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By William H. King

The Fannie Ryan deposit is situated about 9 miles northwest of Boulder City, Clark County, Nev. at an altitude of about 2,000 feet on the north side of the River Mountains. The deposit is covered by several unpatented claims owned by Fannie B. Gulick of Las Vegas, Nev. The Boulder City deposit is within the Hoover Dan National Recreational Area. It is situated about 3 miles southeast of Boulder City in sec. 23,T. 23 S., R. 64 E., Clark County, Nev. The Deposit was covered by several unpatented mining claims owned by S. R. Whitehead of Las Vegas. The deposits occur in sedimentary beds of the Muddy Creek formation that overlie older volcanic extrusive. The manganese minerals occur as soft oxides of the wad type. The exploration was conducted by the Bureau of Nines in cooperation with the Federal Geological Survey and comprised a study of the geology, mapping of the areas, and development by shaft sinking; diamond drilling, and sampling. On the Fannie Ryan Gulick property the work consisted of cleaning and sampling seven old trenches on the outcrop and diamond drilling seven holes totaling 1,482 foot. At the Boulder City deposit 188 feet of drilling was done in two holes. A 4- by 6-foot shaft was sunk to a depth of 44.5 feet, and the north and south sides of the shaft were sampled.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. F. Barkley

Under the procedure of the American Standards Association, with the American Society for Testing Materials as sponsor, the Sectional Committee on Classification of Coals has arrived at the classification of coals by rank as shown in Table 14/. The standard explains the term "agglomerating" used for classification under physical properties, as follows: Agglomerating Index. - Coals which in the volatile-matter determination produce either an agglomerate button that will support a 500-g weight without pulverizing, or a button showing swelling or cell structure, shall be considered agglomerating from the standpoint of classification.***. Pending the adoption of a method by the American Society for Testing Materials, the coke-button grading test5,/ afforded by the examination of the residue in the platinum crucible incident to the volatile matter determination, shall be used.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. H. Carrington, A. C. Richardson

"INTRODUCTION The Powhatan mine of the Franklin Coal Mining Co. is located in the western part of Jefferson County, Ala., on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, 40 miles west of Birmingham. The Mary Lee bed at this point yields coal with fair coking qualities, but with an ash content as mined so high as to prohibit its use in the production of metallurgical coke. At present the entire output of the mine is washed in single-compartment jigs and marketed as locomotive and domestic fuel.Figure 1 gives a typical seam section of the Mary Lee bed at the Powhatan mine. This section shows that the bed is divided by rock partings into three benches. In many parts of the mine, particularly in the older workings the roof rock is so weak that it can not be held without excessive timbering. This condition has restricted the operation in many parts of the mins to the middle and bottom benches of coal. The 6 inches of draw rock between the top and middle benches is very strong and makes an excellent roof requiring only a normal amount of timbering to support it. In the newer workings of the mine the character of the rock above the top bench is strong and it is believed that in the future it will be possible to work all three benches. This study was undertaken for the purpose of determining the washing characteristics of the Mary Lee bed at Powhatan and the effect on these characteris-tics of including or omitting the coal from the top bench. It was also the purpose of the study to show whether it would be possible to produce a washed product sufficiently low in ash to be used for the manufacture of metallurgical coke. This paper is one of a series of reports on the washability of Alabama coals which is being prepared by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and tin University of Alabama. With the cooperation of the coal producers of Alabama. It contains the results of screen sizing and float-and-sink tests of representative samples of run-of-mine coal, and the results of table tests on the minus 3/16-inch sizes of the raw coal."

Apr 1, 1933

By Wilder D. Foster

In the method used in the Health Branch of the Bureau of Mines for petro-graphic identification of the minerals in a rock, the sample is crushed, ground to a fine powder in a mortar, the powder is put on a slide, a drop of index oil and a cover slip are added, and the slide is ready for examination. The rock should be ground fine enough so that most of the particles consist of only one mineral, otherwise identification is difficult. Finally, the amounts of the minerals present in the sample are estimated to the nearest 5 or 10 percent. When quartz grains are mixed with some claylike minerals) of which by far the most common example is quartz and kaolinite in a shale, grinding in a mortar does not always separate the quartz from the kaolinite; instead, the quartz grains become coated with the kaolinite and are not visible, even after careful search. Talc acts Similarly, but muscovite and pyrophyllite do not. In evaluating the possible silicosis hazard of breathing dust from a shale, it is essential to be able to see and identify all of the quartz grains, as the other minerals present are relatively innocuous.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. V. Ramani

This volume is the fourth of a four-volume final report on research carried out under a contract from the U.S. Bureau of Mines on the development of a computer simulation model for surface mine reclamation planning. The other volumes are titled as follows: Volume I: Ore Reserve Estimation, Volume II: Dragline Model, and Volume III: Mine Coordinate Generator System. The Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS) was first developed" in 1971 and modified and updated in 1975. The present work is an update of the 1975 version and provides a direct link between the geology and reserves system and the various activities of the mining equipment in a mining system. Also, the modeling techniques in OPMHS/2 have incorporated a flexible method for describing various equipment (shovels, trucks, belts, trains, etc.), locations, their sequence of operations, place changes, and their interactions. These features allow for studying mining equipment selection, mining method analysis and reclamation planning. This report describes the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator Version 2 (OPMHS/2). The report details the program features, operation, and application. Through an extensive set of appendices, the data input sequence, input variable definitions, sample data listing and program output are presented in detail.

Jan 1, 1985

By Gary A. Kingston

This examination of Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Montana, Ore on, and Washington) ferrous scrap-industry opera ions, principally those in Oregon and Washington, points out factors influencing the supply and consumption of scrap materials, such as the complete dependence of steel ingot producers in these States on scrap as a metal raw material and the sizable quantity of scrap exported from Seattle and Portland to Japan. The pattern of the industry is presented as a movement of materials from their diverse sources to the consuming market. The geographic locations of the consuming industries in relation to the area generating scrap materials and the movement pattern of the supply from source to destination strongly influences the cost of the commodity. The best measure of the scrap supply available in an area is experience in terms of how much scrap was withdrawn at a given price. Scrap availability is not finite, because the return of materials as scrap is secular and influenced by constantly varying market conditions. Steel ingot producers use 75 percent of the approximate 500,000 tons of scrap consumed in Oregon and Washington; steel foundries take 15 percent of the total; and iron foundries, ferroalloy plants, and other miscellaneous consumers utilize the remainder. Also, from 1955 to 1960 an average of about 200,000 tons has been exported annually from Oregon and Washington. The foreign exports are supplemented by lesser .shipments to other steel producing States, principally in the western United States. From 1955 to 1960 the preferred and higher value heavy melting scrap grades accounted for about 60 percent of total withdrawals which varied between 600,000 and 950,000 tons annually. Total scrap withdrawals from Oregon and Washington are projected to 1.8 million tons by 1985, 60 percent (1.1 million tons) of which will be heavy melting grades. No. 1 heavy melting scrap is most attractive to scrap consumers at $35 per ton or less. Price-supply relationships compared with projected scrap requirements indicate future prices possibly over $35 per ton. High prices over a long period could motivate the Pacific Northwest scrap consumers to produce steel from iron ore. However, technologic changes taking place at integrated steel plants could reduce scrap withdrawals from the Pacific Northwest, which might keep the scrap price sufficiently attractive to obviate production of competitive iron products by the Pacific Northwest scrap consumers.

Jan 1, 1964

By A. L. Service

In 1965 the Western phosphate industry ranked third after Florida and Tennessee in total mine and marketable production of phosphate rock and phosphate rock products. It has become an important regional industry and, since the close of World War II, it has become important in the national phosphate economy. This report includes an evaluation of the trends and outlook for the Western phosphate industry through 1975 as part of the Bureau's program to determine the rate at which the Nation's mineral resources are being utilized. The first part of this report is concerned with the relationship between the Western phosphate industry and that of the United States and the world. It describes the principal phosphate deposits and discusses production, export, and import of phosphate rock and marketable products. The second part of the report is concerned with the Western phosphate industry and discusses trends and outlook through 1975. Projections for the utilization of phosphate rock, phosphate fertilizers, and elemental phosphorus have been developed and extended through 1975 in an effort to provide data and information pertaining to the rate of depletion of the Nation's phosphate resources.

Jan 1, 1967

By John J. Sammarco

This report details the testing and evaluation of a modular azimuth and positioning system (MAPS) to provide navigational information for a continuous mining machine. Vehicle navigation is part of the U.S. Bureau of Mines research program in computer-assisted mining serving as a tool to increase mining health, safety, and productivity. The Bureau is investigating other navigation systems, but MAPS seems to have the most promise. MAPS was installed on a continuous mining machine. An operator used the machine to cut coal while researchers collected machine and MAPS data. A comparison of MAPS data for xy position and data obtained with an electronic transit showed an increasing error for MAPS. After 30 min of operation, the easting position error was -0.02 m, and the northing position error was 0.019 m; after 60 min of operation, the easting position error was -0.19 m, and the northing position error was -0.26 m. Modifications to MAPS software and to the operational procedure of the machine significantly reduced this error by a factor of 3.7. Researchers continue to reduce these errors.

Jan 1, 1993

By C. M. Harrer

The location, features, qualities, and extent of iron occurrences and the associated resources--limestone and dolomite, bentonite, coal-lignite, petroleum and natural gas, power, and water--are evaluated. The results of pioneer beneficiation tests on South Dakota taconite are discussed. In addition, pertinent features of taconite development, cost factors, the Western and Central United States trade area and markets are reported. The State's production of iron ores until 1963 has been small and for purposes other than the manufacture of iron. This investigation disclosed the probability of large resources of taconite in Pennington and Lawrence Counties. The average iron content is 29 percent, and a 65-percent or better iron concentrate might be produced. Ample resources are available for mining and processing taconite. An investment of at least $26 million would be required for a plant capable of turning out 1 million tons of agglomerated iron concentrate per year. The feasibility of such an enterprise is indicated, but intensive investigation and research must be completed to justify such an investment.

Jan 1, 1966

By Guenter F. Lehmann

This report summarizes the results of the development and testing of a prototype monorail suspended bridge conveyor (MBC) system as a method of continuous haulage In underground mining applications. Included are the results of full scale, surface and underground testing of the complete MBC system. Conclusions drawn from these results, together with recommended modifications, supports the viability of the MBC system.

Jan 1, 1988

By C. M. Harrer

The location, features, qualities, and extent of iron occurrences and the associated resources--limestone and dolomite, bentonite, coal-lignite, petroleum and natural gas, power, and water--are evaluated. The results of pioneer beneficiation tests on South Dakota taconite are discussed. In addition, pertinent features of taconite development, cost factors, the Western and Central United States trade area and markets are reported. The State's production of iron ores until 1963 has been small and for purposes other than the manufacture of iron. This investigation disclosed the probability of large resources of taconite in Pennington and Lawrence Counties. The average iron content is 29 percent, and a 65-percent or better iron concentrate might be produced. Ample resources are available for mining and processing taconite. An investment of at least $26 million would be required for a plant capable of turning out 1 million tons of agglomerated iron concentrate per year. The feasibility of such an enterprise is indicated, but intensive investigation and research must be completed to justify such an investment,

Jan 1, 1966

By Stephen M. Jasinski

The development and industry adaptation of advanced technologies have led to many important uses for bismuth and its compounds. Bismuth-base alloys are essential for manufacturing jet engine turbine blades, lenses, and various safety devices, such as fire-protection sprinklers. The addition of bismuth to iron, steel, and aluminum imparts properties to these metals that makes them useful in diversified applications. Bismuth is also used widely in medicine, pigments, and electronics. The United States relies heavily upon imports from South America and Europe to meet its demand for bismuth, which is recovered chiefly as a byproduct of lead processing.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. L. Engel

In previous reports5/ of ore-testing studies, tests made by established methods on typical ores selected as representative of certain mining districts have been described in considerable detail. In addition to established test procedures, such as screen analysis, chemical analysis, microscopical examination of ores and products, sink-and- float separation, gravity concentration, flotation, ,and magnetic separation with or without roasting, it was sometimes necessary to apply other methods, such as leaching, in instances where physical separations were not feasible.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. L. Engel

In previous reports5/ of ore-testing studies, teats made by established methods on typical ores selected as representative of certain mining districts have been described in considerable detail. In addition to established test procedures, such as screen analysis, Chemical analyses, microscopical examination of ores and products, sink-and-float separation, gravity concentration, floatation, and magnetic separation with or without roasting, it was sometimes necessary to apply other methods, such as leaching, in instances where physical separations were not feasible.

Jan 1, 1940

By Kenneth M. Maas

The Bureau of Mines inventoried the land in southwestern Alaska to classify ownership and availability and compared this land with known mineral terranes and mineral deposits. This report discusses and quantifies the potential for favorable location of mining claims for metalliferous (locatable) mineral deposits. Of the nearly 24 million acres that constitute the study area, approximately 3.6 million acres or 17% are available for mineral location, 3.4 million acres or 14% are available with restrictions, and 17 million acres or 71% are unavailable. Mineral terranes are known to underlie about 7.8 million acres or 33% of the study area; 3 million acres or 38% occur on land available for mineral location, 1.3 million acres or 17% occur on land available with restrictions, and 3.5 million acres or 45% occur on unavailable land. The State of Alaska has opened over 91 % of its land in the study area to mineral location; in comparison, the Federal Government allows mineral location on 0.07% of the land under its jurisdiction. There are 117 known mineral deposits or occurrences within the study area, including 77 lode deposits and 40 placer deposits. Of the 41 lode deposits occurring within a mineral terrane, 2 occur on available land.

Jan 1, 1988

By C. S. Allbright

This report gives the results of analyzing three groups of crude shale oils by the Bureau of Mines procedure:4/ (1) Oils produced by standard Fischer assay determinations on oil shales from Brazil (Paraiba Valley) and the United States (Colorado); (2) oils produced from Brazilian shale by different retorting methods; and (3) oils from high-temperature retorting of Colorado oil shale in the Entrained Solids retort. It is the second in a series presenting data obtained by analyzing crude shale oils from various sources. The series furnishes information on the general characteristics and compositions of a wide variety of shale oils. Use of a standard analytical method on all samples facilitates comparison of different oils. The 18 oil samples analyzed in this project comprised 3 from assays of Brazilian and Colorado oil shales in the Fischer retort, 9 obtained by processing Brazilian shale in various other units, and 6 from entrained solids retorting of Colorado shale at 1,000° to 1,500° F. The crude oils from Brazilian shale contained about half as much nitrogen as the Colorado oils. Properties of the Fischer assay oils from Colorado shales agreed with some data that relate grade of the oil shale with properties of the crude oil from the Fischer assay. Comparison of results from Fischer assays of oils from the foreign and domestic shales shows that the oil from Brazilian shale contains more low-boiling material and less residuum than either of the two from Colorado shale. This fact is reflected in lower specific gravity, viscosity, and carbon-residue values for the Brazilian oil. Retorting Brazilian shale in the Entrained Solids unit at 1,120° F. produced an oil whose boiling range was generally lower than the boiling ranges of oils obtained by processing in three other retorts at conventional temperatures. The quality of crude oils from high-temperature retorting of Colorado shale in the Entrained Solids process varies with retorting temperature. As the temperature is raised within the range 1,000° to 1,500° F., the amount of the naphtha fraction in the crude oil increases to about 35 percent and the aromaticity to 98 percent.

Jan 1, 1956

By Daryl R. Tweeton

The Bureau of Mines is investigating possible applications of geophysics to monitor leachate during in situ mining. Tomographic reconstruc-tion of seismic or electromagnetic crosshole data appears applicable. The tomographic program BOMTOM (Bureau of Mines tomography) was written and then used to investigate reconstructions with synthetic travel time data. The calculations confirmed that without constraints, crosshole data do not provide unique solutions. The solution is not determined solely by the data, but is also influenced by the velocity guesses starting the iterative solution procedure. The effectiveness of constraints in combatting nonuniqueness was examined. The requirement that the velocity not vary laterally at the top and bottom of the pixel grid was effective. This constraint is realistic when the top and bottom of the grid represent dry and saturated re-gions, respectively. Limiting the maximum velocity improved reconstructions, but may not be applicable in practice. BOMTOM uses the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT) with straight ray paths. The program is efficient in use of memory, and can be run on a personal computer. A source code in FORTRAN is listed. A source code in BASICA and compiled executable codes in both languages are available from the Bureau's Twin Cities (MN) Research Center.

Jan 1, 1985

By B. E. Blair

The physical properties and related geological and petrographic data for 81 rock types obtained from operating mines or selected test sites are presented in this report. Most of these rock data were obtained to supplement structural studies in underground mines; however, the data may be equally applicable to other problems where the physical properties of rock are an important factor. Stress-strain curves are presented, where available, and free medium velocities from laboratory and field measurements are compared for several rock types. Rock-type, geographical, and geo-logical indexes are included for reference relative to physical property data in this and previously published Bureau of Mines physical property reports. INTRODUCTION This report presents the physical properties of 81 rock types from 16 different projects (sections 53-68). Three previous physical property reports2 3 4/ (herein after referred to as parts I, II, and III) presented data on 244 rock types from 52 project areas. (Part I included sections 1-25, part II sections 26-36, and part III sections 37-52).

Jan 1, 1956

By D. R. Tweeton

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed tomographic computer programs for geophysical applications and is distributing them as part of a Bureau plan to facilitate the transfer of technology to potential users. These programs were developed for predicting and monitoring the flow pattern of leach solution during in situ mining. The Bureau has also applied them to assessing high-wall blast damage and examining the integrity of mine-related geological structures. This report describes the curved ray program BOMCMTR (Bureau of Mines curved ray tomographic reconstruction), tells how to run it, and gives examples with synthetic and field data. BOMCRATR provides optional mathematical constraints to counteract the nonuniqueness of tomographic reconstructions with crosshole data. These constraints include limiting the maximum and minimum velocities, fixing the velocity at any point to any value, and establishing layers in which velocity does not vary with horizontal position. The user can test for nonuniqueness by varying the initial velocity pattern, The program can perform either curved or straight ray analysis. Ray paths are calculated analytically in triangular pixels, which is faster than incremental numerical approximations,

Jan 1, 2010

By Scott W. Hazen, Richard F. Link, George S. Koch

The Mi Vida mine , Big Indian district , San Juan County , Utah , is in an ore deposit of uranium and vanadium minerals disseminated in certain sedimentary beds of the Triassic Chinle formation . Statistical analysis of assays of samples taken from the ore body affords an estimate of the grade of the ore body and provides a prediction about the direction of best mineralization beyond the sampled area . The basic data analyzed are assay results for uranium ( Uз Og ) , vanadium (V₂O ) , and lime (CaO ) from 225 channel samples cut at 79 sample points . Through the use of appropriate statistical methods , particularly regression analysis , the grade of ore may be estimated more precisely than by conventional means , and the most favorable direction to extend the mine may be predicted . Frequency distributions of assay residuals for uranium , vanadium , and lime are compared to frequency distributions of assays without regard to trend . Correlations among these variables are obtained and interpreted . The statistical methods employed illustrate certain techniques that may be used to analyze assay data from ore deposits in general .

Jan 1, 1964