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The nickel suppliers are hard at work across the entire spectrum of the industry-from exploration and mining on the one hand to the development of new applications of this unique metal on the other. The reason-a surging demand for nickel by the free world. Evidence of interest and activity in nickel abounds. Companies such as Anaconda, American Metal Climax, Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical, Patino, Newmont-firms that have not been in the nickel industry before-are now involved in various exploration and development ventures around the world. International Nickel, Falconbridge, Le Nickel and Sherritt Gordon-the big names in the industry -have committed vast sums of money and talent in a variety of new developments designed to ensure their status as leading producers of this commodity. As a result, the world is now seeing a rapid build- up in nickel capacity, and in this issue of [ ], the editors have prepared a summary of these fast- moving major developments.

Jan 10, 1968

By J. J. Beeson

Page I. PrimaRy MineRalization............................................ 356 1. Introduction..................................................... 356 a. Scope of Work............................................... 356 6. Acknowledgments............................................ 357 c. The Bingham Mining District.................................. 357 d. General Geology.............................................. 357 e. The Utah Copper Mine....................................... 376 f. Field and Laboratory work.................................... 376 2. The Quartz-Monzonite.............................................. 377 3. The Pegmatite Veins.....:.•..............................:........ 378 4. The High-Temperiture Veins.........................-.............:379 5. The Early Hydrotherma! Period.:......................'............ 380 6. The Late Hydrothermal Period................................:.... 385 II. Seconuabx EnricuMENT............................................. 386 . 1. Author's Note;..... ;............................................ 386 2. Factors Governing Enrichment.....................................: 387 3. The Enrichment.................................................... 387 4. The Covellite Enrichment.; .:; ; : .:. :..:.............:................ 388 a. The Capping above the Covellite Ores:....:....................... 388 b. Conclusions Drawn. from a Study of the Capping and the Covellite ; Ores....,.............................................:.....,.' 392 c. Covellite Enrichment at Depth......:......................... : : 392 5. The Chalcocite Enrichment...................................... ; 394 a. The Carbonates in the Capping above .the Chalcocite Ores...:..: .. 394 ' b. The Formation of Chalcocite..:.:. :......:..'...........,......' 394 . 6. Secondary Chalcopyrite and Bornite.............................i ..., . 395 111.- Conclusions as to the Formation.oF the ImpoRtant Sulphides in the Disseminated ORes........................................,.......... 400 I. Primary MiNeRalization 1. Intrdtiction a. Scop. e .of Work.. first part bf, this paper deals with the country rock, its pegihatitic, pneumatolytic', and hydrothermal altektions; also, the effect of magnetite on the deposition of the primary chalcopyrite and pyrite.

Jan 1, 1916

By C. D. Wiseman

THE concept of alloying to increase the strength of metals originated during the bronze age. However, at the present time there is no single theory capable of explaining all of the observed strengthening effects of alloying elements on the mechanical properties. In general, it may be said that solid solutions are stronger than the pure metal and that the strengthening effect increases with increasing alloy content. Various theories for solution hardening have been proposed, the first of which was presented by Rosenhain who suggested that the alloying elements roughened the slip planes, thereby requiring a higher stress to initiate slip. Recent work by French and Hibbard2 confirmed Norbury's3 conclusion that those alloying elements which cause a greater change in lattice parameter have larger effects on hardness. However, a given change in lattice parameter produced by different alloying elements does not cause the same change in hardness. A further refinement was suggested by Dorn, Pietrokowski, and Tietz4 who considered differences in valence between the solute and solvent with the change in lattice parameter to explain the plastic properties of aluminum alloys. Allen, Schofield, and Tate5 further investigated the valency contribution to solution strengthening by testing some copper-base solid-solution alloys having constant electron densities. Tensile tests performed on these alloys gave identical stress-strain curves even though the atomic size effect, which varied by a factor of two, was neglected. The advent of dislocation theory6-8 provided a new and powerful tool capable of explaining many phenomena of plastic deformation and indicated new approaches to solution hardening. The basic con- cept of recent theories is that solution hardening is not due to stresses associated with randomly dispersed solute atoms, but rather to a nonuniform distribution of the solute. This conclusion was reached by consideration of the effective tension present on each dislocation line and the ability of a dislocation to pass an obstacle. cottrell suggested the possibility that the internal stresses due to randomly distributed solute atoms would offer essentially no resistance to the passage of dislocations. He reasoned that an edge dislocation may be considered as a rigid line discontinuity. As the dislocation moved through a crystal, the random stress fields would be equally distributed along its length. Since half of the stress fields would be acting to move the dislocation forward and the other half trying to move it back, the net effect on the dislocation would be zero. Thus the randomly distributed solute atoms would not contribute appreciably to solution strengthening. Mott and Nabarro10 considered the dislocation as a flexible, rather than a rigid, discontinuity. They obtained a simple model for a dislocation moving in a lattice having precipated particles, where the dislocation would actually bend around the obstacle until it would loop back onto itself to rejoin and then continue onward. Their work indicated that the minimum radius of curvature of the dislocation line, under the action of an external stress and in the region of an internal stress, would be such that the dislocation would be unable to pass through a matrix containing small closely spaced precipates by the looping process. The dislocations would tend to remain rather straight, approaching the condition of Cottrell's rigid dislocation. Hence, the strengthening must not be due to random solute atoms; however, it might be due to the concentration of atoms, either as clusters of like atoms or as short-range ordered regions, or to the concentration of solute atoms around dislocations. To date, four mechanisms of solution strength-

Jan 1, 1959

Jan 1, 1902

By S. Arthur Krom

(New York Meeting, February, 1912.) THE James diagonal-plane slimer is specially adapted to handle the finest slimes, but it will also handle sands as coarse as 40-mesh. The saving efficiency of this machine is due to the original construction of the deck, and to the rapid reciprocating movement imparted to it by the head-motion. The deck consists of a plurality of connected planes, having a certain fixed ratio of inclination one to another. These planes intersect each other diagonally to the stroke-line of the table and are arranged so as to give the pulp on the table a double treatment. This double concentration performed by the diagonal-plane deck produces cleaner concentrates and tailings than those obtained by the operation of two separate machines. The action of the diagonal planes settles, combines, and holds all the concentrates in one compact mass, sharply defined from the gangue, and easily cut away without loss. Many slime-concentrating machines distribute the feed-pulp for a distance of 4 or 5 ft. only, and upon a very limited settling-surface. This results in a thick, heavy deposit, from which it is impossible to stratify the values and wash, away the gangue, the resulting products being dirty concentrates, and tailings carrying high values. The diagonal-plane slimer distributes the feed-pulp for a distance of 10 ft., and upon a settling-surface having an area of 40 sq. ft.; in other words, it spreads the pulp thinly on the table, which allows the metallic values to settle through the gangue quickly, forming a bottom stratum from which the thinly-distributed overlying stratum. of gangue is easily brushed away by the feed-water without disturbing the underlying concentrates. Referring to Fig. 1, plane A is the main settling-section, of the table. The feed pulp flows gently down this plane and is

Jun 1, 1912

By A. L. Holley

The members of the society are doubtless aware that the production of American Bessemer steel works is constantly increasing; that the same converters and machinery are doing more work every year. This enlarged output is due to various causes, chiefly the following: 1st. Better organization—better knowledge on the part of both managers and men, of the plant and the process; of the way to economize the more exhausting labor, and of the arrangement of the details of labor and operations so that they shall not conflict; also, more pluck—a greater willingness to take risks, or, more properly, such an intimate knowledge of the nature and capacities of the refractory linings in various stages of disrepair, and the probable be- . havior of the fluid metal at various stages of its treatment, that the precise nature of the risk may be better known, so that the works may be crowded to their full capacity. In the early practice, after getting four or five consecutive heats in a day, the men preferred to " let well enough alone," and to devote the remaining time to preparation for another turn. Now, thirty, and sometimes forty heats are regularly made during the twenty-four hours, day after day, without the frequent occurrence and without the fear of breakdowns or " messes," as the spilling of steel charges was graphically named in Sheffield. 2d. Although no new refractory materials have been developed, improved means of preparing such as we have, and of imbedding

By J. E. Burke, C. W. Mason

IN attempting to study precipitation from a tetragonal lattice using solid solutions of bismuth in tin, it was found that although a Widnmanstatten pattern is observed 1 only a qualitative analysis of the orientation relationships is possible, because of the unusual structural changes that accompany the precipitation process MICROSCOPICAL STUDIES Alloys were made from Chempur tin (Standard samples 42b and 42c, National Bureau of Standards), and bismuth (Kahlbaum C P ) by melting neighed quantities together under palm oil, stirring well, and casting in a heated graphite mold The polishing and etching techniques employed largely govern the visibility of the structural changes The preliminary surfacing operations were similar to those recommended by Villela and Bergekoff,5 through BehrManning 3/o abrasive papers, lubricated by a solution of paraffin in kerosene A rough metallographic polish was next given, using a thin cotton cloth charged with relevigated alumina (maximum particle size of about 4µ) and soap solution, repeated etching and polishing served to remove disturbed metal For high-power examination better preparation was necessary It was found that on such soft metals the threads of the fabric, rather than the abrasive, cause most of the scratching Cotton outing flannel, which had been brushed so that the nap lay down, was fairly satisfactory, but a Heavy grade of silk velvet (not the noncrushable kind) was found to be better, especially after some use A better procedure was as follows The metal lap was warmed slightly, and a 4-in circle of woolen broadcloth was cemented to its center by a thin film of melted paraffin The broadcloth was then moistened with water, and a 30 to 40 per cent solution of sodium hydroxide heated to about 50°C was poured over it, allowed to stand for 1 to 2 min and then washed off It was neither necessary nor desirable to remove all the sodium hydroxide from the cloth, since its etching action aided in the removal of the flowed layer from the sample The cloth was then charged with a paste of the relevigated alumina in water Since this lap did not remove deep scratches, it was necessary previously to polish the specimen on some material such as the silk velvet The sodium hydroxide softens and partly gelatinizes the woolen lap covering, permitting a scratch-free polish, but its action continues, and the cloth deteriorates after about 24 hr This is not serious, because a new lap can be prepared in about 5 min, and only small pieces of cloth are used Etching with a strongly acid solution of ferric chloride was found satisfactory for removing the flowed layer For the final etching, the most satisfactory reagent was that of Taffs,7 the formula for which is FeC13 6H20, 2 grams, HC1, 5 c c , H2O, 30 c c , C2H5OH (95 per cent), 60 c c This etchant reveals differences in com-

Jan 1, 1941

By B. P. Mulcahy

When the phrase "selection of coal for carbonization" is used, there is always the implied continuance of thought "to make good coke.'' The reason for this, of course, lies in the fact that, in almost all instances, when coal is carbonized coke is the principal product. Under certain conditions the yield of gas may also be a factor, but even here it must be secondary to the coke yield, for in every instance coke represents the largest single product of the process. The importance of coke to the byproduct industry has been considerably enhanced during the past 20 years because of the continuously decreasing financial returns of all the by-products. This fact will account, in part, for the rebirth of interest and investigation in the carbonization process during the past 10 years. Many papers have been written on this subject, with naturally divergent thoughts because of the diversity of interests, but in each instance the common aim was the same—the making of better coke. Scope of Investigation In perusing this literature, the writer was struck with the constantly recurring imposed condition of asking for better coke, but with the distinct unwillingness to make any concession to temperature of carbonization. When there is a high demand for coke, the only means by which the industry can increase the quantity is to shorten the coking time by an increase in temperature, or to increase the quantity of low-volatile coal, or both; and since in many instances the percentage of low-volatile coal can be increased only in small quantities, because of factors to be discussed later, the big increase must come from shortening the coking time. When this is done most of the improvement accomplished by the selection of the coals in the mixture is lost. It is not felt necessary in this paper to discuss the advantages of minimum ash and sulphur and other materials in coal. The value of minimum contents of these materials in coke is well established. When the use of coals high in these contents is dictated, the selection of coals, as we will consider it here, cannot apply to full advantage. The scope of this paper, then, will be to discuss the factors of inherent coal characteristics and operating procedures that influence coke quality, for they are fundamentally related and both must be considered if we are to attain our objective of better coke. A study of either must embrace a study of both simultaneously. To properly evaluate the influence of the coal and to help in the selection, we must first be able to appraise the coke, and interpret fairly the influence of the process in all of its aspects. Appraisal of Coke To refer simply to the quality of coke gives no indication of what is meant, for the term is too general in its implication. An analysis of a coke is divided usually

Jan 1, 1944

By B. P. Mulcahy

When the phrase "selection of coal for carbonization" is used, there is always the implied continuance of thought "to make good coke.'' The reason for this, of course, lies in the fact that, in almost all instances, when coal is carbonized coke is the principal product. Under certain conditions the yield of gas may also be a factor, but even here it must be secondary to the coke yield, for in every instance coke represents the largest single product of the process. The importance of coke to the byproduct industry has been considerably enhanced during the past 20 years because of the continuously decreasing financial returns of all the by-products. This fact will account, in part, for the rebirth of interest and investigation in the carbonization process during the past 10 years. Many papers have been written on this subject, with naturally divergent thoughts because of the diversity of interests, but in each instance the common aim was the same—the making of better coke. Scope of Investigation In perusing this literature, the writer was struck with the constantly recurring imposed condition of asking for better coke, but with the distinct unwillingness to make any concession to temperature of carbonization. When there is a high demand for coke, the only means by which the industry can increase the quantity is to shorten the coking time by an increase in temperature, or to increase the quantity of low-volatile coal, or both; and since in many instances the percentage of low-volatile coal can be increased only in small quantities, because of factors to be discussed later, the big increase must come from shortening the coking time. When this is done most of the improvement accomplished by the selection of the coals in the mixture is lost. It is not felt necessary in this paper to discuss the advantages of minimum ash and sulphur and other materials in coal. The value of minimum contents of these materials in coke is well established. When the use of coals high in these contents is dictated, the selection of coals, as we will consider it here, cannot apply to full advantage. The scope of this paper, then, will be to discuss the factors of inherent coal characteristics and operating procedures that influence coke quality, for they are fundamentally related and both must be considered if we are to attain our objective of better coke. A study of either must embrace a study of both simultaneously. To properly evaluate the influence of the coal and to help in the selection, we must first be able to appraise the coke, and interpret fairly the influence of the process in all of its aspects. Appraisal of Coke To refer simply to the quality of coke gives no indication of what is meant, for the term is too general in its implication. An analysis of a coke is divided usually

Jan 1, 1944

By Andrew Hyslop

In our never ending search for new and better ways of underground mining, we find that transportation has had its share of new ideas in the past few years. The old and still effective method of track haulage has had some competition from rubber-tired cars and belt conveyors, each of which has its own safety hazards which demand close scrutiny in any safety study. The use of shuttle cars, in particular, has introduced clearance hazards caused by the absence of the more or less positive guides formed by the rails of a track sys- tem; likewise the requirement of greater clearance tends to increase roof hazards which we all know to be great enough with the best of methods. However, the subject of transportation hazards is too broad to be covered entirely in one paper, so I will confine myself to track methods which carry the preponderance of underground tonnage. I am quite sure that to this group it is an evident fact that haulage accidents are of major importance. However, to stress the point, it may be well to look at a few figures. Safety statistics can be quite boring and often are subject to question as to mathematical accuracy because of different

Jan 1, 1949

By Hamilton Wingate

In his paper on the hydraulic mining of a low-grade gravel in California,* Mr. W. H. Radford expresses the hope that other members of the Institute will contribute, for the benefit of all, their experience in similar lines. In these notes 1 shall describe the conditions and results of the operation of the Gold Bug Mining Co., of Cleveland, O., at Georgetown, Eldorado county, Cal.

Jan 1, 1903

By C. M. Nickerson

IT is apparent that repressuring of the oil measures is becoming increasingly important to the oil industry, and is a matter that warrants the best efforts of the petroleum engineer charged with applying this method of operation to a producing property. Considerable attention has. been directed to repressuring in various California oil fields, such as Dominguez and Seal Beach, which have served to sell the more progressive operator on this idea and also to keep him sold. The projects that have received most attention are in comparatively young fields where the fluid levels are high, the wells, perhaps, still flowing, where the wet gas production is of considerable volume, and where there is vital need of immediate conservation of gas, which otherwise would be blown to the air. The new State of California Gas Law, which prohibits the waste of gas, has served to interest the oil industry in -means of conserving the gas that is now being blown to the air because of lack of markets. This vitally affects the operator in the older, well-depleted oil fields of the state, because in many cases he has a limited market for gas, on account of the flush production from the more active oil fields. While the waste of gas is relatively small in these older fields, such as the Midway-Sunset area, it now attains considerable importance, since under the new State Gas Law it must be put to some beneficial use. Repressuring in the older fields of California has not received the attention of the petroleum engineers that is warranted by the present situation. This paper was prepared with the view of presenting the salient features connected with repressuring in the well-depleted oil measures of the older fields, and to show what results have already been obtained in these fields by injecting the unmarketable. gas into the sands, particularly in the Midway-Sunset field in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Other projects in the older fields of the state offer some supporting data in this connection, such as the Shields Canyon and the Brea Canyon fields.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. S. Harloff, Frank R. Corwin

THE Nichols Copper Co., associated with the Phelps Dodge Corp. and the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co., has constructed at El Paso, Tex., and is now operating a copper refinery with a yearly capacity of 100,000 tons of anodes. Transportation facilities were perhaps the most important of the considerations that led to the selection of this site. The rapid industrial development of the Middle and Far West has increased the consumption of copper there. The advantage of local refining as against shipping the copper to the Atlantic sea- board is apparent. Copper refined in the Southwest is equally competitive for export shipment, either from the Gulf or the Pacific Coast ports. The tonnage of copper produced in the Southwest not only justifies the construction of this plant, but may warrant considerable expansion in years to come.

Jan 1, 1930

By GEORGE O. SUMAN

IN THE operation of oil properties there are various difficulties with pumping wells which can often be overcome or greatly lessened if sufficient attention is, directed towards pump and tubing problems. The difficulties referred to are the wearing out of pumps, sanding up of pumps, and the sanding up of the hole. As the perforations in the oil strings are large and the oil and sand loose and unconsolidated considerable trouble is often encountered in pumping wells due to the ease with which' the sand can come into the holes. DETERMINING FLUID LEVEL In determining the proper depth at which to tube a well it is essential to first find out something about the behavior of the fluid in 'the hole: Facts in regard to this natter can be obtained by finding the fluid level on pulling the tubing, by making a pumping test on the well tubed to various depths, and by bailing tests during cleaning out work. In ordinary oil field operations it is customary to take the fluid level at the time of pulling the tubing. This 'can only be done when the pump is not sanded up. There are two methods used in obtaining the fluid level. One method is to note where the outside of the tubing starts, to be covered with fluid when pulling the

Jan 1, 1925

By AIME AIME

FEW men are better known in fuel engineering circles in the Middle West than the present Chairman of the Coal Division of the A.I.M.E. - Julian Elnathan Tobey. Now vice-president in charge of engineering of Appalachian Coals Inc., of Cincinnati, he has served that pioneer regional marketing agency since Aug. 1, 1934, when he became manager of its engineering department. His duties have included field promotion work in the interest of use of the agency's coals from eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, south western Virginia, and southern West Virginia in new plants of all types. He has been especially interested in certain industries which have shown an alarming tendency to change to natural gas or hydroelectric power; also in the development and practical application of small stokers and other mechanical equipment.

Jan 1, 1941

By Theodore Simons

I. INTRODUCTION PERMISSION to present this paper at the February, 1915, meeting of the Montana Section of the American Institute of Mining Engineers was liberally granted by W. A. Clark, Jr., President and General Manager of the Timber Butte Milling Co., and by the representative of the Minerals Separation Co. For the many courtesies shown the writer on his visits to the mill and for information supplied, he is indebted to all the officers of these companies, especially to W. N. Rossberg, W. D. Mangam, Hamilton Cooke, Jr., T. M. Owen, T. C. Wilson, R. McGillivary, L. L. Quigley, C. Bartzen and others. The writer takes this opportunity to herewith express to them his appreciation and sincere thanks.

Jan 6, 1915

By H. M. Chance

In the early part of 1893, I had occasion to make for the owners a professional examination of the Rich Patch tract; and, with their permission, I present in this paper, omitting the commercial portions of my report, those portions which may be valuable to future students of that region. Location, Topography And Geology. The Rich Patch tract comprises about 9000 acres, located about 3 miles west of Low Moor, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, in Alleghany county, Va., and immediately adjoining the Low Moor property. In shape the tract is roughly quadrangular, being about 3 miles broad in a northerly and southerly direction, by about 6 miles long from east to West. Potts creek and Jackson river run along its northern boundary. It is drained by Hayes Gap run, Mill branch and Laurel creek, which flour north into Potts creek, and by Karnes creek, which flows northeasterly through the Low Moor property into Jackson river. The topography of the tract is shown by the accompanying map (Fig. I), and need not be described here. The valleys are cut down from 1000 to 1500 feet below the mountain summits, which generally reach an altitude of about 3000 feet above tide. The geological structure of the district is indicated by the geological cross-sections shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These sections show that the formations underlying the property extend from the Lower Silurian lin~estones up to the Devonian slates, including the numbers of the Paleozoic system of rocks as defined by the geological surveys of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, from No. 11. to No. VIII. • No. IX. Old Red Sandstone, No. VIII. Slates and Shales, Devoman-

Jan 1, 1900

By C. E. Sims, H. M. Banta, S. L. Hoyt

Over the past few years, metallic arc welding has been extended to steels of the hardenable type. As compared with other methods of fabrication, production has been facilitated, service performance frequently has been improved, and the overall results have been so favorable that engineers and production men have placed great emphasis on this application of welding. The metallurgist and welding engineer, however, have been confronted with new problems, since, for one reason, the harder steels are more apt to crack and special precautions must be taken if sound joints are to be procured. Some of the factors that are pertinent to this problem are metallurgical, and it is an object of this contribution to discuss steel manufacture and processing methods and to show how their control assists in reducing the hazard of cracking. By this time, the problem of cracking— specifically underbead cracking, or "hard cracks," or parent-metal cracks-—is well known, and a large amount of work has been published, both here and abroad, dealing with this subject.' The tests described are made under restraint to facilitate cracking and arc so designed that a semiquantitative, or at least a relative, value of the cracking tendency is obtained. As one would expect, it has been reported that the incidence of cracking increases with the carbon and alloy content of the steel. More specifically, the cracking tendency is said to increase with the hardenability of the steel, though it is now recognized that the situation is not so simple. The phenomenon itself, on the other hand, has been but loosely described, and it is in only broad generalizations that this cracking has been related to steel metallurgy. Thus, while it has been abundantly demonstrated that the hardenable aircraft steel, S.A.E. 4130, must tend to crack when are-welded, the problem still remains of why two lots of the same composition and the same hardenability can vary so greatly in cracking tendency, or what it is about the prior metallurgical history that so strongly affects the results. Further, while the efficacy of preheating and postheating in preventing cracking is recognized and utilized in production, the mechanism by which they function seems not to have been described. These points are thought to be significant in the production of steel for fabrication by metallic arc welding and, hence, of interest to mill and process metallurgists and welding engineers. Consequently, it is another object of this paper to discuss the mechanism of parent-metal cracking, including the influence of the condition of the steel and the control of cracking by manipulation of the time-temperature conditions during and after welding. A new method of rating the cracking tendency is also discussed, and the results of the test are related to steel composition and structure or prior history. The work to be described was the outgrowth of work in 1940-41 at Battelle Memorial Institutc on two projects, one

Jan 1, 1945

By A. J. Williams

THE province of Saskatchewan, situated in the center of the Great Plains region of Canada, has, like most prairie areas, an essentially agricultural economy. Most of its population of about 860,000 is located in the southern half of the province in the farming and ranching areas. To the north of the prairie is a broad forested belt supporting a considerable timbering industry, and the northern one third of the province is glaciated pre-Cambrian rock formation. This latter area is, relatively barren of vegetation, but the presence within it of a considerable variety of radioactive, noble and base metals, and industrial minerals has been shown by prospecting in recent years.1 Glacial Geology The Keewatin ice sheet, considered to have accumulated in the country to the west of Hudson Bay in Pleistocene time, covered at its maximum advancement almost all of Saskatchewan and extended south of the international boundary. Only in the Cypress Hills in the southwest and around Wood Mountain in the south central portion of the province did the preglacial formations escape the action for this glacial period. The bedrock of the plains and forest areas therefore is overlain by moraines and modified glacial drift, which vary in thickness from a few feet to 400 or 500 ft.2 Glacial action in the pre-Cambrian area of the province was largely erosional, most of the more recent formations and some of the pre-Cambrian rock being transported out of the area to the south and west. It has been estimated that about 13 pct of this area is composed of lakes and rivers not too adaptable to rail or water transportation, so that until the use of aviation for exploration purposes became general; development of the area was slow. To the south, the heavy. mantle of glacial drift has to some extent deterred the discovery of industrial minerals in the bedrock underlying the forest and prairie regions.3 At the same time, this drift contains numerous deposits of those most elementary and necessary industrial minerals, sand and gravel. Sedimentary Basin The major feature of the sedimentary deposits underlying the plains regions is the basinal structure known as the Moose Jaw syncline, which runs from the southeast corner of the province in a northwesterly direction. To the west. of this syncline the formations curve upward, then have been faulted and further upthrust to appear at the surface in the foothills of-the Rockies in Alberta; to the east and north they curve upward into Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan, but the surface contacts are covered mostly with glacial drift.2,3 The axis of the syncline dips to thee southeast, so that there is also an upward trend of the formations along the axis to the northwest. In illustration of the regional structure underlying the province, the pre-Cambrian basement has been logged in drillholes at the following depths in several locations: Ogema (south central), 9390 ft; Gronlid (northeast), 2599 ft; Vera (northwest), 4422 ft; Big River (north northwest), 2348 ft. Fig. 1 indicates the general surface geology of the province, ignoring such glacial overburden as may overlie many of the bedrock formations. Also indicated is the approximate location of the axis of the Moose Jaw syncline.4 Industrial Minerals Clays: The province is fortunate in possessing a widespread distribution of clays of ceramic value, ranging from those used for heavy structural products to the high grade pottery and china clays. Shales suitable for brick and tile production are found in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary formations across the south of the province where the glacial drift is thin or nonexistent. Many deposits of glacial lake clays suitable for such wares are found scattered over the rest of the province south of the pre-Cambrian area. The Whitemud formation of the Upper Cretaceous is a narrow sedimentary, band of secondary clays found intermittently, at points, across the, south of the province where glacial action did not disturb or remove them.8 In the southwest corner of the province, around Eastend in the Frenchman River valley, the refractory clays of this formation are contaminated somewhat with iron compounds or other alteration products of basaltic rocks. This eliminates the use of those clays in true whitewares, as they fire to creamy buff shades at the lower temperatures and to a blue-specked grey at cone 8 to 12, (2280°F to. 2390°F), the range commonly used in firing whiteware. However, for use in the production of colored artware, caneware, stoneware or crockery, and sewerpipe, this type of clay makes an excellent body that requires little or no addition of flint, feldspar, or other fluxing materials such as are required in the higher class of ware.9 It is not a grade of clay that can be shipped great distances to the manufacturing centers, but a market for considerable tonnages has developed at nearby Medicine Hat, where cheap natural gas is available for the firing of the ware. Farther east in the south central portion of the province, the clays of the Whitemud formation are generally more refractory and white burning. The formation is divided into three zones, consisting of white clays, brown shale, and white sandy clays.

Jan 1, 1952

By E. C. Harder

AT a Meeting of the New York Section, on May 23, 1918, the sole subject of discussion was the nature and occurrence of iron ores in certain parts of the world.? Owing to the importance of this subject, it has been deemed' advisable to publish the remarks made at that meeting in the form of a paper, for presentation at the Milwaukee Meeting, instead of in the usual place, under News of Local Sections. The remarks related to the following districts: Brazil, by E. C. Harder, of the U. S. Geological Survey; Scandinavia, by Waldemar Lindgren, of the U. S. Geological Survey; Cuba, by C. M. Weld, of the U. S. Bureau 'of Mines; Southern Europe, by A. C. Spencer, of the U. S. Geological Survey; China, by H. Foster Bain, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines; Alsace-Lorraine, by Sidney Paige, of the U. S. Geological Survey. BRAZIL By E. C. Harder During the years immediately preceding the war, the iron ores of Brazil were attracting the attention of iron operators both in Europe and in the United States. This was clue to the large quantities of practically undeveloped ore available, and to its great purity. It is reasonably safe to state that had capital not been diverted from the exploitation of these deposits to war purposes, Brazilian iron ores would probably now be offered in European and American markets. It is certain that after the war these ores will play a prominent part in the economic reconstruction of Europe and perhaps in the development of America.

Jan 9, 1918