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By E. E. Maillot

In 1943, diamond drilling by the Bureau of Mines, comprising 11 holes which totaled 1,295.6 feet, showed that the pegmatite at Black Mountain consisted of shallow lenses in interbedded biotite-quartz-schist and impure quartzite. The average thickness of the pegmatite was 9.7 feet. Mineralization had a zonal arrangement. Beryl was most abundant near the footwall contact of the pegmatite. The average estimated beryl content of the pegmatite exposed at the surface was 0.81 percent, and the highest content of any pegmatite area was 1.75 percent. Other economic minerals were scrap mica, feldspar, spodumene, and lepidolite. Representative samples of the Black Mountain deposit failed to yield high-grade boryl concentrates by straight flotation owing to the presence of considerable spodumene. By employing heavy medium separation to remove the spodumene, 75.4 percent of the. BeO wan recovered in a flotation concentrate assaying 10.4 percent BeO.

Jan 1, 1949

By L. L. Hirst

Liquid fuel oils possess certain advantages over solid fuels. Ease in handling, precision temperature control, and almost complete freedom from ash are among those considered when a liquid fuel is selected for use in industrial processing. In some instances these fuels are desirable because more heating units can e packed in a Given space where space is limited, as on snips. In other cases the' are chosen because of lower actual cost per British thermal unit absorbed, or for control of the flame to increase the capacity of furnaces, as in steel and refining.

Jan 1, 1948

By H. E. Heide

The serious shortage of domestically produced asbestos during the war prompted the Bureau of Mines to investigate reported asbestos deposits in Alaska. The most promising' appeared to be these in the Cosmos Hills and Jade Hills areas along the Kobuk River in northwestern Alaska. The deposits along the west side of Shungnak River, a tributary of the Kobuk River, were the first to be investigated by the Bureau, in the summer of 1944. Four bulldozer trenches were excavated, from Which a 2-ton sample was taken. This sample was shipped to Rolla, Mo., for testing in the Bureau of Mines laboratory. In the summer of 1945 an investigation of asbestos deposits on Cosmos Creek, also a tributary of the Kobuk River, was begun; the work was completed during the field season of 1946.

Jan 1, 1949

By Clinton C. Knox

Attention of mine operators and engineers in the Picher zinc-lead field has been drawn increasingly in recent years to marginal ore deposits lying at greater than normal depth below surface in the marked structural depressions known as the Miami and Bendelari troughs. Not only mining but prospect and development drilling is relatively costly in the bottoms of the structural depressions known as the. Miami and Bendelari troughs which cross the center of the Picher field. Nevertheless, operations by various mining companies in recent years have shown that no insuperable problems exist, and with the gradual lowering of grade cut-offs throughout the field, certain potential deep-ore areas, previously only partly explored seemed worthy of further investigation. Some such areas were called to the attention of Bureau of Mines engineers by lease holders and operators, while others were noted in the course of Bureau's systematic investigation of Tri-State ore reserves. The writer was assigned to make a study of. those possible "trough extensions," in the course of which all available nine maps, drill logs, and prior reports were assembled. Subsequently 41 churn drill holes were bored by the Bureau in the periods October 1944 to May 1945 and October 1946 to April 1947. The general area under investigation this project is indicated on figure 1, which likewise shows its relation to nearby towns, roads, and railroads. The location of individual deposits included in the report is indicated more clearly on figure 3. Minable ore was found in only two holes, and the structural information procured by drilling was less encouraging than anticipated. This report, however, presents all factual data obtained, in the belief that they may be useful in subsequent prospecting and development projects in the areas investigated. There are also set forth some of the stratigraphic data relative to the Picher field ns a whole and the Miami and Bendelari troughs which were assembled in the preliminary investigation of this project.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. N. Roby

In the course of the Bureau of Mines investigations for suitable sources of high-aluminum clay for the production of alumina, the Whiteware clay deposit was examined in August 1942 by G.N. Bennett, mining engineer, Bureau of Mines, Montana District Office. This report presents the factual data obtained by the investigation, which also includes data on trenching and drilling, and the results of some refractory tests and chemical analyses of representative samples of the clay later taken from some of the best trench exposures and from adit dumps.

Jan 1, 1949

By H. P. Hermance

Preliminary examinations of the Parker and Webb deposits were made by E. E. Maillott, Bureau of Mines engineer in July 1942. The chemical and spectrographic analyses included in this report wore made at the Eastern Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines at College Park, Md., under the general supervision successively of S. M. Shelton and of Paul M. Tyler, formerly regional engineer, Eastern Region. Beneficiation tests were conducted under the supervision of Frank D. Lamb. The mineral exploration was under the general supervision of J. D. Bardill, formerly district engineer. Acknowledgment is gratefully made to the St. Joseph Lead Co., in particular to John S. Brown and P. J. Mechin for their assistance. Special acknowledgment is made to the American Metal Co., Ltd., ,Ind to T. C. Moore for furnishing core-drill and assay data; to the Universal Exploration Co. and P. B. Jennings; and to the Northern New York Mining Corp. and C. H. Sprague for their permission to publish the core-drill dta. Excellent cooperation was given by Dr. W; M. Agar and C, L. Rogers of the Geological Survey.

Jan 1, 1949

By Harold E. Heide

Although the United States has been the largest consumer of tin, only a small quantity of tin was produced or. the North American Continent during peace times, and thy deficiency was made UP by foreign imports. Because the most important sources of tin wore cut off by the war with Japan, it became necessary to increase imports from South America and Africa and, if possible, develop domestic tin reserves. Most of the tin produced in North America has come from the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and a substantial portion of this was produced from the Potato Mountain area. Tin was first identified as occurring in the Seward Peninsula by A. H. Brooks in 1900, when a part of heavy concentrates from Anikovik River and Buhna Creek, one of its tributaries, proved to be stream tin. 4/ His report was given considerable publicity by the daily press, and the first steamers north in 1901 carried a number of prospectors bound for the Seward Peninsula to search for tin. The deposits of stream tin on Buck Creek in the Potato Mountain area were discovered in the fall of 1901. 2/

Jan 1, 1949

By R. S. Sanford

The Claim Point chromite deposits are at tidewater near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula in southwestern Alaska, The United States Geological Survey had a field party in the region from July until September 1940 under P. W. Guild, assistant geologist; maps and geological data were assembled and made available to the Bureau of Mines. A preliminary investigation of the deposits at Claim Point by the senior author during July 1941 was followed by surface sampling and core drilling to determine the quantity and grade of the ere, The Geological Survey was represented at the project by George O. Gates, geologist. Cores were checked and the structural data revealed by drill cores were interpreted. The principal chromite deposits have been sampled and delimitated by trenching and core drilling. Other deposits were trenched and sampled but were too small or too low-grade to warrant core drilling.

Jan 1, 1949

By Haskiel R. Shell

Methods of chemical analysis of clays for the following constituents are presented: moisture, ignition loss Fe2O3, TiO2, P2O5, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, total. carbon, carbonate carbon total sulfur, soluble salts, and soluble sulfate. In these procedures the attainment of accuracy has been the primary consideration sample was taken to insure accuracy, with ordinary precautions. The procedures may therefore be somewhat somewhat and will not be suited for routine work on samples for which the approximate analysis is already known and in which the need for accuracy is not very exacting. However, the method shod be as a set of detailed directions, that have been tested and shown to yield accurate results with clays and other aluminum silicate minerals. Among these minerals are clays of all types, bentonite bauxite, shale, brick; soil, calcined refractory, and sand. Although some of the methods are Unusual, no particular claim is laid to originality. The material was drawn frail many sources, put together and tested.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. S. Sanford

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

Jan 1, 1949

By Donald F. Reed

In its investigation of old, abandoned, lead-zinc mines at which records of operations are not available, in 1914 the Bureau of Mines dug surface trenches anti', in 1947 It diamond-drilled three holes at the Albright Farm deposit in Sinking Valley. Some good lead-zinc ore had been extracted from veins in dolomitic limestone during the time of the American Revolution and as late as 1870. Since that time the only activity was sporadic prospecting and developing. Thu Bureau of Mines disclosed two additional veins by surface trenching, but diamond drilling failed to find significant lead-zinc mineralization.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. J. Burgess

During World War II the shortage of ore revived interest in eastern iron deposits, among which -!2..c "Ile Massachusetts and Connecticut limonites. The Cheever mine, in the Richmond-Salisbury area of Massachusetts, was formerly a large producer of limonite ere. The Bureau of Mines investigated the lateral and downward extensions of the Cheever ore body, which was mined from about 1850 to 1892, by ap open cut 1,000 feet long and also by underground workings. even holes aggregating 1,723 feet, were drilled by the Bureau during the winter of 1943-44. They comprised three diamond-core drill holes, two churn-drill holes, and two rotary-drill holes. A geophysical survey of the Cheever mine area and adjoining ground was made in conjunction with the drilling program. Although this survey did not locate the limonite ore beds, the data were of considerable assistance in locating the limestone contact which forms the footwall of the ore beds. Drilling disclosed two beds of limonite with a heavy overburden of glacial till.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. C. Holliman

This report on the characteristics of commercial aviation gasolines is one of a series of such reports. It presents compilations of' inspection data furnished on their products by 15 manufacturers of commercial grades of aviation gasoline and special data obtained in Bureau of Mines laboratories on 68 samples of these gasolines. Data are presented for 18 samples of grade 80, 20 of grade 91/98, 21 of grade100/130, and 9 of grade 115/145 aviation fuels. The gasolines are designated January 1948 production, although some of the samples actually were produced at a later date.

Jan 1, 1948

By M. F. Boos

The Portland beryl-mica district, Middlesex County, Conn., comprises three deposits investigated by the Bureau of Mines in 1943. The Gotta-Walden deposit is in a pegmatite dike 4 to 20 feet thick, which cuts gneiss and schist. In general, the hanging wall is rich in mica and beryl with some feldspar, quartz, and garnet. The central core is usually high in quartz and feldspar, with relatively little mica and beryl. The footwall comprises quartz and feldspar, with varying amounts of mica and some beryl. The beryl crystals range in color from green to almost golden and have a maximum diameter of inches. Results of surface trenches indicate a beryl content of 0.81 percent for the pegmatite. A small production of beryl, feldspar, and scrap mica has been made from the deposit.

Jan 1, 1949

By Donald F. Reed

Deposits of gray hematite occur in two districts in Talladega County, Ala., the Emauhee-Tallasechatch and Weewoka, both in the; vicinity of Wintorboro, 50 miles east of Birmingham. The deposits were investigated by the Bureau of Mines in 1945 and 1944. Approximately 15,000 feet of diamond drilling was done and 6,000 linear feet of trenches excavated and sampled.

Jan 1, 1949

By Reed. Donald F.

"Deposits of gray hematite occur in two districts in Talladega County, Ala., the Emauhee-Tallasochatchee and Weewoka, both in the vicinity of Winterboro, 50 miles east of Birmingham.The deposits were investigated by the Bureau of Mines in 1943 and 1944. Approximately 13,000 feet of diamond drilling was done and 6,000 linear feet of trenches excavated and sampled.A total of 13,000,000 tons of ore averaging 36 percent iron was indicated in all areas.A detailed discussion of each property investigated, drill logs, and sampling results are given in this report.In the work done in the Talladega County iron investigation, special acknowledgement is due to Paul M. Tyler, formerly regional engineer, Eastern Region, and Richard W. Smith, formerly district engineer, for aid and direction of the project; also to J. B. Clemmor, metallurgist, for diligent research work in the Southern Experiment station laboratory. All were members of the Bureau of Mines Staff.The project was conducted in cooperation with the Federal Geological Survey, whose field work was in charge of T.G. Andrews assisted by Brewster Baldwin. The able and valuable assistance of Andrews and Baldwin aided greatly in accomplishing the project.The areas investigated by the Bureau of Mines were in two districts: The Emauhee-Tallaseehatchee district, between Sylacauga and Sycamoer (marked B on fig. 1) and the Weeworka district, between Winterboro and Sycamore (marked A on fig. 1)."

Mar 1, 1949

By Robert S. Sanford

The demand for aluminum for military use during World War II called for an expansion of aluminum production in the United States A large part of the bauxite (the normal ore of aluminum) consumed in this county comes from Netherlands Guiana, South America. During the war, enemy activities were at times a serious threat to the flow of bauxite to the United States. The need for aluminum. stimulated the investigation of domestic deposits of bauxite and emphasized the wisdom of studying other aluminous materials, such as high-alumina and diaspore clays, to determine their possible use as aluminum ores. The occurrence in Pennsylvania of high-alumina flint clays and nodular diaspore clays has been known for many years. Several companies are mining these high-alumina, low-iron (less than 3 percent Fe2O3) clays and using them for the manufacture of refractory brick. Most of the production has come from Clearfield County, but clay deposits arc known also in Cambria, Centre, Clarion, Clinton, Indiana, Jefferson, Somerset, and Westmoreland, Counties.

Jan 1, 1949

A general description of investigative work conducted by the Bureau of Mines at the, Missouri Valley. manganese deposits and leading to tonnage and grade estimates has been given in Report of Investigations 4375, part 1 of a three-part report of work done between July 1945 and August 1947. Basic factual information from which tonnage and grade estimates were drawn was derived through the drilling sampling of 238 large-diameter bucket-drill holes in 11 widely separated areas. Drilling areas were selected after careful reconnaissance, mapping, and consideration of earlier work done on the deposits by the Bureau of Mines, State agencies, and private organizations and individuals. Stratigraphic studies permitted extending the results compiled within the drilling; areas to outcrop and lightly covered manganiferous zones between an beyond drilling areas. The locations of drilling areas, drilling sections, and individual drill hues are shown on illustrations in part 1 f this report. The individual drill holes, aside from providing the basic information for tonnage and grade estimates, disclosed features affecting any future plan As exploitation. It in particularly significant that a large part of the visible outcrops is faulted end otherwise complicated by slides that give a false impression of the thickness, vertical location, and even the existence of manganese-bearing zones.

Jan 1, 1949

By Paul Zinner

Efforts to win an enriched manganiferous product from the Missouri Valley deposits of South Dakota have included an application of most known ore-dressing devices and have been largely unsuccessful. At least two methods showed some promise of success and were the subjects of detailed Investigation by the Bureau of Mines during the period from July 1945 to August 1947. A series of mining and beneficiation tests were undertaken to determine conditions under which the most feasible concentration methods could be employed and to define the limits of such applications in terms of the character of the final beneficiated product. In the absence of a significant current market for any conceivable product of beneficiation, the extent to which applied methods might be considered successful was measured in terms of ratios of recoveries to grade, regardless of the adaptability of such beneficiated products to further metallurgical or direct usage. The results of all investigations show that production of a shale-free, concretionary, manganese-bearing product by any known method requires great sacrifices in manganese recovery. Products of beneficiation, with specifications permitting some inclusion of shale, can probably be most effectively produced by methods employing specialized jigging equipment as the principal functional unit of a process.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. M. Tignor

As a part of the program of promoting the conservation and efficient utilization of petroleum, studies are being made by engineers of the Bureau of Mines on secondary oil-recovery projects throughout the United States. In furthering that aim, engineering data concerning the reservoirs, methods of stimulating the production of oil, and other pertinent facts are collected, studied, and subsequently published so that others may profit by the experience gained. This report presents the results of a study made by engineers of the Franklin, Pa., office of the Bureau of Mines of secondary oil-recovery operations in the Boggs field, Spencer district, Roane County, W. Va., whore natural gas is injected into the reservoir to stimulate the production of oil from a so-called stripper field. The Boggs field, like most others in the Appalachian region, is one in which the major part of the natural energy that caused oil to flow through the reservoir to the producing wells during the primary stage of oil production has been dissipated. For all practical purposes, most of the oil produced in the Appalachian region at the present time can be considered to be from stripper fields. Consequently, secondary recovery methods are being used extensively in the oil-producing areas of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky for recovering some of the oil that was not produced by primary production methods.

Jan 1, 1949