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By G. H. Clevenger

THE reagents now used in flotation consist of various acids or salts, which may be either electrolytes or non-electrolytes, dissolved in water and some substance or combination of substances which function as collecting or frothing agents. At times the only dissolved salts present are those naturally occurring in the water used. The general effect of the electrolyte is to greatly sharpen the separation between the gangue and the concentrate. Examples of this are: The use of sulphuric acid with zinc ores; and of sodium carbonate or calcium oxide (line) with silver-gold ores. Crude pyroligneous acid is also sometimes used when available. Various oxidizing agents, such as permanganates, bichromates, etc., are added in the selective flotation of lead-zinc ores. Many other reagents for performing certain specific functions, either real or imaginary, have been proposed, and a number of them have been tried upon a working scale. The wild orgy of experimentation which is now going on in flotation exceeds even that which followed the introduction of the Washoe process for the treatment of Comstock ores, when, among other things, sage-brush tea and tobacco juice were reagents added to the pans. Out of all this will, of course, eventually come a more or less standard practice for the treatment of each class of ore. Omitting a discussion of the functions of frothing and collecting agents, the reagents used in flotation for this purpose may be classified under five general heads: (1) Essential oils; (2) fixed or fatty oils;. (3) alcohols and their combinations with organic acids; (4) coal tar and its refined products; (5) petroleum and its refined products. A flotative agent of some kind is required in flotation as now practiced. A single reagent, as, for example, certain. of the essential oils, may perform the dual function of frothing and collecting agent, or a mixture of substances may be required.

Jan 9, 1916

By Ian Wark

IT has been shown1 that in the absence of heavy metal salts, the nature of the alkali used to promote differential flotation-whether caustic soda, lime or sodium carbonate-is unimportant. The hydroxyl ion is the active depressant upon which differentiation depends, and the pH value determines whether a film of collector forms on any given mineral surface. Even when sodium cyanide is used in conjunction with alkalies, it is the pH value and not the nature of the alkali or its concentration that is important, for upon the pH value alone depends the fraction of the added sodium cyanide that is present as cyanide ion, which is the true depressant. When heavy metal salts become dissolved from partly oxidized ores, or are added intentionally as activators, conditions are different, and metallurgists have found that lime and sodium carbonate do not give identical results, even when added in amounts sufficient to produce the same pH value. In the few instances in which we had attempted to confirm this view, we had failed to do so, for, with nothing to guide us, we had inadvertently chosen solutions that gave contact curves of a "stand-ard type," which correspond to conditions of ready floatability. Now, however, we find that, in the presence of copper salts, and within a restricted range of reagent concentrations, the nature of the anions present is important, and that sodium carbonate does influence the results, apart from the usual effect due to its influence on pH value. With the recognition of this anion effect, and with the control of temperature already introduced,' it appears that the factors of major importance in connection with this set of reagents have been taken into consideration, and that the results obtained and the conclusions drawn from contact tests will be of more immediate value to the operator.

Jan 1, 1939

By J. A. Herbst

During the last decade it has been established that conventional mineral-processing control strategies based on classical control theory result in significant increases in plant throughput and operating-cost savings. It has, however, also been recognized that conventional strategies have important limitations for complex multivariable mineral-processing systems. These limitations center around the fact that single-input/single- output control linkings often result in highly undesirable interactions between controllers. During the last few years new and promising approaches to solving this problem have emerged. These approaches are based on the use of on-line dynamic models to make predictions which are useful for control decision-making. This paper presents a brief summary of the state-of-the-art for mineral-processing control in 1984. This summary is followed by a review of recent developments in model-based control strategies including those in optimal control, self- tuning regulators and decoupling control. Expected trends for the future in the control of mineral-processing operations are discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

[Trans. No. Place Date Vol. Page 1. Wilkes-Barre, Pa.*.. *May: '71.. 1 3 2. Bethlehem, Pa Aug. '71.. 1 10 3. Troy, N. I X Nov. '71.. 1 13 4. Philadelphia, Pa Feb. '72.. 1 17 5. New York, N. Y.*.... May, '72.. 1 20 6. Pittsburgh, Pa Oct., '72.. 1 . 25 7. Boston, Mass Feb., '73 1 28 8. Philadelphia, Pa.*.... May, '73 2 3 9. Easton, Pa Oct., '73 2 7 10. New York, N. Y Feb., '74.. 2 11] [ ]

Jan 1, 1925

By George H. Hanna

THE importance of the Donets coal field (the Donbas) to the national economy of the Soviet Union is well known. Great as was the significance of this tremendous deposit of coal in prewar days it is destined to become an even greater factor in the economic life of the country now that the tremendous havoc wrought by the Germans is being remedied. Since the war began, new coal fields have been extended; for example output of the Moscow and Karaganda (Kazakhstan) fields has become considerably larger while new mines are producing coal in several parts of Uzbekistan and Kirghizia. The huge West Siberian coal field, the Kuznetsk Basin, is producing more coal than ever before to supply the industries of that region and of the Urals. But so great has been the development of industry to meet war needs, especially in those districts of the Soviet Union that lie to the East of the Urals, that the coal obtained, eked out by such locally-won fuels as peat and wood, is still barely sufficient to meet industrial requirements. The main burden of the coal supply for the restored industries of the West, therefore, will fall on the Donbas.

Jan 1, 1945

By C. A. Heiland W. E. Pugh

The principle underlying the majority of magnetic intensity variometers is a comparison of the force to be measured with another force of known magnitude. The known force may be (a) of a magnetic nature, such as magnetic fields produced by magnets or coils, or (b) of a mechanical nature, such as (1) the elastic forces of wires, or (2) the force of gravity, such as employed in bifilar magnetometers and magnetic balances. In instruments of such type, usually a magnetic system is employed, free to move about either a horizontal or vertical axis, on some sort of a suspension. If the earth's magnetic field alone were present, such a system would adjust itself into the direction of the field or that of its components. Owing to the simultaneous action of the comparison force, however, the magnetic needle assumes a position that differs from the direction of the magnetic force; for all such instruments, the angle of deflection is given by tan = FIX, where F is the known and X the unknown earth magnetic force component. In other words, the magnetic system merely serves as an "indicator" for the position of balance of the two forces. Considering the matter from this point of view, it is not immediately obvious why the temperature of such a magnetic system should modify the results. In magnetic instruments, we may distinguish two different effects of temperature: (1) a magnetic effect and (2) a mechanical effect. The first is due to the fact that the magnetic moment of a magnet drops with an increase in temperature. This drop is characterized by the temperature coefficient of the magnetic moment (see equation 1). The second effect is due to the change in the torsion of suspension wires with temperature or to the expansion of lever arms of masses acting on magnetic balances.

Jan 1, 1934

By A. B. Cox, L. W. Wark

An attempt has been made to compare the influences of the two most widely used depressants—alkalis and sodium cyanide—and the most widely used activator—copper sulfate—on the air-mineral contact induced by five sulfur-bearing compounds: (1) sodium di-ethyl dithio-phosphate (sodium Aerofloat); (2) potassium ethyl xanthate; (3) sodium di-ethyl dithiocarbamate; (4) potassium iso-amyl xanthate; (5) potassium di-n-amyl dithiocarbamate. Three different organic types are included in lhis group and for two of these types a higher and a lower homologue have been tested. The study of potassium ethyl xanthate, the preliminary results of which have been described,' was continued until there had been obtained a comprehensive account of the influence of variations in pH value and in the concentrations of xanthate, sodium cyanide and copper sulfate on the adsorption of this xanthate by galena, sphalerite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. With concentrations of copper sulfate and collector that the work with ethyl xanthate indicated would give the most illuminating. results, the other four collectors were tested, in a less exhaustive way. The same general principles determine the influence of alkalis, cyanide and copper sulfate, no matter to which type the collector belongs, but there is a gradation in the quantitative measure of such influence. In the list above, the five collectors are cited in the order of their capacity to withstand the depressants, sodium Aerofloat being the least resistant, potassium di-n-amyl dithiocarbamate the most resistant. This order coincides substantially with that of the solubilities of the heavy metal salts formed by double decomposition with the collectors, those formed from sodium Aerofloat being most soluble. There is little difference between the third and fourth members of the series, and under certain conditions their positions are reversed. In general, then, of the three types of collectors investigated, the dithiophosphate type is most easily influenced by depressants, and the

Jan 1, 1935

By J. Charles Miller

NATURAL carbon dioxide has recently been exploited in the United States in consequence of oil and gas developments in the Western States and the growing demand by transcontinental and transoceanic shippers for solid carbon dioxide. The discovery by drilling of commercial deposits resulted in consideration of its geographic and geologic distribution and occurrence. Its wide distribution in nature is evidenced by its occurrence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The question of origin of carbon dioxide involves consideration of theories similar to those concerning natural hydrocarbons, although available evidence favors an inor-ganic rather than an organic source. Areas favorable to development of commercial production appear to be those in proximity to igneous rocks or in the vicinity of decadent volcanic activity, where, it has long been known, the gas is evolved either free or dissolved in the waters of furnaroles, geysers or mud pots. Structure contour maps are presented showing the Wagon Mound anticline in New Mexico and the Farnham anticline, Utah. A well drilled on the latter supplies gas to a 20-ton plant manufacturing solid carbon dioxide at Wellington, Utah, on the Denver and Rio Grande R.R., whence it is shipped to surrounding territory and to the West Coast. Before funds are invested in a plant for the manufacture of liquid or solid carbon dioxide, whether supplied by wells or springs, an effort to ascertain the volume of gas available is advisable. The use of present methods of estimation of gas reserves with modifications to account for the quantity absorbed by any water present in the produc-ing formation is recommended. The Farnham anticline is used as an example and computations are made of the probable volume of gas originally present in the struc-ture. No attempt was made to compute reserves in the Niland area, California, for the reason that in such areas it is believed the volume is indeterminate.

Jan 1, 1937

By E. C. W. Perryman

The recovery of X-ray line broadening, hardness, and electrical resistivity from cold worked AI-Mg alloys has been investigated. The results, together with those from density measurements, suggest that magnesium atoms freeze in the excess vacancies formed by cold working, and that this affects the climb of dislocations during the recovery process. PREVIOUS work1, " has shown that while 1 pct Mg increases the activation energy for recrystalliza-tion, it decreases the activation energy for the recovery of mechanical properties and decreases the subgrain size both after cold working and annealing. A similar result has been reported by Varley2 for an A1-2 pct Mg alloy. With plastic deformation at high temperatures, McLean and Farmer' and Rachinger have found that magnesium appears to retard the motion of dislocations and, furthermore, they find little or no effect of magnesium on the size of subgrains formed during high temperature deformation. In view of the apparent contradictions as to the effect of magnesium on subgrain size, the recovery process in Al-Mg alloys has been investigated more thoroughly by studying the annealing out of X-ray line broadening, hardness, and electrical resistivity from alloys cold worked at room temperature. Material Used—The chemical analyses of the alloys are given in Table I. Fabrication—The material used was cold rolled 20 pct at room temperature, the grain size prior to the last cold rolling operation being similar to that used in previous work; i.e., 230. The experimental procedure for annealing, determination of X-rav half-veak breadth. hardness measurement, electEica1 resistivity, and density and metallographic examination was exactly the same as previously described." Variation of X-Ray Half-Peak Breadth with Annealing Time—Isothermal annealing curves at 100°, 200°, and 250°C were obtained for material cold worked 20 pct. The half-peak breadth of the (333) Ka, line directly after cold working is shown as a function of magnesium content in Fig. 1. Only with the 2.87 pct Mg alloy was overlapping of the a, and n.. reflections observed to any appreciable extent. To separate these, Rachinger's method' was used. Typical isothermal annealing curves are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 for 100" and 200°C, respectively. These curves are similar to those obtained previously for super-purity aluminum except that the

Jan 1, 1957

By Philip Kraft

WHEN it came time to write a biography of Philip Kraft, we got out a copy of Bartlett's "Familiar Quotations" and looked through the references to Travel, Traveled, Traveler, and Traveling, feeling sure there would be some reference to Mr. Kraft. Sure enough, we found: "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience." Had Francis Bacon done his writing three and a half centuries later, Mr. Kraft might well have served as the inspiration for that sentence. New Yorker born, he received his B.S. and E. M. degrees from Columbia. In 1912, then 22 years old, he took off for Germany where he spent two years studying at the Royal School of Mines, Berlin, for his Doctor of Engineering degree. Contrary to the Greeley-Soule precept, Mr. Kraft, on his return from Europe, went north to South Porcupine. Ont., working as geologist and mining engineer for the Dome Mine. From South Porcupine his next stop was Washington, D. C., where, during the years the country was in the first World War, he was engaged in war work.

Jan 1, 1947

By H. Tabachnick, N. Hedley

The extraction of gold and silver from ores with alkaline cyanide solutions is well known. Cyanide solutions are also good solvents for many base metal minerals, particularly most of the copper minerals. Leaver and Woolf,1 who determined the solubilities of copper minerals in 0.10 pct sodium cyanide solution, showed that malachite, cuprite, chalcocite, and bornite are readily soluble in cyanide; least soluble are chalcopyrite and chrysocolla. The Mining Chemicals Laboratory of American Cyanamid Co. has studied the possibilities of using cyanide solutions for leaching base metals. In this article the authors present the results of their experiments with cyanide leaching to reduce the copper content of a zinc concentrate from 0.050 pct to the desired specification of less than 0.02 pct. Zinc Ore Sample: The sample of commercial zinc ore used in this investigation to produce zinc concentrates was ball mill feed ranging from 1/2 in. to fines. The ore was crushed to —10 mesh and riffled into 600-g charges for zinc flotation. Analysis revealed 4.54 pct Zn and 0.005 pct Cu. Examined microscopically, the ore consisted essentially of cream-colored sphalerite and carbonate gangue. It contained a small amount of pyrite, partly tarnished. The only copper mineral identified was chalcopyrite, mostly smaller than 20µ, some of which occurred as attachments on sphalerite. Flotation Procedure: Batches of zinc concentrates were made as required according to the following general procedure. A 600-g charge of —10 mesh ore was ground for 4 min at 60 pct solids in a laboratory steel rod mill. Screen sizing showed it to be all —35 mesh with 42 pct —200 mesh. The pulp was transferred to a Fagergren laboratory flotation machine, diluted to 25 pct solids and conditioned for 5 min with 0.6 lb per ton CuSO4, . -5H2O. It was then conditioned with 0.10 lb per ton Sodium Aerofloat promoter and floated for 5 min with pine oil as frother and creosote as froth stiff-ener. The pH during flotation was 8.5. A typical analysis of zinc concentrate subjected to leaching is 44.41 pct Zn and 0.051 pct Cu. The ratio of concentration was close to 10 to 1. Leaching Procedure: Aero Brand cyanide, technical calcium cyanide analyzing 49.5 pet NaCN equivalent, was used for all cyanide leaching tests. For each test three rougher concentrates floated as described were combined (total weight close to 180 g) and the water content adjusted to 150 ml. The percent solids in the pulp was thus 55. After a weighed amount of cyanide flakes had been added, the pulp was agitated on rolls for a given period, then filtered and washed. Filtrate and washed concentrate were assayed for copper content. The procedure for ammonia leaching was similar to the cyanide process. A series of tests was run in which the effects of ammonia as a solvent for copper in the zinc rougher concentrate were investigated. In each test 180 g of zinc rougher concentrate was leached with 150 ml of ammonia solution. Various strengths of ammonia and times of leaching were investigated. The results are shown in Table I. It is apparent that ammonia was a poor solvent for copper in the zinc concentrate; 60 min of agitation with a relatively strong NH:, solution extracted only 2 pct of the copper. CYANIDE LEACHING TESTS Effect of Solution Strength: The solvent effects of 0.125, 0.187, and 0.250 pct NaCN equivalent solutions were compared for leaching periods of 15 min. Residue and filtrate were assayed for copper content. The copper content of the filtrate plus wash was calculated back to the original volume of cyanide solution (150 ml). The effects of cyanide strength are given in Table II, It will be noted that 15 min leaching with 0.25 pct NaCN equivalent solution extracted 74.6 pct of the copper in the zinc concentrate. The leached product assayed 0.013 pct Cu, appreciably below the required specification of 0.020 pct. Effect of Leaching Time: Portions of zinc concentrate were leached with 0.25 pct NaCN equivalent

Jan 1, 1961

By J. S. Ross

Few Canadians realize the role of their domestic industrial minerals industry because it is over-shadowed in production value by a large metallic minerals industry. But since 1960, Canada has had a reasonably well balanced, mature industrial minerals industry; and although the nation's sparsely scattered population has not been able to support an industrial minerals industry in a manner comparable to the domestic and foreign support given the metal mining sector, Canada is, nevertheless, exporting large quantities of higher priced nonmetallic minerals. Production of many of the basic minerals had been firmly established long before 1960, but it was not until the late 1950's that the output of cement, salt, titanium dioxide pigment and slag, sulfur, gypsum and sodium sulfate reached relatively high levels. Shortly after 1960, the significant potash and lithium chemicals industries were established and their effect is just now being realized.

Jan 11, 1964

By G. W. Brock

Experiments in the form of aging of overstrained tension specimens and elevated temperature tension testing, have been carried out on recrystallized arc-cast molybdenum. The aging behavior of molybdenum was found to be strongly dependent on the degree of plastic strain present in the lattice: the reason for this being the low solid solubility for the common interstitial elements in molybdenum. GEORGE W. BROCK, formerly Research Associate, Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois, Urbana, III., is Research Associate, Department of Engineering Sciences, IBM Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N. Y. Manuscript submitted January 19, 1961. IMD THE term strain aging is familiar in connection with the recovery of the yield point in mild steel after tensile overstraining, and there are other instances where it is known to exert an appreciable effect on mechanical properties. For example, steel exhibits a greater tensile strength at mildly elevated temperatures than at room temperature and serrated stress-strain flow curves occur under certain conditions. It has been known for a number of years that the phenomenon of strain aging is directly connected with the presence of carbon and nitrogen in the lattice; and extremely small amounts of either element are sufficient to produce the effect. In this study, the aging behavior of overstrained tensile specimens of recrystallized molybdenum has

Jan 1, 1962

By David L. Pentz

This paper discusses exploration objectives and requirements for a nuclear repository in the U.S.A. The importance of designing the exploration program to meet the system performance objectives is emphasized and some examples of the extent of exploration required before the License Application for Construction Authorization is granted are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By St. John, JOHN Ancel

AT THE New York meeting of the Institute of Metals Division in February, 1927, Jeffries and Tarasov presented a paper on Tungsten and Thoria,1 in which the experimental facts were interpreted in accordance with the prevailing point of view that the thorium is present as the oxide, thoria. In discussing that paper the writer of this article stated that his own investigations, which had been unavailable to Messrs. Jeffries and Tarasov, showed that the so-called "thoriated" tungsten filament failed to disclose any sign of the oxide when subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis, but did give plenty of evidence of the presence of metallic thorium and, in certain cases, of a material believed to bean alloy of tungsten in thorium. Since these results were completely at variance with the results reported in the paper under discussion and with other papers which had preceded it from time to time in the past, it was felt that further discussion should be withheld until the new evidence could be presented adequately. Arrangements were therefore made to present that evidence at this meeting. MATERIAL EXAMINED The material examined was high-emission filament such as is used in radio tubes, supposed to contain about 0.75 per cent. thoria. The actual analysis was not stated.

Jan 1, 1927

By A. R. Troiano, E. A. Steigerwald, F. W. Schaller

The kinetics of crack propagation in a hydrogenated high-strength steel at subzero temperatures indicated that cracking progressed in a discontinuous fashion. The delayed failure process thus involves a series of crack initiations rather than the continuous growth of a single crack. The incubation time required for the initiation of delayed failure was controlled by the diffusion of hydrogen. The activation energy for the process was 9120 cal per g-alom. As the test temperature was lowered the incubation time constituted a greater percentage of the total tinze to fracture, and al -50°F the incubation and fracture times were essentially coincident resulting in instantaneous, catastroplzic fracture. A unique feature of hydrogen embrittlement is the delayed failure process in which the material fails under the action of a sustained load even though it is capable of supporting a higher load for a finite period of time.')' Delayed failure of steel and titanium is characterized by an incubation time, preceding the initiation of a crack in a highly localized region, and the subsequent growth of the crack to ultimate failure.3-5 The kinetics of crack growth in hydro-genated high-strength steels have been studied through the use of resistance measurements and have an important bearing on the mechanism of delayed failure. Delayed failure is believed to be merely a facet of hydrogen embrittlement in which sufficient time is allowed during a test for hydrogen diffusion. The current theories employed to explain hydrogen em-brittlement can be grouped into two types. one6-8 explains the embrittlement on the basis of the pressure exerted by molecular hdrogen in lattice voids or defects while the other9-10 attributes the embrittlement to the influence of hydrogen in the lattice. The mechanism used to explain the nature of the crack kinetics in delayed failure is based on the stress-induced diffusion of hydrogen to the area of maximum triaxiality.3 When the hydrogen concentration in this region reaches a critical value, a crack is nucleated. This initial crack propagates instantaneously until stopped by the higher fracture stress of the adjacent material of lower hydrogen content. The continuation of cracking must then await the further diffusion of hydrogen to the new region of triaxiality near the base of the crack where another initiation will occur. From this mechanism it follows that crack propagation is nothing more or less than a series of initiations with limited fracture. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the kinetics of crack growth in an effort to determine whether or not the process was discontinuous. Studies of crack propagation were conducted at low temperatures to retard the diffusion of hydrogen which is presumed to be the rate controlling process in delayed failure. MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE Specimen Preparation—A commercial heat of air-craft quality SAE-AISI 4340 steel, designated as Heat G, was furnished by the Republic Steel Co. in the form of %-in. hot-rolled bars. The material had the following chemical analysis: Composition of 4340 Steel—G Heat C Mn Si Ni Cr Mo 0,395pct 0.82pct 0.29pct 1.76pct 0.85pct 0.25pct Notched tensile specimens with less than a 0.001 in. radius, Fig. 1, were used throughout the investigation. The specimens were heat treated to a 230,000 psi strength level according to the following sequence: a) Normalize bar stock at 1650°F for 1 hr, b) Stress relieve at 1200°F for 4 hr and furnace cool,

Jan 1, 1960

By Aureal T. Cross

THIS paper is a review of the published literature on research in coal geology, principally exclusive of resource studies, which appeared or became available during 1950 and the latter part of 1949. This report is not to be construed as being complete. The papers referred to in the bibliography are those among many more, which were read either in full or in abstract. Undoubtedly other papers were published' which either escaped the author's notice or were not available to him. Those which were seen in abstract only (about one fourth of those listed) were not available in time for the inclusion of more than a notice. An outline of all papers listed in the bibliography has been arranged by subjects and reasonable subdivisions with some papers cited under more than one subject. Most papers are indexed according to the principal subject of discussion or research only as to an unusual or noteworthy section of the entire report. There will likely be some disagreement as to the quality or merit of some of the papers selected and the specialist may be supercritical of the outline or organization of papers in his field. It may be that attention has occasionally been drawn to papers reporting old information or conclusions of questionable value. Conferences and Meetings One of the best indications of the growing interest in coal geology problems in the United States is the increasing number of times this- field has been the focus of attention at conferences and meetings. Notable among these are the joint meeting of the Society of Economic Geologists and the Geological Society of America at El Paso, November 1949, at which the principal thesis was concerned with low rank carbonaceous fuel deposits, especially of western United States. Among the papers given which are already available were those presented by Barghoorn,16 Parry,180 Roe,153 and Parks.162 At the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in New York, December 1949, a joint meeting of the Paleobotanical and Microbiological Sections was held for which a symposium on Microbiology in Relation to the Geologic Accumulation of Organic Complexes was 'organized. Publication of the six papers presented by Ralph G. H. Siu, Elso S. Barghoorn, Irving Breger, Claude E. ZoBell, James M. Schopf, and A. C. Thayson is anticipated. At the regular meetings of the Paleobotanical Section at the same time, several other papers of interest reported on coal ball studies, partial coalification of petrified wood, and floras. In Chicago, April 1950, a symposium on Applied Paleobotany was held by the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists in conjunction with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The five papers presented at this meeting dealt with the use of Paleozoic plant microfossils for stratigraphic work, J: M. Schopf, Devonian-Mississippian fossils of the black shales, Aureal T. Cross, Mesozoic plants of stratigraphic value, Th. Just, plant microfossils of the Tertiary, L. R. Wilson, and studies of the Brandon lignite, Elso S. Barghoorn. Early publication of these in the Journal of Paleontology is expected. The Nova Scotia Research Foundation and the Nova Scotia Dept. of Mines sponsored an excellent 3-day conference in June 1950, which, dealt with several aspects of coal geology. Papers on coal classification, P. A. Hacquenbard, structure and sedimentation problems in Nova Scotia, T. B. Haites, new techniques of thermal analysis, W. L. Whitehead, geochemical investigations of Nova Scotia coals, Irving Breger, the role of fossil plant spores in coal correlation and the stratigraphy of the coal-bearing strata of the Appalachian Region, Aureal T. Cross, were given. Some discussions of these papers by those in attendance were recorded, and the entire proceedings is being prepared for publication. In September 1950, an unusual 3-day field conference was held by the Ohio and West Virginia Geological Surveys under the sponsorship of the Coal Geology Committee. This study of the stratigraphy sedimentation, and nomenclature of the Upper Pennsylvanian and Permian coal-bearing strata of southeastern Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia .was augmented by two discussions on associated rocks (clays and shales) and stratigraphic nomenclature at Wheeling, and Morgantown, West Va. An extensive guidebook was prepared, and transcriptions of the Morgantown meeting were made. As a follow-up of the September field conference, a round-table discussion 'was held on this general topic at a special open meeting of the Coal Research Committee in conjunction with the November meeting of the Geological Society in Washington. Short prepared statements to invite discussion were given on each of several topics by L. M. Cline, Carl O.

Jan 1, 1952

By A. E. Moss, J. K. Gustafson

MEASURED in terms of ore tonnage, the New Quebec and Labrador iron ore fields promise to rank with the greatest iron ore districts of the world. Over 400 million tons of high-grade ore for direct shipping have been discovered to date. Much greater amounts of lower-grade beneficiating ores are indicated by outcrops. Many hundreds of square miles of iron formation await testing. By 1954 iron ore will begin to move towards American blast furnaces, and shortly thereafter the annual rate of production is expected to reach 10 . million tons. To bring this vast project into being over $200,000,000 will have been spent for exploration and development, mining equipment, hydro plants, townsites, the building and the equipping of . a 360-mile railroad, and the construction of docks and ore-handling facilities. The most important iron ore deposits are located over 300 miles from tide water, see frontispiece and also Fig. 1. The frontispiece shows principal sources of iron ores and manganiferous iron ores for the U. S. and Canadian steel industry, and the major smelting districts are shaded on the map. No navi- gable rivers lead into the interior. When work was . commenced on this project there were no roads, no railroads, no communication ,system, no inhabitants, and no adequate maps either topographical or geological. The geological field season was limited to approximately 100 days per season. The obstacles facing this enterprise were many and varied. Its success will be due to the integrated team work of people of diverse skills. Explorers, Indian guides, prospectors, geologists, surveyors, mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineers,

Jan 1, 1954

By R. W. Culbertson, S. Kasper

During the 1920's, approximately 11,000 small gasifiers were in operation in the United States. They converted about 15 million tons (13.6 Mt) of coal per year into low Btu gas. In some cases, hot raw gas was used for applications such as firing open hearth furnaces or brick kilns. In other cases the gases produced in the gasifiers were cooled, cleaned and desulfurized for various utility and industrial purposes. The steel industry was by far the largest user. The most important fact was that the conversion of coal to a usable fuel gas was demonstrated to be commercial. During the late 1940's and early 1950's, this form of energy was largely replaced by natural gas as the pipeline net work was expanded. Producer gas was no longer economically competitive. Over the past 25 years, government controls on the interstate price of natural gas have maintained this situation. At present only three commercial small coal gasifier plants are still in operation in the United States. These facilities are operated

Jan 1, 1980

By W. H. Adams

Shortly after becoming one of the van-guard of mine-developers in the State of Virginia, during the year 1883, I called the attention of the Institute to certain deposits of pyrites, which have been largely worked since. In all cases these deposits are covered with iron-ore (limonite), extending 40, 50 or 60 feet from surface to water-level. The several classes of brown iron-ores are found almost continuously along a prominent ridge of mineral-bearing slates, which can be traced from the James river northeasterly to the North Anna, the Rappahannock and the Potomac rivers, crossing the counties of Louisa, Spottsylvania and Stafford. Outcrops are plainly discoverable from end to end of this belt, also, in places, to the right and left of it, and at intervals there are evidences of workings, some of them for known purposes and others of unknown age and meaning. These old workings have an interest aside from the minerals they may contain or may have yielded. I have been engaged during the past five years in the collection of facts concerning them, which might determine definitely the site of those iron-furnaces, placed by tradition within reach of " the towne called Germanna," which were the first ever built in this State or on this continent. The events which led to the establishment of this important industry are sufficiently narrated in a paper written by Mr. R. A. Brock, Secretary of the Virginia Historical Society, and printed in the Proceedings of the National Museum, 1885, page 77, from which I quote the following : " To Virginia, the first of the English settlements in America, belongs the honor of inaugurating within her limits, as a colony, that most important industry, iron manufacture. "The London Company contemplated a variety of manufacturing enterprises from the very beginning of its authority; prominent among them was that of iron. In 1610 Sir Thomas Gates testified before the council of the Company at London, that in Virginia ' there were divers minerals, especially iron-oare,' lying upon the

Jan 1, 1892