have been based on a declining leach rate for a single block of waste. These permit good short-term projections of solution grades and production, but are inflexible with regard to changes in mining parameters because the trends are based only on historical data. Therefore, a simple and flexible computer model has been developed to aid in leach production forecasting and to provide a tool for assessing the impact of different mining plans on leaching. This program, LEACH, is based on annualized blocks of waste; input parameters are described and examples of its use are given.

Jan 1, 1980

By Bernard Moore

THE last few decades have witnessed the introduction of many new nonmetallic mineral products and changes in the use of many of those already well known. Among these is diatomite, formerly employed as a mild abrasive and, at one time, as the absorbent material in dynamite. Now nearly 100,000 tons a year are mined and milled into such things as filter aids, cement admixtures, insulants, fillers, absorbents, cosmetics, cleansers, etc. Pumice, commonly regarded as only an abrasive, is now also employed as an insulant, as light-weight aggregate and as a concrete admixture. With increasing use of insulants, light-weight aggregates, and acoustic stuccos and plasters in the building trades, both these mate-rials should find increased application. Very large deposits occur in eastern Oregon and have been studied by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oregon State Mining Board.

Jan 1, 1934

By Y. Takahashi, I. Iwasaki, S. Tanabe

Supported by the vigorous capital investment of the heavy and chemical industries and by the ever-increasing demand for durable consumer goods in the past decade, Japan has now emerged as the world's third largest steel producer, surpassed only by the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1968, the crude steel production is expected to exceed 50 million tons; the per capita steel consumption at that time will reach 886 lb, approaching the level of Western Europe. Characteristics of the Japanese steel industry is the high dependence of raw materials on overseas sources. Before World War II the industry relied on North China and Manchuria for coking coal, and on middle China, Hainan Island, the Philippines and the Malayan Peninsula for iron ores. After the war, the major sources of iron ores were shifted to the Philippines and the Malayan Peninsula, supplemented by shipments from the United States, Canada, India and Goa. The United States, in addition, became the primary source of coking coal.

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1920

By Dennis K. Mortensen

Startup of the 9000 tpd Sacaton concentrator is expected to increase Asarco's domestic copper concentrate capacity by 21%. The plant site is located due west of the mining operations, consisting of both crushing and concentrating facilities. Arthur G. McKee & Co. served as the prime contractor for the project. The Sacaton mineralization contains both sulfide and oxide ores. Primary mineral constituents are chalcocite, azurite, malachite, chrysocolla, and minor amounts of silver and occasional gold. Sulfides are distinguished from oxides when more than half the total copper content is in the form of a sulfide copper mineral. While non-sulfide copper minerals are considerably less prevalent throughout the orebody, they tend to occur quite intimately with the sulfide minerals, particularly in the upper zones of the mineralization. For this reason the decision was made to treat all the ore in a flotation circuit using existing sulfidizing methods.

Jan 11, 1974

By A. C. Bulnes

This paper applies the methods of statistical analysis to the interpretation of core analysis data of dolomitic limestone from the San Andres formation at Wasson and the Clearfork formation at Fullerton. Probability relationships are shown to connect the porosity and the permeability and the porosity and the fluid saturation. For example, the porosity-permeability relationship expresses the probability that a sample of porosity,f, will or will not be permeable. The over-all porosity frequency distribution of the reservoir together with the frequency curves of permeability (one for each class interval of porosity) provide a precise basis for computing the weighted average productive porosity of the reservoir for any assigned value of the minimum productive permeability. The probability that the permeability of a core specimen from Fullerton will exceed a given value appears to be dependent on the percentage porosity of the specimen, its void structure type (i.e., porosity in the qualitative sense), and the given value of the permeability. If continuous profiles of void structure type and porosity are available together with the appropriate porosity-probability of permability plots, the nes pay thickness may be estimated. The Invasion Index of a well is defined in terms of the porosity and permeability data. This index is suggested as a basis for comparing wells as regards their suitability as fluid-injection wells. Three problems of importance in the exploitation of limestone reservoirs may be stated as follows: 1. The determination of the productive porosity of the reservoir. The productive porosity is defined as f = fPVP/V [II in which Vp, is the volume of the reservoir that is sufficiently permeable to oil to give up an appreciable fraction of its original oil in place during the economic life of the reservoir; fp, is the arithmetic mean porosity of the permeable volume v*, and V is the total volume of the reservoir. 2. The determination of the number of feet of oil-bearing porous rock that will produce at a commercial rate into the well bore; i.e., the net pay thickness. 3. The choice of fluid-injection wells in a secondary recovery program. The ultimate recovery of the reservoir is proportiona1 to the productive porosity. The productive capacity of the well is proportional to the net pay thickness. The principal purpose of this paper is to show that the methods of statistical analysis when applied to core analysis data of dolomitic limestones offer a useful approach to the solution of these three problems, as well as others of importance in reservoir engineering. The use of these methods was suggested by the work of Jan Law.1

Jan 1, 1946

By Walter Crafts

Structural steels containing chromium have become widely used in the last 20 years. In the earlier part of this period the major applications were in chromium-molybdenum aircraft tubing and similar special high-strength steels. During the past 10 years there has been a notable expansion in the use of chromium-bearing steel for structural purposes when welding was utilized for fabrication. The chromium-bearing steels introduced by Saklatwallal (chromium-copper), Kinzel2 (chromium-manganese-silicon), and Schultz3 (chromium-copper) are being extensively used at the present time. General Effects of Chromium Chromium is so widely known for its carbide-forming tendency that its capacity to stabilize oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus is often overlooked. In low-carbon steels of the structural type these so-called secondary characteristics become more prominent. For this reason also, chromium in structural steel is definitely a toughening agent. As the carbon content is increased, the more widely known hardening effect becomes more evident. In low-carbon steels chromium increases the notched-bar impact strength substantially. This property persists at subzero temperatures and is utilized for low-temperature service in chromium-copper steel.4 Chromium also reduces any tendency to strain-aging embrittlement. In addition to improving the toughness of steels with the usual impurities, chromium has the specific property of counteracting the brittleness induced by high phosphorus.5,6 In steels low in carbon and alloys, chromium has an almost negligible effect on tensile strength, and a hardening influence is noticeable only in the stronger steels. The ductility of welds adjacent to the base plate is also improved by chromium, both in the range of foolproof welding steels having strengths of less than 80,000 lb. per sq. in. as well as in the higher strength steels.

Jan 1, 1939

By A. C. Bulnes

This paper applies the methods of statistical analysis to the interpretation of core analysis data of dolomitic limestone from the San Andres formation at Wasson and the Clearfork formation at Fullerton. Probability relationships are shown to connect the porosity and the permeability and the porosity and the fluid saturation. For example, the porosity-permeability relationship expresses the probability that a sample of porosity,f, will or will not be permeable. The over-all porosity frequency distribution of the reservoir together with the frequency curves of permeability (one for each class interval of porosity) provide a precise basis for computing the weighted average productive porosity of the reservoir for any assigned value of the minimum productive permeability. The probability that the permeability of a core specimen from Fullerton will exceed a given value appears to be dependent on the percentage porosity of the specimen, its void structure type (i.e., porosity in the qualitative sense), and the given value of the permeability. If continuous profiles of void structure type and porosity are available together with the appropriate porosity-probability of permability plots, the nes pay thickness may be estimated. The Invasion Index of a well is defined in terms of the porosity and permeability data. This index is suggested as a basis for comparing wells as regards their suitability as fluid-injection wells. Three problems of importance in the exploitation of limestone reservoirs may be stated as follows: 1. The determination of the productive porosity of the reservoir. The productive porosity is defined as f = fPVP/V [II in which Vp, is the volume of the reservoir that is sufficiently permeable to oil to give up an appreciable fraction of its original oil in place during the economic life of the reservoir; fp, is the arithmetic mean porosity of the permeable volume v*, and V is the total volume of the reservoir. 2. The determination of the number of feet of oil-bearing porous rock that will produce at a commercial rate into the well bore; i.e., the net pay thickness. 3. The choice of fluid-injection wells in a secondary recovery program. The ultimate recovery of the reservoir is proportiona1 to the productive porosity. The productive capacity of the well is proportional to the net pay thickness. The principal purpose of this paper is to show that the methods of statistical analysis when applied to core analysis data of dolomitic limestones offer a useful approach to the solution of these three problems, as well as others of importance in reservoir engineering. The use of these methods was suggested by the work of Jan Law.1

Jan 1, 1946

By J. Charles Miller

NATURAL carbon dioxide has recently been exploited in the United States in consequence of oil and gas developments in the Western States and the growing demand by transcontinental and transoceanic shippers for solid carbon dioxide. The discovery by drilling of commercial deposits resulted in consideration of its geographic and geologic distribution and occurrence. Its wide distribution in nature is evidenced by its occurrence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The question of origin of carbon dioxide involves consideration of theories similar to those concerning natural hydrocarbons, although available evidence favors an inor-ganic rather than an organic source. Areas favorable to development of commercial production appear to be those in proximity to igneous rocks or in the vicinity of decadent volcanic activity, where, it has long been known, the gas is evolved either free or dissolved in the waters of furnaroles, geysers or mud pots. Structure contour maps are presented showing the Wagon Mound anticline in New Mexico and the Farnham anticline, Utah. A well drilled on the latter supplies gas to a 20-ton plant manufacturing solid carbon dioxide at Wellington, Utah, on the Denver and Rio Grande R.R., whence it is shipped to surrounding territory and to the West Coast. Before funds are invested in a plant for the manufacture of liquid or solid carbon dioxide, whether supplied by wells or springs, an effort to ascertain the volume of gas available is advisable. The use of present methods of estimation of gas reserves with modifications to account for the quantity absorbed by any water present in the produc-ing formation is recommended. The Farnham anticline is used as an example and computations are made of the probable volume of gas originally present in the struc-ture. No attempt was made to compute reserves in the Niland area, California, for the reason that in such areas it is believed the volume is indeterminate.

Jan 1, 1937

By C. Stansfield Hitchen

THE introduction of the logarithmic sector method of quantitative spectrography by Scheibe and Neuhäusser in 1928, and the subsequent .modification and improvement of the method by Twyman and Simeon, would seem to have marked yet a further advance in quantitative spec-trum analysis and its industrial application, inasmuch as it offers a simple means of eliminating some of the uncertainties inherent in the older methods based upon mere visual comparison of line intensities. In their recent admirable review of the position and capabilities of industrial spectroscopy, Brownsdon and van Someren1 say: Ways and means of facilitating the comparison of line-intensities so as to give them numerical values are helpful, and of these a logarithmic sector rotating in front of the slit appears to he one of the most promising; . . . the success recently experienced by the author in using this method for the examination of steels and solutions of metallic salts prompted him ,to investigate its possible use in estimating the impurities commonly present in crude and refined tin. The results of this investigation are submitted in the present paper. Details of a number of spectrographic analyses of tin for various impurities have already been published. Thus, Schweitzer2 describes the spectrographic examination of tin for lead, bismuth and cadmium, and was able to distinguish between such atomic percentages as 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.30, 0.60, 1.20, 3.00 and 10.00. Negresco3 investigated the bismuth content of tin over a range of from 0.0005 to 35 per cent. Meggers, Kiess and Stimson4 compare spectrographic and chemical analyses of tin metal for copper, lead, iron, zinc, silver, nickel and bismuth. They stress also the value of spectrum analysis in the examination of tin used for boiler plugs, where the requirements that only minute quantities of impurities shall be present render the chemical analysis both tedious and difficult.

Jan 1, 1933

By Walter Crafts

Structural steels containing chromium have become widely used in the last 20 years. In the earlier part of this period the major applications were in chromium-molybdenum aircraft tubing and similar special high-strength steels. During the past 10 years there has been a notable expansion in the use of chromium-bearing steel for structural purposes when welding was utilized for fabrication. The chromium-bearing steels introduced by Saklatwallal (chromium-copper), Kinzel2 (chromium-manganese-silicon), and Schultz3 (chromium-copper) are being extensively used at the present time. General Effects of Chromium Chromium is so widely known for its carbide-forming tendency that its capacity to stabilize oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus is often overlooked. In low-carbon steels of the structural type these so-called secondary characteristics become more prominent. For this reason also, chromium in structural steel is definitely a toughening agent. As the carbon content is increased, the more widely known hardening effect becomes more evident. In low-carbon steels chromium increases the notched-bar impact strength substantially. This property persists at subzero temperatures and is utilized for low-temperature service in chromium-copper steel.4 Chromium also reduces any tendency to strain-aging embrittlement. In addition to improving the toughness of steels with the usual impurities, chromium has the specific property of counteracting the brittleness induced by high phosphorus.5,6 In steels low in carbon and alloys, chromium has an almost negligible effect on tensile strength, and a hardening influence is noticeable only in the stronger steels. The ductility of welds adjacent to the base plate is also improved by chromium, both in the range of foolproof welding steels having strengths of less than 80,000 lb. per sq. in. as well as in the higher strength steels.

Jan 1, 1939

By C. Altstetter, Y. Huang, E. de Lamotte

Nitrogen was introduced into pure niobium (colutn-bium) and dilute Nb- Zr alloy wires by equilibration with pure nitrogen gas at high temperatures. Room-temperature hardness was correlated with the alloy composition, heat treatment, and microstructure. Hardness was found to be most sensitive to the amount of nitrogen in solution; however, a significant hardening up to 500 Dph look place upon aging of quenched alloys. A coarse dispersion of nitride did not significantly increase the hardness of the material though the nitride was found to have a hardness of 1400 Khn. BY now the marked effect of nitrogen on the properties of bcc refractorv metals is we ll-documented. There are few studies, however, in which the state of the solute has been carefully controlled. Indeed, the composition-temperature-pressure relationships in nitrogen-refractory metal systems have been determined precisely for only niobium and tantalum.'-4 Most investigations on niobium have dealt with alloys High-nitrogen alloys cleaved on (100) planes and had negligible ductility. Precipitation was found to occur in either a discontinuous or a continuous fashion, depending on the composition and cooling rates. Upon cooling, the precipitation first proceeded discontinu-ously by the nucleation of nilride needles at subbound-aries and subsequent growth of a two-phase microcon-stituent. At lower temperatures continuous precipitation occurred in the subgrain interior ahead of the discontinuous precipitation interface. containing nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen in significant but uncontrolled and, in several instances, undetermined amounts. Thus, there has been some uncertainty regarding the presence and the distribution of precipitates. This paper presents results which relate the hardness and microstructure to the heat treatment and nitrogen content of niobium and Nb-Zr alloys. Niobium rod* produced by the Wah Chang Corp.

Jan 1, 1968

By O. P. Chisholm

Dross emerges from the blast furnace either with the lead through a lead well or by tapping from a forehearth or settler, but until a dozen years or so ago few dross reverberatories were used in western lead smelters because it was the usual procedure to circulate the dross from the drossing lead kettles back to the blast furnace. It was quite customary for lead smelters to produce matte in their blast furnaces, as this was the form in which copper could be collected, concentrated if necessary, and shipped to the copper smelters for further treatment. The main prerequisites for good matte formation arc., of course, a more or less definite amount of copper on the charge and sufficient sulphur. Such troublesome impurities as arsenic and antimony were ignored, in so far as possible, although they contaminated the bullion and thereby increased refinery costs. At the same time stocks of blastfurnace speiss containing gold, silver, lead and copper in addition to iron, arsenic and antimony, were being accumulated for want of a market to absorb them. As the dross was being fed back to the furnaces as rapidly as it was being produced, arsenic and antimony tended to build up until the arsenic could effect a combination with copper and iron and an alliance with lead, and the antimony a combination with copper and an alliancc with lead. Sulphur, being the most active agent in taking up the copper, left little of that element for the arsenic and antimony, so that on the whole a somewhat unsatisfactory metallurgy resulted. During this same period, certain lead plants were beginning to encounter trouble with zinc due to the replacement of crude ores of lot zinc content by concentrates containing high percentages of lead and zinc in sulphide form, the blast-furnace slags resulting from the smelting of such concentrates being characterized by a decidedly increased zinc content. It was soon realized that zinc plus sulphur was "poison" to a lead blast furnace and steps were taken to reduce the sulphur content,. At this stage some plants found that any substantial matte fall was out.

Jan 1, 1937

By F. M. Simonds, E. Z. Burns

The Rawley property is located in the Kerber Creek mining-district, Saguache county, Colorado, at an elevation of 10,600 ft. (See sketch-map, Fig. 1.) Ore was found in this vicinity as early as 1880, and claims covering a large area were located and in many instances patented. The ores, however, being of comparatively low grade, and the nearest railway station, Villa Grove, being some 20 miles away, it is extremely doubtful whether any considerable amount of ore was ever handled at a profit. It is safe to say that several hundred thousand dollars were spent (a large part in building mills) previous to 1902-03. About that time a very capable promoter gathered together a group of these claims and interested some New York people, who had had no previous mining experience, in the purchase of these claims. Following the organization of a company, this promoter became General Manager. As often happens under such conditions, the first step was to erect a mill to treat 100 tons per day. It may not be fair to this enterprise to say that the failure which followed might have been foretold, simply on general principles, but this much is certain—the water supply fluctuates in the course of a season through a wide range and for a considerable portion of the year was inadequate to run this mill at capacity. Further, it is currently reported that some of the mill foundations were placed on ice. However true this statement may be, it is a fact that, when first inspected by us, many of the belts in the mill were held on'their pulleys by means of idlers. A shut-down followed, with a material re-adjustment of interests, at which time we became consulting engineers for the company.

Jan 1, 1914

By O. D. A. Pease, C. D. Young, C. H. Strand

In an effort to employ cast steel of a stronger structure than that found in the annealed steel casting, the possibilities of heat treatment which will increase the strength without materially decreasing the ductulity may be resorted to.

Jan 1, 1915