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By Hugo Vásquez Rosas

Jul 20, 1956

By J. N. Rivera Guillén

Dado el desconocimiento en la uniformidad de criterios en el mapeo y registro de los testigos de perforación de parte de los geólogos, surge el proyecto de una guía que complemente las clasificaciones clásicas en la industria y anotar las observaciones del campo. Por tal motivo, el objetivo del presente texto busca generar nuevas concepciones entre el discurso técnico-científico para contribuir una terminología adicional (símbolos y abreviaciones) en español y así registrar adecuadamente las ocurrencias observadas.

Aug 20, 1965

By K. G. Colman

Este texto intenta facilitar al operador y contratista 10s datos básicos para dimensionar las cribas vibrantes que deban ser utilizadas en las plantas de trituración. Las capacidades básicas, factores que la modifican .... etc., utilizados en el cálculo de la superficie requerida, se han desarrollado empíricamente y modificados sus valores hasta el presente con 10s datos de las aplicaciones prácticas Hay que señalar que el cribado tiene mucho más de arte que de ciencia exacta; sin em- bargo, la información aquí presentada proporciona una razonable seguridad cuando se aplica al cálculo de cribado de minerales metálicos.

Jan 1, 1982

Gwalia Consolidated Ltd has been in the mining industry for about 15 years, yet its key wholly owned Greenbushes Mine has a history dating back to the last century. Similarly Gwalia Consolidated's associate, Sons of Gwalia Ltd owns the historic Sons of Gwalia and Marvel Loch Mines with Sons of Gwalia celebrating its centenary this year. This durability is a testament to the quality of the orebodies concerned and the massive technological achievements over this time which have enabled each of these mines to maintain their competitiveness. While Sons of Gwalia and Marvel Loch were and continue to be gold mines, the wholly owned Greenbushes Mine has survived and in fact prospered through the development of alternative products from its rich and unique pegmatite. Similarly, for Gwalia Consolidated to grow and prosper it will be necessary to expand the current portfolio of products and operations. The Greenbushes Mine has already given Gwalia world `No 1' status in both the supply of primary tantalite concentrates and lithium minerals (spodumene). The asset base contributed by Gwalia's gold investments assisted in the recapitalisation of the Greenbushes assets to fully develop their potential. Industrial minerals and strategic metals were of interest to Gwalia as these markets are relatively small and it is possible to develop an influential if not dominant position in the market with a quality asset. Capital expenditure to develop such projects are also usually in the order of $10 m to $20 m, a manageable range relative to Gwalia's size.

Jan 1, 1996

By D Kahler

Modern gold production from the Gympie Goldfield commenced in 1995 with the first production from the Monkland Mine. The primary ore target was the 2.5 m wide Inglewood Fault ore zone, which was initially mined using traditional narrow-vein shrink stoping. This manuallyintensive mining method allowed the mine to re-open with minimal capital cost, however the trade off was low productivity and high operating costs. As the mine has developed, access through 100-year-old, timber-lined, small shafts, and the high cost of delineating reserves, has restricted modernisation of the operations. In early-2000 a stockwork lode was discovered adjacent to the existing workings with an economic width of 40 m. In order to maximise the benefit of such an orebody, mining needed to be approached in a new way. This paper summarises the many changes implemented at the Monkland Mine, including the necessary cultural change, implementing long-hole stoping, de-bottlenecking and the application of mechanisation. The result has been a significant improvement in safety performance, higher productivity and a more secure future for all those involved in the project.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. F. Havard

Gypsum is a useful industrial mineral found abundantly on the earth's crust. It is inexpensive to mine and process, and its calcined products have a wide range of readily controllable properties such as strength, density and setting time. It has proven to be such a useful material indeed, that ten American companies, operating some 57 calcining plants in 25 states in 1958, produced or imported in that year a total of 13,649,000 tons of the crude mineral valued at $39,361,000, which they then converted into manufactured products with a value of $329,070,000. Gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) is calcium sulfate with two molecules of combined water, which are responsible for most of its useful properties. It is closely associated in most deposits with anhydrite (CaSO4), which contains no combined water and has limited commercial value in the United States. Man has long recognized the useful qualities of gypsum. It was utilized by the Egyptians in the construction of the pyramids and, later, by the Romans for important structures. Many of the ancient peoples prized gypsum for artistic and ornamental purposes, carving statuary from alabaster and making casts with plaster. The tabular variety, selenite, was used for windows, and the light transmitted through these windows reminded people of light from the moon (selene), hence the name selenite. The use of gypsum continued through the Middle Ages and into modem times. Benjamin Franklin was a famed exponent of gypsum because he applied ground gypsum to clover fields in the form of large letters which later read, in the more luxuriant growth, "land plaster used here." Gypsum is still used as an effective conditioner for some soils, but in recent decades, particularly in North America and Europe, it has become much more important as a major material for the building industry. Description Gypsum and anhydrite are closely associated minerals. Gypsum is found in a number of forms: massive rock gypsum, alabaster, selenite, satin spar, and gypsite. Anhydrite is found as massive rock or as smaller bodies or isolated crystals included in gypsum. Massive Rock Gypsum comprises most of the commercial gypsum and occurs as a sedimentary rock, interbedded in most places with shale, limestone or dolomite. This rock is soft and crystalline. Its color is white or shades of gray, pink, yellow, brown or other colors. Alabaster is a pure, compact and fine-grained variety suitable for use in sculpture or turning into artistic forms; it may be white or selected for attractive coloration. Selenite is gypsum crystallized in flat, transparent, flexible foliated plates, found in clays or in surface vugs in gypsum. Satin Spar is a fine silky fibrous variety with the axes of the crystalline fibers perpendicular to the vein or joint in which it has formed. Gypsite is an earthy mixture of gypsum with clay and sand in secondary formations; it is sometimes useful as a soil conditioner and has been used in making base-coat plasters. Pure gypsum contains 20.9 pct combined water, 46.6 pct sulfur trioxide (SO3) and 32.5 pct lime (CaO). Standard specifications (American Society for Testing Materials Designation C 22-50) read that minimum purity for material to be called gypsum is 70 pct CaSO4.2H20. Most of the commercial gypsum is 85 to 95 pct pure as produced. Impurities in

Jan 1, 1960

By T. R. Lippard

PURE gypsum may be broken down into its constituents as follows: [ ] Standard specifications (ASTM Designation C22-25) state that a material shall not be considered gypsum if it contains less than 64.5 pct by weight of CaS042H2O. Anhydrite, the second calcium sulphate mineral found in nature, may be broken into its constituents as follows: [ ] PROPERTIES OF GYPSUM AND ANHYDRITE Pure gypsum is colorless to white but various impurities change its color to shades of gray, brown, red, or pink. It has a hardness of 2 in the Mohs scale and can be scratched with the fingernail. The specific gravity of pure gypsum is 2.3 to 2.4, so that rock gypsum, free from moisture, weighs about 145 lb per cu ft. Gypsum crystallizes in the monoclinic system in tabular crystals that exhibit good cleavage

Jan 1, 1949

By V. G. Papangelakis, G. A. Moldoveanu

The use of anhydrite (AH) seed, control of acidity levels and ageing were assessed as means to promote the conversion of freshly produced metastable gypsum generated in-situ to the less soluble anhydrite phase and force deposition of calcium sulphate on seed as opposed to on equipment as scale, while achieving lower terminal aqueous calcium concentration as well. It was found that moderate sulphuric acid levels (0.25M) and ageing in the presence of AH seed accelerated the gypsum-AH conversion, achieving 100% transformation of the metastable gypsum generated in situ to the more stable, less soluble AH in 6-7 days, while lower/nil acidity did not promote more than 30% AH conversion for 10 days, even in the presence of AH seed. These findings indicate that anhydrite seeding, ageing and incomplete neutralization are beneficial for scale control as well as achieving lower calcium levels, thus rendering the resulting solution more amenable for recycling.

Jan 1, 2015

By Lloyd H. Yeager

Good morning gentlemen. I'm very pleased to be a part of this fine program for the Society of Mining Engineers. Gypsum, as many of you know, is one of the most unique minerals on earth. The very excellent presentations which you have just witnessed, revealed the geological aspects of gypsum operations. It is not our purpose this morning to pursue this subject further. Instead, we felt you would be interested in some of the uses of gypsum . . . and what the future holds for gypsum products. To help accomplish this, we're going to first show the Gypsum Association's new film, "Shape Of The Future. ' This short movie traces gypsum f ram mines and quarries to its ultimate destination in homes, schools, offices -- in virtually every type of construction. We think you'll be particularly interested in the description of gypsum's fire resistive nature.

Jan 1, 1965

By Frank C. Appleyard

Gypsum, the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate, has a history of usefulness to man dating back several thousand years, and a worldwide industry has been built on the mining and processing of this versatile industrial mineral. However, anhydrite, the other principal calcium sulfate mineral has very limited use, so much so that separate statistics for it are not always kept, but are usually included with those for gypsum. Although often found in close association, the two minerals have important chemical differences in that anhydrite is the anhydrous form of calcium sulfate (CaSO,) whereas gypsum is the dihydrate (CAS0;2H20). These two molecules of combined water result in significant differences in hardness, density, and solubility of the two minerals. However, of most importance is the difference in thermal properties wherein gypsum, upon the application of a modest amount of heat, can be converted to the hemihydrate of calcium sulfate (CaS0;Vi H,O) or plaster of paris, an intermediate product upon which is based over 90% of the value of all calcium sulfate end products. Anhydrite, on the other hand, is inert at these temperatures and its uses have been limited to only those few cases where calcium sulfate in the anhydrous form may have an advantage. The earliest known use of gypsum plaster dates back some 5000 years to the time of the Pharaohs of Egypt who had discovered that gypsum rock, when exposed to fire, broke down into a powder which when mixed with water would form a putty that could be "plastered" on a rough mud brick or stone wall to make a smooth finish. It was used down through the centuries in a limited way for ornamental purposes, but did not achieve wide acceptance because of its quick (25 to 30 min) setting or hardening time which made it difficult to use. The first real understanding of gypsum chemistry was developed in France about 1755, and the gradual growth of its present utilization dates from that time. In the United States, the first utilization of gypsum was to grind it to a fine material for use as a soil conditioner at about the time of the Revolutionary War, and the term "land plaster" for ground gypsum has remained in use. Another cementituous material-lime or calcium oxide-had become the usual plastering material, but by about 1870 a method for retarding the set of gypsum plaster was discovered and it has today almost completely replaced lime as a plastering material. In recent years, gypsum products sold in the United States have reached a total valuation of approximately $500 million per year as illustrated in [Table 1].

Jan 1, 1975

By Frank C. Appleyard

The two calcium sulfate minerals-gypsum and anhydrite-occur in many parts of the world, and gypsum has long been of economic importance in the family of industrial minerals. Gypsum, the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate (CaS042H20) and anhydrite, the anhydrous form (CaSO4) are frequently found in close association, and it is seldom that a calcium sulfate deposit will consist exclusively of one mineral or the other. Although known gypsum deposits are extensive, anhydrite makes up the largest part of total calcium sulfate reserves. However, it has very minor economic use, and most of the following discussion will be devoted to gypsum. Calcium sulfate is one of the principal con- stituents of evaporite deposits, and when pure, has the following composition: [ ] Deposits of pure gypsum or of pure anhydrite which are large enough to be considered commercial have never been found because of both the metastable relationship between the two minerals, and the presence of impurities such as calcium or magnesium carbonates, chlorides, other sulfate minerals, clay minerals, or silica. As a result most mine production of gypsum will range between 85 and 95% pure. Often it is used as mined, although in certain cases, one or more forms of mineral beneficiation are employed to upgrade the product.

Jan 1, 1975

By Frank C. Aplleyard

The two calcium sulfate minerals-gypsum and anhydrite-occur in many parts of the world, and gypsum has long been of economic importance in the family of industrial minerals. Gypsum, the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate (CaSO4•2H2O) and anhydrite, the anhydrous form (CaSO4) are frequently found in close association, and it is seldom that a calcium sulfate deposit will consist exclusively of one mineral or the other. Although known gypsum deposits are extensive, anhydrite makes up the largest part of total calcium sulfate reserves. However, it has very minor economic use, and most of the following discussion will be devoted to gypsum. Calcium sulfate is one of the principal constituents of evaporite deposits, and when pure, has the following composition: [Sulfur Combined Lime Trioxide Water (CaO) (SO,) (H2O) Gypsum 32.6% 46.5% 20.9% Anhydrite 41.2% 58.8% -] Deposits of pure gypsum or of pure anhydrite which are large enough to be considered commercial have never been found because of both the metastable relationship between the two minerals, and the presence of impurities such as calcium or magnesium carbonates, chlorides, other sulfate minerals, clay minerals, or silica. As a result most mine production of gypsum will range between 85 and 95% pure. Often it is used as mined, although in certain cases, one or more forms of mineral beneficiation are employed to upgrade the product. End Uses The largest use for gypsum is based upon the unique property which calcium sulfate has of readily giving up, or taking on, water of crystallization. With the application of a moderate amount of heat in a process known as calcining, gypsum is converted to plaster of paris (the hemihydrate of calcium sulfate, CaSO4 ½ H2O) which when mixed with water will set or harden as the calcium sulfate returns to the dihydrate form. This semifinished product, usually called stucco, is then manufactured into a large variety of plasters, wallboard, and block for construction use, or into plasters for industrial applications. About 75% of the gypsum used in the United States is calcined for these purposes. Uncalcined uses of gypsum are principally as a retarder for portland cement, as a soil conditioner, as a mineral filler, and other minor industrial applications. About 25% of the gypsum mined in the United States goes into these markets; however, in less developed countries where construction and other industrial uses may be quite limited, the use of uncalcined gypsum for portland cement retarder may well be the dominant-if not the only-market for the mineral. It has often been noted that calcium sulfate constitutes the world's largest reserve of sulfur, and minor use of both anhydrite and gypsum has been made to produce sulfuric acid or other sulfur compounds such as ammonium sulfate. However, because sulfur is readily available at lower cost from other sources, use of calcium sulfate has been limited to only a few locations where it could compete economically. No such use is reported in the United States at this time. Mineralogy Anhydrite, CaSO4 because of its geologically rapid conversion to gypsum, and relatively high solubility (about 0.2 g per 100 g H2O) is not often found outcropping in climates wet enough to support abundant vegetation except on steeply dipping slopes or other places where hydrated material is continuously removed. Anhydrite rock is most often light to bluish gray in color, and under the microscope, varies

Jan 1, 1983

By Duane B. Jorgensen

The two calcium sulfate minerals, gypsum and anhydrite, occur in many parts of the world, and gypsum has long been of economic importance in the family of industrial minerals. Gypsum, the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate (CaSO, . 2H20) and anhydrite, the anhydrous form (CaSO,) are frequently found in close association, and it is seldom that a calcium sulfate deposit will consist exclusively of one mineral or the other. Although known gypsum deposits are extensive, anhydrite makes up the larger part of total calcium sulfate resources. Although it has very minor economic use, it is important to the understanding of gypsum deposits and is referred to frequently in the following discussion. Calcium sulfate is one of the principal constituents of evaporite deposits, and when pure, has the following composition: [ ] Deposits of pure gypsum or of pure anhydrite which are large enough to be considered commercial have not yet been found because of both the metastable relationship between the two minerals, and the presence of impurities such as calcium or magnesium carbonates, chlorides, other sulfate minerals, clay minerals, or silica. Most gypsum produced ranges from 80 to 95% pure and beneficiation is normally limited to selective mining or quarrying or upgrading by crushing and screening during mill processing. END USES The largest use for gypsum is based upon the unique property which calcium sulfate has of readily giving up, or taking on, water of crystallization. With the application of a moderate amount of heat in a process known as calcining, gypsum is converted to plaster of paris, the hemihydrate of calcium sulfate (CaSO4 ½ H2O), which when mixed with water will set or harden as the calcium sulfate returns to the stable dihydrate form. This semifinished product, usually called stucco, is then manufactured into a large variety of plasters, wallboard, and block for construction use, or into plasters for industrial applications. About 75% of the gypsum used in the United States is calcined for these purposes. Uses of uncalcined gypsum are principally as a retarder for portland cement, as a soil conditioner, as a mineral filler, and other minor industrial applications. About 25% of the gypsum mined in the United States goes into these markets; however, in other countries with building practices different from those in the United States and Canada, relative usage varies widely. Calcium sulfate deposits are the world's largest sulfur resources; minor quantities of gypsum and anhydrite have been used to produce sulfur or sulfur compounds. This use is accompanied by a unique site-specific set of economics because sulfur is generally available from non-gypsum sources at lower cost.

Jan 1, 1994

By Kenneth S. Johnson

Large reserves of high-purity Permian gypsum crop out and are at shallow depth in three regions of western Oklahoma, Gypsum beds in the Blaine Formation are 10 to 30 feet thick and are generally 95 to 99 percent pure, whereas the massive Cloud Chief Gypsum is 20 to 100 feet thick and is 92 to 97 percent pure. Reserves are estimated at 48 billion short tons. Eight companies in the State currently mine about 1 million tons of gypsum each year for wall- board, for plaster, as a retarder in portland cement, and as a soil conditioner. Future uses, under more favorable market conditions, may be in the chemical industries, largely because of gypsum's potential as a source of sulfur. Three thick sequences of Permian rock salt underlie most of western Oklahoma at depths of 30 to 3,000 feet. Individual salt beds 5 to 30 feet thick are interbedded with thinner layers of shale and anhydrite. Five large salt plains, fed by natural springs of saturated brine constitute additional resources of salt. Reserves, estimated at 20 trillion short tons, are virtually untapped, and, ironically, about 90 percent of the salt used in Oklahoma is imported. Chemical data on the rock salt are lacking, but evaporated salt produced from brines is generally 97 to 99 percent pure. Current production from three solar-evaporation plants is used mainly for stockfeed, recharging water softeners, and deicing roads. Potential uses are in the chemical industries, where salt or brine is a necessary raw material.

Jan 1, 1973

Gypsum Association, 211 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Ill. Henry J Schweim, Secretary. This trade association issues numerous publications dealing with the utilization and application of gypsum, but the only one which might be of direct interest here is entitled "Gypsum-A Non-

Jan 1, 1933

By D. M. Baird

ABSTRACT A revised stratigraphic section of Carboniferous rocks which occupy about 700 square miles in southwestern Newfoundland is presented. Gypsum, which outcrops at thirty-five different localities, is found to belong to four principal zones in the section. The newly mapped structure of the region makes the otherwise random occurrences of gypsum appear as systematic outcroppings of the four zones which follow the regional structure. Details of several occurrences are given and those most advantageous for exploitation are pointed out. INTRODUCTION ROCKS of Carboniferous age occupy an area of about 700 square miles in southwestern Newfoundland. They occur in a belt, from 5 to 15 miles wide, which extends from the head of St. Georges bay southwestward for 65 miles to the mouth of Little Codroy river (see Figure 1). Several hundred feet of Pennsylvanian rocks overlie rocks of Mississippian age, which are at least 12,000 feet thick. The rocks of the Carboniferous section of Newfoundland are very similar to those of Nova Scotia and represent a northeastward continuation of the same palaeophysiographic conditions. Mississippian measures of Windsor equivalence include thick gypsum deposits which outcrop at many places and which extend under large areas as indicated by sink-holes and by structural considerations.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. E. Shearer

The state of Arizona produced 253,276.2 metric tons (279,000 st) of crude gypsum during 1986. This represents approximately 1.7% of the total U.S. production. Four mines provided Arizona's gypsum, three of these mines are in the San Pedro Valley. The uses of the gypsum produced in Arizona are for manufacture of cement, agricultural uses, and wallboard manufacture. The gypsum is used as a retarder in the manufacture of Portland cement. The use in agriculture is treatment of alkali soils to allow water penetration. Other deposits in the San Pedro Valley have production potential, providing there is sufficient market for additional wallboard. The author completed an evaluation of one property earlier this year.

Jan 1, 1988

By Jeffrey F. Adams

Gypsum fouling is a common problem in the hydrometallurgical industry. It is a particular problem in free sulphuric acid neutralization, or iron removal operations where sulphates are removed from aqueous solutions by the addition of calcium-containing bases. Previous work revealed a strong correlation between the degree of gypsum supersaturation in the reactor and the rate of scale growth indicating that scale formation and growth are primarily controlled by chemical phenomena. However, the chemical behaviour of gypsum is variable and unpredictable with solution chemistry and temperature. Many of the "rules of thumb" that are used to predict its behaviour (and avoid fouling) are in fact based on gypsum solubility in water, rather than on real mixed metal sulphate systems. However, despite this unconventional solubility behaviour, we have been able to accurately model it in Ni, Mg, and Zn containing solutions over a wide range of temperature (25°C-90°C) and solution concentration (0-6 m) using the OLI simulation software. Furthermore, by studying fouling rates in a simulated continuous neutralization reactor, the relationship between process conditions and fouling rates were explained for the first time. This has led to an understanding of how techniques for minimizing gypsum fouling work.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. R. CAMERON

Gypsum is mined in all Atlantic Provinces except Prince Edward Island. It is generally thought to have been derived from the hydration of anhydrite in areas of minimal drainage. Late Devonian downwarping and crustal oscillation east of the Appalachian fold belt allowed the Windsor Sea to advance and retreat in a depositional trough and deposit about 1,000 m of sediments in Mississippian time, much of which were evaporites. The best areas for further gypsum development are lowland basins such as the Cape Breton Lowlands, the Hillsborough area of New Brunswick and the St. George's Lowlands in Newfoundland, all of which are already sites of gypsum quarries. Nova Scotia's gypsum is mined from the Lower Windsor Group, which is divided into subzones 'A' and 'B'; 'B' provides most of the province's gypsum production. The Atlantic Provinces gypsum industry has markets from the St. Lawrence waterway to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Jan 1, 1984

By Z. D. Hora

Of four main gypsum areas in the province, commercial production has only come from Falkland and the Kootenay and Columbia River valleys of southeast British Columbia. The Windermere deposit in southeast B.C. has been the major producer since /948. Gypsum and anhydrite from the Falkland deposit is used principally in cement-making at Kam/oops. GYPSUM deposits in British Columbia are known from four different areas: the southeast part of the province in the proximity of the Kootenay and Columbia River valleys; Forgetmenot Creek astride the British Columbia - Alberta boundary near Intersection Mountain; Falkland; and O'Connor River north of Haines . To date, commercial production has only come from Falkland and the southeast part of the province. Gypsum deposits of southeast British Columbia occur in the Burnais Formation of Devonian age. Outcrops of gypsum and numerous sinkholes indicating its presence are scattered over large areas of the Stanford Range. Several properties have been examined by industry in both the recent and more distant past. Significant production is reported from only two deposits. The Mayook deposit, active from 1926 to 1929 and from 1947 to 1954, produced approximately 95,000 tonnes of gypsum. The Windermere deposit, which has been active since 1948, is operated by Westrock Industries and has produced more than 6.8 million tonnes of gypsum. The Burnais Formation is composed principally of well bedded, finely 'laminated gypsum but also contains thin lenses of black fetid limestone and dolomite. Part of the Formation consists of breccia with angular carbonate clasts in massive, coarse grained gypsum. In several exposures, the Formation appears 10 be from 200 10 400 m thick, of which more than 75 Industrial Minerals in Canada per cent is gypsum . In the Stanford Range reserves mineable by quarry methods are estimated to be approximately 450 million tonnes.

Jan 1, 1984