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By Rose L. Ballard

This chapter summarizes data on crude nonfuel mineral production for the United States, its island possessions, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Included also are the tables that show the principal nonfuel mineral commodities exported from and imported into the United States and that compare world and U.S. mineral production. The detailed data from which these tables were derived are contained in the individual commodity chapters of volume I and in the State chapters of volume II of this edition of the Minerals Yearbook. Although crude mineral production may be measured at any of several stages of extraction and processing, the stage bf measurement used in this chapter is what is normally termed "mine output." It usually refers to minerals or ores in the form in which they are first extracted from the ground, but customarily includes the output from auxiliary processing at or near the mines.

Jan 1, 1983

By Jr. Holmes

The Bureau of Mines drilled and sampled the more important magnesite deposits in the Currant Creek Mining District, White Pine County, Nev. The properties of the Ala-Mar Magnesium Co., Inc., and the Nevada Magnesite Co. were examined in August 1942 by D. W. Butner, engineer of the Bureau of Mines, to determine the advisability of investigating the deposits under the strategic minerals program. Development involving diamond drilling, trenching, and sampling was started September 1, 1942, and was completed in the latter part of November 1942. The deposits are on unsurveyed public land in T. 12N., B. 59 E., M.D.B.&M., in an area of high relief ranging from 7,300 to 8,100 feet in altitude. Both properties are situated northwest of the Tonopah-Ely Highway, U.S. Highway 6, from which a dirt road extends about 4.6 miles northwesterly, about 35 miles southwest of Ely, to the Ala-Mar property, and another dirt road extends about 10 miles westerly, about 26 miles southwest of Ely, to the Nevada Magnesite property. The magnesite occurs as irregular nodules, veins, and lenses in a bedded calcareous tuff formation, which overlies a group of volcanic rocks, and which is capped by remnants of rhyolite flows.

Jan 1, 1950

By D. E. Wolfson

As part of its overall program of coal carbonization, the Bureau of Mines is studying the coking properties of coals that may be used for metallurgical purposes. The objectives of this study were given in detail in a previous report.2/ The suitability of coal for metallurgical use depends primarily on (1) chemical composition, (2) preparation characteristics, and (3) carbonization behavior. The first two factors, as well as the available reserves, are considered in selecting coals for carbonization tests. According to the estimate of reserves by Dowd,3/ the recoverable coal in Raleigh County in beds 28 inches or more thick, in thousand tons, is: [ ]

Jan 1, 1957

By Robert W. Waytulonis

This publication contains 1,000 citations of technical and semi-technical literature treating diesel-powered equipment usage underground both generally and specifically. These citations were gathered by U.S. Bureau of Mines personnel over the period of 1978-1983. The citations concern diesel engines as powerplants for underground mining use; their design, emission characteristics and control, maintenance, usage; and health and safety aspects. All citations have been abstracted and arranged 1n a subject classification system with extensive cross-referencing.

Jan 1, 1983

By D. D. Hamilton

The ISMS program provided for the development and demonstration of equipment modifications for improved safety in both conventional and continuous coal mining systems. This report documents the success of the program in identifying accident hazards in underground coal mines with 4-to 8-foot seam heights, in designing modifications to reduce the hazards, and in demonstrating improved safety through extended underground use of the ISMS equipment.

Jan 1, 1977

By P. C. Good

This Bureau of Mines report describes the preparation of phosphoric acid directly from phosphate ore, without prior beneficiation, in a small-scale, continuous process research unit, as part of an effort to improve minerals and metals recovery from domestic resources while minimizing environmental effects. Three phosphate-matrix samples, ranging in grade from 18.2 pct P20S5to 11.9 pct P205, were dry-fed at a rate of 1.82 kg/hr (4 lb/hr) to a continuous-circuit, 12-liter, single-tank digester to yield phosphoric acid and byproduct gypsum filter cake. Comparison with earlier data shows that a significantly improved filtration rate was attained in a single-tank reactor compared with that attained in a five-tank reactor train processing the same ore. Iron and aluminum impurities in the product phosphoric acid averaged about 60 pct higher than amounts reported in commercially prepared, concentrate-derived acid. All gypsum filter cakes prepared had a firm, sandy texture, rendering them physically suitable for stacking or landfill use. Introduction of dry attritioning and air classification approximately doubled the attainable filtration rate when the dry-beneficiated product was digested. In air classification, there was a 12-to 14-pct P205 loss. Depending on the technique used and the matrix grade, overall P205 recovery ranged from about 72 to 89 pct.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. J. Pokora

This Bureau of Mines report is an applications manual that can be used by the nonmetallic mining industry for guidance in installing noise control materials into crushing and screening plants. These noise control modifications were installed and successfully tested at three operating quarries. This report identifies the major noise sources that can be encountered in crushing and screening plants, and discusses the applicable noise control materials and techniques that a plant operator can utilize on a retrofit basis to reduce equipment noise.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. V. Ramani

This volume, the first of a six volume final report, provides an executive summary of the research and results carried out under a grant from the U. S. Bureau of Mines on underground coal mine ventilation. Under the project, a mine ventilation simulator was developed. Sensitivity of leakage and friction factors on the total quantity and pressure requirements was studied. The simulator was applied to a new mine under development, and to an operating mine, to demonstrate the usefulness of the simulator in ventilation planning and in evaluating proposed changes to existing ventilation system. The titles of the other volumes are as follows: Volume II: Mine Ventilation Network Theory Volume III: User's Manual for PSU/MVS Volume IV: Sensitivity of Leakage and Friction Factors Volume V: Application of PSU/MVS to Ventilation Planning of a New Mine Volume VI: Application of PSU/MVS to the Analysis of Modifications to Existing Ventilation Systems

Jan 1, 1977

By W. E. Cassan, W. L. Eaton, James Westfield, W. M. Romisher, Karl Hughes, S. H. Ash

"INTRODUCTION Funds were made available to the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, for anthracite investigations during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1945. One of the approved projects was to conduct inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations having a bearing on the anthradite mine-flood problem. The investigative work done from July 1,1944, to June 30, 1946, is described in previous reports (5, 8, 10, 24, 28). 6/Purpose of Report The purpose of this report is to describe the investigative work conucted by the Anthracite Food-Prevention Section, Safety Branch, Bureau of Mines, during the period July 1, 1946, to June 30, 1947,Scope of WorkInvestigative work during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1947, was conducted under the direction of D. Harrington, chief, Health and Safety Division, and S. H. Ash, chief, Safety Branch, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C.The broad objective of the investigative work was to obtain factual day on: 1. Anthracite reserves of Pennsylvania.2. Underground water pools.3. Barrier pillars.4. The ""buried valley"" of the Susquehanna River.5. Infiltration of surface water into underground mine workings.The above-mentioned investigations are being continued during the fiscal year July 1, 1947, to Juno 30, 1948.In addition to the investigative work covered in this report, Ash end Eaton presented a paper on barrier pillars, which proposes a method for designing barrier pillars and has been Published by the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (5);"

Apr 1, 1948

By Jr. Koch

As a part of a larger study of the distribution of metals within ore deposits, the geometry of distribution of gold, silver, lead, copper, and zinc in five veins of the Fresnillo mine, Zacatecas, Mexico, was established. The purpose was to obtain basic data necessary for evaluation of geological theories about processes of vein formation and useful for practical mining applications in ore estimation and prediction of ore beyond present workings. The Bureau of Mines investigation comprised statistical analysis of 64,000 assay values from some 16,000 mine samples. The samples were taken at 2-meter intervals in drifts exposing the veins through a vertical range of some 750 meters. Within individual veins, the metals are distributed in dome¬like patterns with highest metal contents tending Lo occur in oreshoots at the centers of the developed parts of the veins. However, in the block of ground containing all five veins, base metals define mathematical domes with highest contents near the center; precious metals define mathematical basins or troughs with low contents near the center. The ratio of silver assay values to lead assay values corresponds to two geographically distinct types of mineralization: one in which silver is closely related to lead, and another in which silver is independent of lead. Other metal ratios also vary regularly from one place to another. The statistical methods employed in this study would be useful for other geologists or engineers who need to analyze large amounts of assay or similar numerical data.

Jan 1, 1967

By John W. Finch

The present epoch in human history has been variously described as the age of coal, of oil, of iron and steel, and of power. All agree, however, that it is a great industrial period. Power is of course the vital force in the industrial organism; but power is derived chiefly from mineral fuels or from harnessed and controlled water - also a mineral substance although usually not so classified by industry. However, the latent energy of fuels cannot work for men until it is changed to active energy by combustion and until this active energy is converted into motion. This motion is just as indispensible as the energy itself. Likewise, the latent energy of water cannot be utilized until it, too, is converted into motion; out the mechanisms and devices for converting latent energy into motion, as well as the structures in which they are operated, would not be possible without metals and other minerals. Consequently, minerals are fundamental in industrial civilization.

Jan 1, 1938

Coal has been mined in the central Appalachian coalfields of southern West Virginia, western Virginia, and eastern Kentucky for more than a century. The dwindling reserve base consists in large part of coal that would have been considered unmineable by earlier generations. Nearly every current operation is working on a property where coal has been extracted in the past, from seams either above, below, or both. NIOSH is conducting research aimed at helping mine planners prevent hazardous conditions due to multiple seam interactions. To-date, more than 300 case histories have been collected from underground mines, mainly from central Appalachia. This paper focuses on several of the more challenging situations that have been encountered, including: • Room-and-pillar development 20 ft (6 m) beneath full extraction workings at a depth of 1,000 ft (300m) of cover (Virginia) • Pillar recovery 45 ft above full extraction workings at 900 ft (270 m) of cover (Virginia) • Near-simultaneous room-and-pillar mining with pillar recovery with 40 ft (12 m) of interburden and 1,500-2,000 ft (450-600 m) of cover (Kentucky) • Longwall mining directly beneath main entries in overlying seams (West Virginia) • Some of these operations have been highly successful in overcoming the challenges, others less so. The lessons learned from their experience will help ensure that these and similar difficult reserves can be mined safely.

By Homer J. Ballinger

During the fall of 1943 and spring of 1944, the Bureau of Mines investigated nine secondary limonite iron-ore deposits in the Williamsville district of Wayne, Butler, and Ripley counties, Mo., by rotary-bucket and power-auger drilling test pitting, and trenching. Studies on beneficiating the ores were made at Bureau laboratories. Iron ore has been mined in Missouri since 1825, and iron mining reached its greatest development between 1870 and 1890. During this period, production averaged about 250,000 tons annually.

Jan 1, 1948

By Noel N. Moebs

The Bureau of Mines studied the feasibility of water diversion and overburden dewatering for underground coal mines in the Appalachian region. All relevant published literature pertaining to the occurrence and control of surface and ground water in underground coal mines was reviewed, and the impacts of mine water with respect to health and safety, production, environment, and costs were assessed and are described in this report. The report also identifies the sources of water inflow into underground coal mines, and gives a summary description and evaluation of techniques that can be used to reduce the amount of water entering these mines. Engineering practices currently used by operating coal mines in the Appalachian region to prevent the movement of ground and surface water into active coal workings were reviewed and are summarized. Major emphasis has been placed on the identification of geologic and hydrologic conditions of the site, the water control methods used, and an evaluation of their technical and cost effectiveness.

Jan 1, 1985

By F. J. Cservenyak

The Bureau of Mines Solid Waste Program is directed toward three main areas of research: (1) Extraction of mineral, metal, and energy values from urban refuse; (2) recovery of mineral and metal values from wastes generated in the industrial extraction, processing, and utilization of raw materials and mineral-base products; and (3) upgrading and utilization of automotive scrap. The Bureau also has a contract and grant program which supplements the in-house research and aids in the training of personnel in the proper management of mineral- and metal-based solid wastes.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. A. Woolf, A. P. Towne

"INTRODUCTION A considerable part of the metallurgical work of the Precious Metals Section comprises ore-testing experiments on ores selected as representative of various mining districts on areas. Projects authorized by the Bureau and assigned to the Precious Metals Section generally include only those ores or tailings in which the precious metals are the main valuable constituents; however, there are also included ores that contain strategic or critical metals in addition to the precious metals. The recovery of strategic and critical minerals is the most important phase of the treatment of this latter class of ores. However, if a considerable percentage of the precious-metal content of such ores can be recovered without complicating the flow sheet too much, it may be possible to treat an ore for the recovery of strategic or critical metals that could not otherwise be treated at a profit.Standard testing procedure involving cyanidation, amalgamation, gravity concentration, and flotation, or a combination of these methods, is employed in the greater part of this work. However, as the complexity of the ores furnished for this work has increased, it has been necessary to include special applications of standard procedures in many instances, Standard methods of conducting tests and the purposes of the work as a whole have been discussed in previous reports 4/ of ore-testing studies. In the present report, whenever it has been necessary to apply some special phase of standard treatment, this has boon explained in detail in that particular section of the report."

Aug 1, 1944

By E. Chin

The Asia and the Pacific region has large mineral resources of antimony, barite, bauxite, bismuth, copper, fluorspar, gold, graphite, iron ore, magnesite, mica, rare earths, salt, talc and pyrophyllite, titanium, zinc, and zirconium. The region overall lacks large resources of oil and natural gas, but it has large resources of anthracite and bituminous coal. In terms of exploitation, many minerals, metals, and fuel are produced in significant quantities in the Asia and the Pacific region as shown in table 1. Collectively, the area accounts for a substantial amount of the world production of antimony, barite, bauxite, fluorspar, gold, graphite, ilmenite and rutile, iodine, iron ore, lead, magnesite, manganese, nickel, salt, tin, tungsten, and zinc. Total coal production of the region exceeds 1.6 billion metric tons. The production of bituminous coal accounts for more than 80 % of the total output. China is the region's largest coal producer, with an output of almost 1.1 billion tons. Other major producers are Australia and India. The combined production by Australia, China, and India is more than 1.5 billion tons or 93 % of the area's output. The remainder of the coal output in the region comes from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, the Korean peninsula, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The production of crude oil throughout the Asia and Pacific region is close to 2.4 billion barrels. China and Indonesia together account for 67 % of the total output. The remainder of the output is primarily from Australia, Brunei, India, and Malaysia. Indonesia is the largest producer of natural gas in the region with an output of close to 58 billion cubic meters, followed by Malaysia and Australia with 23 and 22 billion cubic meters, respectively. Other producers in the region of lesser stature by output include Brunei, China, India, and Pakistan.

Jan 1, 1993

By Leo J. Neill, O&apos

Abrasives are essential to the manufacture of munitions - airplanes, gas, shells, tanks, and in fact every product that involves metal forming or finishing. An indication of the importance of abrasives in the national defense and aid-to-Britain programs is the close peace-time correlation between demand for abrasives and automobile production, which in recent years has consumed more than 35 percent of the total output of abrasives. Unprecedented demands on the abrasives industry are forecast by the rapid expansion in airplane output, tie increased mechanization of all armed forces, and the consequent speeding up not only of the factories where finished munitions are made but also of the steel mills and other factories were additional large quantities of abrasives are needed for snagging or rough-grinding semifinished products before they can be used by the fabricators. A recent survey by the artificial abrasives manufacturers indicates that they can readily increase their output 75 percent compared with the previous peak of 1937 without building new plants. By overhauling production schedules, their maximum production possible could be increased to 182 percent of the 1937 output, and the nature of the industry is such that plant capacity could be increased rapidly if need therefor should arise. No figures on the estimated requirements for abrasives in 1941 or 1942 have as yet been compiled, but the industry feels that it can meet demands as they develop.

Jan 1, 1941

By Jr. Koch

As a means of investigating the distribution and variability of gold in ore from the Homestake mine, Lead, S. Dak., the Bureau of Mines performed a designed sampling experiment, and assay results were statistically interpreted. Fifty-six feet of diamond-drill core from five boreholes was sawed into l-inch-long cylinders, which were sampled randomly and were assayed. Analyses of variance of the assay results were used to compare and assess the different types of variation: within drill holes, among paired drill holes, among unpaired drill holes, and among furnace runs. The extreme variability in gold mineralization found is the natural variability on the smallest scale that can be detected by fire assay; most of the variability is associated with among-feet rather than within-feet sample intervals. Because of the extreme variability, one-half of the gold is in 3 percent of the samples.

Jan 1, 1967

The Bureau of Mines has reviewed those portions of the "Tariff Schedules of the United States Annotated 1963" that are of interest to the minerals industry. This study shows to what extent rates of duty were altered (increased or decreased), and provides a bridge where possible from the old Schedule A classification sys tem to the new TSUS system of statistical reporting of import data. In general the new tariff has corrected previous classification defects and inconsistencies, but the rates of duties have not been materially changed.

Jan 1, 1965