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By S. F. Shaw

IT IS generally recognized that the natural gas absorbed in petroleum plays the leading r6le in moving the oil through the sands to the well and supplies the energy that delivers the oil to the surface when the wells are flowing. It is the purpose of this paper to note the amount of oil that could be lifted by this gas if 100 per cent. efficiency were obtained and the efficiencies actually obtained in the use of this gas. An article in MINING AND METALLURGY,' stated that in a Wyoming field, with a pressure of 300 lb. per sq. in., there would be absorbed 65 cu. ft. of gas per barrel, or 1.55 cu. ft. per gal. of oil. The writer does not know if data have been obtained, by experiment, for pressures beyond those indicated in this article, therefore, for the purpose of illustration, he has projected this curve to obtain figures for pressures greater than 300 lb., although probably experiment will show that the extended line is not quite correct.

Jan 1, 1926

By R. J. Grissom

PHOSPHATE deposits have been worked in many countries of central and south central Tennessee, but only ht ebrown rock deposits of Maury and Giles Counties will be discussed at any length in this articles, as all of the major opeations are now located there. They are: Mt. Pleasant District-Federal Chemical Co., Hoover and Mason Phosphae Co., International Minerals and Chemical Corp. (Maury and Giles Counties), Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp. (formerly Charleston Mining Co.), and Victor Chemical Co. Columbia District-Armour Fertilizer Works and Monsanto Chemical Co. In the near future, the well-known, extensive deposits of blue rock in Lewis and Hickman Counties,also the brown rock in Hickman, Willamson, Summer and Davidson Counties, will again come into production. Certain physical peculiarities of the Tenessee deposit have played an important part in the design and use of mining and milling equipment.

Jan 1, 1944

By B. V. P. Rao, H. L. Lovell, G. Simkovich

In the study described here, flotation tests were conducted on pure CaF2, on CaF2 doped at several concentration levels with either NaF or YF3, and on natural fluorite samples containing various amounts of impurities in an effort to extend previous knowledge of the influence of crystalline point imperfections on the flotation properties of solids. The results of these tests showed that although recoveries generally decreased as impurities increased, the differences in recovery were not nearly as striking as those detected in earlier experiments. A number of experimentalists have shown an interest in the way in which crystalline point imperfections affect the flotation properties of solids. As long ago as 1953, Welch hypothesized that it might be possible to control surface imperfections and thereby also control the flotation of solids.' A few years later, in some rather extensive work, Plaksin and his coworkers varied the surface imperfections of a number of compounds by oxidation or reduction processes and found that significant variations in flotation properties resulted.2-4 More recently, Simkovich showed that the recovery of both AgCl and PbS could be markedly varied by adding solid-solution impurities, which acted as doping agents, to these compounds.5 Then Mular studied the flotation of ZnO as a function of the doping agents Al2O3 and Li2O.6 Once again, it was found that these impurities, even in very low concentrations, had profound effects upon flotation recoveries. From an imperfection point of view, the defect structures of the compounds tested previously are as follows:7 PbS — amphoteric semiconductor with a Frenkel-type defect structure in the cation sub-lattice.8 AgCl - ionic conductor-Frenkel type defect structure? ZnO — n-type semiconductor, zinc ion interstitials and quasi-free electrons.10 All of these works undoubtedly bear some relation to the findings that the flotation properties of seemingly identical minerals from different ore deposits often exhibit extreme variation in flotation behavior, i.e., that small amounts of analytically undetectable impurities often have a great influence upon flotation

Jan 1, 1969

By Robert P. Koenig

FOR the first time other than on occasion of war the people of the United States are experiencing full-scale participation in world affairs. Public concern has seldom been so involved with conditions and events beyond our own continental limits. Our interest is not wholly of recent origin. Over the years the activity of the United States as a world power and an important trading nation brought about the widening of our political interests and the progressive interrelation of our economy with that of the rest of the world. Some may see in our present phase of world-wide activity the natural consequence of our continued growth. Such observers must also be aware that within recent years our importance in world affairs has been considerably increased. For within the space of an extremely short period events have occurred that have literally jet-propelled the United States into the role of a leading participant in the conduct of world affairs. Little of the choice of this role was left to us. The decline of power in western Europe, the ascendancy between the Elbe and the Pacific shore of an obviously antagonistic force, our earnest endeavor to secure international control of atomic energy, the necessity of providing relief and rehabilitation to war-ravaged areas, and the police work that must be done in occupied territories are problems which have risen in great measure without our help-but they cannot be solved without it.

Jan 1, 1948

By Theodore B. Counselman

Of all natural resources, iron ore made into steel is the most important both in tonnage and value. The primary reason for the prosperity of the United States in the last century has been its pre-eminence in domestic supplies of iron ore and steel. The depletion of these reserves by two world wars and by the demand for richer blast furnace charges, as well as the constantly growing world- wide demand for steel, has fostered the recent quest for new iron ore mines around the globe. These developments have made a dramatic change in the iron ore picture of the world. It is the purpose here, however, to look briefly at the development of the United States iron ore industry, which has played such an important role in the events leading to the modern day boom in iron ore exploration.

Jan 7, 1965

By WALTER M. DAKE

WITH the renewal of the contract between bituminous miners and operators, whereby a period of three years is assured without the devastating effect of irregularity of operation due to general strikes; and, with the increasing comprehension on the part of the large consumers as to the stabilizing effect of adequate storage upon prices; the coal industry has reached that period of its history in which permanence of purpose towards necessary changes is being crystallized, and these changes accomplished by the industry. It is to be hoped that during this era the phrase- " Our National Coal Problem "-will be relegated to the limbo of' antiquated expressions. That this epoch is upon us is evinced by the fact that operators are turning to consolidations, whereby financially sound companies will acquire smaller production units and place themselves in position to maintain constant supervision and control of their development and output; and, as further proof of the arrival of these changes, may be cited the entrance of additional members of the engineering profession into the many phases of management and operation, where- by the cost per ton of output will be, constantly reduced through the increasing use of modern methods and equipment. As an instance, attention is specifically called to the developments in mechanical loading, proposed and actual continuous underground transportation systems and betterment in methods of preparation.

Jan 1, 1924

By Haakon Styri

In discussion of Dr. Fitterer's paper on electrolytic separation of slag inclusions, some results from experiments on electrolyzing high-carbon steels at the SKF Research Laboratory were given. l We had been working for a number of years on chemical methods of separating the inclusions but could not find any solvent that would dissolve the steel without attacking some of the inclusions, particularly the sulfides in which we were mostly interested at the time, nor any that would dissolve all sulfide or silica in filings as fine as 300 mesh without attacking the iron. Electrolytic methods had also been tried without any real progress until we learned from the Bureau of Mines about the use of the collodion membrane around the anode. Our early difficulties were to some extent different from those of the Bureau of Mines, perhaps because of experimenting on steels of higher carbon content, but most of our difficulties were of the same nature as those of the Bureau. Formation of large quantities of basic hydroxides was traced to the use of impure and oxidized ferrous sulfate. To protect from oxidation from the atmosphere during electrolysis, after purer chemicals were obtained, a thin layer, 54 in. or less, of molten paraffin was poured over the surface of the cathode liquid, where it solidified. It was found desirable also to hold the cathode chamber slightly acid by initial addition of 0.1 per cent acid (sulfuric or hydrochloric) to prevent precipitation of the hydroxide. This acidity would decrease gradually and the cathode chamber would become neutral before the end of the electrolyzing. The increase in acidity in the anode chamber during our early experiments had appeared to cause attack of the precipitated sulfides in the residue, which originally was analyzed by volumetric method for sulfur, and for this reason a 10 per cent sodium citrate solution was substituted for the sulfate in the anode chamber. With the use of the more reliable Eschka method for sulfur determination (as in coke), there was however no serious attack on the sulfides in the anode chamber with a variety of different liquids, as shown in Tables 2 and 4. The Eschka method gives a higher sulfur value than

Jan 1, 1933

By Mark David Rankin

This paper represents a general assessment of the primary factors driving the market for mobile offshore drilling rigs and the utility of those factors as choice variables for the offshore drilling program planner.

Jan 1, 1982

By Joseph T. Singwald

INTRODUCTION THE purpose of this chapter is to present the diagnostic features (geologic, mineralogic, chemical, and physical) of the principal types of hypogene ore deposits recognized in current genetic classifications, and to classify the ore deposits of the western United States into those types. The genetic divisions used and the criteria determining them are essentially those followed by Lindgren in his Mineral Deposits. Deviations from Lindgren represent either changed conceptions since 1928 (the date of the third edition of Mineral Deposits) due to advance in knowledge or the inevitable differences of opinion between experts in active fields of investigation. Though nineteen economic geologists have been given free hand in presenting their particular topics, there are no fundamental departures in the chapter from the principles set forth by Lindgren. It would be entirely beyond the capacity of a single chapter to give a comprehensive geologic description of all the ore deposits of the western United States. Descriptions of individual deposits have been restricted to those features that are of most diagnostic genetic value. All of the more important deposits receive that much attention. Deposits of lesser economic importance and those inadequately known geologically are treated more briefly or merely cited under what seems to be their proper genetic assignment. The geographic limits of the descriptive matter are the Black Hills and the United States between the Rocky Mountains and the pacific Coast. Capacity of the chapter has made it necessary to impose these geographic limits.

Jan 1, 1933

By R. S. Busk, R. F. Marande

The magnesium-aluminum-zinc 'system contains most of the magnesium-base alloys used commercially, although in practice the ternary alloys are usually modified by the addition of a small amount of manganese. Table I contains the magnesium-base commercial sand-casting alloys most widely used throughout the world, together with their typical tensile properties. These alloys may be regarded as a single family of varying aluminum and zinc content, disregarding manganese. A concise means of presenting data for them is by means of iso-property lines plotted on triangular coordinate paper. Constitutional, casting, and mechanical properties are presented in this manner. The data are given with the obiect of providing reference material, and to aid in the choice of a commercial alloy to serve a particular purpose. Detailed, critical analysis of the commercial alloys has been covered in a previous paper.' All alloys reported were made in rj-lb. melts, superheated to r700°F. for 15 min., cooled to r400°F. and poured in sand molds. The test bars produced had a 1/2-in. reduced section and were about 6 in. long. Except for the data represented in Figs. I and 3 the alloys used were of commercial purity and contained 0.1 to 0.2 per cent Mn in addition to the aluminum and zinc. Constitutional Data Under the heading of Constitutional Data are included all known data on con-

Jan 1, 1946

By R. F. Marande, R. S. Busk

The magnesium-aluminum-zinc 'system contains most of the magnesium-base alloys used commercially, although in practice the ternary alloys are usually modified by the addition of a small amount of manganese. Table I contains the magnesium-base commercial sand-casting alloys most widely used throughout the world, together with their typical tensile properties. These alloys may be regarded as a single family of varying aluminum and zinc content, disregarding manganese. A concise means of presenting data for them is by means of iso-property lines plotted on triangular coordinate paper. Constitutional, casting, and mechanical properties are presented in this manner. The data are given with the obiect of providing reference material, and to aid in the choice of a commercial alloy to serve a particular purpose. Detailed, critical analysis of the commercial alloys has been covered in a previous paper.' All alloys reported were made in rj-lb. melts, superheated to r700°F. for 15 min., cooled to r400°F. and poured in sand molds. The test bars produced had a 1/2-in. reduced section and were about 6 in. long. Except for the data represented in Figs. I and 3 the alloys used were of commercial purity and contained 0.1 to 0.2 per cent Mn in addition to the aluminum and zinc. Constitutional Data Under the heading of Constitutional Data are included all known data on con-

Jan 1, 1946

By J. F. Emig

The Burns Harbor Plant was designed to produce and process large ingots into plate, hot rolled sheet, cold rolled sheet and tin plate. Rimmed ingots, in particular, are poured 96" to 106" high and weigh up to 85,000 lbs. During the latter part of 1970, a quality problem was encountered involving white line "sliver" defects on the surface of cold rolled, low carbon, rimmed steel sheet. Sheets containing these defects are not desirable for exposed automotive items because of the possibility of opening during forming or becoming more apparent after forming. Metallographic work located and identified two basic types of inclusions within the white line defects: (1) complex oxides consisting largely of iron and manganese oxides and (2) scale-type iron oxide. The presence of these oxides strongly suggested that the-white line defects were resulting from an unsound, unclean rim zone.

Jan 1, 1972

The saying that a "prophet" is without honor in his own country does not always hold true, as is shown by the following from one of the local papers, which appeared under the above heading: "Edwin Ludlow, for more than seven-years vice-president of the Le-high Coal.& Navigation Co., with headquarters in Lansford, has resigned, to take effect July 1, when he will take up his residence in New York and engage as a consulting engineer. Mr. Ludlow, during the incumbency of his present position, has demonstrated his efficiency as an engineer and general manager in many directions, notable among which are the almost perfect methods in practice in the inside workings of the several operations under his charge and the erection of the most complete, most practical and most commodious breakers for the preparation of the mine product for market. In addition, his relations with organized labor have been cordial and his dealings with its representatives have been invariably based upon the principle of fair play."

Jan 7, 1919

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members..) Members and guests who registered at institute headquarters during the period Dec. 10, 1915 to Jan. 10, 1916: A. R. Fletcher, Palo Alto, Cal. H. L. Hollis, Chicago, Ill. R. G. Hall,. St. Louis, Mo. Howland Bancroft, Denver, Colo. Walter E. Koch, Terlingua, Tex. G. D. B. Turner, Butte, Mont. George A. Macready, Searchlight, Nev. H. A. Wheeler, St. Louis, Mo. H. W. Edmondson, Concheno, Chili., Mex. George B. Rodgers, St. Francois, Mo. Arthur F. Taggart, New Haven, Conn. Paul S. King, Wilmington, Del. H. V. Winchell, Minneapolis, Minn. G. H. Clevenger, Palo Alto, Cal. Frank A. Ross, Spokane, Wash. J. W. Beard, Syracuse, N. Y. W. D. B. Motter, Jr., Benson Mines, N. Y. Albert De Deken, Louvain, Belgium. S. Le Fevre, Forest Glen, N. Y.. James H. Smith, Jr., Mount Carmel, Pa. E. H. Hamilton, formerly manager of the Virginia Smelting Co., West Norfolk, Va., has become consulting metallurgist to the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co., of Canada, Ltd., Trail, British Columbia.

Jan 2, 1916

By Donald F. Kennedy

During the past several years Climax Molybdenum Co. has been engaged in testing various types and sizes of hollow drill steel. The majority of tests have been on 7/8-in. hexagon st.ee1, inasmuch as it represents approximately 70% of total drill steel consumption at the Climax operation. Prior to December 1960, tests on 7/8-in. hexagon drill steel were conducted on steel with a forged collar and, in most cases, with a threaded bit connection. Through these tests and research, some improvement in steel life was achieved by making changes in heat treatment, design and alloying constituents. However, during that month, research and testing commenced on a rubber collar which was designed to replace the forged collar on 7/8-in. hexagon drill steel. Manufactured by the LeRoi Div. of Westinghouse Air Brake Co.. the collar. is very simple in design, consisting of a 1 ½ -in. diam steel cylindrical sleeve 2 in. long, containing a bonded rubber insert and attached to the steel with an epoxy cement

Jan 8, 1962

By Ralph W. Marsden

The natural iron ores of the Lake Superior Region in the United States are being replaced by iron-ore concentrates produced from magnetite- or hematite-rich horizons in the Precambrian cherty iron formations. The production of natural ores will soon be less than one-half of the total ore shipped annually. The tonnage of natural ore produced will continue to decline until it is a minor percentage of the ore shipped. The natural ores include (1) soft ore, (2) hard ore, ( 3) conglomerate ore and ( 4) siliceous ore. The soft ores are the important ore type and are sometimes termed "Lake Superior type ore". These ores are in situ deposits of hematite and limonite formed by the leaching of silica and other gangue materials in the iron formations. The leaching is believed to have been done by downward moving surface waters. In deep ore deposits, generally over 1000 feet below the present surface, circulation and leaching action may have been assisted by hydrothermal activity. Hard ore deposits occur on the Vermilion and Marquette ranges where hematite or magnetite has replaced the silica (and possibly some silicates) in cherty iron formation. These ores commonly occur in structural situations favorable for the movement of hydrothermal waters. The ores are believed to be the result of hydrothermal action with iron, possibly from the iron formation, transported by hydrothermal waters to areas favorable for the replacement of silica by iron oxides. Certain stratigraphic horizons of the Lake Superior Precambrian cherty iron formations contain sufficient iron as magnetite or hematite, with a grain size and texture that will give adequate mineral liberation, to yield an ore-quality product after grinding and concentration. The magnetite-rich deposits are termed magnetite taconites. These ores occur on the Mesabi, Gogebic, and Marquette ranges. Magnetite taconite ores are unenriched cherty iron formation and are the result of the sedimentary deposition of the iron formation and the metamorphic history of the rock. The commercial quality hematite-rich iron formations in Michigan are termed jasper ores. The jasper ores are being mined on the Marquette and Menominee ranges. These ores are composed of specular or granular hematite associated with quartz and iron silicates. The jasper ores appear to be recrystallized iron formations in which iron, prior to recrystallization, occurred as hematite.

Jan 1, 1968

By Thomas C. Wilder, Walter E. Galin

Measurements of the electromotive force of the cell at 995°C have shown that the cell may be used to detennine the zinc content of molten Cu-Zn alloys to the nearest 0.05 wt pct. The cell is used for brass melts to which no ZnO is added intentionally, because essentially all oxygen in the Cu-Zn-O system is present in the form of ZnO. The cell is also used to detev,nine the thernodynamic activity of zinc for Cu-Zn al1oys of the brass composition range, from which the equilibrium partial pressure of zinc for such alloy may also be calculated. The electrochemical measurement of the concentration of the most active metal in other engneering- alloy systems by a similar technique is also considered. IN recent years there have been many studies concerning the direct electrochemical measurement of oxygen content in molten engineering metals.' These investigations employ galvanic cells in which the electrolytes are various solid mixed-oxides which conduct current by movement of oxide ion vacancies under the influence of an oxygen potential gradient. Similar cells have also been used to measure the thermodynamic properties of mixing of solid alloys,' one component of which has a much greater affinity for oxygen than the other component(s). One alloy system of obvious engineering importance comprised of two metals of greatly differing affinity for oxygen is copper-zinc. At the casting temperature of molten brasses, the zinc concentration is very difficult to control not only because its vapor pressure is very high, but also because of its high affinity for oxygen to form ZnO. Inasmuch as brass castings may be required to have a zinc concentration within very narrow limits, it would be advantageous for the brass industry to have a means for quickly measuring the zinc content in the molten alloy just prior to pouring. A calculation based on earlier thermodynamic studies of oxygen and zinc in dilute solution in binary Cu-O and CU-Z' alloys indicates that the oxygen concentration of molten 70 wt pct Cu-30 wt pct Zn brass must be much less than 1 ppm for the separate phase ZnO not to exist in the ternary Cu-Zn-O system. Thus it can be assumed that all molten brasses, both in the laboratory and in the foundry, are sufficiently saturated with oxygen for the separate phase ZnO to be present. In view of the foregoing reasons, the cell investigated at 995°C for the purpose of measuring the zinc concentration in molten copper-zinc alloys, particularly those of brass compositions. In this cell the left hand electrode is a reference electrode comprised of a mixture of the pure powders of nickel and nickel oxide, to which a platinum contact is made. The electrode of interest is a molten Cu-Zn alloy of unknown zinc concentration with a tantalum wire contact. The electrolyte is the commercially available (Zircoa) calcia stabilized zirconia. The ZnO in the Cu-Zn electrode compartment is not intentionally added, but is naturally present as a result of the infinitesimal amount of oxygen required for its formation in this alloy system. In cell [A] nickel oxide is reduced at the cathode where O= represents the electrolyte. At the anode dissolved zinc of the Cu-Zn alloy is oxidized to form ZnO(s) in its standard state Thus the overall reaction is for which the molar free energy change is where 5 is the Faraday equivalent (23,063 cal per v equivalent), is the electromotive force of the cell in volts after correction for the Pt-Ta thermocouple, FOf (ZO) and AFF (NO) are the standard molar free energies of formation of the respective oxides, and a2n is the thermodynamic activity of zinc in the molten Cu-Zn alloy. The reference state of zinc in this case is taken to be the pure liquid. At constant temperature all the terms of Eq. [I] are constant except and azn Thus since all other participants in the electrochemical reaction are in their standard states, the change in the electromotive force of Cell [A] is represented only by a change of the thermodynamic activity of zinc at constant temperature. The zinc concentration is related to the activity by sampling the alloy for chemical analysis after cell measurements are taken. EXPERIMENTAL A typical cell construction is shown in Fig. 1. This and other experimental details were similar to that described earlier with the exception of some minor modifications which are detailed below.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. Philip Hammond

Monazite has had a Cinderella-like history. Although nearly go per cent pure rare-earth compound (rare-earth phosphate) it was sought at first not for the rare earths but for the sake of a minor constituent—thorium. The thorium, essential for the Welsbach gaslight mantle, was present in only small quantities and the principal constituents, the rare earths, were largely discarded. Gradually, however, the rare earths have developed uses of their own and today have left the thorium far behind in value. Occurrence Monazite was first produced commercially about 1886, in North Carolina, where it was collected in small sluices by farmers who found it in stream beds on their land. The deposits were later exploited on a larger scale, but were mostly abandoned in a few years, when monazite from Brazil came upon the market in far larger quantities. Domestic production ceased entirely in 1906. The Brazilian source is still active, together with Indian, Dutch East Indies, and Australian deposits. Several other localities in the United States have yielded monazite, but none of these has produced commercially as yet. Monazite occurs originally in pegmatite~ and gneisses, through which, unfortunately, it is scattered in highly dispersed form. All commercially useful deposits consist of transported monazite sands liberated by erosion and concentrated by the action of water, which has sluiced away lighter materials and concentrated the heavy (D = 5.0 to 5.2) grains of monazite, together with ilmenite, zircon, garnet, and other dense minerals. The Carolina deposits were in stream beds; most of the other deposits mentioned are on or near the seashore, where the action of the waves has served to concentrate the monazite. In most cases today, the sands are worked to obtain the ilmenite and zircon, as well as monazite. The minerals are separated by means of sluices, dry tables, and magnetic separators, and each is finally obtained nearly pure. No crushing or grinding is necessary. The concentrates are shipped in fiber bags. Composition of Monazite As Table I illustrates, monazite is the anhydrous orthophosphate of the cerium Table i.—Typical Analysis of a Monazite Sand (India). Per Cent Thorium oxide............................. 8.1 Cerium oxide.............................. 30.6 Lanthanum oxide........................... 15. 7 Neodymium oxide.......................... 10.5 Praseodymium oxide........................ 2. 9 Samarium oxide............................ 1.0 Europium. gadolinium, and terbium oxides.... 0.7 Yttrium oxide.............................. 0.4 Dysprosium, holmium, erbium. thulium, ytterbium. and lutecium oxides................. 0. 1 Silicon oxide............t................... 2.4 Calcium, aluminum, and iron oxides.......... 1.0 Uranium oxide............................. 0.3 Phosphorus pentoxide....................... 26. 2 a The values given for the rare earths following samarium are approximate. being based upon analyses of concentrated fractions derived from monazite. The composition given represents Travancore monazite carefully freed from other minerals. goup of rare-earth elements. A small amount of yttrium and terbium group phosphate is also present.* All the rare-

Jan 1, 1948

By R. Philip Hammond

Monazite has had a Cinderella-like history. Although nearly go per cent pure rare-earth compound (rare-earth phosphate) it was sought at first not for the rare earths but for the sake of a minor constituent—thorium. The thorium, essential for the Welsbach gaslight mantle, was present in only small quantities and the principal constituents, the rare earths, were largely discarded. Gradually, however, the rare earths have developed uses of their own and today have left the thorium far behind in value. Occurrence Monazite was first produced commercially about 1886, in North Carolina, where it was collected in small sluices by farmers who found it in stream beds on their land. The deposits were later exploited on a larger scale, but were mostly abandoned in a few years, when monazite from Brazil came upon the market in far larger quantities. Domestic production ceased entirely in 1906. The Brazilian source is still active, together with Indian, Dutch East Indies, and Australian deposits. Several other localities in the United States have yielded monazite, but none of these has produced commercially as yet. Monazite occurs originally in pegmatite~ and gneisses, through which, unfortunately, it is scattered in highly dispersed form. All commercially useful deposits consist of transported monazite sands liberated by erosion and concentrated by the action of water, which has sluiced away lighter materials and concentrated the heavy (D = 5.0 to 5.2) grains of monazite, together with ilmenite, zircon, garnet, and other dense minerals. The Carolina deposits were in stream beds; most of the other deposits mentioned are on or near the seashore, where the action of the waves has served to concentrate the monazite. In most cases today, the sands are worked to obtain the ilmenite and zircon, as well as monazite. The minerals are separated by means of sluices, dry tables, and magnetic separators, and each is finally obtained nearly pure. No crushing or grinding is necessary. The concentrates are shipped in fiber bags. Composition of Monazite As Table I illustrates, monazite is the anhydrous orthophosphate of the cerium Table i.—Typical Analysis of a Monazite Sand (India). Per Cent Thorium oxide............................. 8.1 Cerium oxide.............................. 30.6 Lanthanum oxide........................... 15. 7 Neodymium oxide.......................... 10.5 Praseodymium oxide........................ 2. 9 Samarium oxide............................ 1.0 Europium. gadolinium, and terbium oxides.... 0.7 Yttrium oxide.............................. 0.4 Dysprosium, holmium, erbium. thulium, ytterbium. and lutecium oxides................. 0. 1 Silicon oxide............t................... 2.4 Calcium, aluminum, and iron oxides.......... 1.0 Uranium oxide............................. 0.3 Phosphorus pentoxide....................... 26. 2 a The values given for the rare earths following samarium are approximate. being based upon analyses of concentrated fractions derived from monazite. The composition given represents Travancore monazite carefully freed from other minerals. goup of rare-earth elements. A small amount of yttrium and terbium group phosphate is also present.* All the rare-

Jan 1, 1948

By M. B. Hopkins

FOR years the expression "except rubber, tin, and manganese" has appeared in practically every discussion of the natural resources of the United States. Knowledge that natural rubber is not produced in the United States has now spread from the relatively few who have reason to be interested in the country's basic raw material supplies to all those who ride in automobiles, which means everybody. This "everybody" reads in the daily papers that we have a stock pile of natural rubber and that plenty of synthetic rubber is just around the corner. Statistics as to the United States' rubber requirements and sources of supply are of interest to him only to arrive at an answer to the question : "After taking care of rubber requirements for military purposes, will there be rubber for my automobile and the many other rubber articles I want?" More than 30,000 different rubber articles are manufactured in addition to the tires and tubes which use up about 70 per cent of the rubber supply.

Jan 1, 1942