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By Charles R. Holmes

MORE than 70 igneous pipes and dikes are known to occur in Cambrian sediments throughout an approximately circular area of about 75 sq miles in southwestern Ste. Genevieve County and southeastern St. Francois County, Mo., across the southern portion of the Farmington anticline, which is outlined in fig. 1. From evidence obtained from fossil fragments taken from some of the in-trusive~, and from the similarity in composition of the more basic intrusives to those of known age in surrounding states, these pipes and dikes are believed to be at least post-Devonian and probably Cretaceous in age. As first postulated by Rust,' these intrusives are believed to represent explosion tubes, or diatremes, punched through great thicknesses of solid rock by gaseous pressure. The particular intrusive studied is located about 1 mile north of the small town of Avon at an elevation of 880 ft in the EVz SEy4 NEY4 of see. 2, T. 35N, R. 7E. Outcrop is through the Bonneterre dolomite in two separated exposures. The larger outcrop extends east and west for about 50 ft along a tributary in a small ravine (fig. 2). The smaller exposure occurs as a few scattered patches over an area 20 ft square about 100 ft to the north. The area between the exposures is covered, but scattered patches of the Bonneterre dolomite outcrop throughout the area surrounding the diatreme. Where exposed, contact relations show the surrounding dolomite to be shattered and metamorphosed to a fine-grained rock for a distance of 15 to 20 ft from the intrusive. The igneous rock occurs as a dark greenish-gray porphyry near the center of the diatreme and as a fine-grained, greenish-gray material containing lapilli and metamorphosed fragments of dolomite near the contact with the country rock. The most abundant original mineral of the porphyritic rock is olivine now largely serpentinized as the result of extensive hydrothermal alteration at time of emplacement. The most common constituent of the fine-grained rock, which occurs near the border of the intrusive, is calcite. Mica is a common constituent of both types of rock, occurring as tufts or flakes. Magnetite makes up about 2 pct of the diatreme and occurs as small irregular grains or streaks of tiny grains. Singewald and Milton' have termed the rock of this body an "augite-free alnoite." Susceptibility measurements of pulverized specimens were made from selected samples taken from both the diatreme and the surrounding country rock. The susceptibility of the Bonneterre dolomite was found to be less than 40xlO-6 cgs (centimeter-gram-second) units and that of the metamorphosed contact dolomite less than 200x10-6 cgs. Measurements of individual samples of the igneous rock showed a wide variation in susceptibility between limits of 1000x10-6 cgs to 8000x10-6 cgs, with the maximum difference occuring in samples taken only a few feet apart. The maximum value was exhibited by a highly weathered sample taken from the northern outcrop, while minimum susceptibility was determined from a partially weathered sample taken only a few feet away. These extremes are believed to represent small local concentrations of stringers and grains of magnetite crystals in the igneous rock. A detailed magnetic survey of the horizontal and vertical components of the earth's magnetic field was made over the diatreme area. Stations were occupied at 20-ft intervals as shown by the grid on fig. 2. When greater detail was desired, intervening stations were also occupied. The field instruments were supplied by the Department of Geophysics, St. Louis University. The magnetometers are the Schmidt balance type constructed by the Ruska Instrument Co. These instruments are temperature compensated and have a standard sensitivity of 10 gamma. Calibration of the instruments

Jan 1, 1951

By G. Sachs, E. J. Riping

All ferrous alloys can be made brittle by straining at sufficiently low temperatures. However, the changes in mechanical properties for different ferrous materials with decreasing testing temperature do not appear to follow any universal law. In particular, complex effects of testing temperature have been observed if cold worked steels were subjected to tensile tests at low temperatures. EFFECTS OF PRESTRAINING AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE TESTING TEMPERATURE ON THE FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS‡ A considerable amount of data has been presented by a number of investigators on the fracture characteristics of various cold worked steels.' These data usually relate to a two-step procedure first used by Davidenkov,² consisting of stretching by tension to a certain strain or " prestraining" at room temperature and then completing the tensile test, or "testing" at the temperature of liquid air. On the basis of data of this type made available to date, ferrous alloys can be classified into two groups with respect to their fracture characteristics observed on testing at a low temperature after prestraining at room temperature. Very complex phenomena have been observed for all annealed steels. On the other hand, some observations indicate that steels in certain other conditions represent a fundamentally simpler relation. In considering the effect of prestraining at one temperature on the properties obtained at some lower temperature, it should be expected that any cold work reduces the ductility retained in proportion to the magnitude of the cold work. However, the test data presented to date indicate that only heat treated (quenched and tempered) steels appear to conform to this expectation, according to the very limited test data in Fig 1, presented by McAdam, Geil and Mebs. This series of tests, Fig 1, shows that the retained ductility became smaller the larger the prestrain. However, this decrease is less than the amount of prestrain or, in other words, less than the decrease in ductility at the prestraining temperature. These effects of prestraining are fundamentally identical with those observed by Bridgman3 when a steel was prestrained (in tension) under hydrostatic pressure and then subjected to a regular tension test. It appears, therefore, that the basic effect of prestraining under conditions which yield a higher ductility than the (subsequent) testing procedure, consists of gradually increasing the total ductility of the metal from the initial low value of testing to the higher value of prestraining. On the other hand, all annealed steels, if cold worked by tension at room temperature and then tested at a lower temperature, provided that some ductility is retained, showed a far more complex behavior than that discussed above. This relationship is exemplified by Fig 2, for three pearlitic steels.4,5 These particular steels were selected because of the various shapes of their ductility-prestrain curves. All three steels, and any other investigated so far, suffered a rapid decrease in retained (and consequently also in total) ductility when subjected to small pre-strains. Then, after exceeding a certain prestrain it was generally observed that the ductility recovered.* This rather complex behavior of annealed steels may be tentatively correlated with the presence of stretcher strains at small restrains. Heat treated steels do not exhibit stretcher strains. This fact might possibly explain their simpler prestrain-retained ductility relationship. The destructive effect of these stretcher strains may possibly be associated with the presence of triaxiality, which may occur in any highly non-uniform stress and strain state (and which is retained as residual stress after unloading). Even a small degree of triaxiality may then cause a reduction in ductility, or even embrittlement at a sufficiently low testing temperature. The discussion presented above deals with the effects of cold working at a high temperature on the fracturing

Jan 1, 1950

By Ossi V. I. Hintikka, Andrew Balint

Sorting tests on limestone at the Lohjan Kalkkitehdas Oy Ojamo mine, Finland, are described. The tests, conducted to evaluate a Sortex 811MW optical separator, were successful, and upon completion, the sorting machine was put into production. Optical separation characteristics of the limestone, used for cement manufacturing, are described. Problems of winter operation are discussed. Operating costs are given.

Jan 1, 1972

The useful minerals can be subdivided into two large groups. One comprises those which are mined because of their chemical composition. They represent the natural resources of certain materials or of energy (coal). The second group is used not because of their chemical composition but because of certain physical properties or combinations of physical properties. A large number of minerals are mined because of their hardness, their electrical and thermal properties, their color or plasticity. There has been increasing recognition of the value of mineral synthesis during the past 30 years. This is illustrated by the development of improved aircraft spark plugs and chemical porcelain about the time of the first World War. During World War II the impact of crystal chemistry upon ceramics became most pronounced. New ceramic bodies were tailor-made, such as those designed with a high dielectric constant and low power loss, for use in high-voltage, high-frequency communication. In the field of refractories special materials were needed for unusual heat-resisting service in jet and rocket engines, and in the processing of fissionable materials. The synthesis of natural minerals in the laboratory has long been of aid to geologists and mineralogists in their study of the origin of minerals and physico-chemical conditions under which certain minerals were

Jan 1, 1950

By John B. Knaebel, Robert J. Grant

This paper outlines the trends in gold production since the discovery of America, in the world as a whole, and in the principal producing regions as well. World production climbed at an average rate of about 20,000,000 oz. per 5-year period until the record all-time output of 111,307,000 oz. in the period ending with 1915. Production fell off during the war period, but has been mounting since 1925, and will probably be nearly 100,000,000 oz. for the 5-year period ending in 1930. Total world production of gold from 1492 to the end of 1930, as closely as can be determined, is more than 1,061,000,000 fine ounces. More than one-half of this total, or about 575,000,000 oz., has been mined since 1900. In percentage of world production, the United States jumped from 4.8 per cent for the decade 1831-1840 to 44.5 per cent for the five years ending with 1855. This is the highest figure ever reached by this country, although, with the exception of the 10-year period ending 1865, it ranked first among the nationa from 1849 until the end of 1905. During the 5-year period ending with that year, the United States produced 24.7 per cent of the world's gold. The tremendous increase from South Africa following 1890 resulted in that country's becoming the largest contributor for the five years 1906-1910, a position it has held with increasing dominance ever since. Relegated to second place in the period 1906 to 1910, the United States produced nearly 20 per cent of the world's new gold until 1920. From 1921 to 1925 it averaged 13.6 per cent and since then it has continued to decline in relative importance, accounting for only 10.9 per cent in 1927. Final figures for 1930 may place Canada second among the gold producers of the world.

Jan 1, 1931

By F. S. Jr. Norcross

MANGANESE has long been considered one of the United States' most important strategic raw materials. Its indispensabil-ity in steel manufacture makes it vital to the nation's industrial life. Coupled with this indispensability is the fact that domes-tic producers have not been able as yet to supply more than a small part of the nation's manganese needs; consequently the United States has had to depend upon such distant foreign sources as the U.S.S.R., British India, the African Gold Coast and Brazil for the major portion of its ore. The great bulk of the mineral is con-sumed in the form of ferromanganese, an alloy that averages 8o per cent manganese and 20 per cent mainly iron and carbon. Manganese is used as a deoxidizer and desulphurizer in steel manufacture. By combination with the residual oxygen and sulphur of the bath, it helps to produce a clean, sound metal. Approximately 14 lb. of manganese, it is estimated, is used in making one ton of steel. For standard-grade ferromanganese, the ore should have a minimum of about 48 per cent Mn and preferably more. Beneficiation methods have not yet been developed for making the immense low-grade deposits in the United States salable at prevail-ing prices.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. B. Hunt

Paraffin deposition has been studied in the laboratory under conditions simulating deposition in well tubing. A theoretical analysis has been made of the cooling of the oil and the precipitation of paraffin from the oil as it flows up the well tubing and through surface flowlines. It is proposed that paraffin deposits are initiated by the precipitation of paraffin directly on or adjacent to the pipe wall and grow by diffusion of paraffin from solution to the deposit. This mechanism is consistent with laboratory and field observations, and has proved useful in the design and interpretation of laboratory paraffin-deposition tests. Tests have been made of the effect of plastic pipe coatings and chemical additives on paraffin deposition. INTRODUCTION Paraffin deposits which form in well tubing and surface flowlines interfere with production and must be removed. Over the years much progress has been made in developing and improving methods of removing these deposits after they form. Much less progress has been made in developing methods of preventing or inhibiting the formation of paraffin deposits. This is due, it is believed, to the lack of knowledge of the mechanism of paraffin deposition, the absence of satisfactory laboratory testing methods and the difficulties in evaluating the results of field tests of preventive treatments. The present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism of paraffin deposition and to develop suitable laboratory tests for studying the inhibition of paraffin deposition in well tubing and surface flowlines. Current theories on the mechanism of paraffin deposition have been evolved from field observations, from laboratory studies of various factors which might be involved in paraffin deposition, and from laboratory paraffin-deposition tests.1-9 Paraffin deposits have been formed in the laboratory by immersing a cold finger into a hot wax-oil solution and by flowing hot wax-oil solutions through cooled pipe or over cooled plates. These laboratory conditions differ in important features from field conditions, and the observed deposition behavior is not entirely field-like." Thus, there is reason to question the field applicability of the results of these tests. The present investigation was undertaken to determine how to perform and interpret laboratory paraffin-deposition tests to obtain information on the inhibition of deposition in the field. The paraffin problem in the broadest sense encompasses the formation of any predominantly organic deposit in well tubing, surface flowlines and other equipment in contact with crude oil or gas. The present investigation was limited to paraffin deposition involving the precipitation of paraffin wax from solution by cooling and its concentration in a deposit on a cooled surface. This probably excludes its applicability to those problems arising from asphaltic-base crudes, but not those arising from paraffin-or mixed-base crudes. This also excludes its applicability to emulsion and congealing oil problems which are often included as part of the paraffin problem. The phenomenon of cooling appears to be the controlling factor in paraffin deposition involving the precipitation of paraffin wax and its concentration in the deposit. Deposits of this type are usually found in the field only where cooling occurs. Early in this laboratory investigation, it was not found possible to form deposits under constant temperature conditions from a wax-oil slurry, either by steady flow through pipe or by gas-lift up a pipe. Thus, the investigation was limited to situations involving cooling. THEORY The relationships involved in establishing the temperature profiles in an oil stream as it flows up well tubing with a linear (geothermal) pipe-wall temperature distribution or through surface flowlines with essentially constant pipe-wall temperature are presented in the Appendix. The relationship between radial distance in the pipe and the rate of cooling of the oil is then combined with a relationship between cloud point and rate of cooling to develop the pattern of formation of a wax cloud in the oil. The following discussion of paraffin deposition under various laboratory and field conditions is based upon this development which is presented in the Appendix. PARAFFIN DEPOSITION IN SURFACE FLOWLINES The average temperature of the oil coming out of a well is somewhat higher than the ground temperature. Thus, the oil continues to cool on its trip through the surface flowline, and wax deposition can occur. The temperature distributions calculated from Eq. A-4 are given in Fig. 1. As can be seen, almost all the cooling occurs in the first 500 ft from the wellhead. In addition, the radial temperature gradient near the wall decreases rapidly with distance and becomes very small after a few hundred feet. Thus, growth of a paraffin deposit would be expected to decrease rapidly with distance from the wellhead and become negligible after a few hundred feet, since growth is dependent on concentration gradient. Wax precipitation and diffusion of wax to the already

By C. C. Furnas, T. L. Joseph

It is well known that particles of different sizes are not distributed evenly throughout the average charge in an iron blast furnace. Just how great the disparity in particle size in different parts of a single plane in a furnace may be is indicated by the results of some recent investiga-tion1,2 conducted by the Bureau of Mines on a furnace operating on Lake ores. The wide variations found in gas velocity, gas composition, and temperature from the periphery to the center of the upper charge column were caused by the great variation in particle size of the raw materials used and were also greatly influenced by the methods of charging. This paper summarizes the results of an investigation of the influence of different methods of charging and of the treatment of raw materials upon the size distribution of the solid particles in the blast furnace. A more complete report will appear later as a Bureau of Mines technical paper. Importance of Gas-solid Contact One of the authors has pointed out in a previous report? that the operation of the blast-furnace process is entirely dependent on contact between the gas stream and the solid particles in the stock. The gas stream carries the necessary heat as well as the carbon monoxide molecules that do the work of rednction. In the parts of the furnace in which there is little or no contact between the gas stream and the solids there can be little work of reduction. Obviously, the part of the apparatus that is not doing the work for which it is intended is inefficient; the ideal condition is one in which all portions of the stock column are

Jan 1, 1929

By Peter Hood

Data on worldwide geophysical activity in mining exploration programs is collected annually by the Geophysical Activity Committee of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists as part of a continuing service to the industry. The data is obtained by sending out questionnaires to all organizations (which are) known to be carrying out mining geophysical work; the organizations canvassed include mining companies, contractors, government departments and universities. The questionnaire is divided into three sections, namely ground methods, airborne methods and research. In 1968, 515 questionnaires were circulated throughout the non-Communist world and 283 replies were received which is a 55% return. A 67% return was received from the U. S. organizations surveyed so the statistics quoted in this report for the United States are reasonably reliable. This report is published in condensed form, but with emphasis on the United States statistics, with the permission of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. It was presented at the 39th Annual International Meeting of the SEG in Calgary, Alberta, on September 15, 1969. Worldwide utilization of mining geophysical methods reached a new high in 1968 with total expenditures of United States $41.4 million, compared lo $32.3 million in 1967, representing a 28%, increase. The expenditure distribution by area and type of activity is shown in the graph on page 64. In terms of money spent, ground geophysical surveys accounted for 49% of the total, airborne survey's 36% and research 15%. The percentage of the money spent on ground geophysical surveys fell by approximately 7% from 1967, that for airborne surveys, increased by 5%, and for research the amount increased by 2%. Industry accounted for 79°1% of the total monies spent on mining geophysical activity in the world in 1968 and governments and universities 21 o%.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. A. Vandermeer, P. Gordon

The study of recrystallization in cold-worked metals is complicated by the impossibility of making direct three-dimensional optical measurements. Metallo-graphically, theinternal three-dimensional features of samples must be inferred from their intersections with the two-dimensional plane of polish. The inherent difficulties involved in this procedure have led— particularly during the last few years—to some instances of rather doubtful interpretations of experimental data in terms of nucleation and growth rates in recrystallization. In the present paper an analysis ; is given of the recrystallization characteristics in a polycrystalline alloy containing 0.008 wt pct copper in ZONE-refined aluminum *and an effort is madf to reemphasize the necessity in such studies for attention to the proper statistical relationships between one- two- and three-dimensional features of opaque samples. It is shown that, in common with several recently described cases for other types of transformations,1-5 recrystallization in this alloy can best be rationalized on the basis that all nucleation took place essentially at time zero—i.e., there is no significant time-dependent nucleation during annealing—and that the kinetics are controlled exclusively by the growth-rate parameters. This is true despite the fact that the number of

Jan 1, 1960

By Grant Buma

The purpose of this paper is to present arguments and evidence that there are natural processes at work which tend to minimize the impact of solution mining on the environment. The contaminants have two sources. First are elements which were present in the roll-front deposit in insoluble compounds, for example, uranium in uraninite and coffinite, molybdenum, arsenic, iron, cobalt, nickel, etc. in sulfide minerals, vanadium in micas and clays, etc. Second are elements introduced by the leach liquor. Precipitation of reduced compounds, scavenging of heavy elements and absorption by quartz and clays, can all reduce the amount of heavy elements in solution. If a roll can be demonstrated to be actively precipitating uranium and heavy metal elements, then the presence of precipitants (pyrite and carbon) can be assumed. Criteria for recognizing an active roll are described.

Jan 1, 1979

Reducing Fusion: The impure or low grade uranium concentrate is mixed with a formulated flux of sodium carbonate, salt, and sawdust or fuel oil and heated, while being stirred, to about 950°C. This reduces the uranium to the black, water insoluble uranium dioxide and with the exception of nonamphoteric metals forms water soluble sodium salts of the vanadium, alumina, silica, phosphates, and other constituents of the cake. The cooled melt is then water leached, leaving a residue of black insoluble uranium dioxide. "Green Sludge" Digestion and Liquor Purification: The green sludge is redissolved in acid, and by selective precipitation involving pH adjustments and a final neutralization

Jun 1, 1956

By J. S. Li, J. C. Edwards

A prediction is made of the airflow at the Bureau of Mines Lake Lynn Laboratory with a ventilation computer program that accounts for fan-driven forced ventilation and temperature-induced natural ventilation. There was substantial agreement between measured and predicted airflow rates. The capability of the program is demonstrated as a planning aid for ventilation under emergency conditions in a multilevel coal mine. Smoke spread in a multilevel mine is analyzed following the occurrence of two events, the failure of the main exhaust fan and the development of a fuel-rich fire in a passageway.

Jan 1, 1983

By Chas. A. Ashburner

THE Bradford Oil District lies in the northern part of McKean County, Pa., and the southern part of Cattaraugus County, N. Y. Although petroleum was first found in the producing sand in 1871, it was not until the early part of the year 1875 that a productive horizon was acknowledged to exist, even by those most largely interested in the production of the crude oil. It has been reported to me that the first well drilled in the valley of the Tuneangewant Creek (commonly called Tuna Creek) was drilled by F. E. Dean and brothers in 1865. This well was located on the Shepherd farm, near the present site of Custer City. One hundred and sixty feet of drive pipe was used, and the hole was drilled to the depth of 900 feet. The producing sand at Custer City is found about 1130 feet below the level of the railroad track. The Shepherd farm well was therefore abandoned over 200 feet above the top of the oil sand. The next well was drilled by the Dean brothers on the Clark farm at Tarport. Drilling was stopped at a depth of 605 feet, or over 400 feet above the top of the oil sand. In the year 1862 the old Bradford well, since known as the Barnsdall well, was drilled to a depth of 200 feet with a spring pole, and then abandoned. In the spring of 1866 the citizens of the village of Bradford concluded to club together and sink the Barnsdall well deeper. It was drilled to a total depth of 875 feet, or to within 150 feet of the Bradford producing sand. All of these wells were drilled with the expectation of finding the Venango County oil, and at

Jan 1, 1879

By J. Redstone, A. R. Laplante

Sidbec-Normines operates six large iron ore concentrate regrinding mills in parallel and open circuit at its Port-Cartier pelletizing plant. Grinding kinetics in these mills were characterized for slurry densities varying between 70 and 89% solids, using a lumped parameter size discrete model. Optimum grinding conditions were encountered at 83.5 to 84% solids. Higher densities decreased the normalized selection function and increased slurry short-circuiting, yielding a sharply coarser mill discharge. At lower slurry densities, the normalized selection function decreased and the mill discharge coarsened slightly. The grinding kinetic model predicted particle size distributions within the mill. These were found to vary significantly from the feed to the discharge end. This is likely to cause nonlinear breakage kinetics.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. C. Savins

The practical analysis of the hydrodynamics of the wellbore has long been a subject of interest to engineers. This paper presents a simplified solution to the problem of computing the pressure drop for the flow of drilling mud in the annulus of the wellbore. This solution is, however, an exact and rigorous solution under the assumptions which have been imposed. These assumptions are that the drilling fluid is a Bingham plastic fluid* and that the annulus is formed by two concentric, stationary, cylindrical pipes. It is further assumed that the fluid is incompressible and that its motion is isothermal and in a steady state. This problem under the same assumptions has been attacked by previous authors. Beck, Nuss and Dunn' proposed that the equation for the flow of a Bingham plastic fluid in a cylindrical pipe could be applied to an annulus if the pipe radius were replaced in the equation by the hydraulic radius. This equation, known as the Buckingham-Reiner equation' (see Appendix 1), was also used in an approximate form. Van Olphen pointed out that even for a simple or Newtonian- fluid the pipe equation (Poiseuille's law) could not be converted to the Lamb equation escriptive of flow in an annulus (see Appendix 1) by using the hydraulic radius. Van Olphen further attempted to give a solution for the annular flow of a Bingham plastic fluid by introducing approximations similar to those which have been used in the case of the Buckingham-Reiner equation. Other attempts to provide approximate or exact solutions have been made by Grodde' and by Mori and Ototakeq. The present authors some years ago in unpublished work derived the correct expressions relating the pressure drop and flow rate for this problem. It was found that the solution consisted of two simultaneous equations, one of which contained a logarithmic term. Thus, obtaining numerical results for any particular case of interest involves very tedious trial-and-error computations. Very recently Laird presented the correct derivation of the two equations which are given in full detail in Appendix 1. In order to reduce the amount of calculation time which would be involved in providing a complete tabular or graphical solution to the problem, a high-speed electronic digital computer has been utilized. For this purpose the two simultaneous equations were transformed into more compact expressions by introducing reduced variables. These expressions are given in the following theoretical section. A similar procedure in this problem has been developed by Fredrickson and Bird1" Their tabular results, however, are very incomplete in the range of practical interest for problems of wellbore hydrodynamics. We have furthermore been able to express our graphical results in terms of convenient and familiar dimensionless groups. THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT Use of Reduced Variables In terms of reduced variables the two simultaneous equations just discussed take the following form, The reduced variables q, x, a and z are defined in terms of the various measured quantities, where Q is volumetric flow rate, AP/L is pressure gradient, Dl is OD of inner pipe, D, is ID of outer pipe, is plastic viscosity, and is yield point. Thus, we have a dimensionless volume flux, a dimensionless reciprocal pressure gradient, and the ratio of the pipe diameters Before introducing the fourth reduced variable, z, it is of interest to consider the physical significance of the parameter x. As may 'be seen from the velocity profile of Fig. 1 the Bingham plastic fluid has the interesting property that a portion of the stream flows at a uniform velocity without shearing action. This section of the stream is situated approximately in the center of the conduit and is known as the "plug flow" region. Its existence is due to the fact that the shearing stresses within the region do not exceed the yield point, which is one of the two flow properties characterizing the fluid. The parameter x then turns out to be the ratio of the

By Augustus Locke

The paper has two parts: the field argument and the microscopic argument. The field argument indicates that either the deep chalcocite has replacea sulfide of extraordinarily easy replaceability or it is hypogene. The microscopic argumentindicates that this sulfide, if it existed, must have been hypogene bornite; that this bornite must so excel known bornite in replaceability as to constitute a new variety; that the existence of this new variety is wholly unsupported by evidence; and that the deep Butte chalcocite is therefore hypogene. IN 1900, when the public first heard of "secondary enrichment" the Butte chalcocite seemed clearly supergene. Mining, through successive regions of leached capping, bonanza sulfide, and sulfide less rich, had paused at lean bottom levels which, though chalcocite-bearing, suggested the waning of copper. The deepest chalcocite, at 1500 ft., was yet too shallow to disturb the supergene hypothesis. But, with deeper mining, lean levels yielded to fat ones. Here and there they showed, within the same vein, an inverted distribution, chalcopyrite above and chalcocite below. To the miners' astonishment, they carried chalcocite, unaffected by cross faults, on an independent course to the depth of 2500 ft. The pattern of ore distribution, hitherto revealed only in fragments, was now appearing in perspective, and, in the depth of the chalcocite, was beginning to make Butte differ from all districts where the chalcocite is indubitably supergene. The idea of hypogene origin at length came into favor; by 1913, when Sales1 advocated this origin, the argument had become a powerful one. This argument rested on field evidence; but, already, there was beginning to emerge microscopic evidence not included in this arugment. Especially pertinent was the proof that (1) The deep chalcocite lies in-mixed with bornite, often microscopic; (2) the deep chalcocite often replaces bornite; and (3) replacement of bornite by chalcocite is accom-

Jan 3, 1924

By Frank E. Caropreso, William P. Badger

A hydrogen peroxide precipitate process has been adopted by Atlas Minerals for the recovery of uranium oxides from sodium chloride strip solutions. Adoption of the process was based on laboratory and plant tests comparing hydrogen peroxide with other precipitants. Plant operation has demonstrated that the hydrogen peroxide process consistently yields uranium concentrates of high purity and barrens of low uranium content. Increased U3O8 concentration in the product, reduced levels of impurities which incur penalties, and higher product density have produced economic advantages.

Jan 1, 1974

By Andrew Roy

The Mahoning Valley coal region lies on the extreme northern outcrop of the Ohio coal-field, and all the mines, with one exception, are opened on the lower coal of the series, No. 1 of the Ohio Geological Survey. The coal ranges from an inch to five, six, and sometimes seven feet thickness, the workable height being between two and a half and six feet. There are two varieties of coal, known in market as "Briar Hill coal " and " Mineral Ridge coal;" both varieties are drawn from the same seam. The Briar Hill coal is generally called block coal, and is the kind so largely used in a raw state in smelting iron. It possesses a laminated structure, easily splitting into horizontal sheets, but is very difficult to break in the opposite direction. The faces of the layers are often covered with a soft, dead, carbonaceous material, like charcoal, and the whole seam throughout is marked by alternate layers of dead and bright-looking coal. In the act of combustion the coal neither swells nor changes form, the masses retaining their shapes until they fall to ashes in the furnace. The Mineral Ridge variety is much softer, and is also shorter in the grain than the Briar Hill kind, and it contains a good deal of

By H. E. Nold

ThE raw materials of the ceramic industry are mostly clays. This raw material is ground, water is added and the mixture pugged into a moist, plastic, rather stiff mass. From this mass the desired units of manufacture are made (bricks, hollow building tile, sewer pipe, etc.). These units are dried; then placed in kilns and heated until the desired degree of vitrification is obtained. For firing ceramic ware, two distinct types of kilns are used; namely, periodic and continuous tunnel. Periodic Kilns Periodic kilns are those ordinarily seen in a brick plant. They are either round or rectangular. The raw, dried, formed ware is piled or set in the kilns to depths frequently exceeding 10 ft. The kiln is heated until the ware is matured, then gradually cooled sufficiently to allow men to remove the ware; then the cycle is repeated. The time duration of the cycle may be more than two weeks. In order that heat can be distributed uniformly throughout the pile or setting, the units are placed so as to leave open spaces or flues throughout the pile for the passage of the hot gases. Each kiln is provided with a number of fireboxes (usually 10 or 12) spaced equally in the outside wall. The fireboxes may be equipped with flat or inclined grate bars or they may have no grates at all (dead bottom). Down-draft kilns are most used. In these the hot gaseous products of combustion from the fireboxes are deflected upward by bag walls just inside the fire zone. From the top of the kiln the gases are drawn down through the setting, off through holes in the kiln bottom, and conducted to a stack or stacks. In up-draft kilns the fireboxes are usually set somewhat lower. The hot gases are drawn inward and upward through the ware and pass off from the top. Up-draft kilns find their greatest use in the firing of common brick. In either case the problem is to maintain, as nearly as possible,

Jan 1, 1934