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Illinois is rightly known as containing the coal deposit of which the first record in the United States was made. Joliet and Marquette saw "charbon de terre" along the Illinois River in 1673;1 LaSalle saw "mines de charbon" along the same stream in 1679; and Hennepin reported having "found in Several Places Some Pit-Coal" in 1682.2 In 1687 Jontel, in writing of the Illinois River country said, "along the river are coal pits, the coal whereof has been try'd and found very good."3 J. Carver reported the northern parts of the Mississippi River valley, "containing lead, copper, iron, coals, etc." in 17664 evidently referring to the Illinois country. Croghan, in the same year, saw coal along the Wabash River, near the mouth of the Vermilion in Indiana, but not far from Danville. Capt. Philip Pittman in his journey up the Mississippi in 1770 reported that "great pieces of coal are constantly found on the sand-banks, from whence it may be concluded, that there are coal-mines on the upper parts of the Mississipppi."5 This coal could only have come from the Illinois or Big Muddy Rivers. Morse, in 1798, refers to great quantities of coal on the upper branches of "the Father of Waters," and "on the Illinois River is a coal mine, which extends for half a mile along the middle of its banks."6 While, undoubtedly, some coal was used locally in various places, no records have been left of it and the first definite one is that in 1809 William Boon shipped some coal from the Big Muddy River, in Jackson County, to New Orleans, which was the first coal exported from Illinois.1 There has been considerable discussion as to this first shipment, whether it was made in 1809, 1810 or 1812. The records of arrivals of: boats in New Orleans in those early years is specific as to date, name of craft and name of captain, but no mention is made of cargo carried. William Boon arrived

Jan 1, 1942

By O&apos, R. G. Meara, M. M. Fine

One of the principal activities of the Bureau of Mines connected with the recent war was to help to increase the supply of strategic and critical minerals. Fluorite was one of the most critical of the nonmetallic minerals because of the increased demand for it as a flux in basic open-hearth and electric steel furnaces and as a raw material for the production of artificial cryolite used in the aluminum industry. Wartime developments in the technology of hydrofluoric acid, such as the use of the anhydrous acid as a catalyst in production of high-octane gasoline and the use of organic fluorides as carriers for insecticides, also increased the demand for acid-grade fluorite. † In 1943 the consumption of acid-grade fluorite was advancing at a more rapid rate than production, and was only slightly less than production during the latter half of the year.' The outlook for the postwar market for fluorite is encouraging Steel production is expected to remain high until the domestic demand for commodities not manufactured during the war is satisfied. The uses for hydrofluoric acid are expected to increase under the impetus of war-initiated research. In consideration of these and other factors some authorities predict a postwar demand for fluorite equal to about 60 to 75 per cent of the wartime production.1,2 Others believe that the postwar fluorite industry will be permanently expanded over its prewar status3 Acknowledgment This paper is one of many reporting on various aspects of the Bureau of Mines program directed toward the more effective utilization of our mineral resources. The program has been under the general supervision of R. S. Dean, Assistant Director, since July 1942. The scope of the paper falls in the province of the Metallurgical Branch, whose activities embrace the separation of difficultly beneficiated ores, the production of pure metals from domestic deposits, the exploitation of marginal ore reserves, the recovery of secondary metals, and the improvement of present industrial metallurgical practice. The investigation was initiated at the request of Mr. J. H. Steinmesch, vice-president and general manager, Minerva Oil Co., Eldorado, Ill. His hearty cooperation and helpful suggestions, and those of Mr. 0. E. Anderson, mill superintendent,

Jan 1, 1947

By M. M. Fine, R. G. Meara, O&apos

One of the principal activities of the Bureau of Mines connected with the recent war was to help to increase the supply of strategic and critical minerals. Fluorite was one of the most critical of the nonmetallic minerals because of the increased demand for it as a flux in basic open-hearth and electric steel furnaces and as a raw material for the production of artificial cryolite used in the aluminum industry. Wartime developments in the technology of hydrofluoric acid, such as the use of the anhydrous acid as a catalyst in production of high-octane gasoline and the use of organic fluorides as carriers for insecticides, also increased the demand for acid-grade fluorite. † In 1943 the consumption of acid-grade fluorite was advancing at a more rapid rate than production, and was only slightly less than production during the latter half of the year.' The outlook for the postwar market for fluorite is encouraging Steel production is expected to remain high until the domestic demand for commodities not manufactured during the war is satisfied. The uses for hydrofluoric acid are expected to increase under the impetus of war-initiated research. In consideration of these and other factors some authorities predict a postwar demand for fluorite equal to about 60 to 75 per cent of the wartime production.1,2 Others believe that the postwar fluorite industry will be permanently expanded over its prewar status3 Acknowledgment This paper is one of many reporting on various aspects of the Bureau of Mines program directed toward the more effective utilization of our mineral resources. The program has been under the general supervision of R. S. Dean, Assistant Director, since July 1942. The scope of the paper falls in the province of the Metallurgical Branch, whose activities embrace the separation of difficultly beneficiated ores, the production of pure metals from domestic deposits, the exploitation of marginal ore reserves, the recovery of secondary metals, and the improvement of present industrial metallurgical practice. The investigation was initiated at the request of Mr. J. H. Steinmesch, vice-president and general manager, Minerva Oil Co., Eldorado, Ill. His hearty cooperation and helpful suggestions, and those of Mr. 0. E. Anderson, mill superintendent,

Jan 1, 1947

By W. R. Purcell, C. S. Brooks

The internal surfaces of rocks which are in contact with interstitial fluids are known to influence in some degree the recovery of hydrocarbons from pay zones. Despite the admitted importance of the influence of solid surfaces on hydrocarbon recovery, little information is available concerning the extent of surface of reservoir rocks. In this paper a description is given of the apparatus and procedure employed in the determination of the surface areas of sedimentary rocks, and values are reported for a variety of sandstone and limestone cores. In addition, consideration is given to the Kozeny equation, which relates surface area to porosity and permeability. A colliparison is made between the surface areas as calculated from this equation and the geometrical areas of a series of packs of spherical glass beads. Also, for a group of sandstone cores. Kozeny areas are compared with surface areas as determined by the gas adsorption method employed in this investigation. INTRODUCTION It has long been recognized that many processes which are of importance to hydrocarbon production are controlled in some degree by the extent of the surface of the reservoir rock through which the hydrocarbons move. For example, the recovery efficiency that is obtained in a given reservoir is certainly determined in part by the action of interfacial forces between the reservoir fluids and rock, and this action is influenced in turn by the extent of solid surface. Despite the admitted importance of surface effects to problems of petroleum recovery, little information is available concerning the extent of surface of reservoir rocks." It is the purpose of this paper to describe an apparatus which has been employed for the measurement of the surface areas of rock samples and to present the values which have been obtained for a variety of sandstone and limestone cores. In addition, the relationship of surface area to permeability and porosity, as given by the Kozeny equation, will be discussed. METHOD OF MEASURING SURFACE AREA The method of determining surface areas as employed in this work has previously found wide use in studies of porous solids such as catalysts. The method involves the measurement of the amount of physical adsorption of an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, on the bare surface of the solid at reduced pressure and constant temperature near the normal liquefaction temperature of the gas. With the aid of the theory of isothermal adsorption as developed by Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller,' it is possible to ascertain the amount of gas (and hence the number of molecules) which is required to cover the solid surface with a single layer of molecules. From a knowledge of the covering area per molecule the total surface ares of the solid can be computed. Since the Brunauer. Emmett, Teller (BET) theory has been adequately discussed elsewhere: it will suffice here merely to present their final equation as ordinarily employed for surface-area calculations. This equation relates the volume of gas, V, which is adsorbed at pressure, P, to the liquefaction pressure, Po, of the gas, and to the volume of gas, V.,, that is required to form a monomolecular layer: In this equation C is a quantity which is related to the heats of adsorption and liquefaction of the gas; for a particular solid-gas system at Constant temperature, C is considered to have a constant value. The basic adsorption data can be presented in the form of Equation (1) by plotting the quantity P/V(Po- P) as a func-

Jan 1, 1952

By H. Conrad, V. V. Damiano, G. J. London

The slip mode activated during the c axis compression of single crystals of commercial-purity ingot SR beryllium, high-purity (twelve-zone-pass) beryllium, and Be-4.4 wt pct Cu and Be-5.2 wt pct Ni alloys in the temperature range of 25° to 364°C was determined using two-surface slip trace analysis, slip-step height analysis, and electron transmission microscopy. All three techniques indicated the occurrence of copious pyramidal {1 122) (1123) slip in the alloys over the entire temperature range, the amount increasing with temperature. Pyramidal slip was also indicated in the high-purity beryllium by slip trace analysis and electron transmission microscopy, but the amount was somewhat less than in the alloys. For the commercial-purity ingot crystals, only a very small number of pyramidal slip lines were observed, and these were in the immediate vicinity of the fracture surface. No pyramidal dislocations could be detected by electron transmission microscopy in this material. Dislocatransmissiontions with Burgers vectors [0001] and +(ll20) were identified by electron transmission microscopy inthe (1122) slip bands, as well as those with the j (1123) vector. This was interpreted to indicate that the edge components of the 3(1123) vector dislocations activated during c axis compression dissociate upon unloading according to the reaction i (1123) — [0001] + 3(1120) THE microstrain c axis compression of single crystals of commercial-purity ingot SR beryllium (99.6 pct), high-purity twelve-zone-pass beryllium (99.98 pct), Be-5.24 pct Ni and Be-4.37 pct Cu alloys was described in a previous paper.1 This paper covers in detail the analysis of slip traces observed on two mutually perpendicular lateral surfaces of these specimens, and a detailed description of transmission electron microscopy studies performed on foils cut from the bulk crystals after they had been deformed to fracture in the c axis compression. Observation of slip traces on single surfaces of deformed single crystals are generally insufficient to positively identify slip or twinning modes. The use of two carefully cut and oriented perpendicular surfaces can greatly aid in the positive identification and index- ing of slip traces, although even this technique may be quite inadequate if more than one type of slip system operates and if an insufficient number of traces are observed on the surfaces. The problem is greatly simplified for symmetric cases like that for c axis compression of an hep crystal such as beryllium, in which the operating slip systems are all equally inclined to the direction of the applied stress, and each slip system of a given slip mode has an equal chance of operating. For such cases, the traces of any given slip mode observed on the surfaces cut parallel to the c axis are symmetrically tilted about the c axis. It is therefore possible to quickly determine whether one or more slip modes are operating. Confirmatory evidence in support of the observations made on the external surfaces can be obtained from foils cut from the deformed crystals and examined by transmission electron microscopy. This latter technique serves to identify not only the operating slip plane but also the Burgers vector of the dislocations which participate in the slip. For this purpose, a simplified technique based upon a double tetrahedron notation is used in the present paper. The planes and directions in the hep lattice are all designated by letters rather than indices and extinction conditions are easily determined if the Burgers vector lies in the plane contributing to the diffraction. RESULTS 1) Slip Trace Analysis. The standard (0001) stereo-graphic projection of beryllium is shown in Fig. 1. The two mutually perpendicular, lateral surfaces of the compression specimen are represented by the diametrical planes AA' and BB', also referred to as surface A and surface B. For the specific case represented (a Be-5.24 pct Ni specimen deformed by c axis compression at room temperature), the A surface is tilted 5 deg to the (10i0') plane and the B surface is tilted 5 deg to the (1120) plane. Two surface trace analyses may be facilitated by examining in turn the intersection of various great circle traces of specific pyramidal planes with two surfaces and comparing the angles made with the (0001) plane with those actually observed on the two surfaces. One then identifies the slip traces by trial and error on a best-fit basis. The (1122) type planes (it was found that slip occurred on these planes) are shown plotted on the stereographic projection in Fig. 1. One obtains directly the angles between the (0001) plane and the {1122) traces by measuring the angle from the periphery to the point of intersection along the lines

Jan 1, 1969

By D. A. Koss, R. O. Gordon

Changes in the ultrasonic attenuation in steel specimens have been observed during tensile tests. Samples of AISI 1020, 1045, and 1095 steel quenched and tempered to a spheroidized condition have been used. Both attenuation and microstrain measurements fail to reveal preyield dislocation motion in the as-tempered specimens. Upon reapplication of the load to samples in the strain-aged condition there is a large preyield attenuation increase but no observable micvostrain up to 90 pct of the flow stress. These and other observed changes can be related to changes in the free disloca-tion density and the average dislocation segment length. The results show that the increase inflow stress in the strain-aged condition is caused by increased fric-tional stresses rather than by dislocation pinning. Strain aging is found to proceed through three distinct stages. The second of these follows the t2,3 law and is characterized by an activation energy of 20 kcal per mole. RECENT years have seen substantial progress in the understanding of the sharp yield-point phenomenon in metals; the influence of solute atom pinning of dislocations, of dislocation multiplication, and of the stress dependence of dislocation velocity on the stress-strain curve has been investigated. Evaluation of the relative importance of these factors in the various metals and alloys is not complete, however, because observation of the stress-strain curve alone is not sufficient to determine the yield mechanism. In the experimental study of the sharp yield point it would be desirable to be able to directly observe the dislocations in a bulk specimen. Ideally, the observations should be made during deformation because of the rapidity of recovery processes in lightly strained metals. While direct observation of dislocations under these conditions is not possible, certain physical properties sensitive to the dislocation structure can be observed while a test specimen is undergoing deformation. Of these properties, one of the most useful is the ultrasonic attenuation. The total observed attenuation, a, is due to a number of causes: acoustic diffraction, scattering by inhomogeneities in the structure, heat flow, magnetostriction, and dislocation damping. Satisfactory measurements of the absolute a are difficult to make because all of these factors cannot be evaluated in any given specimen, but changes in a due to changes in the dislocation contribution alone can be reliably observed by appropriate technique. Because dislocation damping is sensitive to small concentrations of long, free dislocation segments, observation of acoustic attenuation due to dislocations is particularly useful in the study of the early stages of plastic deformation. In the experiments to be described, acoustic-attenuation measurements have been made on steel samples as these were pulled through their yield in tension. While many details of dislocation-damping phenomena in the bee metals remain obscure, the main characteristics of this type of internal friction are established. At low strain amplitudes and at frequencies well below that of dislocation resonance (the conditions of these experiments) the dislocation contribution to a is given by1 where A is the density of freely oscillating dislocation segments, L is the average segment length, B is the damping constant for a moving dislocation, w is the frequency, O is an orientation factor, C is the dislocation line tension, and t is a numerical factor relating average segment length to the distribution of lengths. Because of its fourth-power dependence on L, a is highly sensitive to changes in dislocation free segment length such as might arise from unpinning, recovery, jog formation, or dislocation intersection. The above equation is not valid near the resonant frequency of dislocations, but the segment length in steel is believed to be much too short to cause over-damped resonance near 10 Mc; this will be discussed later. In the present experiments plastic-strain measurements with a sensitivity of 2 x 10-5 were also made during the early stages of loading in order to detect preyield strain. The general plan of the experiments is to observe

Jan 1, 1967

By Robley D. Evans, Gerald L. Schroeder

Advanced techniques for control of radon (Rn) daughter product concenrrations (working levels, WL) in the uranium mines are discussed. Understanding the physical laws which govern the flux of radon into a mine, the growth and decay of the radon daughters, and the particulate nature of the daughters when suspended in air allows ventilation personnel to improve the quality of mine air with no increase in ventilation rate. The task of controlling, in a mine atmosphere, the short-lived nuclides produced in the decay chain of radon is a unique problem and as such should be approached with ventilation techniques specific to the problem. For most mines this has not been the case. Rather, procedures for removing these airborne radioactive nuclides have been borrowed directly from ventilation experience in mines where dilution ventilation was the traditionally accepted approach for air purification. With radon daughter products, this has often led to frustrating difficulties and expense. Primary origin of the airborne radioactivity is the a-ray-emitting noble gas, radon (222Rn, Rn), a nuclide formed by the decay of radium (226Ra, Ra). Radon, being a gas, may escape from its parent crystal and diffuse through the parent mineral into the interstices of the rock body. In a sandstone structure, about 20% of all the radon formed may find its way into the interstices of the rock. If a cavity such as a mine is nearby, the radon may diffuse through the rock interstices into the mine. While radium is usually highly concentrated in uranium ores, it is also found in varying concentrations in all minerals. Radon is therefore present in all minerals. In normal glacial till, the equilibrium interstitial radon concentration often equals 5000 pCi (picocurie, also uuCi) Rn per liter of pore volume.' In normal granitic rocks, the interstitial radon concentration often approaches 30,000 pCi per 1. Considering these typical, high-radon concentrations, radioactivity from airborne of daughter products is a potential problem unique not only to the uranium mining industry and should be considered as a potential hazard in all underground environments.

Jan 1, 1970

By Frank L. Nason

In the year 1904 an eminent Swedish geologist prepared a report on the iron-ore reserves of the world. His estimates follow: Countries. Tons. United States,.1,100,000,000 Great Britain,.1,000,000,000 Germany,.2,200,000,000 Spain,.. 500,000,000 Russia and Finland,...... 1,500,000,000 France,..1,500,000,000 Sweden,..1,000,000,000 Austria-Hungary,....... 1,000,000,000 Other countries,1,200,000,000 Total,.10,000,000,000 The iron-ore allotted to the United States by the Swedish geologist is barely sufficient to last 20 years at. the present rate of consumption. On the other hand (according to Edwin C. Eckel,' from whom the above and following statistics are quoted), there is hardly need for worry on the part of our iron industries for the next two centuries or more. Upon the basis of careful work by the U. S. Geological Survey, in which Mr. Eckel has taken an important part, the following estimates are definitely, but by no means finally, given for the United States: District. Tons. Lake Superior District,... 1,500,000,000 to 2,000,000,000 f red hematite,.. 1,000,000,000 Alabama, brown hematite, hematite, . 725,000,000 red hematite,.. 200,000,000 Georgia, { brown hematite, . 125,000,000 Tennessee, { red hematite,.. 600,000,000 Tennessee, { brown hematite,hematite, . 225,000,000 f red hematite,.. 50,000,000 Virginia, } brown hematite, . 300,000,000 Total,..4,725,000,000 to 5,225,000,000

Jan 1, 1913

By J. S. Vanick

AN extremely hard, tough, and strong, white or chilled cast iron has been applied for the past several years to industrial and mining services in which its unusual properties have been confirmed by its ability to deliver in many instances much better performance than plain chilled iron, or other wear-resistant materials. It is being produced regularly by alloying a good base composition of chilled or white cast iron with essentially 4 to 6 per cent of nickel and 1 to 2.5 per cent of chromium. Such a material can attain a hardness exceeding 600 to 750 Brinell as against 380 to 530 for corresponding grades of plain chilled iron. The strength is approximately doubled and the toughness significantly increased. These properties make it especially useful for many applica-tions requiring a high hardness for resistance to wear, abrasion, attrition, deformation; to some extent to high compressive loading and to a lesser but important degree to corrosive action. A wide variety of commercial castings is being successfully produced from this iron, ranging in size from the small-grain grinding plates or burrs through medium-sized castings such as sand pumps up to large, heavy castings such as rolls for metal rolling or cement grinding. The composition of this white cast iron may be roughly bracketed within the range shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1933

By A. L. Benham, W. E. Dowden, W. J. Kunzman

The mechanism involved in creating a miscible fluid displacement of typical reservoir fluids through porous media by light hydrocarbon mixtures usually involves a number of mixing and separation stages in the contact area. This mechanism has been illustrated on ternary diagrams for miscible displacement of reservoir fluid by rich hydrocarbon gases. A relatively simple method has been devised for calculating the approximate conditions for a miscible displacement of reservoir fluid by rich, light hydrocarbon gases or by LPG mixtures. Miscibility is favored by increased pressures, decreased temperatures, light reservoir fluids and light hydrocarbon-displacing fluids rich in the heavier components. The conditions for miscible displacements of five typical reservoir fluids by various light hydrocarbon mixtures were determined for a range of temperatures from 70" to 260°F and pressures from 1,000 to 3,000 psia. A correlation of these conditions was obtained using the variables of temperature, pressure, C,+ molecular weight of the reservoir fluid, C,+ molecular weight of the displacing fluid, and mol per cent methane in the displacing fluid. This correlation has been applied to data appearing in the literature with very good success. A partial check of the correlation has been made using a step-wise procedure with a windowed PVT cell. INTRODUCTION The term, "miscible fluid displacement", may be defined as any oil-recovery displacement process where there is an absence of a phase boundary or interface between the displaced and displacing fluids. A water flood would not be a miscible fluid displacement, although cycling in a condensate reservoir would be. Another example is displacement of oil by gasoline. Not so obvious, however, are the conditions under which fluids (such as propane, mixtures of propane and methane, or other similar systems) will give a miscible fluid displacement of oil. There are four standard miscible-fluid-displacement processes being used for the recovery of oil from an "nderground reservoir—(1) high-pressure dry-gas miscible displacement, (2) rich-gas miscible displacement, (3) miscible slug using a slug of LPG followed by a lean dry gas under miscible conditions, and (4) gas driven-slug process using a slug of LPG followed by a lean dry gas under immiscible conditions. The first problem faced by the engineer designing a miscible displacement process is to determine the conditions for miscibility. A number of papers have included discussions of the process of obtaining miscibility in these processes.1-8 However, methods for calculating the conditions for miscibility have not been published. This paper includes a method for calculating the conditions for a miscible displacement of reservoir fluid by a rich gas (LPG diluted with methane or natural gas). In this paper, a rich-gas miscible displacement process is defined as an oil-recovery process in the reservoir. The cost of a rich-gas miscible displacement will be decreased by diluting the LPG with methane or natural gas as much as possible. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict the maximum dilution for miscibility. MECHANISMS The mechanisms for obtaining miscibility between a displacing mixture of light hydrocarbons and displaced reservoir fluid often involve a number of displacing and mixing stages. As stated previously, the cost of a rich-gas miscible displacement is decreased by diluting available LPG with natural gas. The problem is to predict the maximum dilution allowed while maintaining miscibility. To get a picture of the displacing and mixing stages, it is helpful to consider these complex hydrocarbon mixtures as pseu do-ternary systems. Graphical representation of a complex system as a pseu do-ternary system can be thermodynamically rigorous if enough variables are used to describe the character of each pseudo-component in one of the phases. However, even if the characterization of each pseudo-component is not complete, pseudo-ternary representation does serve to illustrate the mechanism for obtaining miscibility and can be used to make some general conclusions concerning the conditions for obtaining miscibility. A phase diagram for the ternary system, methane-

By Robert Archer

THE proper material of construction for a given purpose is that material which meets the requirements satisfactorily at the lowest ultimate cost. It is consistent with this principle that most aluminum castings are made of an alloy containing about 8 per cent. copper. This alloy possesses mechanical properties satisfactory for general engineering purposes together with manufacturing characteristics leading to the production of finished castings at low cost. It is to the aluminum industry what gray iron is to the iron and steel industry. Just as some services require "semi-steel," malleable castings or steel castings instead of gray iron, there is a certain and growing demand for aluminum castings of superior strength or ductility, or both. Since the beginning of the industry producers and others have sought to develop alloys or processes by which such castings could be made. Out of these efforts have emerged many alloy compositions and special processes, of which only a few have had sufficient merit to survive. It is the purpose of this paper to describe those which seem to the authors to offer the greatest promise for the production on a commercial scale of aluminum castings of superior mechanical properties, with special reference to heat-treated castings. The suitability of an alloy or process for actual manufacture is affected by so many factors that the problem of appraisal is not a simple one. Since this is such an important part of the whole subject it is proposed to discuss briefly some of the requirements. The final verdict is of course the result of commercial trial and experience. It will therefore, perhaps, be profitable to employ a somewhat historical method of treatment in discussing the subject of alloy development.

Jan 9, 1926

By Kung-Lee Wang, Brian W. Mackenzie, Warren E. Morrison, DeVerle P. Harris, George F. Sharrard

The term "mineral economics" is applied to a wide range of activities in the mineral industries. Earlier chapters have described the application of economic concepts to the mineral industries-supply, demand, conservation, tariffs, etc. The solution of mineral economics problems is often assisted by the application of quantitative methods. The purpose of this chapter is to describe a number of quantitative methods-econometric, operations research, and management science techniques-which find application in the analysis of mineral economics problems. These methods include input-output analysis, trend analysis, forecasting techniques, simulation, multivariate statistical analysis, mathematical programming, and market research techniques. The purpose of this introductory section is to provide a mineral economics framework for the application of these methods. Mineral economics is a subdivision of economics that is justified by a sufficient number of economic problems in the mineral industry requiring special experience and an unusual combination of skills. These problems are concerned with the conversion of minerals as geologic resources to minerals as economic goods. The mineral conversion process is outlined in Fig. 8.A.1. The physical occurrence of mineral deposits in nature and the market demand for mineral products in the economy provide the basic stimuli. The conversion process embodies a number of sequential stages-exploration, the development of mineral deposits, and mineral processing facilities and, consequently, productive activity to supply market demand. Changes in demand and the depletion of deposits illustrate the dynamics of the process. Mineral economics applies economic con-

Jan 1, 1976

By Fred D. Gustafson

With the postwar emergency for new housing and for new industrial buildings, much research has been done on lightweight aggregates for use in concrete and plaster. The trend toward lighter weight aggregates to relieve the dead load on the higher, steel framework buildings started toward the end of the last century. Progressively the requirements became more stringent, crushed bank slag, weighing 80 lb per cu ft as compared to 100 lb for crushed rock, was supplemented in some sections by foamed slags and expanded shales weighing from 40 to 60 lb per cu ft. In other sections cinders were used weighing from 40 to 50 lb, including sand. Sections favored with more recent vulcanism turned to pumice weighing from 30 to 60 lb, whereas other localities made use of diatomite, from 28 to 40 lb. Exfoliated vermiculite weighing from only 6 to 10 lb per cu ft came into use. As the search for lighter weights in aggregates continued so did the search for other desirable properties such as nailability, ease of cutting or channeling, and good insulation to both sound and heat. This search eventually led to a widespread interest in the expansion of perlite, or similar volcanic glasses, with the result that in 1946, the Office of the Housing Expediter' listed eleven firms reporting the operation of processing plants either on pilot or commercial scale producing aggregates weighing from 2 to 16 lb per cu ft. Geology Perlite is one of the large family of rocks originating from a granitic or acidic magma and generally has a "rhyolitic composition with a marked perlitic structure."² The name "perlite" is a derivation from "perlstein" originally given "to certain glassy rocks (hyaloliparites, hyalo-rhyolites) with numerous concentric cracks, from the fancied resemblance of broken out fragments to pearls."3 The cause of the perlitic texture is somewhat controversial. Johannsen attributes the texture to strain set up in the glass by cooling and describes the finding of peculiar, glassy balls, called marekanite, more or less rounded and showing concave indentations, which may be left when perlite is broken. Frank Rutley, on the other hand, in 1881, while working on vitreous rocks from Montana, observed that there was incipient or partially started crystallization with segregation of water toward the un-crystallized portion in all specimens of perlite examined. Further he observed evidence of strain around focii of crystallization to which he ascribed the development of the spherical cracking which gives the rock its perlitic texture.4 Widespread over the western and southwestern United States where Tertiary vulcanism is exposed, perlite commonly is associated with andesitic, basaltic, and rhyolitic lavas with inter-bedded tuffs and ash of Eocene age although some deposits are associated with rocks assigned to the Pliocene age.5, 6 n nearly all cases the perlite overlies water laid tuff beds or agglomerates or breccias of explosive nature, an outstanding exception being the occurrence of perlite as the chilled selvage of andesite intrusions.7'8 Available chemical analyses of per-lites from the western and southwestern United States indicate that they are varieties of leucorhyolites rather than of normal rhyolites, leucorhyolites having less than 5 pct of dark minerals, normal rhyolites having more than 5 pct. This conforms with Johannsen's observation that leucorhyolites are the prevailing kind in North America.9 Tables 1 and 2 give

Jan 1, 1950

By Joseph B. Perry, G. M. Kirwan

MAGNESITE is found in 22 California counties, but many of the deposits are too small or too impure to be of commercial value. Several of substantial size and quality were entirely exhausted by wartime operation. At present, three properties comprise the only known workable deposits in the state. Of these, the Western mine and the Patterson mine have been known and worked for many years, and have been described in considerable detail in various publications, therefore need only brief mention here, because of their proximity to the Bald Eagle mine. The latter, recently developed, is unusual in type of ore deposit, plant design and operation, as well as products made, and very little has been written concerning it. WESTERN MINE The Western mine, 32 miles south of Livermore, Calif., was formerly operated by C. S. Maltby. It has been a consistent producer for many years.1 The ore is of amorphous variety, occurring along fracture zones in serpentine. The veins vary greatly in width, the average being perhaps 8 ft., with the maximum indicated in one early stope of 40 ft.; 2 ft. is considered the minimum for economical mining. The strike of the veins is predominantly north and south, with dip to the west varying from 40º to 75 º. Walls are well defined and as a rule firm and easily supported. Veins range in length from a few hundred feet to 1000 or more. Their maximum vertical extent is about 350 ft., but many run less. Early mining consisted of open-cut and glory-hole work on the larger outcrops. This was followed underground by a modified shrinkage system, the waste and low-grade horses being removed by hand sorting on the tramming levels and transported to surface dumps. Filled-stope mining is used now, in order to eliminate the handling of waste, which has

Jan 1, 1938

By Douglas A. Karvonen

INTRODUCTION Although the economy in the Province of Saskatchewan has historically been agriculturally oriented, a major source of wealth has been realized through natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas, coal and uranium and since the 1960's - potash. Potash or potassium chloride, in the form in which it is presently produced in Saskatchewan, is used primarily as fertilizer, a source of potassium, one of three essential elements required for healthy plant growth, with about 5% of production sold to the chemical industry for use in such products as soap and liquid detergent, glass and ceramics, textiles and some pharmaceuticals. Saskatchewan is estimated to have approximately 40% of known world potash reserves and its ten active mines account for some 25% of annual world production. POTASH CORPORATION OF SASKATCHEWAN In an effort to guarantee a fair and lasting economic benefit to the Province of Saskatchewan, the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) was created on February 4, 1975 through an Order-in-Council under the Crown Corporation's Act and later on April 1, 1976, the Potash Corporation Act provided for its continuation. PCS was given the mandate to acquire ownership of a significant portion of the potash mining capacity in Saskatchewan and to establish an organization capable of operating the facilities, marketing the product, and conducting all of the other activities necessary for a successful corporation competing in the world potash industry. The corporation is the largest potash producing and selling organization in the Western World - or third largest in the world. (See also Figure 1). PCS through its wholly-owned subsidiary, PCS Mining, has acquired a whole or partial interest in five geographically distinct producing properties or divisions, representing today more than 40% of Saskatchewan's potash producing capacity. The acquisition of each division was followed by a program designed to exploit and maximize the particular opportunities at each minesite for increased production. To that end, PCS Mining has taken an active lead in expanding to meet future demand and has implemented expansion programs at all properties except for its Esterhazy Division where it has a long-term processing agreement with International Minerals & Chemical Corporation (Canada) Limited. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, PCS Mining, PCS Sales and PCS Transport, this provincial crown corporation has the ability to operate as a producer and marketer of Saskatchewan's potash. In certain instances PCS, the parent company, assists in the financing of various projects undertaken by the subsidiaries and in other cases the subsidiary involved arranges its own financing. POTASH RESERVES As a background to the specific issue of financing, it is helpful to describe briefly the nature of the deposit which supports the industry - our collateral, if you like. The potash beds underlying Saskatchewan are sedimentary rock deposits formed by the gradual evaporation of an inland sea during the Middle Devonian period roughly 400 million years ago. Now known as the Prairie Evaporite, this formation stretches from North Dakota and Northeast Montana through Southern Saskatchewan into North-Central Alberta. These beds lie at mining depths ranging from 950 - 1000m (3,000 ft) below the surface, where conventional mining methods can be used, and to 1,650m (5,000 ft), where solution mining must be

Jan 1, 1985

By Robert C. Mackenzie

EXAMINATION by the differential thermal analysis technique of a large number of samples of soil and other clays from various parts of the world has demonstrated that the occurrence of cold-precipitated hydrated ferric oxide (the identification of which in soil clays has previously been reported5) is not confined to any limited locality; e.g., it has been found in varying amounts in clays from Britain, France, South Africa, and Mexico. The conditions necessary for its formation have not yet been elucidated in spite of the number of samples examined, and, since this mineral is so easily prepared in the laboratory, it has been considered that a study of its constitu¬tion and of the conditions under which it could be prepared might. lead to a better understanding of the factors involved. These experiments form the subject of this short paper, and while they do not supply a definite answer to the mode of formation of this mineral in nature, they may, it is hoped, add something to our knowledge in this direction. EXPERIMENTAL WORK Materials Employed The a-Fe2O3.H2O (goethite) and B-Fe2O3.H2O (Weiser and Milligan") were obtained from the Department of Geology, University of Aberdeen, and Rothamsted Experimental Station, respectively. The beta material had been prepared by the method described by Fernelius.1 y-Fe2O3.H2O (lepidocrocite) was prepared at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research by the method of van Schuylenborgh.6 The method employed for preparation of the cold-precipitated hydrated ferric oxide* was as follows: 1: 1 NH4OH was added (moderately fast with rapid stirring) to a solution of 5 grams FeC13.6H2O in 250 ml distilled water at room temperature (ca. 15°C) until red litmus turned blue, and then 2 to 3 drops in excess. The resultant precipitate was filtered off on a Buchner funnel and washed free from Cl- with distilled water. Previous experiments having shown that drying over P2O5 at room temperature or drying at 105°C in the oven did not significantly affect the thermogram,5 samples were nor-

Jan 1, 1952

By T. A. Wilson, S. L. Hoyt

THE plastic deformation of slender single crystals of zinc has been described in some detail in the paper by Mark, Polanyi and Schmid,1 which has become a classic, and also by one of the present authors in a somewhat shorter account.' The study of single-crystal zinc is termed classical because zinc single crystals offer, perhaps, the best material yet available for the study of atomic behavior during deformation and the effect known as "strengthening" in metals. A considerable amount of additional work has also been done on single-crystal zinc, but as it is not closely related to the present paper it will not be considered. Throughout all the former work, the mechanism of plastic deformation first described by Mark, Polanyi and Schmid has been assumed to hold. This may be said to offer the strongest confirmation of its correctness. Even so, the picture of the process has never been as completely portrayed as is desirable. The first object of the present paper is to describe work that has been done in this field, and which is even yet being carried on, in the hope that a more complete picture may be obtained. Mathewson and Phillips' have recently described a new mechanism of the deformation of zinc based on their study of large rectangular crystals. One of their conclusions was that deformation produced twinning with a rotation of some of the basal planes into positions 94° removed from their original position; a position almost the same as that of the prismatic planes before twinning. A second conclusion was that fracture occurred along these basal planes in their new position, and, therefore that fractures previously regarded as prismatic were in reality basal. Such findings are of great significance and they raise a question as to the generality of such behavior. Professor Mathewson's opinion is that even the slender cylindrical single crystals behave in the same manner as his large rectangular crystals when strained by simple tension.

Jan 1, 1928

By B. Ladanyi

The problem of rock behavior under concentrated loadings has been the subject of a number of studies in the past and has been receiving increasing attention by rock mechanics investigators in recent years. Its application covers various fields, but main interest in its solution has arisen in connection with the problems of drilling, bearing capacity, and rock testing. These widely different purposes and fields of interest probably have been one of the reasons why, in spite of the large amount of published experimental data and several theoretical studies, there are still many points which need further clarification. Another reason for this situation undoubtedly is due to the fact that the rock behavior in indentation is complicated by a great number of influencing factors. Experimental evidence shows that, depending on the rock type (mechanical properties, porosity), environment (ambient effective pressure, pore fluid, temperature), and the type of loading (indenter shape, initial embedment, load level, loading rate), the rock response to indentation may vary within very large limits. The widely different rock behavior has made it impossible up to now to treat the problem with a consistent single mathematical theory, but has required instead a series of simplified models covering only certain most important events in the failure sequence. As far as the theory of rock indentation is concerned, this chapter does not add much new information. Its main purpose is, however, to state the indentation problem in a general manner and to indicate which points need to be studied in more detail before its definite solution is attempted. Also, since excellent reviews of the state-of-art of rock indentation in drilling have recently been given,1-4 this will not be repeated here, and only references pertinent to the points of the problem under study will be quoted. The theoretical part of this study attempts to give a quantitative evalu-

Jan 1, 1972

By Thomas Elliott

It is now clearly evident that 1963 is witnessing a record year for prospecting and exploration in British Columbia and Yukon Territory, as substantiated by the following facts: ? About 60 large mining companies and many smaller ones are active in the search for new ore deposits. ? More than 500 prospectors and exploration geologists have been in the field this season. ? It is estimated that $10 million has been spent this year on the search for new ore deposits. ? Claim staking in B. C. to July 31, totalling 14,250, is up 2000 over 1962. ? Helicopter companies report a record total of 25 aircraft chartered to mining groups, with additional numbers used in oil-gas exploration. ? Leading assayers state that business with the industry is double that of the previous year. ? Diamond drillers report an increase of approximately 25% in the amount of contracts now on hand. The question is often asked, "Why is mining so active in Canada's Pacific Northwest?"

Jan 12, 1963

By E. S. Machlin, A. J. McEvily

HE results of an experimental investigation by McEvily and Machlin have indicated that a strong relationship exists between the processes of cross slip and fatigue. Whenever dislocations can cross onto an intersecting plane and expand thereon, as in AgCl crystals, the usual type of S-N behavior is obtained, but when such a process is difficult, as in NaCl crystals, fatigue does not occur in its usual manner, if at all. MgO, because of its crystal structure (NaCl type) and slip systems ({110}<110>) would not be expected to fail in fatigue. However, Cornet and Gorum2 have found something akin to the usual type of fatigue behavior for MgO crystals. The purpose of this note is to attempt to resolve this apparent discrepancy. In Cornet and Gorum&apos;s work as-cleaved crystals were tested under cyclic axial loading, whereas in McEvily and Machlin&apos;s work chemically-polished crystals were tested in reversed bending. Because of the difference in specimen preparation, the major effort of the present work was directed toward comparing the behavior of as-cleaved as opposed to chemically-polished specimens. The effect of type of loading seemed less important, but a check was made on this also. Eighteen bend tests and one axial load test were made. The specimens were cleaved from Norton magnorite blocks, and measured 1 by 3/16 by 1/8 in. To avoid failures in the grips, the thickness of the bend specimens was reduced from 1/8 in. near the ends to 0.04 in. in the central portion. This reduction was from one side of the crystal only. Twelve specimens were polished in orthophosphoric acid to remove the damage due to cleavage. The other six specimens were not chemically polished so as to maintain the as-cleaved condition of the crystal faces which had not been reduced. The axial-load specimen was reduced from both faces to a thickness of

Jan 1, 1962