TN C3 A3 ho. (^4 LmRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS COMMERCIAL M I N E R A L.._S, OF C A L I FOR K I A BULL ETIN NO. 124 Issued by the Calif or -Tia State Division of Kii:ies Ferry Building, San Francisco 1942 LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA STATE OF CALIx^ORNIA DEPARTiENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley, State Mineralogist San Francisco BULLETIN 124 October' 15, 1942 COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORiCA By G-eorge L. Gary Mineral Technologist 1942 INTRODUCTION In April 19^1 the first papers of this series were mimeograohed for distribution to the citizens of the State of California who were interested in developing our mineral resoux-'ces. They were originally run off in lots of five to fifteen hundred, depending upon the importance of the subject, Several of the papers have been rerun ten to fifteen times. These papers are distributed through the main office of the State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, and through our regional offices at Los Angeles, Sacramento and Redding, and ai^e also available at many of the public libraries and universities of the western states. In many cases they were reprinted, with our permission, by technical journals, magazines and newspapers. As there has been a dem.and for a complete series it was decided to issue all of these papers, some fifty in number, as a loose-leaf bulletin. The bulletin is so arranged tiiat it may be revised and expanded as marketing conditions change, and it is the intention of the Division of Mines, as these changes, occur, to supplement this bulletin with additional up to the minute information on the properties, occurrence, preparation, uses, tests, markets, and possible buyers, with a bibliograpliy concerning these commercial minerals. These revised papers will be available to anyone upon receipt of postage. Announcements v;ill be made of all new material in the Divisions "Monthly Commercial Mineral Notes," The so-called strategic and critical minerals are in- cluded in this bulletin, but all of the minerals listed in the table of contents are important and will play their part in World War II, as it is becoming more and more evident to our people that the miniiig industry is the backbone of our country's resources. oOo The perforations will fit any standard size binders which are available in varying grades and prices at any stationery store including the "five and ten". T ABLE OF CONTENTS Page Aluminum 1 Andaluslte, Dumortierite, Kvanite and Silllmanlte 5 Antimony 10 Arsenic ^^ 13 Aabeatos 15 Barium 20 Bentonlte 24 Beryl 28 Bismuth 32 Borates 34 CadiTilum 37 Chromite 39 Cobalt 44 Copper 45 Diamonds and G-raphite 50 Dlatomlte 55 Feldspars 58 Fluorspar 62 Gold 54 Gypsum 59 Iodine 72 Iron 74 Lead 80 Limestone 83 Magncslte 87 Magnesium 90 Manganese 95 Mica 99 Molybdenum IO3 Monaslte -and Ailanltc 106 Nickel 108 Nitrates HI Phosphates and Phosphate Rocl-i II5 Platinum ~ 118 Pyrlte and Sulfur 122 Quartz 126 Quicksilver I32 Silver I36 Strontium l4l Talc 144 Tin 148 Titanium I5I Tungsten I54 Vanadium irj7 Zinc — 160 Zirconium I63 state of Callforrxla Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley ^,.y ^q^lt Ferry Building State Minera logist ^^ ^ " "___ San Francisco COM.IERCIAL MINERALS OF G^LIFO'i^vTIA (Series 1941) ALUJIINUI;! By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - The principal commercial ore of aluminum is "bauxite, a mixture of hydrous aluminum oxides of indefinite con- position. Some Muxites approach closely the composition of gibbsite . Al (OH)-z, but most are a mixture, and usually contain iron. As a result, bauxite has been discredited as a mineral species and in a rigid classification should be used only as a rock name, but the name has been retained here since it has become so firmly-- fixed as the name of the important commercial substance. The principal constituents of the rock bauxite are gibbsite , Al (011)3, M£Mi.t£> Al(OH)j, and diaspore , AIO(OH), any one of v'hlch may be dominant. Cli achite , A1(0H)3, is the name proposed for the very fine-grained amorphous constituent of bauxite. Cry olite , Na-^AIF^, imported from Greenland, has been used as an ore of aluminum and also as a flux in the electro- lytic process by which most of the metal is obtained. Aluminum is the m.ost abundant of the metals, for it is an essential constituent of most of the rock-forming silicates and of clays derived from their alteration. However, the enormous amounts of aluminum contained In the various silicates ax-'e not yet available because of the difficulty and expense of extraction, and only the rock, bauxite, a mixture of hydrous aluminum oxides, is at present an important ore. Bauxite is found in pisolitic, or round concretionary grains; also m.assive, eartliy and clay-like. The luster is dull to earthy. The color and streak is white, gray, yellov; and red. The hardness is 1-3J "the gravity is 2-2.55. OCCURRE NCE - Bauxite is of secondary origin, commonly produced under subtropical to tropical climatic conditions by the prolonged v;eathering of aluminum, bearing rocks. It also m.ay be derived from the weathering of clay-bearing limestones. It has apparently originated as a colloidal precipitate. It may occur in place as a direct derivative of the original rock, or It may have been transported and deposited in a sedim.entary formiation. In the tropics deposits kno\m as laterites . consisting largely of hydrous aluminum and f erricoxides, are found in the residual soils. These vary widely in composition and purity but may become valuable as sources of aluminum and iron. Bauxite occurs over a large area in the south of France, an important district being at Baux (originally Beaux), from which locality it derived its name. Large quantities are produced in Dutch Guiana and British Guiana and shipped to the United" Statas. In the United States -1- ALUMINUM (Continued) .the chief deposits are found In Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas where bauxite was formed by the alteration of a nepheline-syenite. Plsolltlc bauxite has been found In one locality in Riverside' County, California, and dlaspore occurs in compact masses with andalusite in one locality in Mono County, California. Transparent crystals of dlaspore in chlorite schist have been fo\ind by the writer in one locality in Calaveras County, California. PREPARATION - The usual process at present by which aluminum is extracted from the bauxite ores is briefly as follows: The ore is heated to low redness with sodium carbonate, forming sodium aluminate. This compound is leached out by water, and by passing COp gas into the solution the aluminum is precipitated as the hydroxide. On being heated the hydroxide is converted into the oxide of the metal. The pure metal is prepared from this oxide by an electrolytic process which takes place in a bath of fused cryolite, or an artificial sodium-aluminum fluoride. The tank in which the reaction takes place is lined with carbon and forms the cathode, graphite rods suspended in the bath serving as the anode. The metal collects in the bottom of the tank. About 4 tons of bauxite are needed to make 2 tons of the oxide, which in turn makes about 1 ton of aluminum. USES - Because of its great strength and low density, aluminum has been adapted to many uses. Sheets, tubes, and castings of aluminum are used wherever a light-weight metal is desired, as in the manufacture of automobiles, airplanes, railway cars, and machinery. It is used extensively in cooking utensils and household appliances and furniture. Aluminum is a good electrical conductor and to some extent is replacing copper in power transmission lines. Numerous aluminum alloys are in common use. Duralumlnum , 96 percent aluminum, 3 percent copper, and 1 percent magnesium, is the trade name of the most important. It has only one- third the weight of steel and yet possesses most oi its desirable properties. Aluminum bronze contains 10 percent aluminum, 90 percent copper. Aluminum is also alloyed with zinc, nickel, silicon, silver and tin. Other uses of aluminum are in paint, aluminum foil, and as a constituent of numerous salts. TESTS - Infusible aluminum minerals, when moistened with cobalt nitrate and Intensely heated before the blowpipe, assume a blue color^. The mineral should be powdered and heated eith&r on charcoal or on the loop of a platinum v/ire. Ammonia, when added in excess to an acid solution containing aluminum precipitates aluminum hydroxide. The precipitate is flocculent and colorless or white. It is , precipitated under the same conditions as ferric hydroxide and since the latter has a dark color a small amount of aluminum hydroxide might be overlooked in a mixture of the two. To make a further test under these conditions, filter off the prtcipitate and treat It with a hot solution of sodium hydroxide, which will dissolve any aluminum hydroxide present but will not affect the ferric ^droxide. Filter, to the filtrate add hydrochloric acid in slight excess, and then make alkaline with ammonia hydroxide again. This v;lll precipitate as pure aluminum hydroxide any aluminum that may be present. -2- ALUTigMUM (Continued) ^ l!ARKETS - Aluminum per lb. , delivered, commercial and mill ingot, 99 percent, 15>^. Bauxite per long ton': Domestic ore, chemical, crushed and dried, 55 to 58 percent AI2O3, 1.5 to 2.5 per- cent FeoO-^, ^7.50 @ 08.50, f.Oib. Alabama and Arkansas mines. Other grades 56 to 59 percent AI2O3, 5 to 8 percent Si02, $7.50 @ 8. 50, f»o;b. Arkansas mines. Pulverized and dried, 56 to 59 percent AlgO-,, 8 to 12 percent SiOg, $14.00 © $16.00 f.o.b. Arkansas mines; fibrasive grade, crushed and calcined, 80 to 84 percent AI2O5, $16,00. f.o.b. Arkansas mines. Crude (not dried) 50 to 52 percent, $5.00 f.o.b. Arkansas mines, (Quotations April 30, 1942.) POSSIBLE 3UYERS Aluminum Ore Co., subsidiary of Aluminum Co. of America, Gulf Building, Pittsburg, Pa. American Cyanamid & Chemical Corporation, 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, N. Y. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co,, Incorporated, 1007 Market Street, V/ilmington, Del. General Chemical Co., 40 Rector Street, New York, N. Y. Gulf Oil Corporation, Gulf Building, Pittsburg, Pa, Hercules Powder Co., Vfilmington, Del. Mineral Products Corporation, MarysVt._L, Utah. National Aluminate Corporation, 6216 West 66th Place, Chicago, 111; Stauffer Chemical Co., 624 California Street, San Francisco, Calif. The Carborundum Coi, Nigigara Falls, W. Y. BIBLIOGRAP HY Herbert A. Franke and M, E. Trought, Bauxite and Aluminum. Minerals Yearbook, 1940. U. S, Bur. of Mines, pp 637-658. E. C. Harder. Bauxite. Industrial Minerals and Rocks, 1937 i The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, pp. 111-128. C. L. Mantell. Aluminum and Bauxite; The Mineral Industry During 1939. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York and London, 1940, pp. 7-27. Adolf Pabst, Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines, Bulletin No,. 113 (1938). G. A. Roush. Strartegic Mineral Supplies. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York and London, 1939, pp. 200-237. Ji R. Thoenen and Ernest F. Burchard - Bauxite Resources of the United States. U. S. B, M. R. I. No. 3598, 1941. J. R. Thoenen - Alunite Resources of the United States. U.S.B. M.R.I, No. 3561 - 1941. NOTES 1, Specimens of aluminum ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, Sr.n Francisco, California. • 2. Alunite, a basic potassium aluminum sulfate, KAl3(0H)g(S04)2> is used in the production of alum. Recently at Marysv-ilc, Utah, alunite has been mined and treated in such a way as to recover aluminum from the mineral, _)0o- I ♦ ' • ..yj'?r.r state of California Department of natural resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley APRIL 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralog i s t I__I_ San Francisco COMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) A ITOALUSITE. DUMORTIERITE. KYANI TS. AND SILLIMANITE By G-eorge L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPE RT IES - Andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite are aluminum silicates 'having the same chemical formula, AlgSiO^, and containing 63v2 percent aluminum with 36.8 percent si'lica, Andalusite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and occurs in rough attached or embedded crystals, in columnar masses and rounded pebbles. Vitreous luster. Cleavage is parallel to the lenQ;th of the crystal. The color is usually gray but may be whitish, rose red, flesh red, violet, reddish brown, or olive green. The variety known as chiastolite has symmetrically arranged black and white areas of carbonaceous matter in the form of a cross. Hardness 7i. Specific gravity 3.18. K yanite (triclinic crystal. system) occurs characteristically as bladed crystals although it may be coarsely bladed columnai"', grading into subfibrous. Cleavage perfect parallel to the length of the crystal. Imperfect cleavage may also be observed parallel to the length of the crystal but at an angle to the more prominent cleavage. Luster vitreous to pearly. Color blue, white, gray, green, black. May be blue along the center of the crystal with white margins. Hardness is h-js parallel to the length of the crystal and 7 at right angles to the length. Specific gravity 3.60. Sillimanite (orthorhombic crystal system) is usually found as long slender crystals not distinctly terminated, or in close parallel . groups, passing into fibrous and columnar massive forms. Cleavage parallel to the length of the crystal. Vitreous luster approaching subadamantine. Color brovm, grayish brovm, grayish, white, grayish green, and pale olive green. Hardness 6 to 7. Specific gravity 3,23. Dumortierite , 8Al2O3.B2O3.6SiO2.K2O. (basic aluminum borosilicate) usually occurs in fibrous to columnar aggregates. Crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Cleavage parallel to the length of the crystal. Luster vitreous. Color bright smalt blue to greenish blue. Hardness 7. Specific gravity 3,26 to 3,36. OCCURRENCE - In California, andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite occur principally in schist and gneiss although they are common in quartz veins or quarzitic masses. They are probably the products of high temperature metamorphlsra of aluminous sediments or aluminous volcanic material, -1- ^rA » '. ..i. ANDALUSITE. DUITORT IERI TE. KYANITE. AND SILLIMANITE . g ' TcontlnuedJ Andalusite and chiastollte are found in Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, Riverside, San Diego, and Tulare counties. In addition, chiastolite has been reported from Kern and Sacramento counties. The andalusite deposit of Champion Sillimanite, Inc., is located on the north side of Dry Creek Canyon on the northwest slope of the ViThite Mountains, Mono County, and is the largest in the United States. The mineral occurs in irregular segregations in a lenticular quartz mass and is associated with serlclte, pyrophyllite, muscovite,corumdum etc. Kyanite is being mined by the Vitrefrax Corporation, three miles northeast of Ogllby, on the western slope of the Cargo Muchacho Range, Imperial County, The mineral also occurs in Tuolumne County. Sillimanite is found in Inyo, Los Angeles, MaripOsa, San Bernar- dino, San Diego, and Tuolumne counties but not in commercial quantities, Dumortierite occurs in Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties. The main commercial supply comes from Oreana, Pershing County, Nevada. PREPARATION ~ The preparation of andalusite for refractories as carried out by the Detroit plant of the Champion Porcelain Co. is essentially as follows: The ore is crushed and ground until there are about equal proportions by weight of 8 to 14 mesh, 14 to 30 mesh, and less than 30 mesh. This material is then passed over a magnetic separator and screened ready for mixing v;ith clay or other aluminous binder. This is followed by mouldin^i into the desired shapes and firing at 1450°C or higher, When andalusite is used in porcelain, it is ground until 60 per cent is 325 mesh and finer, the remainder having the maximum size of 30 mesh. This product is mixed with flux, clays and water in a pebble mill until it passes a 325 mesh lawn (a fine silken sieve). It Is then passed over a magnetic separator and pressed in a filter- press until enough water is eliminated so that the material may be handled and stored in an aging cellar for use in ceramics. Kyanite is apt to be friable when calcined and is difficult to bond. Calcination is necessary before it can be used due to the ex- pansion which takes place when the material is heated to about 1350°C. "At the same time the specific gravity (3.6) drops to that of a mixture or-mullite and glass (3.1). (Riddle). The Vitrefrax Corporation has developed a method for treating the kyanite ore mined at Ogllby, which takes advantage of the fact that sm.all needle like grains of kyanite swell slightly and elongate considerably when converted to mullite. If Incorporated in a ceramic object before elongation they elongate during firing and increase the mechanical strength of the body. This works best if the crystals are heated just below the conversion point, then Incorporated, (Riddle) . Andalusite, kyanite, sillimanite, and dumortierite may be con- verted to mullite (3AI2O3.2SIO2) when fused. This change (according to Petar I.C. 6255) does not take place at any definite temperature but progresses slowly over a considerable range. Andalusite begins to change to a mixture of mullite and silica at about 14000C, the conversion of kyanite begins at about 1200°C and that of sillimanite begins at around 1600 C. Dumortierite is converted to mullite at appix)ximately 1500°C. USES - The most important use of andalusite is in the manufacture ^JDf porcelain for spark plugs. It is also used for laboratory ware which must be heat resistant. -2- ^>cr ANDALUSITE. DUMORTIERITE. KYANITE AND SILLIIJANITE 7 (continued) Kyanlte when converted to- mulllte, has been used experimentally for spark plug porcelain. Refractory brick, electrical porcelain, chinaware, glass and enamelware are made all or in part of kyanite. Dumortierite burns to a nearly pure white product, increasing the toughness and electrical resistivity of porcelain. It allows a greater temperature range in burning than does andalusite according to Dr. J. A. Jeffery in I. C. 6255. He also states that "porcelain made from a mixture of dumortierite and andalusite has a very low coefficient of expansion." Refractory bricks made of dumortierite alone gradually swell and those made of andalusite tend to sag so that a mixture of the two materials produces a very durable brick. , Mullite, made from andalusite, is used extensively in the glass blowing industry for tanks to hold molten glass. Other uses of mullite are for electric furnaces and muffles or any parts which must be rigid and non- shrinking at high temperatures. Ramming mixes or plastic patches for metallurgical processes consist of ground andalusite, a binder, and a definite amount of water thoroughly mixed and shipped in sealed containers to preserve the original physical condition. TEST S - Andalusite, kyanite, sillimanite, and dumortierite turn blue when a small fragment is intensely heated with cobalt nlorate on charcoal. This is the standard test for infusible aluminum minerals. The best method for detecting the boron in dumo-rtlerlte is to mix some of the powdered mineral with boron flux- -(one part powdered fluorite to two parts potassium bisulfate) . Then slightly moisten the mixture and, using a platinum wire, pick up a little of the material and hold it in a blow-pipe flame. Just at the moment of fusion a green flame appears which disappears almost immediately. A colored screen which eliminates yellow light, such as the Merwin [screen, aids in viev/lng the green color, Andalusite may usually be distinguished by the nearly square prismatic crystals. Kyanite may be recognized by its bladed form, blue oolcr, and. varying hardness. (The hardness.-oi" a few other tough fj.brous ml.-ierals varies with the direction so that this char- acteristic is not too reliablje)...*.— Si J "1 imanlte is characterized by its fibrous or columnar form, Dumortierite often resembles tourmaline and optical tests may be necessary to distinguish it. The fibrous habit is characteristic, MARK ETS: [Jhan'pion Sillimanite, Inc. , mines all of the andalusite produced in California and the entire tonnage is consumed by the parent company, Champion Spark Plug Company. The total tonnage of California kyanite is mined and consumed by the Vitrefrax Corporation. Domestic kyanite sales as reported to the U. S. Bureau of Mines (Minerals Yearbook, Review of 1940) averaged ^22.10 per short ton r.o.b, mines. POSSIBLE BUYERS The following list of possible buyers was furnished by Dr. J. A. reffery, Vice-President and G-eneral Manager, Ceramic Division of the Ihamplon Spark Plug Company: ANDALUSITE. DUT^ORTIERITE. KYANITE AND SILUMNITE • . 8 Toontinued) Vltrefrax Company, Los Angeles, California Coora Porcelain Company, G-olden, Colorado Denver Fire Clay Company, Denver, Colorado A, P. Green Fire Brick Company, Mexico, Missouri Laclede- Christy Clay Products Company, St. Louis, Missouri The Charles Taylor Sons Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Mullite Refractories Company, Shelton, ConnecEticut Electro Refractories & Alloy Corporation, Niagra Falls, New York, Corhart Refractories Company, Louisville, Kentucky Corning Glass Company, Corning, New York. Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford, Connecticut. General Refractories Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Refractories Corporation, Los Angeles, California' (Successor to Tillotson Clay Products Company) REFERENCES: Kerr, Paul F. Slllimanite Group - Andaluslte, Kyanite, Sillimanite, Dumortierite. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. Seeley W. Mudd Series A. I. M. E. 1937. Petar, Alice V. Sillimanite, Kyanite, Andalusite, and Dumortierite. U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6255, March 1930, Pabst, Adolf, Minerals of California, California State Division of Mines Bulletin 113, 1938. Sampson, Reid J., and V/, B. Tucker. Feldspar, Silica, Andalusite, and Cyanite Deposits of California* California State Miner- alogist's Report 27, pp 407-458, 1931. Schaller, W. T. Dumortierite. U. S, Geological Survey Bulletin No. 262, 1905. Riddle, Frank Harwood. Mining and Treatment of the Sillimanite Group of Minerals and Their Use in Ceram.ic Products. Trans- actions of the A. I. M. E., Vol^ 102, 1932. Dietrich, Waldemar Fenn. The Clay Resources and Ceramic Industry of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin 99, 1928 Peck, A.. B# Changes in the Constitution and Micro structure of Andalusite, Cyanite, and Sillimanite at High Temperatures and Their Significance in Industrial Practice. Journal American Ceramic Society Vol. 8, pp 407, 1925- NOTES ; Specimens of andalusite, kyanite, sillimanite, and dumortier- ite may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines museum. Ferry Building, San Francisco. «.2|^ «.-• r-. ii.; .^ state of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES 10 Walter W. Bradle.y , Ferry miXding State Mineralogis t bfcPTEMBER - 1^4<£ Sa,n Francisco COIIMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) ANTIMONY By • ■ George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Stibnlte (Sb2S3), is the most common antimony mineral and the chief source of the metal, V/hen pure it contains 71.7 percent antimony. It occurs in confused aggregates or radiating groups of acicular vertically striated crystals; massive, coarse or fine columnar, commonly bladed, less often granular to impalpable. The luster is metallic, highly splendent on cleavage or fresh crystalline surfaces. Color and streak lead-gray; cleavage perfect in one direction. The hardness is 2, and the specific gravity varies from 4.52 to 4,62. OCCURRENCE - Stlbnite is of primary origin and is found most commonly in veins with quartz. The contents of these veins were deposited from alkaline solutions at comparatively shallow depths. The veins frequently occur in granitic rocks. It is sometimes found as beds in schists, as a replacement in limestone, in hot spring deposits and in deep-seated veins lying in or near intrusive rocks. Besides quartz, the associated minerals include other antimony compounds, galena, sphalerite, silver ores, pyrite, barite, calcite, realgar, and cinnabar. It often alters to various antimony oxides. Good deposits of stibnite exist in California; recent shipments being made from properties in Inyo, Kern, and San Bernardino counties. Other counties where stibnite occurs in possible commercial quantities' are Calaveras, Contra Costa, Lake, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Merced, Mono^ Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa GLara, Sierra, Sonoma, Trinity and Tulare counties. There are notable deposits of the native metal in the Kernville and Havilah districts of Kern County, being among the few localities of the world where native antimony has been found. There are a number of other antimony minerals, but they are found in only small quantities, associated with stibnite, and are not of any particular commercial importance, as they are never found alone in paying quantities and, in association vath stibnite, they do not materially affect the treatment processes. PREPARATION - Antimony metal may be produced by the direct smelting of ore, of liquidated sulfide (crude), or of the oxides ob- tained from the roasting process. The Menardi Metals Co., have a smelter in Los Angeles where refined antimony is produced and there is a smelter in Laredo, Texas, producing antimony metal. The Bureau of Mines has developed an e.lectrolytic method for improving the recovery of antimony from antimony-gold ores, -1- 11 ANTIMONY (continued) USES - JffiTALLURG-ICAL: From 75 to 80 percent of the total antimony consumption is in the form of an alloy with lead which is applicable to a v/ide variety of uses, the most important of v;hich are: Storage battery plates; sheet and pipe in chemical industries; and the sheathing of cables for telephone, telegraph and other uses* Its use in type metal is probably the most important service which antimony has rendered to mankind, although amounts used are far less than in some other applications. CHEMICAL: The most used compounds of antimony are the oxides and the sulfides which are used as paint pigments and as coloring agents in glass. A number of salts of antimony are used medicinally, the most important being tartrate of antimony and potassium, commonly known as tar;ta.r emetic. MILITARY: Shrapnel balls and bullet cores are hardened with varying percentages of antimony. The bursting charge of shrapnel shells contains antimony sulfide v/hich produces a dense white smoke on explosion, thus enabling the location of the burst to be observed. Another important use of the sulfide is the priming mixture for the detonating ncps of rifle and artillary cartridges. TESTS ; Antimonial minerals roasted on charcoal give dense v/hlte odorless fumes; metallic antimony and its sulfur compounds give in the open tube a white sublimate of oxide of antimony. Antimony sulfide (stibnite) ,al!3o many sulphantimonites, give in a strong heat in the closed tube a sublimate of antimony oxysulphide, black when hot, brown-red when cold. Gives iodide test on plaster, orange to rod. Sublimate disappears when subjected to ammonia fumes. In •nitric acid, compounds containing antimony deposit white insoluble metaantimonlc acid. MARKETS - Antimony Ore - Per unit of antimony contained, 50 to 55 percent, |2.15 © |2.20; 58 to 60 percent, $2.20 @ $2.30; 60 to 65 percent, $2.J)0 © ^2.40. POSSIBLE BUY ERS American Smelting & Refining Co., 120 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Belmont Smelting & Refining Vforks, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N,; F, H. Dakln, 2811 Hillside Drive, Burllngame, California. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (The R. a H. Chemicals Department), Wilmington, Del. Stanley Fullwood, 10 East 40th St., New York, N, Y. Charles Gltlan & Co., Inc., 25 Beaver St., New York, N. Y. Charles Hardy, Inc., 415 Lexington Ave, , New York, N. Y, The Harshaw Chemical Co., Cleveland, Ohio. The 0. Hommel Co., Inc., 209 Fourth Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. Industrial Sales Oarp., 60 East 42nd St., New York, N. Y. International Selling Corp., 26 Beaver St., New York, N, Y. Morris Kirk & Sons, 2717 So, Indiana St., Los Angeles, California The McGean Chemical Co,, 1106 Republic Bldg. , Cleveland, Ohio. Menardl Metals Co,, 2310 E. 52nd St., Los Aigeles, California. -2- 12 ANTIMONY (continued) Mercantile Import & Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y, Metal & Thermit Corp., 120 Broadway, New York, N, Y. National Lead Co., Ill Broadway, New York, N. Y. Rare Metal Products Co., Belleville, N. J. C. Solomon, Jr., 314 Battery St., San Francisco, Calif. C. Tennant Sons & Co., of New York, 9 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York,N.Y. Texas Mining & Smelting Co., P.O. Box 559, Laredo, Texas. The Vitro Manufacturing Co., Corliss Station, Pittsburgh, Pa. ViTah Chang Trading Corp., 233 Broadway, New York, N. Y. V/hittaker, Clark & Dpjiiels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Ave. , New York, N. Y. Paul W. Wood Company, 44? Hampshire St., San Francisco, Calif. BIBLI05RAPHY E. W. Pehrson and John B. Umbau. Antimony and Cadmium, Minerals Yearbook (1940), U. S. Bur. of Mines, pp 729-742. G. A. Roush. Strategic Mineral Supplies. McGraw~Hill Book Co., New York (1939) pp. 238-273. F. C. Schrader. Epi thermal Antimony Deposits. Ore Deposits of the Western States. A. I. M. E. New York (1933) pp. 658-665. Donald E. White, Antimony Deposits of the Vild Rose Canyon Area, Inyo County, California, U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 922-K, (1940), NOTE Specimans of antimony ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. oOo •* j*^ 3 1. 1: State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley j^^CH - 1942 f^^^^ Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COMU.IERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORi\iA (Series 1942) ARSENIC ■ ' By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Arsenopyrite , a sulfarsenlde of iron, FeAsS, (arsenic 46.0 per cent> sulfur 19.7 per cent, iron 34,3 pei' cent)'- is found in well-formed crystals, disseminated grains, columnar forms, and compact masses. Luster, metallic. Color tin white to light steel- gray. Hardness 52 to 6. Specific gravity 5.9 to 6.2. Realgar , arsenic sulfide, AsS, contains 70.1 per cent arsenic, 29,9 per cent sulfur. The crystals are short prismatic and striated vertically. It is also found granular massive and as incrustations. Sectile. Resinous luster. Color bright red to orange yellow. Streak orange yellow. Hardness 1^ to 2. Specific gravity 3.56. Orpiment , arsenic trisulflde, AS2S3 contains 61.0 per cent arsenic, 39.0 per cent sulfur. It occurs usually in foliated masses and as powdery Incrustations. Cleavage is perfect in one direction. Sectile. Pearly luster. Color, lemon yellow. Streak pale yellow. Hardness li to 2. Specific gravity 3-4 to 3.5. Scorodlte, a hydrous ferric arsenate, FeAs04.2H20, usually occurs in drusy crystalline aggregates or in fine granular to compact masses. It may be earthy. Color, green, grey-green, greenish brown to brown. The luster is vitreous. Hardness 3-|. Specific gravity 3.1 to 3.4. OCCURRENCE - Arsenopyrite is- a common vein mineral and is foiind in the concentrates from most of the miniiig regions of the State. In some districts it is the chief gold-bearing mineral. Realgar occurs as a vein mineral and is often associated with orpiment to which it readily alters. It has not been found in any quantity in the State. Scorodlte usually occurs in the oxidized zone of ore bodies as an alteration product of arsenopyrite. It is not common in California^ having been found only in three counties. PREPARATION - Metallic arsenic is produced by the sublimation of arsenopyrite in the absenae of air, and by the reduction of arsenic trloxide with charcoal in cast iron or steel retorts. The temperature and pressure in the retort must be carefully coja trolled in order to yield crystalline arsenic. . j^: J '.•A ^Tn??'' ^ .JXsD::.ai ■ -1- ARSENIC (continued) 14 When arsenic bearing minerals are roasted, the arsenic is vola- tilized and passes oiT with the gases. Arsenic trioxide or white arsenic then condenses in the cooler part of the flue system (about 218°C). This process takes place in copper or lead smelter flue systems v/hich furnish the major portion of the world's arsenic supply. Lead arsenate may be prepared in a number of ways, one of which is to precipitate it by adding a soluble lead salt to a sodium arsen- ate solution. Arsenic trioxide may be converted to sodium arsenate from a solution of which calcium arsenate may be precipitated by calciiim oxide, USES - Most of the world's production of a,rsenic is used as lead arsenate or calcium arsenate in insecticides, weed killers, and wood preservatives. Calcium arsenate has been very effective in combating the boll weevil which is so destructive to cotton plants. A small amount of white arsenic is used in the manufacture of glass. Realgar, both natural and artificial, is used as a pigment in paints. TESTS - 1/Vhen arsenic occurs in a mineral as an arsenate, such as in scorodite, It may be de tec Led by the garlic odor which is given off when a mixture of the powdered mineral with charcoal dust and sodium carbonate is heated in the reducing flame on che.rcoal. The same mixture heated in a closed tube will yield a sublimate of metallic arsenic. Other arsenic minerals give off fumes and the characteristic garlic odor when roasted alone on charcoal. In the open tube they give a white, volatile, crystalline sublimate of arsenic trioxide. In the closed tube arsenic sulfide gives a sublimate which is dark brown-red when hot and red or reddish yellov/ when cold. MARKETS - fiThite arsenic (arsenious oxide) delivered in carload lots is 4ji per lb; Calcium arsenate, in bags , ^ carload lots, per lb, 7 - 852^; less than carload lots per lb. Tt - 8t^» Lead arsenate, barrels, carload lots, per lb. 11 - 12i2^; less than carload lots, in bags, per lb. 11^ - 12i$z!. (Quotations, February 1942). POSSIBLE BUYER S; American Smelting & Refining Company, 120 Broadway, New York, N.Y, Bartlett Chemicals, Inc., 923 Tchoupitoulas St., New 0. leans, La. Bauer Co. Inc., Philipp, 18 East 4lst St., New York, N. Y. Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Buck Inc., Leonard J. 1 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. Drakenfeld & Co. Inc., B.F. 45 Park Place, New York, N. Y. Hardy Charles, Inc., 420 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y. Industrial Sales Corporation, 295 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. McXesson & Robbins Inc., Heavy Chemicals Division, 155 East Mh St,_ New York, N. Y. Ore & Chemicals Corp. The.* 80 Broad Street, New York, N. Y. -2- f4 <-■ I ■• r% -v + • » * -- >^ i .;*A '5' ARSENIC (continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS (cont'd.) Pfaltz & Bauer, Inc., Empire State Building, Nev; York, N. Y. Phlllpp Brothers Inc., 70 Pine Street, New York, N. Y. Republic Chemicals Corporation, 94 Betkman St., Nev/ York, N. Y. Wood J. E;'rly, 50 Pine Street, New York, K. Y. REFERENCES ; Lldell, Donald M. Handbook of Nonferrous MetallureSy. Vol. II. Chapter on Arsenic by Walter C. Smith. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, N. Y. , 1926. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin 113, 1938. Tyler, Paul M. , and Petar, Alice V. Arsenic. U. S. Bureau of Mines Economic Paper No. 17, 193^. NOTES: 1. Specimens of the arsenic minerr.ls may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Frcnclsco, California. 2. Some arsenic minerals of little importance in California are arsenollte (AS2O3) , claudctlte (AS2O3). 3. A few of the other arsenic bearing minerals in which the arsenic occurs as a non-metal are niccolite (NiAs), cobaltlte (CoAsT;), proustite (A63ASS) , enarglte (Cu-:^sS4) and mimetite (i-b-r::(A.04)3. -> 16 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley JULY - 1941 Ferry Building St ate Mineralogist San Francisco GOMJilERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORl^IA (Series 1941) ASBESTOS By G-eorge L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTI ES - The term asbestos (from the Greek for incombustible) is given to several fibrous varieties of amphibole and to the fibrous serpentine, chrysotile, Tremolite, a calcium- magnesium amphibole, Ca2Mg5Si8022(0H)2 and actinolite, a calcium- magnesium- iron amphibole, Ca2(Mg,"Fe)5Si8022(0K ) have a hardness of 5-6 and a gravity' of 2.9-3.2."' The luster is vitreous; color varying from white in tremolite to light green in actinolite; the color deepens with increase in the amount of iron present. In the asbestos of fibrous varieties of these minerals the fibers are sometimes very long, fine, flexible, and easily separable by the fingers, and look like flax. The name ami anthu s is applied usually to the finer and more silky kinds, Bysso'lite is a stiff fibrous variety. Much that is popularly called asbestos is chrysotile , a fibrous serpentine, Mg^Sip05(0H)4. The hardness is 2.5--5T~t,he gravity 2.22. The luster is" silky or silky metallic; color greenish white, green, olive-green, yellowish and brownish. It is delicately fibrous, the fibers usually flexible and easily separating. O CCURRENC E - Asbestos is commonly found in three forms, according to the mode of occurrence. Cross-fiber , when the fibers are arranged normal to the vein walls; the fiber length is thereby limited to the vein width and is often less, cue to a break, or parting in the vein. S lip-fibe r, v^hen the fibers lie in the same plane as the vein or slippage plane, upon v/hich it is formed; mass-fiber , when formed as an aggregate of interlaced unoriented fibers, or as stellate groups of radiating needles. Tremolite is always a product of metamorphism and is especially common in limestones, particularly the magnesian or dolomitic varieties. It also occurs as an alteration product of pyroxene or olivine in serpentines, etc. Actinolite is common in schists, in steatitic rocks, and v/lth serpentine; it also is found as secondary mineral in certain igneous rocks, produced by the alteration of pyroxene, etc, Chrysotile occurs as narrov/ veins in serpentine which is an alteration product of basic igneous rocks rich in magnesian silicates. -1- 17 ASBESTOS (Continued) PREPARATION - \7hen the ore is broken in mining some pieces of vein material are picked up by ha,nd; lumps retaining portions of -the wall rock are freed by the blow of a hammer. Further recovery is effected on picking belts or tables before or after the primary crusher. In the 'milling of asbestos after cobbing, the rock is dried, crushed and screened leaving the asbestos in a fluffed condition which is removed by a current of air. Further screening and grading is necessary before the asbestos is bagged. USES - Amphibole asbestos possesses high refractory prooerties, but lacks strength of fiber; its use is restricted to heat insulation, chemical filters, and as a filler, while serpentine asbestos fibers are often of silky finess, and have greater strength and elasticity and may be spun into threads or v;oven into cloth. About 95 percent of the asbestos produced is serpentine asbestos ( chrysotiie) . The asbestos of long enough fiber to permit spinning is made into heat-resisting fabrics for various purposes, the most important of which is brake lining for automobiles. The lower-grade, shorter-fiber asbestos is used for insulating purposes, asbestos shingles, wick, rope packing, etc. The many uses for v/hich asbestos is so peculiarly adapted make it invaluable to industry; It withstands fire and insulates against heat and sound; it is light in weight, and can be made into pliable fabrics; it resists soil corrosion and the attack of vermin. TESTS - The amphibole asbestos is fusible at 3-^. After decomposition with sodium carbonate will give tests for calcium and magnesium (tremollte) and iron, calcium and magnesium (actinollte) . Both yield water in the closed tube. The serpentine asbestos is Infusible. Decomposed by hydrochloric acid with the separation of silica but without the formation of a jelly. Filtered solution, after having any iron precipitated by ammonium hydroxide, gives a precipitate of ammonium- magnesium phosphate with sodium phosphate. Water in a closed tube, MRKST - To bring the highest market price, asbestos m.ust possess the following properties: toughness or tensile strength, Infusibility, flexibility, length of fiber ana fineness of fiber. Asbestos - Per ton, f.o.b. Quebec mines, tax and tiags included: Crude No. 1, $700 "& $750; Crude No. 2 and sundry crudes, $150 © $350; spinning fibers, $110 @ $200; magnesia and compressed sheet fibers, $110 © $200; various grades shingle stock, $57 @ $85; various grades naper stock, $40 @ $49; cement stock, $22 ® $30; floats, $19 @ $21; shorts, $13 @ $17.50. Quotations in U. S. funds. Per ton, f.o.b. mines. Vermont: shingle stock, $57 @ $60; paper stock, $40 @ $48; cement stock, $25; shorts and floats, $13 @ $18. (Quotations June 1941) -2- 18 ASBESTOS (Continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS The Burnet Company, 100 Gold St., New York, N. Y. Foote Mineral Co., Inc., 1607 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa. International Pulp Co., 41 Park Row, New York, N. Y. Johns-Man3?llle Corp., 22 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. Jones Bros. Asbestos Company, 333 - 7th Street, San Francisco, Calif. D. H. Litter Co., 500 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. The Philip Carey Co., Lockland, Cincinnati, Ohio. Plant Rubber & Asbestos Y/orks, 537 Bryant St., San Francisco, Calif. Western Asbestos Company, 675 Townsend St., San Francisco, Calif. Vfhittaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. Vi'ishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. BIBLIO&RAPHY 0. Bowles. Asbestos. U. S, Bur. Mines Bull. 403 (1937). Oliver Bov/les and K. G. Warner. Asbestos. Minerals Yearbook 1940, pp. 1363-1372. Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. Calif. State Division of Mines, Bulletin No. II3 (1938). J. G. Ross. Chz^ysotile Asbestos in Canada. Mines Branch, Dept. of Mines, Canada, Mem. 707 (1931), 1^6 pp. J. G. Ross and George F. Jenkins. Asbestos. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, New York. (1937) pp. 75-96. NOTES 1. Specimens of asbestos nay be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. Anthophyllite , (Mg,Fe)Si03, crocidolite , NaFe(Si0-2)2.FeSiO3 Lte , an iron-rich amphibole, without the sodium molecule of 2, _ and amosit( crocidolite'and, except for its higher iron content, similar in composition to anthophyllite, occur in sufficiently fibrous form. to be generally recognized as asbestos. -oOo- -3~ 20 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley ' Ferry Building State Mineralogist SEPTEMBER •- 1941 San Francisco COmERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941)' BAKLIM . By G-eorge L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Only two minerals of barium are produced commercially - barite, a barium sulfate, BaS04; ^^^ witherite, a barium carbonate, BaCOj. Barite when pure contains 65.7 percent BaO and 34.3 percent SD3. Strontium and calcium sulfates are present in some specimens. It occurs frequently in divergent groups of tabular crystals; also coarsely laminated, granular and earthy. Streak and color white, sometimes yellowish or grayish. The fracture is uneven and the mineral is brittle. The hardness is 2.5 - 3.5 and the specific gravity is 4.3 - 4.6. Witherite when pure contains 77.7 percent BaO and 22.3 percent CO2. It occurs in tv/inned crystals. Also massive, columnar and granular. Streak and color white; sometimes yellowish or grayish. The fracture is uneven and the mineral is brittle. The hardness is 3,5 and the specific gravity is 4.3. OCCURRENCE - Barite is a common mineral of wide distribution. It occurs usually as a gangue mineral in metallic veins, associated especially v/ith ores of silver, lead, copper, cobalt, manganese and antimony. It is found in veins in limestone with calcite, or as ■-•esidual masses in clay overlying limestone. Also in sandstone ■•'ith copper ores. In places acts as a cement in sandstone, deposited occasionally as a sinter by waters from hot springs, br.rite is widely distributed in California, being noted in 29 of the 58 counties in the state. A large deposit of barite with v/itherite about 2 miles west of El Portal, Mariposa County, has yielded much of the barite mined in California. Witherite has also been found on Beegum Creek, near Platina, Shasta Coxinty. PREPARATION - Barite is sold or marketed in the form of nrude lumps. Jigged concentrates or table concentrates. Lump ore nay be prepared from residual deposits or from vein deposits. It .'.B essentially a product of hand sorting. With ore from veins the 'vaste rock or gangue is sorted out with possibly some hand cobbing, cither on platforms or picking belts. In one California mine where v/itherite occurs with the barite, the two minerals are sorted or separated by hand. In the preparation of ground barite, the crude -1- 'jiW 21 BARIUM (continued) material is first crushed to about one inch size, and then washed ■jv. jigs or similar machines to remove the clay, calcite, silica, ar^n oxide, etc. It is then ground fine. and bleached by treating V. i ,!•! sulfuric acid for 8 to 12 hours in lead-lined tanks. The tlo xhing process is a very important one as the product must have a p.vrfectly uniform color. After bleaching it is washed several times and then pulverized to pass a 200 or 300 mesh screen, and in some cases is water floated to insure a uniformly fine product, Jt- is then dried and packed. Lithopone is an intimate mixture of about 70 percent barium sulfate, 25 to 29 percent zinc sulfide and 1 to 5 percent zinc oxide, made by the coprecipitation of solutions cf barium sulfide and zinc sulfate. The precipitate is filtered, dried with great heat, then placed in water and ground to a pulp, after which it is filtered, dried and packed. USES - The largest use of barium is in the chemical lithopone, which is used in the paint industry and to a lesser extent in floor coverings and textiles. Precipitated barium sulfate, "blanc fixe," is used as a filler in paper and cloth, in cosmetics and as a paint pigment. Crushed barite is used extensively in making a sludge of high specific gravity to support tools during drilling operations of d-^ep oil wells. Barite is the raw material for the manufacture of mo;5t barium chemicals, althougji witherite is used when available. Fi'ecipitated barium carbonate is used in the ceramic industry and for making barium peroxide. Other important barium chemicals are the nitrate, chloride, hydrate, dioxide, peroxide, chromate and chlorate. Small amounts of metallic barium are used In some special alloys. TESTS - A yellowish green coloration of the flame is given by all barium salts, except the silicates; an alkaline reaction is usually obtained after igneous ignition. In solution the presence of barium is proved by the heavy white precipitate (BaS04) formed upon the addition of dilute sulfuric acid, MARKETS Barium Carbonate (Witherite) - Per ton, 90 percent 300 mesh, $43. Barite - F.o.b, mines: G-eorgia: Barite ore, crude, $8 per long ton. Missouri: Per ton, water ground and floated, bleached, $22.85, carlots, f.o.b. works. Crude ore, minimum 95 percent BaS04, l6ss than 1 percent iron, $6.25 @ I?. 00; 93 percent BaSO^j., $6© $6.35, f..o.b. mines. (Quotations, September, 1941). ^2- BARIUM (continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, Ltd, , Modesto, ■National Calif. Lead Co. , 830 Ducomrnun St., Los N. Y. Barium Products, ^^^. , Baroid Sales Division- Angeles, Calif. Chemical & Pigments Co., 776 - 50th Ave., Oakland, Calif. Consolidated Minerals Co., P. 0. Box 92, Long Island City, N. Y. De Lore Division, National Lead Co., Mississippi River & River Des Peres, St. Louis, Mo. W. P. Fuller & Co., 301 Mission St., San Francisco, Calif. Industrial Minerals fi; Chemical Co., Sixth and Gilman St., Berkeley, Calif. Joseph A. McNulty, 114 Liberty St., New York, N. Y. Mercantile Import & Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. National Lead Company, 111 Broadway, New York, N. Y. National Pigments & Chemical Div. (National Lead Co.), 830 Ducomrnun St., Los Angeles, Calif. National Pigments Co., Rubs Bldg. , San Francisco, Calif, C. L. p. J. Osborn Co., 132 Nassau St., New York, N. Y. A. Salomon & 3ro., 216 Pearl St., New York, N. Y. E. Schundler & Co., Inc., 620 Railroad St., Joliet, 111. Smith Chemical & Color Co., 55 John St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Synthetic Iron Color Co., Richmond, Calif. Thompson, V/einman & Company, Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. Western Talc Co., 1901 E. Slausan Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Whittaker, C. K. V/illiams & Co., 640 Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc. Clark & Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadv/ay, New York, N. Y. North 13th St., Easton, Pa. 295 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bertrand L. Johnson and K, G. vYa,rner, Barite and Barium Products. Minerals Yearbook 1940, pp. 1373-1385. Minerals of California. Calif. State Div. of Mines, No. 113 (1938). Barium Minerals. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, New York. 1937, PP. 97-110. Adolf Pabst. Bulletin W. M. Weigel. NOTE iSpecjlmens of barium ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San FranciscOj California. -oOo- -> 24 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES VValter W. Bradley OCTOBER - 1942 . Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORInIIA (Series 1942) BENTONITE By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Bentonite is composed principally of montmorillonite (MS,Ca)0,Al203.5SiOp.nIl20, which is a massive clay-like, microcrystal- ].ine mineral of white, gray, greenish, or reddish color. It is ex- csf-^dingly fine grained, very plastic, and highly absorbent. When rr.oistened, it absorbs about three times its weight of water and expands ten or more times its original volume. Exposed surfaces are dull and powdery but a freshly cut surface usually has a waxy luster. It is easily fusible and is very soft. Specific gravity 2.5. O CCURRENCE - Most bentonite is formed by the alteration of volcanic ash, but some deposits are due to the devitrification of lavas and related rocks. Bentonite outcrops are usually barren of vegetation and often present a crinkled coral-like appearance due to expansion after reooming wet. Immediately after a rain bentonite outcrops are frequently c-.'vered with a thick mass of slippery jelly, but in dry weather the eur-face may be dry and fluffy or may have a granular appearance. In California, bentonite is found in Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties, ^nd has been produced from all except Los Angeles County, The deposits of montmorillonite on the mesas of both sides of the Otay River Valley, San Diego County, form a layer from two to six feet thick a few feet below the surface of the mesa, and underlie several hundred acres. The extensive beds of bentonite along the Amargosa River in the vicinity of Tecopa, Shoshone, and Ash Meadows in Inyo County, are from one to ten feet thick. Bentonite in San Bernardino County occurs betv/een Bars tow and Daggett in masses of from ten to tv/o hundrco. tons each, PREPARATION - With the exception of the activable bentonite-s, the only treatment, necessary is washing to remove impurities such as sand, gypsum, carbonaceous matter, etc. Much of the wash water is absorbed by the bentonite which necessitates a long and expensive drying period. Activated bentonite (a substitute for fullers earth and other bleaching clays) is prepared by treating the clay with hydrochloric or sulfuric acid (usually sulfuric acid as it is cheaper). When the material loses its bleaching power it may be reactivated and used again. -1- .ill "ip ■■ BEN!1:0NITE (continued) :'.'■ '■ ,' ^^ USES - The oil refining industry consumes the greater' tonnage of bentonlte which after activation is used as a 'bleaching agent, The raw or untreated material is . used for filtering in oil refineries.' It is also in demand for use in rotary well-drilling mud. Bentonlte is important during the present national emergency ' because of its use in foundry molding sands. It has bonding properties far greater than other clays, so that less clay is required in the sant^., thus allowing more free space between the grains for the rapid escape of' steam and gases created during pouring of the metal. Other less important uses are in cement, for sealing earth dams, " ; for filtering water, for cosmetics, and in horticultural sprays. Experiments conducted in 1938 (See Minerals Yearbook 1939. Review ? of 1938, pp 1213) shov/ed that bentonlte may be used as a substitute for mica in a number of oases. The material is known as "alsifilm". There are many other minor uses for bentonlte and nev; ones are being discovered continually. TESTS - Bentonlte may be recognized by its swelling action in water. It gives standard, tests for aluminum, magnesium, and silica, MARKETS - Bentonlte - per ton, carload lots, f.o.b. Wyoming mines, dried and crushed, in bulk, |7.50. Pulverized, 200 mesh. 09.50, in 100-lb. paper bags. (Quotations as of September 3, 1942). POSSIBLE BUYERS Jerome Alexander, 50 East 4lst St., New York, N. Y. American Colloid Co., 365 West Superior St., Chicago, 111. American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp., 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, Nev/ YorkyNY. Baroid Sales Division - National Lead Co., 830 Ducommun St., Los Angeles, California Bartlett Chemicals, Inc., 923 Tchouoitoulas St., New Orleans, La. Charles B. Chrystal Co., Inc., 18 Hudson St., New York, N. Y. Coon Companies, Inc., 711 Gibbons St., Los Angeles, Calif, Consolidated Minerals Co., P.O. Box 92, Long Island City, N. Y. A. Daigger & Co., 159 West Kinzie St., Chicago, 111. Flltrol Corporation, 315 West Fifth St., Los Angeles, California. Charles 1/7. G-arland Co., 412 VJest Sixth St., Los Angeles, California. Hammill & Gillespie, Inc., 225 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Innis, Spelden & Co., 117 Liberty St., New York, N. Y. Kennedy Minerals Co., Inc., 2550 East Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calll Los Angeles Chemical Co., I960 Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, California. Mllv/hite Company, Inc., P. 0. Box 1283, Houston, Texas. Owyhee Chemical Products Co., 435 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, 111. Pacific Coast Talc Co., 2149 Bay St., Los Angeles, California. The Pontlan Bentonlte Co., Inc., 27 Pearl St., New York, N. Y. Prior Chemical Gbrporation, 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. L. A. Salomon & Bro., 216 Pearl St., New York, N. Y. F. E. Schundler & Co., Inc., 620 Railroad St., Joliet, 111. Southern California Minerals Co., 320 South Mission Road, Los Angeles, California, Albert E. Starkle, 528 No. Cuyler Ave., Oak Park, 111. Tamma Silica Co., 228 No. La Salle St., Chicago, 111. United Clay Mines Corn,, Prorpect and Oakland Sts., Trenton, N. J. Charles A. Wagner Co., Inc., 815 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, Pa. Western Talc Co., 19OI East Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, California -2- • \.' , ■■{->■ 7l.//r BENTONITE (continued) 26 Whittaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc., 260 V/est Broadway, Nev; York, N, Y. Wishnick-Tunpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. The Wyodak Ciiemical Co., 4600 East 71st St. (Sta. D) , Cleveland, Ohio. BIBLIO&RAPHY Bechtner, PaulTi Bentonite. Industrial Minerals and R)cks. Seeley V7. Mudd Series. A. I. M. E. 1937. Davis, C. W. and Vacher, H. C. Bentonite: Its Properties, Mining, Preparation, and Utilization, U. S. Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 438. 1928. Ladoo, Raymond B. Non-Metalic Minerals, Occurrence - Preparation - Utilization. McG-raw-Hill Book Company, Inc. Nev; York and London. 1925. Minerals Yearbook, 1939. Review of 1938. U. S. EUreau of Mines, 1939. Minerals Yearbook, Review of 1940, U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1941. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California, Bulletin 113. California State Division of Mines, 1938, Spence, Hugh S. Bentonite. Canada Department of Mines, Mines Branch. Report No, 626, 1924, Tucker, W. Burling. Report of the State Mineralogist, vol, 21 : 3.1925 page 360; vol, 22 : 3. 1926, page 513. NOTE: Specimens of bentonite may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Freincisco, California, -3- state of California ^ ^^ Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MIx\'ES Walter W. Bradley AUG-UST - 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San F rancisco COMIffiRCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORinA (Series 1942) BERYL By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Beryl, 3BeO.Al203.6Si02 occurs in hexagonal crystals usual?_y long prismatic, often striated vertically, rarely transversely; distinct terminations exceptional. Oocasionfilly in large masses, coorse granular or granular to compact. Cleavage: imperfect and indistinct. Fracture conchoidal to uneven. Brittle. Hardness 7.5 - 8.0. Specific gravity 2.63 - 2.80; usually 2.69 - 2,70. Luster vitreous, sometimes resinous. Colors emerald-green, pale green, passing to light blue, yellow and white; also pale rose- • red. Streak white. Transparent to subtranslucent. Variety, 1. Emerald, Color bright emerald-green, due to the presence of a little chromium, 2, Ordinary; Beryl. Generally in hexagonal prisma, often coarse and large; green the common color. The principal kinds are: (a) colorless; (b) bluish-green, called aquamarine; (c) apple-green; (d) greenish-yellow to iron-yellow and honey-yellow; sometimes & clear bright yellow as in the golden beryl (a yellow gem variety from South V/est Africa hfxs been called heliodor, containing a small amount of ferric oxide); (e) pale yellowish-green; (f) clear sapphire blue; (g) pale sky-blue; (h) pale violet or reddish; (i) rose colored called morganite or vorobyevlte; (j) opaque brovmish-yellow, of waxy or greasy luster. The oriental emerald of jev/elry is emerald- colored ss.pphire. OCCU PRENCE - Beryl is obtained from pegmatite veins in granitic rocks froi: v-'^Trious parts of the world, and is usually recovered as a by-product of such minerals as feldspar and mica, V7hen pegmatites weather, manj- of their constituent minerals remain unat tacked, and th? h-.:5avier — ■ like m.onazite and tin and tungsten min^-'^als — may be coni'.rni";rated in the residual mantle or transported tc •'.y^m placer deposits. Beryl, however, is as alterable as the feld^oars. Although the beryllium content may reappear as a constituent of other secondary minerals, such as bertrandite, herderite, or beryllonits, none of these minerals is heavy enough to be separated by the sorting action of streams or other natural concentrating agencies, and consequently the ber5''llium is too diluted to be recovered on a comm.ercial basis. California Localities. Fresno County; Beryl was reported to be associated with feldspar, 5 miles northeast of Trimmer. Inyo County : Blue crystals of beryl are reported to occur in quartz, in narrow pegmatite veins cutting granite, 6 miles south-southeast of Lone Pine. Riverside County: Fine yellow and green beryl was found at Coahuila and rose -.1- 29 BERY L (continued) beryl occurred near Hemet. Green and blue beryl crystals atout half an inch long have been found in a pegmatite dike about 200 yards west of the Jensen limestone quarry, near Crestmore, Sf-H Diego County: Yellow, green, and blue crystals of beryl occur in the Palomar Mountains, 9 miles southeast of Pala, Rose, yellow, and green beryl crystals occur at Pala, Rincon and Mesa Grande, Pink beryl occurs at the Katrina mine, Pala and at Oak Grove, Fine large crystals of beryl have come from Aguanga Mountain. Golden and aquamarine beryl occurred at the Esmeralda mine. Fine crystals of beryl v/ere found at the Surprise, ABC, Hercules, and Lookout mines, Ramona. Tuolumne County: Beryl has been reported from necvr Jamestown, PREPARATION - The pure metal is prepared from beryllium oxide by an electrolytic process described in the circular on Beryllium and Beryl by Alice V, Petar which is listed in the bibliography. USES - The principal use of beryllium is in the master alloy beryllium copper. The main advantages are the combination of extraordinary high-fatigue properties with good electrical conductivity. In contrast with certain competitive materials, it has the further advantage that It can be v/orked soft and hardened later instead of its hardness being rolled into it at the mill. Castings, low-spark tools and fabricated products also are produced. In addition to alloys the pure metal, and various beryllium compounds, such as the oxide, sulfate, nitrate and fluoride are produced. Notable commercial progress has been made with its high-fired flux-free oxide for use in ceramic materials, where good electrical resistance and thermal conductivity may be required, TESTS - There are no satisfactory blov/plpe reactions for beryllium, and tests must be made, therefore in the v/et way, which requires some skill in manipulation. a. If the mineral ia a silicate, it may be decomposed readily by fusion with sodium carbonate and then dissolved. For a test, mix a scant ivory spoonful of the finely powdered silicate with 3 parts of sodium carbonate, make into a paste with a drop of water and then take up. a portion of the material on a loop on platinum wire and fuse before the blowpipe. Make two or three beads, if necessary, rather than attempt to fuse all of the material at once. In almost all cases there results after fusion an opaque mass, the presence of various oxides contained in the mineral, mixed with the sodium silicate and excess of sodium carbonate, preventing the formation of a clear glass. The several beads, after removal from the platinum wire, are pulverized in a mortar, transferred to a test-tube, treated with about 1 cc, of water and an equal voliime of nitric acid, and evaporated to dryness, being careful tov.'ard the end of the operation not to allow the tube to become very hot. After cooling, moisten the contents of the tube with about 3 cc, of hydrochloric acid, boil for a few seconds, so as to decompose any basic salts formed during the evaporation, then- add 5 cc, of water, heat to boiling, and remove the insoluble silica by filtering. Then heat the filtrate from the silica to boiling, and precipitate the beryllium v/ith ammonia, which will also cause precipitation of iron, aluminum, and possibly other -2- 30- •• ■ BERYL (continued) elements, If present. Ammonia precipitates beryllium hydroxide, which resembles alu .inum hydroxide in appearance. This is filtered and washed well v/ith water, transferred together with the paper to some vessel, and v;armed v/ith dilute hydrochloric acid in order to dissolve it. The paper is filtered off, and the filtrate evaporated carefully (best in a casserole) until only a drop or two of the acid is left. After cooling, a few drops of v/ater are added to obtain everything in solution, and than a little potassium hydroxide solution, a drop at a time, and Just sufficient to dissolve i-he precipitate of beryllium hydroxide v;hich forms at first. The solution is then diluted v;ith cold water to a volume of at least 50 cc. any precipitate of ferric hydroxide or other material filtered off, and the filtrate boiled for a short time, when, if beryllium is present, a precipitate of beryllium hydroxide v/ill appear. (b) If the mineral is a phosphate, special treatment is needed. The powdered mineral is dissolved in hydrochloric acid (after fusion with sodiiun carbonate, if necessary); when cold, aiimionia is added until a permanent precipitate forms, and then hydrochloric acid, a drop at a time, until the solution becomes clear. To the nov/ nearly neutral, cold, and not too concentrated solution, sodium acetate is added, and the precipitated beryllium phosphate, v/hich may also contain ferric and aluminum phosphates, is filtered and v/ashed, Tlae precipitate is next ignited in a crucible until the carbon of the paper is destro^'^ed, and is then fused in platinum with sodium carbonate, by \?hich treatment sodium phosphate and beryllium oxide are formed. The fusion is then treated with hot water to dissolve the sodium phosphate, the beryllium oxide is collected on a filter- paper and washed, and it is afterv/ards dissolved in hydrochloric acid and tested with potassium hydroxide, as described under a. If it is knov/n that the alkali-earth metals are absent, the mineral may be fused directly v/lth sodium carbonate, and treated like the above sodium carbonate fusion, (c) By quinalizariii. Fuse a minute amount of the material in a loop with a pellet of sodium hydroxide. Y/hen cold dissolve, the" •-• crushed melt in 3 or 4 drops of cold v;ater and filter off 2 drops with the filter tube onto a v/hite spot plate. Place a drop of water in an adjacent impression of the plate, and add 2 drops of quinalizarln solution to both. A blue color Imparted to the sample, readily dis- tinguished from the blue-violet color of the bla.nk, denotes the pres- ence of beryllium, FiARKETg - Beryllium ore - Per ton, carload lots, minimum 10 percent BeO, ^30; minimum 12 percent, $35, f.o.b, mines. Beryllium- copper - Master alloy, 4 percent beryllium, remainder copper, in lots 1 lb, or more of beryllium, |15 per lb of contained beryllium, (Quotations June 30, 1942). POSSIBLE BUYERS Belmont Smelting & Refining V/orks, Inc,, 316 Belmont Ave,, Brooklyn, N. Y. Beryllium Corporation of Pennsylvania, Temple (near Reading), Pa, Brush Beryllium Co,, 3714 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, Foote Mineral Co,, Inc., 1607 Summer St,, Philadelphia, Pa, A, B. Mackay, 198 Broadway, New York, N. Y. -3- ■ »H-i. 31 BERYL (continued) BIBLIOGRAPHY George L. Gary. Notes on Beryl with a Quanlltative Analysis for Beryllium. Calif. State Mineralogists Report XXXVI (1940), pp. ^■6-95* Adolf Pabf.t. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines, Bulletin No. 113 (1938). Alice V. Petar, Beryllium and Beryl. U.S. Bur. of Mines Inf. Clrc. 6190 (1929) . Paul M. Tyler. Beryllium. Minerals Yearbook (194o), pp. 761-763. .^ NOTES: . ' ■ " I 1. Specimens of beryllium ore may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, Calif. 2. Other beryllium minerals are:- Ghrysoberyl, phenakite, leucophane, meliphanite, helvite, euclase, gadollnite, beryllonite, herderite, bertrandite, danalite, eudidymite, hambergite, trimerlte,' bj.-niclllte, milarito, barylite, and kolbecklte. None of these ml.::erals have been found in Cb.llfornla with the exception of chrysoberyl, the occurrence of which is doubtful. 32 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter y. Bradley tamttapy iqAp Ferry Building State Miheralogist JANUAfti - ly^d Sa_n Francisco ■ ■■II ■■^ !■ ■ ■ I ■ Bll^ I.M ■■ < I I Ml— ^W^i^— ^-^i^^M^W^M^WW^W^iiW^^— ■— i^— ^M^M^ ■■ ■■■ ■! ■ B^ ■■■ I ■ ■! *il » ■ ■ — ■*—■ » I ■ ■ r». .^ ■ ■ ■ IM ■■ ■■ i ■—■ ■IM M M^I — COMIAERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNEA (Series 1942) BISMUTH By G-eorge L, G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Native liisrauth (Bi) is usually reticulated, ar- borescent, foliated, or granular. It is brittle but when heated is somewhat malleable. Sectile. Luster metallic. Streak and color silver white with a reddish hue. Tarnish is dark brown. Hardness 2,5. Specific gravity 9.8, BISMUTHINITE (Bismuth tri-sulfide BI2S3, 81,2 per cent bismuth). It is usually massive with foliated or fibrous structure but also acicular, striated crystals. Luster metallic. Color and streak lead-gray. Hardnesa 2, Specific gravity 6,8. B i smite or bismuth ocher is a hydrous bismuth oxide (Bi203.3H20) which commonly occurs as an earthy coating. The color is straw yellow, Bismutite is of uncertain composition but is probably basic bismuth carbonate (Bi203.C02H20) . It occurs as incrusting fibrous masses or earthy and pulverulent. The color is white, green yellow and gray. Hardness 4, Specific gravity 7. OCCURPENCE - Native bismuth and bismuthinlte are primary minerals but bismite is of secondary origin and results from the ox- idation of other bismuth minerals. In California bismuth minerals have been noted in Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mono, Nevada, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Tuolumjie counties, ■PRETARATION - Bismuth ores, after a preliminary concentra- tion, may be further treated either by wet or dry methods. By wet ma '•.hods, bismuth is recovered from chloride solutions. However, sinciting is a less v/asteful process and is more widely used, USES - Most of the bismuth produced is consumed in the pre- parat;'.. -.n of medicinal salts. It is also a constituent of low melting- pi'.i.no a'.ioys which are used, for plugs in automatic sprlnlvler systems a.i i ■'-err electric, fuses, etc. The low melting-point and non-shrinking b:'.,5:r.'.-,1.:. alloys are used in such national defense industries as the miiiufacuure of machine tools and dies, aircraft and automobiles. -1- i. ,3^j:.-;\.:\v: 33 B ISMUTH (continued) TESTS - Bismuth may be distinguished from lead by fusion on charcoal with a mixture of potcisslum iodide and sulfur'. A sublimate is formed which is yellow next to the mineral and brilliant red farther away. Lead gives a solid yellow coating under similar con- ditions. When heated on charcoal in the reducing flame with sodium carbonate, bismuth minerals yield 'a metallic globule and an oxide coating. The metal is easily fusible. It is lead gray when hot but becomes coated with bismuth oxide on cooling. It is only imperfectly malleable, for when hammered out it flattens at first but later breaks into small grains. MARKETS - Per lb. in ton lots $1.25. (Quotations Jan. 1, 1942.) POSSIBLE BUYERS Baker, J. T. , Chemical Co., Phillipsburg, N. J. Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp., 44 Wall Street, New York, N. Y. Mann, F. J., Inc., 10-34 45 Rd. , Long Island, City, N. Y. Msrck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N. J. Me callurgical Products Co., 35th & Moore Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. BIBLIO&RAPHY Franke, Herbert A., Minerals Yearbook Review of 1940, U. S.Bureau of Mines 1941. Pabst, Adolf, Minerals of California, Bulletin 113, California State Division of Mines 1938. Symons, Henry H., California Mineral Production for 1939, Bulletin 119, California State Division of Mines, 1940. Tyler, Paul M., Bismuth, Information Circular 6466, July 1931. U. S. Bureau of Mines. NOTES Bismuth minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. -2- 34 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES tklter V/. Bradley " j,„ y -, q ^ -,' t'erry Building State Mineralogist ^u^x -* xy^-x San Fra nc i s c o COmERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) BOHASfES By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Borax , Na2B40Y*10H20, ulexite , NaCaB509.8H20, colemanite, CapB50]_2.*5H20, kernlte, Na2B2, Oy . 4H2O and prooertite . NaCa3505.5H20 have successively been used as the chief source of borax and boric acid* Their physical properties are described as follows: Name Color Luster Hardness Gravity Borax Colorless Vitreous 2 - 2-| 1.69 - 1.72 Ulexite White Silky 1 1,65 Colemanite Colorless Vitreous 4 - 4s- 2.42 Kernite Colorless Vitreous 3 1.95 Probertite Colorless Vitreous 2|- - 3i 2.14 OCCURRENCE - The borate minerals are formed by the evaporation of bodies of salt water and as an efflorescence on the surface of the ground in arid regions. Borax was first discovered in California in the waters of Tuscan Springs in the northern part of Tehama County, about eight miles east of Red Bluff, in January 1856. Borax Lake in Lake County was discovered in September of the same year. This deposit was worked in 1864-68, inclusive, and during that time produced 1,181,365 pounds of refined borax. The bulk of it v/as exported by sea to NeW York. This was the first commercial output of this salt in the United States, and California is still to-day the leading American producer of borax, having been for many years the sole producer. Production from the dry lake deposits of Inyo and San Bernardino counties began in 1873; but it was not until 1887 that the borax industry v/as revolutionized by the discovery of the colemanite beds at Calico, in San Bernardino County and later similar beds in Inyo and Los Angeles counties. The colemanite deposits of Ventura County were not worked extensively, owing to laftk of transportation facilities, Colemanite v;as in turn, displaced by the discovery in 1926 of kernite, about 7 miles northwest of Kramer, in Kern County.- This is the only locality at which kernite is found and here associated with borax, ulexite, colemanite and proberite in a bedded series of Tertiary clays it Is present by the million tons. -1.- ii':r'r:: BORATES (Continued) This deposit of sodium borates is in an area 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, and lies from 3OO to 900 feet beneath the surface. The kernite is believed to have 'formed from borax by recrystallization caused" by increased temperature and pressure. The 20-mule teams, with their load of borates from Death Valley to Mojave, formerly passed almost over these immensely more valuable burled deposits. The brines of Searles Lake are likewise an important source. Borates have also been found in El Dorado, Marin and Riverside counties,' but not in commercial amounts. PREPARATION - The process used for the refining of borates is essentially one of solution and evaporation followed by fractional crystallization. USES - Borax has many uses which depend on its easy solubility in water yielding an antiseptic solution, its low melting point, and its superior fliAxing properties. Some of the common uses of borax and boric acid are in medicine, food preservatives, disinfectants, deodorants, soaps and soap powders. Borax is of considerable Industrial Importance as a solvent of casein and is thus used in the manufacture of coated paper, plyv/ood, plaster, paint and calcimine. It is an essential constituent of porcelain enamels used in coating iron and in the manufacture of tile and sanitary ware. It is used in the manufacture of heat-resisting glass and as a flux in welding and soldering operations. TESTS - The borates are easily distinguished by their physical properties and taste. When heated they fuse easily and Impart a yellow color to the flame. They are readily soluble In water and dilute hydrochloric acid. Turmeric paper, v/hen moistened with the solution and dried, assumes a reddish-brmvn color. Most borate powder on platinum wire, moistened with sulfuric acid, will give h momenta,ry green flame of boron. LIAPJCETS Borax - Per ton, granular, contract, in bags $48; In barrels, $51. (Quotations June, 1941) POSSIBLE BUYERS American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N. Y. American Potash & Chemical Corp., 70 Pine St., New York, M. Y. Borax Union (Div. Stauffer Chemical Co.), 624 California St., San Francisco, Calif. John A. Chew, Incorporated, 60 East 42nd St., Nev/ York, N. Y. E. I, du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (The R. & H. Chemicals Department), Wilmington, Del. General Chemical Co., 40 Rector St., New York, N. Y. William S. Gray & Co., 342 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. -2- M*!^." fini i^ -n/. \ iw ^ij'ioi; 36 BORATES (Continued) E. & F. King & Co., Inc., 405 Atlantic Ave., Boston, Mass. Pacific Coast Borax Co., 51 Madison Ave,, New York, N. Y. Prior Chemical Corporation, 420 Lexington Ave., New York, K. Y. Stauffer Chemical Co., Inc., 420 Lexington Ave., New Yori, N. Y. Joseph Turner & Co., Ridgefield, N. J. The Vitro Manufacturing Co., Corliss. Station, Pittsburgh, Pa. V/elch, Holme & Clark, Inc., 563 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y. Wilson & G-eo. Meyer & Co., 601 Federal Reserve Bank Bl'dg, , San Francisco, Calif. BIBLI0C-RA. PHY G. E. Bailey, ^he Saline Deposits of Callfopr-nia. Calif. State Div. of Mines, Bull. No. 24 (19G2). Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. Calif. State Div. of Mines, Bull. No. 113 (1938). Waldemar T. Schaller. Borax and Borates. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. New York. (1937) pp. 149-162. Paul M. Tyler and A, T. Coons. Borates. Minerals Yearbook, 1940, pp. 1448-1449. NOTES 1. Specimens of borate minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Fdrry Building, San- Francisco, California. 2. Ludwigite, vonsenite, camsellite, howlite, bakerite, veatchite, meyerhoff erite, inyoite, priceite, tincalconite, hydroboracite and teepleite are borate minerals found in California but not as yet in commercial amounts. -oOo- -3- \ 37 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley JA1>IUARY - 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COMI'ffiRCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORi>IIA (Series 1942) CADMIUIyl By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Greenockite is the only cadmium mineral so far discovered in California. It is cadmium sulfide (CdS, 77.8 per cent cadmium) v;hich is found as pulverulent or pov;dery incrustations and sometimes as small hexagonal crystals, usually as a coating on sphalerite. The luster is resinous or eartiiy and the color is yellow or orange. Streak is between orange-yellov; and a brick-red. Hardness 3-1. Specific gravity 4,9. OCCURRENCE - Greenockite has been found in Inyo, Mono, River- side, and Shasta counties. The only recorded production of cadmium in California was in 1917-1918 from the electrolytic zinc plant of the Mammoth Copper Company in Shasta County. Greenockite in the Cerro Gordo mines, Inyo County, occurs with smithsonite (zinc carbonate). PREPARATION - The sources of cadmium that have been utilized are zinc ores containing small amounts of cadmium treated by fractional distillation, lead furnace bag-house "fumes", and residues from the purification vats of electrolytic zinc plants. The recovery of caojnlum by the fractional distillation of zinc ores depends on the fact that cadmium volatilizes more readily than zinc. The first vapor to distill off is collected as a powder and contains more cadmium than that going over later. The powder is refined to recover the cadmium. Practically all lead ores carry some zinc which in turn contains a small percentage of cadmium. This small amount of cadmium collects as dust in the bag- ho use v;here it is allowed to accumulate until a sufficient amount is present to v/arrant recovery, USES - Cadmium metal is used in making alloys with lov; melting points, A cadmium- copper alloy wire is about 50 per cent stronger than pure copper wire and the conductivity is decreased only 10 per cent. Cadmium may be substituted for tin in solder. Cadmium, v/hen electroplated on metal articles, may be alloyed with the metal by heating to a moderate temperature. Cadmium sulfide la used as a pigment in paints and glass ware, -1- • ai.w-*&-' . . ^ ...L, ... ■ ;t.o VfH '. .-, J noxifsot iX'Tjifq J 4 a,d >tj 'tg :i't sinl' . ;bni5 i 38 CADMIUM (continued) TESTS - On charcoal with soda, compounds of cadmium give a characteristic sublimate of the reddish bjrown oxide; on plaster the coating is yellowish green v/ith brov/n. . : . - " MARKETS - Per lb, commercial sticks, wholesale quantities, 90c. "(Quotation November 20, 1941). . . -' • POSSIBLE BUYERS American pmeltln^; & Refining Co., 120 Broadv/ay, New York, N.:^^ American Zinc Sales Co., P.O. Box 527. Colusabus, Ohio, Associated Uetals & MJ.«,eralB Corp., 40 Rector St., New York, K.Y, Ayrten Jietal Company,' Jno., 3.1 Broadway, New .^orfc, N. Y. .,, Belmont Smelting ^ Refining Works, Inc,» 316 Belmont Ave,, Brooklyn, N. Y. " ■ , tJonald Sales & Mi's. Co., 2546 W. Greves St., Milwaukee, Wis. ^ ^#Qt' ^e Nemouj'S, S.J. & 0^,, |owi>fri V**"*^'* ^^*^*-*^'i*K*"^*^ i**!*'*^'"^ = ' >'■«*♦•«'••* V*-»-*-« 40 CHROMITE (continued) USES - According to the Minerals Yearbook, 1938, a'oout 50 per cent of the apolication of chroraite is in the manufacture of ferro chromium, the alloy used in making chromium steel. The chromium content in average chrome steel is approximately 2 per cent. This class of steel absorbs the largest tonnage of chromium used in the steel industry. Chromium alloys are extremely hard and tough but can be bent while cold or welded to iron to form either a hard surface or a core virtually Impenetrable to the finest drilling tools. Steel containing either chromium alone or chromium alloyed with such metals as nickel, vanadium, tungsten, and manganese are used for araor plate, armor-piercing projectile, and machinery subjected to abrasive action. Steels containing 5 to 6 per cent chromium have been advertised as nonrusting. Steel known commer- cially as "rustless" contain 13 to 18 per cent chromium. These are said to be noncorrosive in the presence of water, air, and certain acids.' This alloy is used extensively in the manufacture of exhaust valves, turbine blades, pump rods, rollers for bearings, electric heating stoves, and cooking utensils. Alloys of chromium, cobalt, tungsten, or molybdenum are known as "stellite" and are employed largely for high-speed tool steel. These metals impart to steel the ability to retain their hardness and cutting edge at hi^h temperatures when run at speeds at which ordinary carbon tool steel would soften owing to heat caused by friction. Chromium is used extensively in the plating Industry. The surface is hard and white, is resistant to the action of ammonia- fumes, hydrogen sulphide, and nitric acid, and is not attacked by molten zinc, tin, or brass. About 40 percent of the consumption of chroiite is in the manufacture of refractories used as a lining for furnaces. The utilization of chromlte in the forma" bricks and special shapes is not a necessity but has come into general use because the bricks do not soften readily in the heat .of the furnaces and contaminate the melts. As the qualities of the metal chromium become better known in Industry, consumption of the mineral chromlte for refractory purposes may be curtailed. The chromlte used for refractory purposes is dissipated and rendered unrecoverable after a limited period. On the other hand, chromlte steels may be reclaimed and used until actual dissipation by abrasion Is completed, Chromlte is of great importance to the chemical industry. From it is obtained the chromium used for making chromates and bichromates. Chrome pigments — yellow, green, and red — are widely used. In the dye industry, the soluble chromates and buchromates are used as mordants. Chromates are also used in tanning chrome leather and in bleaching fats and oils. In the ceramic industry chromic acid and buchromates are used to color pottery. In the manufacture of chrome alloy steel, ferrochromium is in- variably employed. The use of chrome for the manufacture of projec- tiles, armor plate, rifle linings, high-speed tool steel, automobile axles and springs, locomotive frames and springs, and in general where steel parts must stand hard usage, Indicatee its Importance from a military standpoint, -2- \4 %■•■ 41 CHRP MITE (continued) TESTS - Chromlte before the blow-pipe in the oxidizing flame is infusible; in the reducing flame it is slightly rounded on the edges and becomes magnetic. W^th borax and salt of phosphorous a little of the powder of the mineral containing chromium gives beads which on cooling, are of bottle-green color. It is not acted upon by acids, bui, decomposed by fusion with potassium or sodium bisulphate, $40 HAV.KETS - Chrome ore, per ton at domestic mines, 45^, Crgb,, .50":"n carload lots (Quotations February 1942) (4). POSSIBLE BUYERS Ansba'u!Tei:--SJ.efil e 'Jorporation, Rosebank, S. I, N. Y. Bct.hj -.hcfxi Steel Co., 20th & Illinois Sts., San Francisco, California. Br^;'C J.ey &■. Ekstrom, 320 Market Street, San Francisco, California C'^..unib:ia Steel Co.,' Russ Building, San Francisco, California Gr.L.r'les Cooper & Co.,' 6 Mulberry Street, New York, N, Y. Stf,,r.ley Tcggett, Inc., 75 Varlck Street, Nev/ York, N, Y. B, F. Drakenfeld & Co, Inc., 45 Park Place, New York, N. Y. -pt-randle & Srerrle, Inc., 205 Fulton St., New York, N. Y. Forte Mineral 0),, 1607 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa, Gei'.eral Chemical Od,, 440 Sansome Street, San Franciscp, Cklifornia. In'.,ernational Selling Corp., 67 Broad Street, New York, N, .Y. Jio'^.als Reserve Co,, Washington, D. C. Ohio Ferro Alloys Corp,, Tacoma, Washington. 0:.'€ Metals & Engineering Corp., 112 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. Ht;r.ry Rising & Co,, 626 St, Paul Avenue, Los Angeles, California _Rv..::Lless- Mining Corp,, 92^22nd St. Sacramento, California. Sr-.>t-h Chemical & Color Co., 55 John St,, Brooklyn, N. Y. J. lee Brnlth & Cb,, Inc., 23 Jacob Street, New York, N, Y. U. S. Vanadium -Corp., 114 Sansome Street, San Francisco, California ""^'cincs & Earnes, Ltd., 1131 Park Avenue, Alameda, California V...trefrax Corp., P.O.Box 308, Vernon Branch, Los Angeles, California -Giiaiaes A. Wagner Co., Inc, 815 Callowhlll St., Philadelphia, Pa. A, K. Wild, U. S. Chrome Mines, Inc., Russ Building, San Francisco, Cal W.ibhnick-Tunpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Ave. , New York, N. Y, b:eiio&p aphy JiJhji /f^^ cT ii'.'len: Geologic Investigation of the Qiromite Deposits oj OalL-ornia, California Journal Mines and G-eol,, State Mli-eraXogist Report, Vol. 37, No. 1 (1941). Walte.' W, 3"'adley, Emlle Huguenin, C.A.Logan, W.B.Tucker and O.i'.o^av: ng: Majnganese and Chromium in California. Oa?lfoi'ria State Division of Mines Bulletin 76 (1918). -LBrnid Erv/iftr; A Study of the Qiromite Resources of California. Jalifj^nia State Division of Mines (unpublished thesis), . J.S, DM-l^;-r, L. G. Westgate and J, T, Pardee: Deposits of Ohrc'Tiite in California, Oregon, Washington and Montana. U..^. Geological Survey Bulletin 725a (1922). L. W. '£-^ B'nejc: Ghromlte— Its Mineral and ^Chemical Composition. 'Vae.r:'.oan Mineralogist (October 1929) 14, 10, R. B, Lacioo: Non-metallic Minerals, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1925. -R«^ H. nj.e.gway; Chromite. Minerals Yearbook, 1940, U.S.Bureau of Mines. JU^H. Rldg-vay: Shifts in Sources of Chromite Supply, U.S.Bureau -. of Mines Information Circular 6886 (1936). -'. ■'. t c • . * ' ' h « « 42 CHROMI TE (continued) G-. A. Rynearson and C. T. Smith: Chromite Deposits in the Selad Quadrangle, Siskiyou County, California. U, S. Geol. Survey Bull. 922- J (1940) E. Sampson: Varieties of Chr'omite Deposits. Econ. G-eol. (1931) 26, 8. L. A. Smith: Chromium, General Information. U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Giro. 6566 (1931). F. G. Vfells, L. R. Page and H. L. James: Chromite Deposits of the Pilliken Area, £l Dorado County, California. U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 922-0 (1940). MOTES 1. . Specimens of chromite may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco,- California, 2. For the manufacture of certain steels there is no known substitute for chromium. In tanning, no satisfactory substitute has been found, Chromates for pigments may be replaced, but as a mile substitutes are more expensive. As a refractory, chromite competes commercially with and may be replaced by other materials, 3. There are eleven other chromium minerals found in Calif- ornia, but the mineral chromite is the only ORE of chromium. 4. Prices of chrome ores and specifications for different grades are changing monthly. The Division of Mines will be glad to furnish new prices and specifications upon request. 4 -"* * 3 :■, -'v* '"" 44 State of California Deprtment of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES WaFter W. Bridle^' JmjkP^19^ ^^ BuilZI^i State Mineralog ist San Francisco COl^MERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) COBALT By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Cobaltlte (A sulfareenlde of cobftlt, CoAsS, 35-4 per cent cobalt) commonly occurs In cubes with fa6es striated similar to those of pyrlte. It is also granular or massive. The luster is metallic; color silver white with a reddish tint. Streak grayish black. Cleavage is cubic and the mineral is brittle. Hardness 5i. Specific gravity 6.3. Smaltlte (Cobalt dlarsenide, CoAs2, when pure. Cobalt 28.1 per cent) , The mineral is usually massive or granular. It has a metallic luster and is tin white to silver gray in color with a black streak. Brittle. Hardness 5i. Specific gravity 6.5 Erythrlte or cobalt bloom is a hydrous cobalt arsenate Co-5As"^Oo7SH^OT It usually occurs as crusts in globular and reniforTn shapes but may also be pulverulent and earthy. The luster is adamantine to vitreous, pearly on cleavage. Color crimson to pink. Perfect cleavage at right angles to the length of the crystal. Hardness l| - 2|, Specific gravity 2.9. OCCURRENCE ~ Most of the cobalt produced in North America is obtained from the nickel ores of Ontario, Canada. In California, cobalt minerals have been found in Calaveras,. Los Angeles, Mariposa, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, and San Diego counties, but no commercial production has been recorded. The copper ores of Madera and Mariposa counties have been found to con- tain cobalt up to 3 per cent. In general, cobalt minerals are Intimately associated with ores of nickel, the most widely distributed of which is nickel- Iferous pyrrhotlte, PREPARATION - Arsenical ores, such as those from Cobalt, Ontario, are usually smelted in a blafet furnace to form a speiss which is a mixed arsenide of iron, cobalt, and nickel. The speiss is roasted to remove the bulk of the arsenic and the residue, usually containing about 10 per cent aresnlc and from 20 to 30 per cent cobalt, is treated by wet methods to separate the nickel and cobalt. _n. COBALT (continued) ^^ One chemical process for separating nickel from cobalt is to add calcium hypochlorite to a chlorite solution of cobalt (freed from arsenic, iron and copper) to precipitate cobalt hydroxide. (Nickel will precipitate if an excess of calcium liypochlorite is used). The cobalt hydroxide is then dried and calcined. The resulting product carries about 76 per cent cobalt. USES - Cobalt metal is used in the stollite alloys which con- tain varying amounts of cobalt, chromium, tungsten, iron, and carbon, for cutting tools and drills. It is also used in welding rods, stock for tipping tools, dies, valve steel, magnets, electroplating, etc. It has been used to supplement pasture deficiencies that cause various types of sickness among animals. Cobalt oxide is used in the ceramic industry. Cobalt salts are employed in the preparation of driers for use in paints, varnishes, and linoleums, and as catalysts. TESTS - The borax or salt of phosphorus bead is dark blue in both the oxidizing and reducing flames when cobalt is present. VThere sulfur or arsenic is present, the mineral should first be roasted on charcoal before testing for cobalt. MARKETS - Per lb. 97 ® 99 per cent, ^2.11 for small lots spot. On lots of 100 lbs. or more $1.50. POSSIBLE BUYERS Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Central Trading Corp., 511 - 5th Ave., New York, N. Y. International Selling Corp., 67 Broad St., New York, N. Y. Marks & Co., Carl, Inc., 50 Broad St., New York, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY Davis H.W. : Nickel and Cobalt. Mineral Yearbook, Review of 1940, U. S. Bureau of Mines. Hess, Frank L. : Cobalt. Mineral Resources of the United States, Part I, 1917, U. S. G-eological Survey. Pabst, Adolf : Minerals of California, Bulletin 113, California State Division of Mines, 1938. Riss, H. : Economic G-eology. (Seventh Edition) John Wily & Sons, Inc., New York, London. Chapman and Hall Limited, 1937. Tylor, Paul H. : Cobalt. Information Circular 6331, U. S, Bureau of Mines, August 1931. NOTES Specimens of cobalt minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. -2- tb 46 State of California .Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES 7/alter Y/. Bradley ATTrTT^ constituent of igneous rocks, and the ultimate source of copper v^" ore deposits is to be found in rocks of this type. Noted in pegmatite veins. It occurs widely in metallic veins and in nests in gneiss and crystalline schists, also in serpentine rocks. The deposits are frequently near igneous rocks. In contact metamorphic deposits; at times broadly disseminated in schistose rocks. Often intimately associated with pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, quartz, dolomite, siderite, and various copper minerals. Chalcopyrite is the principal source of copper in California. The copper deposits are largely bodies of pyrite in which chalcopyrite is intermingled. Most of the deposits have a capping of earthy limonite and hematite resulting from the oxidation of the iron sulfides. Practically all of the large bodies of pyrit-e in the State carry some chalcopyrite, but those in Plumas, Shasta and Calaveras counties have been the most important in the production of copper. PREPARA.TION - Copper ores are smelted in both blast and reverberatory furnaces. Iron oxide, limestone and silica are used as fluxes and coke is the fuel commonly used in blast furnaces, while various cheaper fuels may be used in reverberatory furnaces. In the blast furnace the charge is introduced through a door at the top and consists of alternate layers of coke and ore, the latter being mixed with fluxing materials. The proper proportion of flux- ing materials is calculated from the composition of the particular ore to be treated. Combustion is maintained by blasts of hot air. -through openings, called 'tuyeres' near the bottom of the furnace. -1- 47 COPPER (Continued) As the charge is melted to a fluid condition, the metals settle to the bottom of the furnace and are drawn off in the form of 'matte.' This is a mixture of sulfides, principally copper and iron, and generally contains gold and silver values. The fluxes combined with the gangue minerals to form 'slag' which remains above the 'matte,' and is drawn off at Intervals. The process is a continuous one, new charges being added at regular intervals. In some sulfide ores containing a high percentage of sulfur a preliminary roasting process is necessary to eliminate some of the sulfur. In the reverberatory furnace the fire box is separated from the charge by a ' low partition and the heat is carried directly over the surface of the mixed ore and flux by, a draught. This furnace is particularly adapted for smelting fine ore and is used in localities where fuel is cheap. The capacity is not usually as great as that of the blast furnace and the removal of the 'matte' and 'slag' and recharging operations necessitate delays. The molten ••matte ^'"resulting from either of the above smelting methods, is drawn off into steel labels and transferred, generally by means of electric cranes to the converters. These converters are steel, bowl-shape vessels from ten to twenty feet in diameter and mounted so that they may be tipped to receive the 'matte' or to discharge the finished product. By means of air blasts, through 'tuyeres' at the bottom of the converters, the. charge of 'matte' is oxidized to 'blister copper' which contains about 75^ copper. Blister copper may also be produced from the matte by a series of roasting operations in reverberatory furnaces. The 'blister copper' is finally refined to pure metallic copper, the most modern method being by electrolysis. A preliminary refining treatment is often given the 'blister' in a reverberatory refining-furnace. In the final electrolytic refining operation the associated gold, silver, platinum and other precious- and rare metals are recovered. In electrolytic refining the blister copper is first melted and cast into anodes. By electrolysis, catihode copper 99.98^ pure is deposited. These cathodes are melted and- -cast into the various commercial shapves*-. The wet method of- treating or leaching is used on carbonate or oxidized copper ores. The leaching solution is generally dilute sulfuric acid and the copper is precipitated electro lytically as cathode copper or as cement copper, precipitated on fe-crap iron. Many low-grade sulfide ores are now being concentrated- by means of oil flotation. USES - Copper is second only to iron as a metal essential to modern civilization, and thus has many uses. Its greatest' use is for- electrical purposes, mostly as wire. It is extensively used in the form of sheets and nails, .It has important uses in various a:iloys, as brass (copper and zinc), bronze and bell metal (copper and tin, and in some cases zinc, also), German silver T&opiper, zinc and nickel), Qopper sulfate, or blue vitriol, is used in calico printing and in galvanic cells. TESTS -r- On charcoal, at least with soda, metallic copper can be reduced from most of its compounds. In the case of sulfides the powdered mineral should be roasted first in order to eliminate the major part bl" the sulfur before fusion with soda. With borak it -2- • oi. COPPER (continued) ^^ gives (oxidizing flame) a green bead when hot, becoming blue when cold; also (reducing flame), if saturated, an opaque red bead containing CugO and often Cu is obtained. Copper chloride, obtained by moistening the mineral with hydrochloric acid (in the case of sulfides the mineral should be previously roasted) yields a vivid azure-blue flame; copper oxide gives a green flame. Most metallic compounds are soluble in nitric acid. Ammonia in excess produces an intense blue color in the solution, MRKETS - Domestic copper f.o.b, refinery, 11.833(2^; export copper, f,o.b. refinery 10.950(2^. (Quotations July 31, 1941.) POSSIBLE BUYERS American Smelting and Refining Co., Tacoma, Washington, American Smelting and Refining Co., Garfield, Utah, Anaconda Cooper Mining Co., Anaconda, Mont. Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc, 316 Belmont Ave, , Brooklyn, N. Y. E. I, du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (Electroplating Division), Wilmington, Del, International Smelting and Refining Co., Miami, Ariz, and Tooole, Utah. Kennecott Copper Corp., McGill, Nevada Kennecott Copper Corp., 120 Broadway, Nev/ York, N. Y. Los Angeles Chamical Co., I960 Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Mountain Copper Co., Ltd,, 351 California St., San Francisco, Calif. Phelps Dodge Corp., Douglas, Clifton & Clarkdale, Ariz. Phelps Dodge Refining Ob,, 40 Wall Street, New York, N, Y. Tennessee Copper Co,, 61 Broadway, New York, N, Y, B IBLIOGRAPHY A.Hausmann, J. Kruttschnitt, Jr, , W, E. Thorn and J, A. Edman. The Copper Resources of California, California State Division of Mines Bulletin No, 50 (1908), H. M. Meyer. Copper. Minerals Yearbook (1940), p. 73-106. Adolf Pabst, Minerals of California, California State Division of Mines, Bulletin No. 113. (1938), NOTES 1, Specimens of copper ores, may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Hiilding, San Francisco, California. 2. Native copper, Cu, chalcocite, CupS, bornite, Cu5FeS4, covellite, CuS, tetrahedrite, (Cu,Fe, Zn,AgjT_2St'4Si 3, enarglte, CU3ASSA, cuprite, CupO, atacamite, Cu2Cl(0Ht-5, malachite. Cu2C03(0H)p, azurite, Cu3(C03)2(0H)2, antlerlte, GvL^{SOi^.)(OK) j^y chalcanthite, CUSO4.5H2O, and chrysocolla, CuSi03.2H20 are all copper minerals which in some localities are the principal ores of copper. ooOoo 3 state of California- 59 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley map^w ■]qLo Ferry Building State Mineralogist iiiiuvon ~ x^^^ a,^^ Francisco COMTJIERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORl^IA (Series 1942) DIAMONDS AND GRAPHITE By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist Except for their chemical composition, diamonds and graphite have very little in common. They are considered together here in order to conserve space. PROPERTIES - The diamond is a form of pure carbon (C) which commonly crystallizes as octahedrons of the isometric syste.av The edges and faces of the crystals are usually striated or pitted. The luster is adamantine on cleavage faces. Uncut crystals have a charac~ teristic greasy appearance. It ranges in color from colorless or pale yellow to pale red, orange, green, blue, or brown. The cleavage is perfect octahedral. Hardness 10 (This is the hardest mineral known). The specific gravity of the pure crystallized mineral is 3.52, but according to the variety, it may range from 3.51 to 3.53. . Sort is a dark, translucent to opaque, poorly crystallized diamond which often possesses a radial fibrous structure. Diamond crystals and fragments of inferior quality unfit for gems are also called bort. Ballas is the name given to spherical masses of minute diamond • crystals which are arranged more or less concentrically. These masses do not cleave easily due to the structure. Carbonado, also known as black diamond or carbon is an opaque, black or gray, tough and compact variety which has no cleavage. The specific gravity ranges from 3.15 to 3.29. Graphite is the hexagonal form of carbon (C) and usually occurs in foliated or scaly masses, although it is occasionally found in six-sided (hexagonal) tabular crystals. The perfect cleavage in one direction accounts for its platy structure. The luster is metallic to dull or earthy. Color, black to steel gray. Hardness 1-2. Specific gravity 2.3. OCCURRENCE . Diamonds in California have been found only in placer gravels and in the black sands and concentrates of placer mines. Presumably their origin was in basic igneous rocks from which the serpentine of the gold regions were derived. California localities that have produced diamonds are Volcano, Amador County; Cherokee, Morris Ravine, and Yankee Hill, Butte County; -1- ji9>\:,:. .... \ B9't>*t.Vi .A-^l^~''ric SttS • a.M:.'.-3JSj? .:? 3»S' i,.>i ^^«'^: rt.'. DIAMOI^JDS AND GRAPHITE 51 ^ (continued) Placerville and Smith's Flat, El Dorado County; Gopher Hill and Upper Spanish Greek, Plumas County. At Kimberley, South Africa, diamonds occur in a dark greenish, basic igneous rock known as kimberlite. This is the world's chief source of supply. GRAPHI^yii may be found in Igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphlc rocks. It most often occurs in metamorphic rocks sucji as schists, gneisses, and metamorphosed limestone. Ex,t,ensive deposits of good quality graphite are. not known in California, but there are a few small deposits from which material suitable for paints and roofing material could be mined. The only recorded production since 1931 has come from Los Angeles County. As a constituent of metamorphic rocks, graphite may be found in varying amoxxnts in every county in the State. PREPARATION - Due to the relatively high specific gravity of dlamcr.ds, they niay be removed from gravel, clay, etc., by gravity methoos. At the Kimberley mines in South Africa, the "blue ground" or kimberlite is crushed, washed, and concentrated. The concentrate is then passed over. a "greaser" or automatic diamond sorter which is designed to taV ;. advantage of the fact that diamonds stick more tena- ciously to greafis ohan any of the other non-metallic minerals. The recovery is prac-j.cally 100 percent if the tailings from the first B.ep0,ratlon are passed over a greaser again before being discarded. For graphite , the character of the material and its intended use determine the method of benef iciation. Some uses such as for foundry facings and paints require only grinding of the graphite, whereas flake graphite, which usually occurs disseminated, must be separated fr-on its containing rock by crushing and grinding, followed by some meanc of concentration such as flotation. Further refining to remove smalii pieces of silica and ether impurities from between the flakes, is often necessary to get a pure product. This is essentially true if the material is to be used as a lubricant. USES - Diamonds of gem quality are differentiated according to color into ten or more different classes, the most valuable of which is L:'ue. .The familiar blue-white diamond (known as top crystal) which actually shows no tinge of blue, ranks fourth in the list, being superseded by Jaeger and Wessleton qualities or grade. The yellow or brown diamonds are ninth and tenth in the classification (see Kraus and Slawson - Gems and Gem Materials, for a more complete discussion of the grade of diamonds). Powdere.d bort is employed in polishing diamonds. Selected bort, , In whole crystals, of uniform grade and size, is used in diamond-set rock drill bits.. Dies for drawing fine wire, tools for glass cutting, stone cutting etc., are made of diamonds unsuited for gem purposes, that is, off color stones which are free from flaws. Dallas, due to its toughness and lack of cleavage, is v/ell adapted for industrial purposes. ■' -Carbonado is used in diamond-set rock drills and in diamond-set lathe tools which. are in turn used for truing abrasive wheels. -2~ 1] DIAMONDS AND GRAPHITE . 52 (Continued) Graphite, finely ground and mixed with varying amounts of high grade clay is, molded and baked to be used as "lead" in pencils. Perhaps the most important use of graphite at present is as a lubricant for heavy machinery. Graphite crucibles are used for melting., brass and. f. or- other ^-sinaH scale metallui'.gical operations. The lower grad-es of graphite without -oxidi^able impurities are suitable for paints. The so-called "amorphous" .graphite (wliich is ■ composed of .extremely fine crystalline grains^ but has a dull earthy appearance) is used for foundry ^ facings. Because of its., electrical conductivity,., grapJiite is valuable* for electrodes, brushes in motors, etc., althoiugh the artificial product offers strong competition to the natural material..- TESTS — Diamonds may be recogniz-ed. by -their .extreme hardness, strlations on the crystal edges and faces, perfect' octahedral cleav- age, relatively high .specific gravity, and by the greasy appearance of the uncut material and adamantine lust-er- ooa. the--clea:vage faces. They, are insoluble in acids and alkalies. Graphite in -minute isolated specks maybe d.ifi'icul.t ta distJ-ngulah. but larger pieces are characterized by their softness, slippery feel, black -color and.jstreak on glazed paper or porcelain. It Is infuaible, insoluble and of relatively lov; specif ic gravity for a mineral .with . ,metallic luster. MARKETS - During 1940 the average of imported- Indus trial" diamonds -was. about $3«50 per carat and ranged from $1.00 to $30.00 per carat. The price of uncut -diamonds of gem quality varies.- according .to size, shape and quality and ranges from $5.00 to $50.00 per carat' (The term "quality" in. ..the diamond industry means color or..lack,of . it^. and . -freedom- from flaws or inperf ections in the gem stones). For first grade cut- diamonds, the current 194-2. price- is around ^500. per. carat. POSSIBLE BUYERS OF DIAMONDS (Industrial) .. •Crafts Diamond Tool Corp., Boston, Mass. Dessan Co., Maurice S., 6 Maiden Lane, New York, N. Y. Diamond Drill Carbon Co., New York, N. Y. ' . / , Karelsen Inc., E. , 56 West 45th St., New York, N.. Y. . .. - Norton Co., V7orcester, Mass. Smith.. & .Sons, J..K..Inc., 157 Chambers- St. , New York^-N, Y. Sperisen, Francis J., 166 Geary Street, San Francisco., Calif OTnia... .Standard. Diamond. Tool Corp., 64 West 48th Street, New York, N. Y. POSSIBLE BUYERS OF DIA MONDS (Gem) ' '^ - Fine & Sons, Inc. Max, 20 V/est 47th Street, New York, N. Y. Kahn & Co. L. & M. , 608 Fifth Avenue, New York, K. Y. ' " Roselaar, Louis A., 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.. Y. Sperisen, Francis J., 166 Geary Street, San Francisco, California^.,--. Stern Bros. Diamond Cutters Co., New York, N. Y. , Whltelaw Bros., 48 West 48th Street, New York, N. Y. • -3- - -.. ''tX'3'v m- • »• « »*• •'•■ * ■ DIAliONDS AND GRAPHITE 53 (continued) GRAPHITE - Per lb., f.o.b. New York, Ceylon Lump, lOjZ^ © 122^; carbon lump, 9i^ @ 10$^; chip, 1^ fe 8^2^; dust 4^ S;"^; Madagascar flake 9r Sl^ ii^j't'i . . <.. ,:.. j*ia0 » ' 60 FELDSPARS (continued) Aciularia is used as a gem stone and when opalescent, is called moonstone . Moonstone varieties of albite and oligoclase also occur. Air.azon stone or amazonite, a bright green variety of microcline, re- sembles jade and is used as an ornamental stone. Suns tone or adventurine oglioclase is of a reddish color with bright yellow .or red reflections of included crystals of iron oxide and is used for gem material. Colored labradorite is sometimes. used for ornamental and gem material. TESTS - Orthoclase and microcline are fusicit at 5, and insol- uble in acids. When mixed with powdered gypsum and heated on plati- num wire they give the violet flame of potassium. The plagioclase feldspars may usually be recognized by the parallel tv/inning striations. They «.re fusible to a colorless glass v;lth increasing difficulty toward the anorthite end. Slightly attacked by hydrochloric acid, the solubility increasing toward the anorthite end. Calcium and aluminum can be determined by the stand- ard wet tests. IvIARKETS - Per ton, f.o.b. "North Carolina, potash feldspar 200 mesh, white, |17.00, in bulk; soda feldspar, $19.00 f.o.b. Maine, potash feldspar, white, 200 mesh, $17.00, in bulk. G-ranular glass- spar, v/hite, 20 mesh, f.o.b. North Carolina, $12.50 in bulk; semi- granular, $11.75; soda feldspar, 200 mesh, v.'hite, |19.00. Virginia: No.l, 230 mesh, $18.00; 200 mesh, . ^17-. 00; No. 17 glass-makers', $11.75; No. 18, $12.50. Enamelers', $14.00 @ $16.00. Quotations on Spruce Pine, N.C. or Keene, N.H. , basis. (Quotations December 1941) . PO SSIBLE BUYERS Cllnchfield Sand, and Feldspar Corporation, Hearst Tower Building Baltimore, Md. Consolidated Feldspar Oorporatlon, Trenton, New Jersey. DuPont de Nemours, E.I. & Co. Inc., (The R. & H. Chemicals Dept.) Wilmington, Del. Industrial Minerals & Chemical Co., 6th & Gilman Sts. Berkeley, Calif , Schundler, F.E. & Co., Inc., 620 Ro.ilroad St. Joliet, 111. V/hlttaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc. , 260 V/est Broadway, New York, N.Y. REFERENCES Bowles, 0., and Lee, C.V. Feldspar. U.S.Bureau of Mines Information Circular 638I, 1930. Minerals Burgess, B.C. Feldspar. Industrial iyprtes- and Rocks. Seeley W.Mudd Series. A.I.M.E. 1937. Burgess, B.C. Methods of Milling Ffeldspar at the Mlnpro Plant, Tennessee Minerals Products Corporation, Spruce Pine, N.C. U.S.- .. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6488, 1931. Pabst, Adolph. Minerals of California. California State Division. of Mines, Bulletin 113, 1938. • ': NOTES - 1. Specimens of the feldspar group may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Celsian, a barium and aluminum silicate, BaAl2Sl208, is a monocline feldspar not so common as the other feldspars, having been reported from -Mariposa County in California. ->- u; -I 62 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley T" Ferry Building State Mineralogist bl!.PT£.J.TBJi,R - 1941 San Francisco COmiERGIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) FLUORSPAR By George L. Gary^ Minersil Technologist PROPERTIE S -^ Fluorlte, or fluorspar, a calcium fluoride, CaF2 occurs usually in cubes; also massive, granular or compact. Cleavage perfect octahedral. Brittle. Luster vitreous. Streak white. The color varies widely; most commonly green, purple, blue, white, yellow, colorless. The hardness is 4 and the specific gravity 3.01-3.25. The phenomenon of fluorescence is shown by some varieties of fluorlte and hence receives its name. OCCURRENCE - Fluorlte is a common and widely distributed mineral. It is usually found either in veins in which it is the chief mineral or as a gangue mineral with metallic ores, especially those of lead and tin. It is common in dolomites and limestone and has been observed also as a minor accessory mineral in various igneous rooks and pegmatites. It is associated with many different minerals, as calcite, dolomite, gypsum, celestite, barite, quartz, galena, sphalerite, cassiterite, topaz, tourmaline and apatite. In California deposits have been reported from Los Angeles, Mono, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. PREPARATION - Some of the methods used in the separation of impurities from fluorspar are: selection in the mine, crushing, washing with Jets of water or in log washers, iiand picking on belts, screening, gravity concentration by jigs and tables, and flotation. Th6 processes may be very simple, such as crushing, passing through single or double log washers, and screening the fluorspar from residual gravel deposits in order to prepare it for flux in open- hearth steelmaking; or they may be very complicated, as in preparation of vein fluorspar for the ceramic trade or for acidmaking, where it has to be freed of practically all impurities and reduced to great fineness. USES - The steel industry is the chief consumer of fluorspar in the United States, followed in order by the hydrofluoric acid, glass, and enamel industries. Comparatively small quantities of fluorspar are used in a number of miscellaneous operations, such as production of the finer grades of iron castings, nickel and Monel metal, cement, ferro-alloys, carbon electrodes, and calcium carbide -1- >«» 63 FLUORSPAR (Continued) and cyanamid; reducing aluminum; refining lead and silver; extracting various rare metals from their ores; smelting refractory ores of gold, silver, and copper; as a paint pigment; and as a binder in abrasives. TESTS - Fluorlte is fusible at 3, and residue gives alkaline reaction to moistened turmeric paper. G-lves a reddish flame (calcium). V/hen it is mixed with" potassium dlsulfate and heated in a bulb tube, hydrofluoric acid is evolved which etches the glass, and a white deposit of silica forms upon the walls of the tube. MARKETS - Fluorspar, per net ton, 85 percent CaF2, and not over 5 percent SIO2, Kentucky and Illinois, In bulk f.o.b. mines, washed gravel $21 for all rail movement; $21 for barge movement. No. 2 lump, $21 f.o.b. mines. Ground fluorspar, f.o.b. Illinois mines, 95 to 98 percent CaFo and not over 2-|- percent SiOg, $31 in bulk; $32.60 in bags and $36.60 in barrels. Acid fluorspar, 98 and 1 percent, $27, f.o.b. mines. F.o.b. Colorado mines, 82-6, $13.50. Foreign fluorspar, gravel, 85-5, $25-50 per net ton, duty paid, Baltimore or Philadelphia. Nominal. (Quotations August 14, 1941.) POSSIBLE BUYERS E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. (The R. & H. Chemicals Department), Wilmington, Del. Foote Mineral Company, 1609 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa, Charles \'I. Garland Co. 412 V/. Sixth St., Los Angeles, Calif. General Chemical Co., 40 Rector St., New Yori, N. Y. Industrial Minerals & Chemical Co., 6th and Gllman Sts., Berkeley, Calif. International Selling Corp., 67 Broad St., New York, N. Y. The McGean Chemical Co., 1106 Republic Bldg. , Cleveland, Ohio, Mercantile Import & Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co., 1000 ?7ldener Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa. Strategic Materials Corp., 210 1/Vest 7th St., Los Angeles, Calif. V/hlttaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ernest F. Burchard. Fluorspar and Cryolite. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical ' Engineers. New York, 1937, pp. 283-302. H. VV. Davis and M. E. Trought. Fluorspar and Cryolite. Minerals Yearbook (l94o) pp. 1333-1351. Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. Calif, State Dlv. of Mines. Bull. No., 113. (1938) NOTES ' ■ 1. Specimens of fluorspar may be seen in the museum of the Calliornia State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Cryolite, a fluoride of sodium and aluminum, Na3AlF5 is the only other commercial fluoride. The only Important deposit of this mineral is at Ivigtut, on the west coast of Greenland. ~oOo- -a- * ^ > ^^ -J ■ \ . J.-.^S.i ,-f alaoiEs; ■ fe:iiisH , ;ac: 64 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES i I . . Walter W. Bradley NOVEMBER 1941 ' Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) &OLD By &eorge L. G-ary, i^ineral Technologist.. The gold mining industry in California is second only to the petroleum industry in importance. PROPERTIES - Native gold (Au) is usually found finely Aissemi- nated th>-ough its containing rock and o ocas iona.lly in large nuggets. Crystals are rare. The color is deep to pale yellov/. The pale yellow variety containing over 20 percent silver is known as electrUm. The luster is metallic, streak (on tou^xistone) like color, hardness 2} to 3, specific gravity 15 to 19 (according to purity). Calaverite (gold telluride, Au,Te2. 44 percent gold) usually occurs in small striated, elongated crystals along seams. The color is pale brass yellow somewliat resembling pyrite. The luste is metallic, hardness 2|-, specific gravity 9. Sylv s uite (gold silver telluride, (Au,Ag)Te2. 24.2 percent- gold, 13,3 percent "Silver) is usually found in branching crystal aggregates. The cleavage is perfect in one direction, color silver white to steel gray v/ith a yellow tinge, luster metallic, hardness 2, specific gravity 8.0 to 3.3. . OCCUPRENCE - .Gold has been found in every coiinty in Calif- ornia and "is now produced in 50 of the 58 counties. Practically all of the gold exists as the native metal, either as free gold' in quartz veins and gravels or mechanically m.ixed with the sulfides of Iron, copper, lead or zinc. Gold tellurides occur in Galif-O^rnia but they are not abundant. Gold in quartz is the usual-association, and the mineral is Often in the quartz in such a finely divided state as to be invisible even in high gi'-ade ore. Gold in pyrite Is abundant and is the source of much of the gold produoai in the Sta^e. The mpjor regions in OaLifornia where gold occurs in lodes -atre — the Mother Lode Belt,, the Nevada City, and Grass Valley districts. The Mot.aer Lode Belt extends from the northern boundary of El Dorado County on the Middle R)rk of the Anericnn ' Piver near Georgetovm, south to Mc'-Tnon Bar, .2 miles south of iviaripoGa, in Mariposa Ccunt.^. Its direction roughly paralleils -ohe .nain axis ' of the Sierra Nevada. The vein system is associated with rocks of a slaty or schistose character which have been subjected to great compressive stresses or hydrotherraal alteration along the overthrust -1- ;S"i'-' &OLD (continued) ^5 fault zone. The fault zone has given access to mineralizing solutions from deep-seated sources at the time of the bathollthlc Invasion of the overlying rocks when the Sierra Nevada were formed. The gold deposits of the Mother Lode Belt form two main groups - quartz veins and ore bodies of mineralized country rock. There is no geologic relation betv/een the Mother Lode Belt and the Grass Valley-Nevada City veins. These gold bearing veins occur on north-south and east-west fissure systems and were produced by hot ascending aqueous solutions. Other lode gold sections include the Klamath Mountains, and the desert area in southern California. The principal gold placer area of California lies in the Sierra Nevada between Lassen County on the north and Mariposa County on the south; also the Klamath Mountains in Siskiyou and Trinity counties ^ This area includes practically all of the eastern tributaries to the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers; among them the well known American, Bear, and Yuba rivers; also the rivers of the Klamath Mountains. Of lesser importance are the dry placers of Southern California, the upper section of the Kern River, and various outlying districts in the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, PREPARATION - Gold may be recovered by (1) amalgamation, cyanldation, and the flotation of gold ores, (2) by the washing of placer gravels, and (3) by the refining of base bullion. Amalgamation of free gold with mercury is the principal method of recovering coarse gold before either cyanldation or flotation. One method of amalgamation consists of crushing and grinding the ore sufficiently to free the gold from the gangue and passing the resulting pulp over silvered copper plates coated v;ith quicksilver which amalgamates with the [i,ol&. Periodically the gold amalgam is scraped from the plates and retorted to drive off the mercury leav- ing nearly pure gold. The mercury is collected a.nd used again. Other processes differ only in the manner of amalgamation ^ which may be done in rotary cylinders or at the time of grinding. If there is sufficient gold in the tailings to warrant recovery, it ma;^ be obtained by cyanldation or flotation or a combination of both. The cyanldation process for recovering gold is based on the fact that finely divided gold is soluble in potassium cyanide (KCN) . The pulp to be leached is first treated with lime to neutralize any acids which would decompose the cyanide solution, then fed into tanks where the cyanide solution is allowed to percolate through It, dissolving the gold particles. When leaching is complete, the solution containing the dissolved gold is drawn off and the pulp is washed to extract the remainder of the solvent. The cyanide solution is then piped to the zinc box where zinc is added to the solution, precipitating the gold along with les.d and any impurities present such as arsenic, antimony, copper, etc. The gold is finally recovered by smelting and refining. In recent years, the development of the flotation process has made possible the recovery of finely divided gold. This process depends on the fact that certain minerals will adhere to an air-water interface, v/hich is produced when, bubbles are formed in a liquid^.. -2- fS- '^; •.;'): "f ,'.^1 o- • .::^" 5*1 .-'•^tiiid: liOff 'i X--3 ^ -31' ■ * ;^ r- : *^ 74 K^ State of California " Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley IZT 7171 Ferry Building State- Mineralogist San Francisco COIO»ERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFOmriA (Series 1942) IRON By G-eorge L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - The principal ore minerals of iron are hematite (specular iron ore, red hematite, fossil ore) Fe203; limonite (brown hematite, bog ore, brown ore) HoFe204(H20)x; magnetite (lode stone) Fe304; and side rite (spathic ore, black band, clay- irons tone, kidney ore) FeCOz. Hematite contains 70,0 percent Fe. It occurs as micaceous fibrous oolitic, massive compact, and earthy forms, and is found as small crystals in cavitii Placer, PlUmas, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis 'Obispo, Shasta, Sierra, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. PREPARATION - Iron ore minerals must contain at least 30 to 40 percent of iron. Pig-iron or oast- iron is produced by smelting the ores in a blast furxiace to yiel^d an iron alloy containing about 4 jpercent carbon and lesser amourits of silicon, manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus. Various commercial grades of "pig" are produced, each intended for a specific purposp. The important types of pig-iron are (1) foundry or remelting iron for iron castings and malleable cast- ings; (2) puddling, forge, or mill iron for making wrought iron; (3) steel-making irons (Bessemer pig, low phosphorus pig, basic iron); (4) f errovanadium, f errotungst-en, f erroehromlum, f erroslllcon, etc., for making ferroalloys. _2- ■iJ. ■a l i IRON (continued) '^^ Steel Is produced by refining pig-iron, by remelting steel scrap, or by a combination of these methods. The refining may be done in one of the following ways: 1. Refining pig-iron and steel scrap by the basic open-hearth process to produce basic open-hearth steel. 2. Refining pig-iron by the acid Bessemer process to produce Bessemer steel, 3. Refining pig-iron and scrap in the acid open-hearth furnace to make acid open- hearth steel. 4. Duplexing - refining by the duplex process in which the product of the acid Bessemer is given additional refining in a basic open-hearth furnace. Higher quality steels are made by one of the two processes: 1, Crucible process, in which high-grade wrought iron is melted down with carbon in small crucibles. At present the amount of crucible steel produced in the United States is almost negligible. 2, Refining pig or scrap in electric furnaces. This is the most impprtant method of producing high-quality steel, and the larger part of the electric steel output is alloy steel. Wrought iron is a slag-bearing malleable iron containing very little carbon. It is manufactured (1) by refining pig-iron in a puddling furnace, or (2) by shooting metal from the Bessemer converter through a bath of siliceous slag (Aston process). Ingot iron is commercially pure iron, with total impurities less than 0.10 percent, which is made by a special basic open- hearth process. USES - Iron in the form of commercially valuable ore is the most abundant of the metals found in the earth's crust. In total amount it is surpassed only by the metal aluminum. The widespread use of iron in the arts and industries Ic due primarily to two important facts, viz: 1, Iron forms a long series of useful alloys with carbon. 2, The widespread distribution of high-grade iron ores permits the metal to be produced cheaply and on an enormous scale. In addition, iron has unique magnetic properties which make it invaluable for many purposes. Chemically pure iron is difficult to prepare, and electrolytic Iron (which is produced only on a small scale) is the only commercial metal which approaches the composition of pure iron. Practically all commercial iron exists in the .form of iron-carbon alloys. Alloys of iron: Whl te cast-iron or chilled oast-iron is obtained by cooling a cast-iron rapidly enough to prevent decomposition of any of the carbide. It is too brittle to be used alone and is generally used as a chilled surface on gray iron castings, or as a raw material for the manufacture of malleable cast-iron. -3- a . _^.f,„, , •^- 77 IRON (Continued) Malleable cast- Iron is prepared by annealing v/hlte cast-iron 'articles so that the carbon separates in the form of finely divided graphite or temper carbon. Malleable castings are used only for small articles such as pipe fittings and harness buckles. The term "malleable iron" means that the alloy is less brittle and more resistant to shoclc than Qray cast-iron, and not that it is shaped by forging or rolling. Steel is more v/idely used than all other metals and alloys combined. It is employed for building construction, bridges, machinery, tools, rails, etc. A lloy steels: Nickel steel ordinai'ily contains from 1.5 to 4.0 j percent Mi, and 0.25 to 0.'4 percent C. It is used in motor shafts, I axles, connecting rods, structural work, engine forgings, etc. i Invar , which contains 36 percent Ni has the lowest coefficient of ■thermal expansion of any known metal or alloy and is used in making clock pendulums, surveyor's tapes, and similar articles. Platinite containing 42^ Ni iias the same coefficient of expansion as glass and is used in making electrical connections to be sealed to glass. Chrome - nickel steel (stainless steel) usually contains from 0.45 to 0.95 percent Cr and i.OO to 3.25 percent Hi and is used widely in crankshafts, axles, and other motor and machine parts. Mant.;anese steel commonly contains about 14 percent Mn and 1 percent C. When a piece of manganese-steel is subjected to blows, its surface work-hardens and offers greater resistance to abrasion. Manganese steel is used for such purposes as ball-mill liners, crusher jaws and mantles, power shovel buckets, railroad frogs and crossings, and burglar-proof safes. Alloy cast-iron usually contains small amounts of nickel and chromium or nickel alone. These cast irons are stronger, denser, and have a finer grain than ordinary cast-iron, and they machine well. TESTS - Hematite is distinguished from magnetite, ilmenite, and limonite by its brownish-red streak. Limonite is distinguished from hematite by its yellow-brown streak and from goethite by the absence of fibrous structure and by its optically isotropic character. Magnetite is distinguished from ail otner black minerals by its strong magnetism. Siderite is distinguished from' brown calcite by its comparatively high specific gravity, and from sphalerite by its rhombohedral cleavage and high viti'tous luster. On charcoal in a reducing flame, especially with sodium carbonate, iron minerals become magnetic. (This test must be tried after the assay has become cold. ) Cobalt and nickel compounds give a similar test. In the oxidizing flame, the borax bead is amber colored, and in the reducing flame, pale green. Ammonium hydroxide precipitates brownish-red ?e(0H)3 from solutions containing ferric iron. A fev; drops of HNO3 should be added to the solution to insure oxidation of the iron to the ferric condition. To detect the state -4- IRON (continued) 78 of the iron, a borax bead made blue with CuO (or malachite) is changed to opaque red by a ferrous compound, and to green by a ferric compound. (Use a neutral flame). To detect the state of iron in insoluble minerals (especially silicates) fuse the powdered mineral with a large excess of borax in a test tube. Break the tube and dissolve the finely powdered contents in HCl, Divide the solution in two portions and test one v/ith K4Fe(CN)6 (ferric compounds give a deep blue precipitate) and the other with K3Fe(CN)5 (ferrous compounds give a dark blue precipitate). MARKETS - Per long ton Lake Superior ore quotations: Mesabi, Inon-bessemer, 5li percent iron. $4,45. Old Range bessemer $4.60. iMesabi, bessemer 511 percent iron. $4,60. Old Range bessemer $4,75. I Eastern ores, cents per long ton unit, delivered at furnaces: Foundry and basic, 56 percent to 63 percent, 11$2$ @ Vli> (quotations June 1942) . POSSIBLE BUYERS Alabama lifincral Ore Co., 5005 West 25th St., Cicero, Illinois. Bowring & Company, 17 Battery Place, New York, N. Y. Leonard J. Buck, Inc., 1 Newark Ave., Jersey City, N. J. Paramount Safety Products Co., 368 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Siklick & Company, Ltd., 40 East 49th St., New York, N. Y. Tehuantcpec Export, Inc., 610 South Main St., Los Angeles, Calif. Tu-.ein Corporation, 230 Park Ave., New York, N. Y, E. Arthur Tutein, Inc., 52 Vandorbilt Ave., New York, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dana, Edward Salisbury. Manual of Mineralogy. Fifteenth Edition, revised by Hurlbut, Cornelius S., Jr. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Chapman & Hall, Limited, London. (1941). Llndgren, Walderaar. Mineral Deposits, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London." (1933) PP. 29>314. Newton, Joseph, An T.ntroduction to Metallurgy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, Chaoman & Hall, Limited, London. (192&)' pp. 176-182; 49>499". Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. Calif. State Div. of Mines. Bulletin No. 113. (1938). Ries, H., Economic Geology. John Wiley & SDns, Inci, New York, Chapm.an & Hall, Limited, London, (1937) pp. 416-473. Rogers, A. .F, Introduction to the Study of Minerals. McGrav/-Hill • Book Companj'', Inc., New York and London. (1937). Symons, Henry H. California Mineral Production and Directory of Mineral Producers, Bulletin 117, California State Division of Mines. (1938). NOTES 1, Specimens of iron ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, Calif. 2. In the Bessemer ore the iron content is at least 1000 times the phosphorus content. • . 3. Goethite, (Fe203.H20) is a minor ore of iron. joOoo *?.*<^-;»^ »..■^•f,».^^ ■'•;x jfJOT-^ i'** 80 State Ox California Department of Natural- Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley Arrpno^ iTat Ferry Building State IJineraloglsf Au^uax - .ly^x Sa n Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORl^IA (Series 1941) LEAD By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PRO PERTIES - Galena, a lead sulfide, PbS, is practically the only source 'of lead. It occurs in many forms, mainly massive cleavable, coarse or fine gi'anular, to impalpable; occasionally fibrous or plumose. The cleavage is cubic, highly perfect. Luster metallic. The streak and color is lead-gray. The hardness is 2|- and the specific gracity 7.4-7.6.. O CCURRENCE - Galena is a very common metallic sulfide^ found in veins associated with sphalerite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, cerusBite, anglesite, dolomite, calcite, quartz, barite, and fluorite. The veins are commonly in igneous rocks or show a close connerclon with such rocks. In such deposits galena is frequently f'lund with silver minerals and often contains that metal itself and uo becomes an important silver ore. A large part of the supply of lead comes as a secondary product from ores rained chiefly^, for. their silver. A second type of galena deposit is associated with ■■•.:..nesT.one, either as veins, open-space fillings, or replacement df-poslts. The replacement deposits in limestone are comimonly a'.c-om,;:anied by a dolomitization of the rock and may have no oj'parent association with igneous rocks. Galena is also found in contact metamorphic sSeposits. P REPARATIO N - Lead is derived from its ores by methods of roasting and reduction' in both blast and reverberatory furnaces. Galena containing gold, silver and other valuable metals, also the oxidized ores, (oxides and carborates) are treated in blast furnace, •i'he charge consists of coke, ore and fluxes. The lead is separated from the ore and collected as 'base bullion.' The sulfur, forms with the copper e.nd iron a 'matte,' while the remaining bases unite Wxth the silica to form 'slag.' If there are not bases enough in the original ore to form a suitable slag, fluxes must be added. The 'base bullion' is refined for the production of pure lead, and the recovery of the gold, silver and other precious metals. The lead copper 'matte' is resmelted..and refined. High-grade non-siliceous -jj'i xniP4: •JfciwV-w Qv 81 LEAD (Continued) ores containing little silver, are best treated by roasting and reduction in the reverberatory furnace. This process may be divided Into tv/o stages, namely oxidation and reduction. The ore is ground fine, spread out evenly over the hearth, and heated for several hours, at comparatively low temperature (500° to 600^^ Centigrade). The cliarge is frequently raked over to expose new Surface to the action of the heat and air. Only part of the galena is changed to lead sulfate, the remainder being unaltered. The temperature is then raised to about 700° Centigrade, when the oxide and sulfate formed in the first stage, re-act with the unchanged galena, producing metallic lead, which flov;s down the inclined hearth and collects in a basin, while the sulfur dioxide gao passes off through the flue. Slaked lime is often added to stiffen the charge and to make it spongy. The process of oxidation and reduction is repeated several times, before the greater part of the lead is obtained from the charge, each successive operation being shorter and the temperature higher. Towards the end, coal or charcoal is added for further reduction. The slag residue may still contain considerable lead, and this is treated in the blast furnace. The refining of the bullion is accomplished by electrolysis. USES - Metallic lead is used to make storage batteries, cable coverings, pipes, foil, weights, bullets and shot. It is a constituent of various alloys such as solder (lead and tin), type metal (lead and antimony), low fusing alloys (lead, bismuth, and tin). A large amount of lead is used in the form of the basic carbonate, (Pb0H)2Pb( 00-5)2, which is known as white lead and is very valuable as a paint pigment. The oxides of lead, litharge, PbO, and minium, Pb-504, are used in making fine grades of glass, in glazing earthenware, and as pigment. Lead chromates are used as yellow and red paints. Lead acetate, known as sugar of lead, has Important uses in various industries. TESTS - V/lth soda on charcoal a malleable globule of metallic lead is obtained from lead compounds; the coating has a yellow color near the assay; the Sulfide gives also a white coating (PbSO^) farther off. On being touched with the reducing flame the coating disappears, tlngeing the flame azure-blue. On plaster, lead .iodide coating is chrome-yellow. In solutions dilute sulfuric acid gives a white precipitate of lead sulfate; v/hen delicacy is required an excess of the acid is added, the solution evaporated to dryness, and water added; the lead sulfate, if present, will then be left as a residue. MARKETS - New York lead, 5.850?;; St. Louis lead, 5.700^'.-,» (Quotations July 3I, 1941) -2- ',it'-^-''t 82 LEAD (Continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS Ajax Metal Co., 48 Richmond St., Philadelphia, Pa. American Smelting and Refining Co., Selby Smelter, Selby, Calif. American Smelting & Refining Co., Murray, Utah. C. M. Athey Paint Co., 500 South Hanover St., Baltimore, Md. Belmont Smelting Sc. Refining V/orks, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Bunker Hill Smelter, Bradley, Idaho. Camel Lead, Color & Chemical Products Mfg. Corp., 278 G-reen St.-, Brooklyn, N. Y. Goldsmith Bros. Smelting ^ J^efining Co., 58 East Was-hington St., Chicago, 111. International Smelting Sc Refining Co., Tooele, Utah. National Lead Company, 111 Broadv/ay, New York, N. Y. St. Joseph Lead Co., 250 Park Ave., Hev/ York, N. Y. U. S. Smelting, Refining Sc Mining Co., 57 William St., New York, N. Y. U. S. Smelting, Refining and Mining Co., Midvale, Utah. BIBLIOGRAPHY Adolf Pabst, Minerals of California, Calif. State Div. of Mines Bull. No. 113. (1938) E. V/. Pehrson and H. M. Meyer. Lead. Minerals Yearbook (1940). pp. 107-125. NOTES 1. Specimens of lead ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Cerussite, a lead carbonate, PbCO^ and anglesite, a lead sulfate, PbS02j. are secondary minerals which occur in the oxidized zone of lead aeposlts. -oOo- -3- .'•« '4 state of California , ^^.- Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley . Ferry Building State Mineralogist AftiiL - 1^4^ San Francisco • COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) LIMESTONE By G-eorge L. G-arj-, Mineral Technologist • There is a wide variety of limestone ranging from pure calcium carbonate to very impure siliceous, carbonaceous, dolomitic, or ferru- ginous material, PROPERTIES - Calcite (CaCOj, calcium carbonate, CaO 56 percent) is found in well-defined crystals which are often very lairge; as crystalline crusts and druses; in cleavable or granular masses; and as stalactitic pisolitic, and oolitic forms. The cleavage is perfect rhombohedral in three directions at angles of 75°. Luster vitreous. It is usually colorless, white, or amber, but it may be any color, varying with impurities. Hardness 3. Specific gravity 2.72. Dol omite when pure has the formula CaMg(CO^) 2 (calcium, magnesium carbon: 'e) but iron usually replaces part of the magnesium and mangan- ese in bmall amounts is sometimes present. It grades into ankerlte, CaC0-5(MgFeMn) CO-z, a calcium, magnesium, iron carbonate which may cr may not contain magnesium. The cleavage is rhombohedral like that of calcite but is often curved. Luster vitreous to pearly. Color white to reddish or greenish white; also rose red, green, brown, gray, or black. Hardness 3^ to 4. Specific gravity 2.83 to 3.00, increas- ing with the iron content. OCCURRENCE - Most commercially important limestones were origin- ally deposited on the ocean bottom as accumulations of calcareous shells along with varying quantities of impurities such as magnesium carbonate, silica, clayey material, organic matter, etc. These calcareous sediments are converted to limestone by compaction, de- hydration, and crystallization. Limestone may also be deposited from fresh water containing calcium carbonate in solution. Commercial deposits of limestone in California are being worked in Alameda, El Dorado, Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles,. Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara," Santa Cruz, and Tuolumne counties. PREPARATION - Limestone is converted to lime, also known as "quicklime", TCaO) by heating to drive off carbon dioxide gas (CO2) . The reaction is carried out in a kiln at about 1100^0 and is known as calcination or burning. (For a more detailed discussion of the various types of kilns and their operation see I.C. 6884R of the United States Bureau of Mines) . Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(0H)2) is prepared by crush- -1- ■■.\ ' ''' .. .'■'I*..' '.' i ii^.C-M -■-:•:'■ -. -. \ .' ^(rJi'f. "■ / ■'•■ -: J ■ ■ LIMESTONE (continued) -.;. Ing calcined lime to about one inch as it comes from the kiln, slak- ing it, and classifyins the fine powder thus produced to remove any- core or overburned lime that is not slaked. USES - Limestone and its products have a wide variety of uses, the building industries, agricultural, chemical, metallurgical, and manufacturing industries being the most important. In addition to being used for building stone, limestone, as hydrated lime (Ca(0H)2) or quicklime (GaO), is used as mortar, plaster, or masonry cement in structural work. When used as a fertilizer, lime neutralizes the acid in the soil, replenishes the supply of calcium and magnesium, aids the growth of beneficial bacteria, improves the texture and permeability of heavy soil, hastens the decay of organic matter and the formation of nitrates, etc. (I.C. 6884). Large quantities of limestone are used in metallurgical opera- tions as a flux and as lime in refractory brick. Lime is essential in the sulphite process for making paper. Other uses requiring smaller tonnages are for softening water, in the manufacture of certain kinds of glass, in treating leather, as a clarifying and purifying agent in the extraction of sugar from either beets or cane, in the manufacture of glycerine and soap, in bleaching powder (chloride of lime), etc. TESTS - Calcite effervesces vigorously in cold dilute hydro- chloric acid, and gives a wet test for calcium (see below). The action is less vigorous for the dolomitic limestones. When a powdered calcium mineral is moistened with hydrochloric acid it imparts a yellowish red color to the flame. (The strontium flame is a deeper red) , Dolomite limestones and impure limestones contain iron, magnesium and calcium. To identify these elements, dissolve some of the pow- dered material in hydrochloric acid and add a few drops of nitric acid to convert ferrous iron. to ferric iron, then add ammonium hydroxide in excess. A brown red flocculent precipitate indicateB iron (See our paper on aluminum for the distinction between ferric hydroxide (iron) and aluminum hydroxide in the same precipitate). Filter off the ferric hydroxide and to the filtrate add ammonium oxalate. A 'v/hite precipitate indicates calcium. Carefully filter, and to" 'the filtrate add more ammonium oxalate to insure complete removal of the calcium. Filter again if the solution becomes clov.'ly and to the filtrate add sodium acid phosphate, A white graniiisT" precipitate indicates magnesium. v • •' •■ • ' / • .■ ■ . .- MRKETS - The value of limestone depends upon its location artd use and no reliable quotations can be given. " '' '■ Quicklime (CaO), lump or pebble, f,o,b, San Francisco, $13,00 per ton. '' '. . ■*" Hydrated lime (Ca(0H)2)» in paper bags, f.o.b. San Francisco, • $16.00 per ton. (Quotations March 30, 1942) . POSSIBLE BUYERS ; Cf.lcium Carbonate Co., 43 East Ohio St,, Chicago, 111, Harry T. Campbell Sons Co., Towson, Md. Carbola Chemical Co., Natural Bridge, N. Y. -2- it ■■r>:: ■^r^ LIMESTONE (continued) 3^ POSSIBLE BUXERS (cont'd.) Consolidated Minerals Co., P. 0. Box 92, Long Island City, N. Y. Limestone Products Corporation of America, Newton, N. J. National Lime and Stone Co., Flndlay, Ohio. F. E. Schundler & Co., Inc., 45-15 Vernon HLvd. , Long Island City,N.Y. Smith Lime Flour Co., 286 North Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J. United States Lime Products Corp., 85 Second Street, San Francisco, California. Universal Products Corp., Thornwood, N. Y. REFERENCES ; Bowles, Oliver, Metallurgical Limestone. U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 604l, June 1927. Bowles, Oliver, and D. M. Banks. Limestone. Part I - General Information, U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6723, June 1933. Bowles, Oliver, and D. M. Banks. Lime. U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6884R, October 1941 (Revised by Duncan • McConnell) , Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. California State Division Of Mines, Bulletin II3, 1938. NOTES ; 1. Specimens of limestone, calcite, and dolomite may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Aragonite (CaCC3) is an orthorhomblc calcium carbonate, whereas calcite is hexagonal- rhombohedral. 3. Other varieties of calcite are Iceland spar, marble, onyx marble or "Mexican onyx" and travertine. Lithographic stone is a very even-grained compact limestone of buff or drab color, 4. Manganocalclte is a variety of calcite containing manganese. It turns black when weathered i -> State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES 87 ffalter W. Bradley jy^E - 1942 ■ Ferry Building Sta,te Mineralogist COLH^RCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) MAGNESITE By G-eorge L. G-ary, Minei^al Technologist • PROPERTIES - Magneslte is a magnesium carbonate, MgC03 consistf-' ing of magnesium oxide, known as "magnesia", MgO and carbon dioxide, CO2. When pure it contains 47.6^ MgO and 52.4^ CO2. It is a white, very fine-grained, compact, minutely crystalline mineral. Impure varieties are more or less coarsely crystalline in many colors - white, gray, blade, pink or even red. It Includes some slllc.a, clay,.. serpentine and oxides of iron. Mat^^nesite is brittle and has a concholdal, or shell-like, fracture. Tlie hardness varies from 3^ to 4i and the specific gravity varies from 3 to 3.12. OCCURPENCE - MagneRlte is widespread in Cfejifornia because of the great areas of serpentine, of which it is an alteration product. It occurs generally as irregular veins or pockets or as massive beds or as interstratlfled beds like sedimentary rock. The serpentine is commonly Intersected by veins and patches of snow-white to light-buff magneslte. Some of these veins and beds are commercially Important. The main deposits .lie in the serpentine belts of the Coast Ranges, but deposits also occur in serpentine in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and elsewiiere. Notable exceptions to these deposits in the metamorphlc rocks are the sedimentary deposits at Bissellin Kern County and at Af ton in Sr.n Bernardino County. A portion of the market for calcined magneslte is being supplied by magnesium oxide produced from salt-works bitterns at a plant at Newark, Alameda County, on San Francisco Bay, PREPARATION - Magneslte is quarried from open pits or mined by tunnels and s topes, the method employed depending upon the size of the deposit and its relation to the surface. Magneslte is calcined in vertical stack kilns fired v/ith v/ood, oil or coke and In rotary cylincrlcal kilns fired with oil or powdered coal. Caustic magneslte is the pi^oduct resulting from calcining crude magneslte at a temperature of 700° to 1200° C. About 2fo to ifo 9O2 is left in the product, since it has been found that a calcination temperature high enough to expel all of the CO-2 would impair the Cementing properties of the magneslte. Dead-burned magneslte is the product obtained by calcining magneslte at a temperature of 1450° to 1900° C, thereby the carbon dioxide content is reduced to less than 1^, and the product remains inert in the presence of air, unlike the caustic ivariety which takes up carbon dioxide on exposure to air. By |dlspelllng virtually all of the C O2 (less than 0.5 percent) the grains are sintered to dense particles suitable for refractory purposes. -1- • iji, .i;--::vv;i/. .JXw ■•usu i,''vCj,j '^1 iyi i-.j'i- * .iwi' t;)'j 88 FAGNESITE (contiiued) USES - The never-ending search for a light, durable, high- tensile- strength metal or alloy has lee?, to a material increase in the production and use of the metal magnesium, as the lightest structural metal commercially available. The essential industrial use of magnesite is in metallurgy, as a refractory material for lining furnaces. There is no technically satisfactory substitute for magnesite brick. Chrome brick, however, are used for much the ss-me purpose in other zones in the furnace linings. In the building trades the various compounds of magnesite meet the keen comipetition from other minerals.' In the near future it may well be that the market for magnesium metal may increase materially. This suggestion is based upon the fact tha.t the present trends are toward reduction in weight for such commodities as cars, buses, trucks, trailers, airplanes, and portable equipment, and magnesium metal or e-n alloy mr.y well meet this trend. Should this development take place, keen competition between aluminum, and magnesium, as well as special high- strength alloy steels, will result. Magnesium is one- third lighter theji aluminum, and although the volume of production is still small it has become one of its chief competitors. In the m.anufacture of stucco, plaster boards, and such building m.aterials as base-coat, sanded, finished, and mold- ' ing plasters, plasterboard and lath, v/allboard, partition tiles, and insulating materials, magnesite has miany competitors among which it would be difficult to choose substitutes, TES TS - Magnesite is not acted upon by cold dilute hydro- chloric acid but dissolves readily with effervoscenoe in hot acid. If the solution is made strongly alkaline with •ammoEin, and sodium phonphate a,ddcd, a v;hite crystalline precipitate will be formed. Before testing, however, it must be ascertained whether other substcances are present which v;ould tend to form e. precipitate, A good procedure is as follov/s: Dissolve a very small portion of the mlnei-'al in a small quantity of boiling hydrochloric acid, add a drop or tv/o of nitric acid and then water, and again heat to boiling. Add ammonia in excess, and filter if there is a precipitate. To the filtrate add ammonia oxalate and ag^iin filter If there is a precipitate. Then add sodium phosphate and as noted above a white crystalline precipitate indicates magnesium, MARKETS - Per ton, f.o.b. California, dead-burned, $32. Artificial perlclase, 94 per cent MgO, $65; 90 percent ^35* Caustic, 95 percent MgO, white color, |40; 85 percent MgO, no color standard, $37.50, Wa.shir.gton: Dead-burned grain magnesite, $22. (Quotations May 21,1942). POSSIBLE BUYE RS American (;:/a:iar.;id & Qiemical Corp., 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. Bradley & Ekstrom, 320 Market Street, San Francisco, California. Leonard J. Buck, Inc., 1 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. C.B.R. Fitz-Willlams and Company, Ltd., 904 Sec-arlty Building, St. Louis, Missouri, Magnesite Products Co,, Re.y Building, Oakland, California Schofield-Doiiald Co,, Inc. 154 Nassau Street, New York, N. Y, Tho Warner Chemical Ob,, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y. Westvaco Chlorine Products Co,, Nev/ark, California, V>:i-iittaker, aark & DeJilels, Inc, 260 West Broadv/ay, New York, N. Y, Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc, 295 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. -2- I 'a^ •■ ■i% e--:- Or. vV. Bain: Tyues of Maf>nesite Deposits and Their Origin. Econ. Geol. (1924) 19, 412-433. Walter W. Bradley; Magneslte ia California. California State Division of Mines. Bulletin 79 (1925). C. F. Floe: Magnesium Metal from V/ashington Magneslte and Dolomite Deposits. State College of T/ashington Met. Research Bur. Bulletin B (1934). Herbert A. Franke and M. E. Trought: Magnesium. Minerals Yearbook, (1940), U. S. Bur. Mines, 717-725. F. L. Hess: The Magneslte Deposits of California. U. S. G-eological Survey Bulletin 355 (1908). J. S. McDowell and R. M. Howe: Magneslte Refractories, Jnl. Araer. Ceramic Soc. (March 1920) 3, 185-246. This is a good general treatise on magneslte occurrences, mining and utilization. Adolf Pabst; Minerals of California. Bulletin 113. California State Division of Mines. 1933. 0. C. Ralston, R. D. Pike and L. H. Duschak: Plastic Magnesia. U. S- Bur. Mines Bulletin 236 (1925). P. M. Tyler: Magneslte. U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 6437 (May 1931) NOTES ; 8S MAGNESITE (continued) BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Specimens of magneslte may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry BLiilding, San Francisco, California. 2. The demand for magneslte greatly increased during the European War. 1914-1918, because of its extensive use for- refractory .. linings in =11 kinds of smelting furnaces, and because of its' numerous other appl:-o?,ulons which made it indirectly of great value as a war mineral*. As a refractory it is a substitute for chromite. It thus released much of the latter mineral for use in the manufacture of steel. 3- Other magnesium minerals of commercial value are dolomite and bruc.ite which will be covered in other papers in this series In addition, there are more than 100 raagneslan minerals occurring either in small amounts or in such chemical combinations as not to be economically reoaverable at the present -time. oOo . :rvi4-»i * '. s| ■ia • '4 ti.- ''i ♦ ; ;1 :•.■' ■')'. state of California Departnent of Natural Resources DIVISION OF IvCLNES 90 jWalter \7. Bradley ,^ Ferry Building I State laneralogist NOVEMBER - 1941 San Francisco OOIEffiRCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) MAGNESIUM By George L, Gary, Mineral Teclmologlst Raw materials fron v/hich economic extraction of magnesium Is feasible include magnesium chloride derived from sea and lake water, underground brine, and salt, potash and other saline operations; and iraagneslum oxide derived from magnesite, brucite and dolomite. PROPER TIES - Brucit e (magnesium hydroxide, Ms(0H)2, 41.6 percent magnesium) is usualJ.y found in foliated m.a,sses and fibrous seam^s. The cleavage is in one direction, color i;;'hite or greenish white, luster pearly or silky, hardness 2g-, specific gravity 2.4. Kaigneaitg (magnesium carbonate, MgCO-z, 28.7 percent magnesium) occurs in clcavable or compact porcelain like masses. Rhombohedral cleavage is sometimes prominent. The color is usually v/hite or gray but it may be reddish or brown. The luster is dull, hardness 4 to 5-2-, specific gravity 3.0 to 3.3. Dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate 0Dlis{COj^)2, 21.7 percent magnesium) Ts found as crystals, in cleavable masses, and in granular and massive forms. The cleavage is rhom.bohedral like thp.t of calclte but is often curved. The color is v/hite, pink or gray, luster pearly to vitreous, hardjiess 3-1 to 4, specific gravity 2.8 to 3.0. Carnellite (hyoj^ous potassium m.agnesium chloride KCLMgClg'^HoO) occurs massive or granular. It is very deliquescent and has a bitoer, saline taste. The fracture is conchoidal, it is colorless to reddish, luster vitreous, hardness 1, specific gravity 1.6. OGCURHSNGE - Magnesite occurs abundantly, but generally in small deposits, in the California Coast Ranges, where it may be found as irregular pockets principally as an alteration product in seroentine. It also occurs as bedded deposits due to the replacement of limestone or dolomite, or the direct deposition of magnesium carbonate. Magnesite is found in 23 counties in California. In addition to the ODast Range deposits there are two important sedimentary deposits; one near Bissel, Kern County, and the other at Afton, San Bernardino County, Recent shipments have come from Imperial, Santa Clara, and Stanislaus counties. -1- ^ . ■-■ ■g '*">';'^.— '■;.'-' ,■. v/^- 'Tr? 91 FiAGNESIUIvI (Continued) There is no recorded, production of bruoite in California although it has been observed in Riverside and San Francisco counties. Erucite occurs in a deposit of commercial importance on the western slope of Paradise Range in northv/estern Nye County, Nevada. Beds of dolomite or c.olomitic limestone are common in sedimentary .deposits. Dolomite is often associated v/ith serpentine and other magnesian rocks, in v;hich it may be found as v/hite veins. The most important occurrences of dolomite in California and the sources of recent shipments are in Inyo, Monterey, and San Benito counties. It is found in thirteen counties in all. There are no reported occurrences i^f carnellite in California. It occurs in salt beds associated with anhydrite, halite, sylvite, and kainite. USES - There is a growing demand for magnesium in industry due to the gradual realization of the excellent properties of the metal and a constant improvement in the technique of production and Ifabrication. I Magnesium weighs about one- third less than aluminum (specific gravity of ma^^nesium 1.74; specific gravity of aluminum 2.70). Its tensile strength is slightly less than that of aluminum and it is more subject to corrosion. Magnesium- base alloys when properly heat treated and aged develop tensile strengths that compare favorably with those of aluminum alloys. These alloys are malleable and ductile and can be machined more readily than any other sti'uctural metal. The airci^aft industries consume about 80 percent of the structural magnesium- base alloys produced for use in engines, fuselage, wings, and wheels. (Magnesium-base alloys contain about 85 percent magnesium.) The automobile, high-speed tool, textile and other industries consume about 20 percent of the output. Before the value of magnesium alloys for structural purposes was recognized, the metal was used as a deoxidizer in nonferrous metallurgy, a constituent of aluminum alloys, in amm.unition, and in flares. PREPARATION - Domestic supplies of magnesium are obtained from ■ underground brine at Midland, Michigan, from sea water at Freeport, Texas, and from magnesiiom oxide at the Todd-California Shipbuilding Company's plant at Permenente, 15 miles northwest of ^an Jose, Calif. The larger part of the world output of magnesium is produced by the electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride. The more recent method of direct electro thermal reduction was developed by Dr. Fritz J. Hansgirg and is now being used at Permenente. Magnesia (MgO) and carbon are heated at temperatures above 1900°C., and the resulting mixture of magnesium and carbon monoxide (CO) is cooled to 200°C., rapidly and in the absence of oxygen. This is done by chilling and condensing the vapor in a -2- MGNESIM (continued) ^2 ijohamber filled with methane (CH4). The resulting Impure magnesium is purified by distillation. In a pilot plant, the U. S, Bureau of Mines Is employing a spray of hydrocarbon oil to chill and condense the magnesium vapor. The magnesium and oil are then separated by distillation. TESTS - Magnesite is usually distinguished by the compact white masses, but some varieties show good cleavage and are distinguished by ,the relatively high specific gravity. It may be necessary to prove [that calcium is not an essential constituent. It is infusible, B rucite is soluble In HCl. It yields water in the closed tube. , Dolomite is infusible and colors the flame yellowish red. The' Ijlron-bearing varieties darken in the closed tube and also become magnetic v;hen heated in a reducing flame on charcoal. Large fra.gments are only slightly attacked by cold dilute HGl. In solutions, sulfuric acid gives a v/hlte crystalline precipitate. Carnellite is distinguished 'o-j its bitter taste and lack of cleavage. It is soluble in water. Magnesium may be identified in the presence of WH4OH and NK4CI. •Upon addition of Na2HP04, NH4 Mg?04.6H20 is precipitated slowly. The solution should be cold. Other metals (except alkali-as) must be absent as they also give precipitates. MRKETS - Magnesium meta l - Per pound ingots, (4 x 16 inches) 99.8 pei'cent carload lots, 22ic; 100 lbs. or more, less than carload, 24-|c. Extruded sticks, carload lots, 29ic; 100 lbs. or more, less than parload, 31-^^c (Quotations May 21, 1942). I Magnesite Per Ion, f.o.b. California, dead burned, $32, Artificial pcriclase, 94 percent MgO, $65; 90 percent $35* Caustic, 95 pei'cent MgO, v/hite color, $40; 85 percent MgO, no color standard, if37.50. Washington: Dear burned grain magnesite, $22. (Quotations ifey 21, 1942).. . • POSSIBLE BUYERS - Since the raw materials for magnesium have variety of uses as compounds, possible buyers other than those producing magnesium metal are also listed. Magnesite Bradley & Ekstrom, 320 Market Street, San Francisco, California Leonard J. Buck, Inc., 1 IJewark Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. ■larry H. Df^vidson, 17 State Street, New York, N. Y. General Magnesite & Magnesia Co., 2960 EaSv, Venango St., Philadelphia, Pa. , Joldwynne Magnesite & Magnesia Corp., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. ■lachmeister & Lind Chemical Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. Ennis, Speiden & Co., 117 Liberty St., New York, N.Y. atsui & Co., Ltd., Empire State Building, New York,N. Y. ^ E. Schundler & Co., Inc., 620 Railroad St., Joliet, 111. Slcklick & Compan;y, Ltd., 40 East 49th St., New York, N. Y. Speiden ViThitfield Co., Ijic, 150 Nassau St,, New York, N. Y. Che Wprner Chemical Co., 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y. Vhittaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. 7ishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Avenue, Nev/ York, N. Y. -3- ■1, :■> 10 HOfSl' ■; ^'/i/i- ;^»5:ofr! ^;: i 93 liAGNESIUI.1 (Continued) Magnesium hydroxide (Bruclte) J. T. Baker Chemical Qo, , Phlllipsburg, N. J. California Chemical CO., Dlv. V/estvaco Chlorine Products Corp., 405 i Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. j Malllnckrodt Chemical .Works, St, Louis, Mo. I Marine Magnesium Products Corporation, South San Francisco, Calif. ^ Merck & Co, , Inc., Rahway, N. J. Meyer Magnesia Co., 153 No* Dearborn Ave,, Kankakee, 111. JG. G. Robins & Co., 12$ Chouteau Ave,, St. Louis, Mo. ■ ^chof ield-Donald Co., Inc., 83 Shipman St., Newark, N. J. The Vferner Chemical Co., 405 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. Whitta.ker, Clp.rk & Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. Magnesium Metal Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belm.ont Ave., Brooklyn, N, Y. 'The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan. G-olwynne Magneslte &' Maf^nesia Corp., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, i\' . 1 . Metallurgical Products Co., 35th and Moore St., Philadelphia, Pa. F. Rudloff, 59 Pearl St., New York, N. Y. BIBLIOC-RAPKY Bradley, Walter 7/. Magneslte In California. Bulletin 79, California State Division of Mines. 1925. Callaghan, Eugene. Bruclte Deposits, Paradise Range, Nevada - A Prelim.lnary Report. Bulletin of the Nevada State Bureau of Mines and Mackay School of Mines. Vol.27, No. 1. 1933- Franke, Herbert A. Magnesium; Its Production and Use. Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. Vol. 48, No. 3, March 1941. pp. 75-77. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. Bulletin II3. California State Division of Mines. 1938. Rogers, Austin Flint. Introduction to the Study of Minerals. McGraw-Hill Book Compaiy, I^^°- New York and London. 1937. NOTE Specimens of magnesium may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Franciiico. California. ~oOo- -4- state of California 95 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MII^JES Walter W. Bradley _„_,__„, -,^,„ Ferry Buildins State Mineralogist SEPTEi-fflEx^ - 1942 San Francisco COMH,^RCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) MANGANESE By G-eorge L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - The most important ores of manganese are psilo- melane and oyrolusite, the two minerals often occurring together and quite frequently in alternating layers* They are generally associated with llmonite, the common yellow oxide of iron. Psilomelane is essentially manganese dioxide and manganese monoxide with some com- bined v;ater, barium oxide and small amounts of iron. It is massive and botryoidal, or grape-like, in structure. It is iron-black or dark steel-gray in color, and gives a brownish black streak. The hardness is 5-7; the gravity varies from 3.3 to 4.7* Pyrolusite is a black mineral, v/hich is usually sooty and soft enough to soil the fingers when ha.ndled. Its chemical composition is manganese dioxide, Mn02, but like all ores it contains some impurities such as silica, iron ana lime. It is usually columnar, often divergent and granular massive in structure. It is iron-black, dark steel-gray, sometimes bluish in color, and gives a black or bluish black streak. The hardness is 2 - 2.5, much softer than psilomelane; the gravity varies from 4.73 - 4.86. OCCURRENCE - Nearly all commercial manganese deposits are of- secondary foi-mation; ti-uat is, they are concentrated from manganese minerals more sparsely distributed in rocks. Some manganese occurs in soft gravel or clo.y formations, but in other places the mineral is found in the form of veins and rounded nodules in limestone and hard rock. Manganese occurs in irregular masses v/ith smooth surfaces in jasper in the Coast Ranges and in slates, shales and igneous rocks of the Sierra Nevada. The majority of the manganese deposits of Calif- ornia are located in the Coast Ranges. They are widely distributed from Siskiyou County, southerly through Trinity, Humboldt, Tehama, Mendocino, Glenn, Lake, Sonoma, and Napa Counties, Further south there is a prominent belt including the easterly portion of Alameda, Santa Clara and San Benito counties and the westerly portion of San Joaquin, -Stanislaus and Merced counties. There are several deposits in the northwestern part of San Luis Obivspo County. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada there are numerous deposits, principally in Plumas, Butte, Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. A fev; properties are located in San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial and Kern counties, CL ASSIFICAT ION - Manganese ore comprises four different raw materials, determined by grade and quality as follows: 1. Exceptionally high-grade manganese ore characterized by a high content of Mn02 is used in making batteries. It commands the highest unit price and is knovm as battery ore, or chemical ore. -1- >^:' J 96 MANGANESE (continued) 2. At the other extreme is manganiferous iron ore, usually containing 10 percent or less manganese; it is used for making raanganiferous pig iron. The domestic supply of such ore is so abundant that the manganese it contains is usually paid for as if lit v/ere iron. Between these tv/o extremes are the ores low in iron that are suitable for making ferromanganes^ and those high in iron used for ;inaking spiegeleisen, although some of it is used for making pig iron. 3. For making ferro manganese, the ore usually contains at least 45 percent manganese but averages 48 percent, and the ratio of manganese to iron is not less than 7 to 1 though it usually is 8 to jl, while there must be low silica, ranging from 7 to 10 percent and Very low phosphorus, ranging from 0.12 to 0,2 percent. Only manganese pre of this ciiaracter has been designated as a strategic imineral because domestic production is inadequate, I I I 4. Ore in which the manganese- iron ratio is too lov/ for making iiferromanganese can be used for making spiegeleisen. Of such manganese ores, high in iron, there is no deficiency, and a relatively lov/ price is paid for the manganese they contain.- /Although an excess of silica often can be remedied by gravity concentration, iron is difficult to remove by that means because the specific gravities of iron and manganese oxides are so nearly the same, USES - The principal use of manganese is in the manufacture of steel. All ordinary steels require some manganese to give essential physical characteristics,. No satisfactory substitutes for manganese have been found for this purpose, V/hen large quantities bf manganese are added to steel a manganese- steel alloy is formed which is very tough and resistant to abrasion. The battery industry, the ceramic industry, the glass industry, and many chamical indus- tries employ considerable manganese. Usually ores quite high in ffiuiganese are required, but various other properties control their suitability for a particular use. TESTS - Make a borax bead by dipping a loop of fine platinum wire into powdered borax, and heating jmtil the powder is reduced to a clear glass.- A little of the powder of the manganese mineral will cover this bead violet- red in the oxidizing flame, and colorless in the reducing flame. With soda in the oxidizing flame it gives a bluish green bead; this reaction is very delicate and may be relied upon, even in the presence of almost any other motal. Minerals iQontaining any oxide of manganese, higher than the protoxide, such as jpyrolusite or psilomelane, evolve chlorine when heated with hydro- chloric acid, and this can be detected by its odor, MARKE TS - Manganese Ore - Per long ton of Mn, dry basis, c,i,.f,, Atlantic ports, steamers paying for discharge, exclusive of duty (subject to usual penalties for objectionable impurities): Brazilian, 48 percent, 65c.; 46 percent, 64c. Chilean, 48 percent, 68c. Indian, 50 p(;rcent, 66c.; 48 percent, 64c., nominal. South African, excluding war risk insurance, 48 percent, 65c.; 46 percent, 632C. Duty-free manganese ore: - Cuban, 51 percent, 81c.; 48 percent, 79c.; 45 percent, 75c. Philipoine, 50 percent, 81c., nominal. Domestic, 43 percent, $1.00, f.o.b. mines, (Quotations September 1942). -2- :j&.'iJ. . ■ ■ \j "4 •^- G- ■' 97 MANGANESE (continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS American Manganese Corp., Box 629, Torrance, Calif. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 20th & Illinois Sts., San Francisco, Calif, Bradley & EkvStrom, 320 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Pueblo, Colo. Columbia Steel Co., Russ Building, San Francisco, Calif, Electro-Metallurgical Co., 30 East 42nd St., New York, N. Y. Foote Mineral Co,, 1609 Sumaer St., Philadelphia, Pa. G-eneral Dry Batteries Inc., 13000 Athens Ave., Cleveland, Ohio W. R, Grace & Co., 7 Hanover Square, New York, N. Y. Chas. Hardy, Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, N. Y, E. J. Lavino & Co., Bullitt Bldg. , Philadelphia, Pa. Metals Reserve Co., Washington, D. C. i Ore, Metal & Engineering Corp., 112 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. ;|, Henry Rising & Co., 626 St. Paul Ave,, Los Angeles, Calif. U. S. Vanadium C31t»., 114 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. Vance & Barnes, Ltd., 1131 Park Ave., Alameda, Calif. BIBL I OGRAPHY Walter ?/. Bradley, Emile Huguenin, C. A. Logan, W. B. Tucker and C. A. ''.'nring: Manganese and Chromium in Qnlifornia, California State Division of Mines Bull. 76 (1918). G. H. Chambers: Manganese, Industrial Minerals and Rocks, (1937). The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, An excellent treatise on the uses of manganese outside of the metallurgical field. R. S. Dean, Fred D. DeVaney and V/ill H. Coghill. Manganese — Its Occurrence, Milling and Metallurgy. Part I. U. S. Bureau of Mines Inf. Circular. 6768 (May 1934). C. G. Maier. Manganese — Its Occurrence, Milling and Metallurgy, Part II. U.S. Bur. Mines Inf, Circular 6769 (May 1934). R. S. Dean, Edmund S. Leaver and T.L. Joseph, Manganese — Its Occurrence, Milling and Metallurgy, Part III, U, S. Bur, Mines Inf. Circ, 6770 (May 1954), G. R, Fitterer and M, B, Royer, Manganese — Its Occurrence, Milling and Metallurgiy-, Part IV. U.S. Bur. Mines Inf, Circ. 6771 (May 1934). Mabel E. Winslow. Manganese — Its Occurrence, Milling and Metallurgy. Part V. U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 6772 (May 1934), R. H, Ridgway and H. W. Davis: Manganese and Manganif erous Ores. Minerals Yearbook (1940). U.S. Bur. Mines, 571-589. NOTES 1. Specimens of manganese ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Other manganese minerals of minor commercial value are manganito, hausmannite, braunite and rhodochrosite. 3. Prices of manganese ores and specifications for different grades are changi:ig monthly. The Division of Mines v/ill be glad to furnish new prices and specifications upon request. oOo -3- '!;• -l •' jtifi' ■■3#T -■ '^P ,XK 99 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley j,IA.Y - 1941 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COm^ERCIAL MINER/VLS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) MIgA By G-eorge L, G-a^y, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Strictly speaking, "mica" Is not the name of a mineral, but a group name for a number of aluminum silicate minerals all of the same general type and characterized by their high reflection and a basal cleavage so perfectly developed that they can be split into exceedingly thin laminae, v;hi6h are more or less tough, elastic, and transparent, 8-ccording to variety. Five species of mica are commercially important, muscovite, biotite, phlogopite, lepidolite and roscoelite; of these muscovite, biotite and phlogopite are used solely because of their physical properties, v;hereas lepidolite and roscoelite are mined as ores of lithium and vanadium respectively. Of these five minerals, muscovite, or potash mica, H2KAlj(Si04)3 is the most important mica of commerce. It usually occurs m cleagages and scaly masses; sometimes as tabular crystals, hexagonal or rhombic iia outline, v/ith vertical faces rough and striated. Thin laminae of muscovite are transparent, flexible, elastic, and usus-lly colorless. Sheets 1/8 inch or more in thickness, however, usually show a distinct color - some shade of gray, brown, yellow, or green. The streak is colorless and the luster vitreous to more of less pearly or silky. The hardaiess is 2 - 2.5 and the specific gravity 2,76 ~ 3. OCCURRENCE - Muscovite is the most common of the m.icas; as an essential constituent in all granites, gneisses, schists, and other related rock it occurs in hugh quantities. However, it rarely has commercial value in these forms as it usually cannot be recovered economically. A few schists exceptionally rich in muscovite (or cericite, a fine scaly muscovite united in fibrous aggregates and characterized by its silky luste-r) are milled for their mica content. With these exceptions all commercial muscovite is derived from pegmatites, the sole source of sheet mica the world over. Pegmatites ha.ve been defined as "rocks with coarsely and unevenly crystallized and segragated minerals occuring as dikes, veins, or met.amorphic masses formed from the aqueous solutions of a freezing magma or from the combination of the solutions with previously existing minerals". Phlogopite is a scarce mineral compared v/ith muscovite, although it is quite abundant in some regions of contact metamorphism. However, so I'ar as known, there are but few areas in the world in v/hich commercial deposits of sheet phlogopite occur - the Privinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada, eastern Madagascar, and Russia. Extensive areas of mica^schiats occur in California, in v/hich muscovite is a principal constituent and gives the rock its schistose structure; some muscovite and sericite are commercially produced. -I- 1 100 MICA (continued) PFIEPARATION - After a preliminary sorting at the mine, discard- 'ing all material unsuitable for the production of sheets, the rough blca goes to the cobbing shed, where the crystals or "books" are cler.ned of adhering rock and split into sheets. The next step is the trimming of the sheets to facilitate further splitting, as well as to remove the imperfections. The trimmed sheets are known as "uncut" or ;"unmanufactured" sheet mica, and are mostly sold in this form, jalthough some producers carry the operations through the final stage ■of cutting the sheet to standard market sizes and shapes, giving what lis known as "cut" sheet which is classified as to quality and graded for size. The scrap produced in trimming sheets is available for punch mica, splittings and ground mica. USES - The chief uses for mica center around its high insulating and dielectric properties, inertness to high temperatures, low heat conductivity, flexibility, cleavage, toughness, and transparency. There are three main commercial classes. Sheet mica, including punch, splittings and scrap. Sheet mica is used chiefly if or electrical purposes and glazlngj splittings are made into built- up mica; scrap is ground to a powder. Specific uses of mica may be found in the information circular on "Mica" listed in the bibliography, TESTS ~ The micas are easily distinguished by their perfect cleavage; thin laminae flexible and elastic when bent, very tough, harsh to the touch, passing into kinds which are less elastic and have a more or less unctous or talc-like feel. Muscovite in the iclosed tube gives water. Before the blowpipe it whitens and fuses on itiie thin edges to a gray or yellow glass. With fluxes gives reactions ifor iron and sometimes manganese. Not decomposed by acids. Decomposed ion fusion 'with alkaline carbonates. !/iARKETS Mica, per ton, f,o,b, Nev/ Mexico, scrap, white, $16; off color, $12. Punch, white, for disks, per lb, 12^ for washers 10}^, Per ton, f.o,b. New Hampshire, roofing mica, ^23; snow, $35; 40 m.esh white, S540; 60 mesh, $48; 100 mesh $60; 200 mesh, $75. Clean :dry mixed bench and mine scrap, ^16,00 ® $18.00. Per lb. f.o.b. North Carolina: Punch 8 © 15^2^; li x 2 in.; 45 @ 60;;;; 2x2, 60 @ 80$z^: 2x3, 90^ @ $1.20; 3x3, $1.25 © |1.50; 3.x 4, fl.50 © fl.75; 3x5, $1.75 @ $2.25; 4x6, $2.75 @ $3.50; 6x8, $4.25 © $4.75; 8 x 10, $8.50 ® $8.75. The above prices apply to No.l and No, 2 quality stock. Stained qualities take from 25 to 35 percent discount. White North Carolina mica, 70 mesh, $60 to $80 |per ton, Blotite, or black nioa, $15 por. ton undbrground. White, ttoorgla, 300 aesh, $20.00; ground roofing, 20 oesh, ^18; sericitej) 300 mesh, $15; mica schist, 20 mesh, $16;00. (Quotations, May 1941). -2- j>iO:5':iOt>..'Ci , I <-i^^ 4^*'' M ® 0;l-,^ -\: .'%-> ^& M'^% 101 MICA (continued) POSSIBLE BUYERS Ground Mld a , rAmerican Rubber Mfg. Co., Park Ave.-, and Watts St., Oakland, Calif, I Paraff Ine Cd'. , Inc., 475 Brannan St^, San Francisco, Calif. I Samson lire and Rubber Co., 5725 Telegraph Road, Los Angeles, Calif. ' Standard Oil Co, of California, 225 Bush St., San Francisco, Calif. Sheet Mica and Splittings : Ford Radio & Mica Corp., 832 - 4th Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. (uncut), I General Electric Co., 1 River Road, Schenectady, N. Y, I Mica Insulator Co., 200 Varick St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Reliance Mica Co., 342 - 59th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Mica and Sericite Pacific Minerals Co., Ltd., Richmond, California. Scrap Mica Standard Oil Co. of Indiana, 910 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 111. Industrial Minero.ls Co;p, of America, 220 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY. (also punch) BIBLIOGRAPHY F.W.Horton. Mica. U.S.Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6822 (April 1935). Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin 113 (1938). G. A. Roush. Strategic Mineral Sup:ilies. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, W. Y. Paul M. Tyler and K. G. Warner. Mica. Minerals Yearbook. 1940. U.S.Bureau of Mines, pp 1403-1419. NOTES 1. Specimens of mica may be' seen in the museum of the California State Division cf Mines, Ferry Riilding, San Francisco, California. 2. A number of micaceous minerals known as vermiculites are found in California. They are all hydra ted silicates, in part closely related to the chlorites and are alteration products of the micas. The vermiculites are expanded by heating and used as insulating agents for both heat and sound. A small amount of this material has been commercially produced in Calif or ria. oOO^ -> t 103 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES ;Walter 77. Bradley ATrrTTQ^n n q j,t Ferry Building ! State Mineralogist AU(j-u.^i ~ xy^x q^^ Francisco COmiERCIAL MIrERALS OF CALIFORlvTEA (Series 1941) I MOLYBDENUM By G-eorge L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PRCEERTIES - The sulfide molybdenite, M0S2 is the most common and principal ore mineral of molybdenujn. It is found commonly I foliated, ma.ssive or in scales; also fine granular. The laminae are very flexible but not elastic. It is sectile and has a greasy feel, 'The luster is metallic; streak grayish black, color lead-gray. The :ha.rdness is 1-lt and the gravity is 4.62 - 4.73. The lead molybdate ■ wulf eni te , PbMoO^ is also an ore of molybdenum. It occurs commonly i in square tabular crystals, sometimes extremely thin; also granular massive, coarse to fine, firmly cohesive. Brittle, Luster vitreous to adamantine. Streak white; color yellov;, orange, red, gray, white. The hardness is 3 and the gravity 6,7 - 7. OCCURRENCE - Molybdenite forms as an accessory mineral in 'Certain granites; in pegmatites and aplites. Commonly in vein deposits associated wity cassiterite, scheelite, v/olframite and jfluorite; also in contact m.etamorphic deposits with lime silicates, i scheelite and chalcopyrite. ^/7ulfcnite is found in the oxidized ; portion of lead veins with other secondary lead minerals, especially 'vanadinite and pyromorphite. Molybdenite is widely distributed in .California, occurring in small flakes and leaves in quartz veins and 'granites, Wulfenite in small grains and crystals occur in California, 1 Tohe principal occurrences being in Inyo and San Bernardino counties. j PREPARA TION - Molybdenite can be concentrated readily by I flotation methods. An ore carrying less tha.n 1 percent can be concentrated to a product carrying 60 or even 70 percent molybdenite. Usually mixtures of kerosene and pine oil are used, although othte oils give satisfactory results on other ores. As f erromolybdenum, which is the chief use of molybdenum, can be made directly from molybdialite concentrates, it is not necessary to treat molybdenite chemically unless molybdic oxide or ammonium molybdate are required for chemical purposes. V/ulfenite can be concentrated by ordinary milling methods, using tables and slimers. -1- .Ji'll- .lit .!iit vu « 'j yv i .i, 'J -J JK.-.-f. MOLYBDENM (continued) 10^ USES - Molybdenum is used chiefly as an alloy, both alone and jwlthlooher f erroalloying elements In iron and steel. Its chief use is to 'replace part of the tungsten in high-speed tool steels, thus Increasing the' toughness of the steel. Molybdenum steels are used extensively in the automotive, oil and aircraft industries. In the form of ammonium molybdate, molybdenum is used as a chem.ical reagene, as a fireproof Ing material, and as a disinfectant. Molybdenum compounds are also used to color leather and rubber, and to a limited extent in the ceramic industry. TESTS - On cha.rcoal molybdenum sulfide gives near the assay ^ coppe3>-red stain (oxidizing flame), and beyond a white coating of the oxide; the former becomes azure- blue when for a moment touched with the reducing flame. The iodide coating on plaster is deep ultramarine blue. The salt of phosphorus bead (oxidizing flame) is yellov/ish green (hot) and nearly colorless (cold); also (reducing ■flame) a fine green, Molybdates are tested by putting powdered jmlneral in dry test tube with small scrap of paper, adding a few [drops of water and an equal amount of concentrated sulfuric acid. Heat until acid fumes. Cool and add slowly drops of water and Isolation will assume deep blue color. I MARKETS - Molybdenum. Per lb., 99 percent, $2.60 © |3.00. Moly];;^enum ore. Per lb. of contained M0S2, 90 percent concentrate, 45^, f.o.b, mines. (Quotations July, 1941), POSSIBLE BUYERS Slifford L. Ach, 2309 East 8th St., Los Angeles, California Arizona Molybdenum Corp,, 433 So, Spring Street, Los Angeles, Calif. Belmont Smelting & Refining ViTorks, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave,, Brooklyn, W. y. 31imax Molybdenum Company, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Pansteel Metallurgical Corp., North Chicago, 111. The Molybdenum Corp. of America. 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. ' Y. Jnited States Vanadium Corp., 114 Sansome Street, San Fr?Jicisco, Cal. BI3LI05RAPHY lolf Pabst. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin 113. (1938). )bert H. Rd^way and N. W. Davis, Molybdenum. Minera]s Yearbook (1940), pp 617-623. NOTES 1, Specimens of molybdenum ores may be seen in the museum Df the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, lifornia 2. Ferrim.olybdite, Fe20-:=^.3Mo02.8H20, occiirs commonly in small founts as an oxidization producf^of molybdenite. ooOoo X^ state of California 106 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES falter W. Bradley ..' Ferry Building 3tate Mineralogist Arnii. - .ly^g: San Francisco COITIJIERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA .(Series 1942) MONAZITE kia ALLANITE By G-eorge L. Gary, Mineral Technologist There are fifteen rare earths of which only cerium and its salts ire of commercial value. PROPERTIES - Monazite .(C:e>La,Pr,Nd)P04, a phosphate of the rare •arths cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium and neodymium, usually with ome thorium silicate, is commonly found in grains as sand. Brittle, ^itreous to resinous luster. Color yellowish brown but sometimes 'eddish. Hardness 5 to 5"|. Specific gravity 3-0 to 5.2. Allanite or orthite (Ca,Fe, )2(A10H) (AlCeFe)2(Si04) 3baslc calcium, .ron, aluminum, and cerium silicate. It occurs in flat tabular crys- ,als, also massive and in embeuo.ed grains. Cleavage in two directions, irittle. Pitchy luster. Color brownish black. Hardness 5t to 6. pecific gravity 3.5 to 4.2. OCCURRENCE - Monazite in California is found mainly in sands or legmatites, but may also occur as an accessory mineral in gneisses and granites. It has been reported from Butte, Del Norte, El Dorado, [umboldt. Placer, Plumas, ' Riverside, and Yuba counties but there has >een no production. Allanite is commonly associated with granitic rocks or pegmatites ind is found in Calaveras, Riverside, San Diego, Tulare, and Tuolumne lounties. Florida beach sands contain monazite and a small amount was pro- 'uced in 1940. In Brazil and India, monazite is recovered as a by-product from ,he concentration of beach sands for their llmenite, rutile and zircon ontent, and these countries furnish the chief sup:>ly. PR EPARATION - Cerium metal is prepared by electrolysis of the 'used cerium chloride and is steel gray in color. USES - Cerium oxio.e is used in glass, in the cores of searchlight, lotion picture, and therapy lamp carbons. Cerium acetate has recently )een used to orevent mildew. Metallic' cerium is used as a pyrophoric, ferrocerium, v/hich causes ihe spark of most gas lighters. Laboratory' experiments have shown that a two percent addition of jerium to cast iron increases its fluidity and tensile strength, and icts~«s. a desulfurizer. Thoria, derived from monazite, is used in mantles for incandescent Lights '• - 1 - fl ^'^ ---'^ ~'^' y^ Q ' ' * '* kA\ 'I . , e I i , I I - MONAZIT E A l'D ALLANIIE Tcontinued') 107 l| T ESTS - th suliurl oluble in s ctlvity "by )les sphene •equired to Allanit ■ost varleti ■iouBly igni Monazite Is Infusible but turns gray. When moistened c acid it turns the flame a pale bluish green. It is ulfuric acid, A test for phosphorus and a test for radio an electroscope are confirmatory tests. Monazite resem- and zirocn and optical or micro-chemical tests may be distinguish it when in small amounts. e fuses easily and swells to a dark blebby, magnetic glass, es form a silica jell with hydrochloric acid, but if pre- ted they are not decomposed by acid. It is radioactive. MARKETS - Per ton, minium eight percent thoria, $60.00. POSSIBLE BU YERS; ercantile Import & Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. .'ennant, C. Sons & Co., of New York, 9 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York,N.Y. REFE RENCE S : 'abst, Adolf., Minerals of California. California ^tate Division of Mines Bulletin 113, 1938. rottschalk, V. K. , The Uncommon Metals. E. & M. J. Volume 143, No. 2 Page 89. February 1942. Minerals Yearbook, Review of 1940. U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1941. NOTES: 1. Specimens of monazite, allanite, and other rare earth ilnerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division »f Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. There are a num.ber of other cerium bearing minerals of 10 commercial importance. Among them are s amarskite R^R2(Nb, Ta)502i ;here R2=Fe,Ca,U02 etc., and Rya Cerium and yttrium metals chiefly. It /as found associated with xenotime, monazite, tourmaline, orthoclase and ;arnet in the Southern Pacific silica quarry, one-half mile southeast of JFuevo, Riverside County. Cerite , a hydrous cerium silicate v/as the first of the rare earth ilnerals to yield the new element didymium which was later broken down io the two elements praseodymium and neodymium. - 2 - M.;j. ?::t<'.nxS 108 '''k, state of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES /alter W. Bradley -.__ ^^.. Ferry Building J State Mineralogist ^ur>)ii. - ly^i .San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORIoIA (Series 1941) NICKEL By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES ~ Pentlandlte . (Fe,Ni)S is the principal ore nineral of nickel. It is usually found massive and in granular jiggregates. Luster metallic. Brittle. Streak and color yellowish prcjnze. Hardness 3i~4. Gravity 4.6-5. The"nickellf erous byrrhotite" ores of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, are due to enclosed .grains of pentlandite. Garnierite , (Nl,Mg)Si03,nH20 is also an important ore of nickel. It occurs as incrustations and earthy .nasses. Luster earthy to dull. Color apple-green to white, iardness 2-3. Gravity 2,2-2.8. ' OCCURRENCE - The principal nickel deposits have been formed by nagmatic segregation or by superficial concentration from basic pocks. Nickel minerals occur also in vein deposits: In schists, pieiss and conglomerates near basic intrusive rocks and in the dikes themselves and as veins in serpentine containing hydrous nickel- nagnesium silicates; due to a weathering of the peridotite to serpentine v;ith a concentration of the nickel in the cracks and fissures as in the garnierite deposits of New Caledonia, "entlandite has been found with pyrrhotite in Ventura and San Diego Dounties, California, and garnierite has been found in El Dorado, Imperial, Mariposa and San Benito counties, PREPARATIO N - The Canadian sulfide ores are partially roasted jfco remove the excess sulfur, and smelted in blast furnaces to a matte parrying about 45 percent Iron and about half that amount of copper Dlus nickel, which is then bessemerized, giving a matte of about the same composition as in New Caledonian practice, except that the metal content, instead of being only nickel, is copper and nickel, in the proportions present in the ore used. The bessemerized matte is subjected to a special smelting process v/hich serves to separate the oopper and nickel sulfides, after which the latter are roasted, smelted to a crude metal and electrolytically refined to a pure ne tal , USES - Nickel is used in the manufacture of many alloys - german silver, monel metal, etc, A small percentage greatly increases the strength and hardness of steel, and the larger part of the nickel recovered is ueed for making nickel steel and nickel- chromium steel, A wide variety of nickel chemicals are produced for -J- i3 I 109 NICKEL (continued) laboratory purposes, as well as for minor industrial uses. Many of the military uses are identical with the ordinary Industrial uses of the metal, the only difference being the emphasis which the emergency jdemand establishes, but, in addition to these, there are many strictly {military uses, among v/hich are armor plate for both naval and military use, many items of naval construction, gun forgings, recoil springs, and bullet Jackets, I TESTS - Nickel compounds when dissolved in nitric acid give an :[apple-green solution and on the addition of ammonia a pale blue color (results. If an alcoholic solution of dime thy Iglyoxime is added a ijscarlet precipitate is formed, MARKETS - Nickel, per lb. electrolytic cathodes, 35$^. (Quota- itions June 5, 1941), POSSIBLE BUYERS Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. E. I. Su Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (The R. & H, Chemicams Depart- ment), Wilmington, Del. The Harshaw Chemical Co., Cleveland, Ohio, The 0. Hommel Co., 209 Fourth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. (The McG-ean Chemical Co., 1106 Republic Building, Cleveland, Ohio The Rufert Chemical Co., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. The Vitro Manufacturing Co., Corliss Station, Pittsburgh, Pa. i BIBLIO&RAPKY lAdolf Pabst, Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin II3 (1938). H. W. Davis. Nickel and Minerals Yearbook 1940. pp 605-615. William Harvey Emmons. The Principles of Economic G-eology. McGraw- Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London (19I8.PP 511-515. G. A. Roush, Nickel. Strategic Mineral Supplies, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., Nev/ York and London (1939). PP 70-96. Staff of the Foreign Minerals Division, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Mineral Raw Materials. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York and London (1937). pp 13^140. NOTES 1. Specimens of nickel ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Niccolite, NiAs and millerite NiS are also ores of nickel. Small amounts of millerite have been found in Calaveras, Humboldt, Napa, Placer, Plumas and Ventura counties. ooOoo -2- state of California 111 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley j^^Y - 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco • COMffiRCIAL MINERA.LS OF CALIFORNIA (series 1942) NITRATES By G-eorge L. !. 3nv "iid^li. ■''»'i.^i') .j'Zijjli.z-o: (■ ... ■n-l:>kf ■f^H .-r-^Ti-v • ^ . - - - ( -vl - ■ - ■ •■; ^' ; ■ ■ y ,(3 ,-i * , . iUTRATES ' { continued) . . 113 MARKETS (cont'd.; Saltpeter, double refined, gran, bbls, 10-20 tons - 100 lbs. $8.20 1-9 tons - 100 lbs. |Q.*55 Less than ton lots- 100 lbs.|8*.60 (Quotations April, 1942). POSSIBLE BUYER S Sodium Nitrate ; J.T.Baker Chemical Co., Phillipsburg, N. J. The Barret Co., 40 Rector St., New York, N. Y. Chilean Nitrate Sales Corporation, 120 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Croton Chemical Cori-).,' 57 Commerce St., Brooklyn, N. Y. E. I. DuPont De Nemours & Od., Inc., (The R. & H. Chemicals Dept.) V/ilmington, Del. Prior Chemical Qbrporation, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y. Stauffer Chemical Co., 624 California St., San Francisco, Calif. Sal t pete r J. T. Baker Chemical Co., Phillipsburg, N. J. Chilean Nitrate Sales Corporation, 120 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Croton Chemical Corporation, 57 Commerce Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. E. I. DuPont De Nemours & Co., Inc., (The R. & H. Chemicals Div.) Wilmington, Del. G-eneral Chemical Co., 40 Rector St., New York, N. Y. Inriis, Speiden & Co., Inc., 117 Liberty St., New York, N. Y. J^:ngmann & Co., Inc., 157 Chambers St., New York, N. Y. I*:. I'cantile Impor-=. 2c Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. Wilson & George Meyer & Co., 601 Federal Reserve Bank Building, San Francisco, California. Pryor Chemical Corporation, 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. H. H. Rosentlial Co., Inc., 2.5 East 26th Street, New York, N. Y. Stauffer Chemical Co., 624 California Street, San Francisco, Calif. Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. BIBLI0GR /-.PHY: Bailey, Gilbert Ellis. The Saline Deposits of •California, Bulletin 24, California State Division of Mines. 1902. Mansfield, G.R. and Boardman, L. Nitrate Deposits of the United States. Bulletin 838 - U. S. Geological Survey, 1952. Noble, Levi F. Nitrate deposits in southec'^.atern California with notes on deposits in southeastern Arizona and southwestern Nev/ Mexico. Bulletin 820 - U. S. Geological Survey, 1^31. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. Bulletin 113, CallfoTaia ._ State Division of Mines. 1938. Williams, Albert, Jr., Nitrate of Soda. Mineral, Resources, 599-600. U. S. Geological Survey. I883. NOTES ; 1. Specimens of nitrates may be seen in the museum of the Calif drnia State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco. 2. Other nitrates of less importance found in California are; Nitrocalcite . a hyorous calcium nitrate, Ca(N03)2.nH20. which occurs in the niter beds of the lower end of Death Valley, San Bernardino County, according to Bailuy (see reference section). Daraskite . a hydrous nitrate and sulfate, NaNO3.Na2SOA.H2O. which occurs in the niter beds of Death Valley, San Bernardino County, according to Bailey (see reference s^c.ti-on}., -3- state of California ^ 115 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter V/. Bradley a-d-btt iqao Ferry Building State Mineralogist APRIL - 19^2 Sa^^ Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) PHOSPHATES Airo PHOSPHATE ROCK By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - As defined by Johnson (l.C. 6256) "phosphate rock Is a general name applied to certain rocks of different degrees of consolldat.ion and of divers origins, characters, and modes of occur- rence, composed of intimate mixtures of various allied amorphous or rarely crystallized phosphate minerals, usually calcium phosoha^tes with various impurities. Included in this term are phosphatlzed limestone, sandstone, shale, and igneous rocks; amorphous nodular phosphates; residual weathered phosphatic limestones; vein phosphates; and phospiiate sediments, both unconsolidated and consolidated," Collophane is the chief constituent of phosphate rock. It is a hydro u s" ■:■ a ?L Slum phosphate with varying amounts of calcium carbonate, calcium ilaorlte, and calcium sulfate of the formula 3Ca3(P04)2. nCa iC)-T F2 0) (H2O). It is amorphous and usually occurs massive, often concf'etionary or oolitic and sometimes banded. The color may be white, gray, yellow, brov/n or black and Is due to organic matter. Hardness 5 to 5. Specific gravity 2.6 to 2.9. Apatite , Cancel, F) {'POi^.) -^y calcium chloro-fluo phosphate, occurs in hexagonal prismatic ahd tabular crystals to massive, granular, or compact. Luster subreslnous. The color is usually reddish brown or green but it may be white, colorless, gray, blue, or violet. Hard- ness 5. Specific gravity 3.2. OCCURRENCE - No commercial deposits of phosphate rock (collophang) or f.patite have been found in California although apatite occurs in, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties; and collophane has been re- ported from Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, and Monterey countie'S. The domestic supply of phosphates comes from Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Idaho, vVyomlng, Utah and Montana. The Florida land-pebble deposits are reconcentrations from marine phosphate-bearing lim.estone. The brown phosphate rocks of Tennessee and Kentucky are residual products left after the calcium carbonate of the original limes toji-e- had been leached out. The phosphate rock deposits of the Western United States are of marine origin formed by the deposition of calcium phosphate from phosphatic solutions or colloids on the sea bottom. There are no large deposits of apatite in the United States. -1- -.1 P HOSPHATES AND PHOSPHATE RO CK 116 (continued) PREPARATION - Beneficlatlon of the poorer grade material usually consists of sizing, disintegration and v/ashing, screening, classify- ing and drying. Some phosphates are amenable to table concentration and flotation. The better grade phosphates which come from Tennessee and the Western States require only crushing and drying. Some phosphates are calcined to remove organic matter when the material is to be used for making phosphoric acid, USES - Most of the phosphate rock produced is used In making fertilizer, usually In the form of superphosphate (Superphosphate as defined by the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists is "a product obtained by mixing rock phosphate with sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid, or with both acids. The grade that shov/s the avail- able phosphoric acid shall be used as a prefix to the name, for example, 20 percent superphOvSphate") , Smaller amounts of phosphate rock are used to produce phosphor- ious, phosphoric acid, dicalclum phosphate, trlsodlum phosphate, and other chemicals. Some phosphate rock Is finely ground and appllea directly to the soil as a fertilizer. TESTS - The most satisfactory test for a phosphate is to dissolve some of the finely powdered material in nitric acid and add a portion of this solution to a solution of ammonium molybdate. If a phosphate is present, a pulverulent yellow precipitate of ammonium phosphy- molybdate will form. The solution should be cold, as arsenates give a similar precipitate in a boiling solution. A green or greenish blue color Is imparted to the flame by phos~ phates, especially after having been moistened with sulfuric acid, but this test is unsatisfactory because impurities usually obscure the color. Also, since the blow-pipe flame is blue, a greenish blue color is difficult to distinguish. MARKETS - Phosphate rock is generally sold on a basis of the trl- calcium or bone phosphorous of lime (B.P.L.) content. Commercial grades generally run from 68 to 77 percent B.P.L. Per long ton, f.o.b. mines Florida pebble, domestic: 77 ® 76 percent, $3.65; 75 @ 74 percent, $2,90; 72 percent, $2.40; 70 per- cent, $2.15. Quotations April 1942. POSSIBLE BUYER S; The American Agricultural Chemical Co., 50 Church St., New York, N.Y. American Cyanamid & Chemical Corp., 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, N.Y Anaconda Sales Co., Anaconda, Montana. Armour Fertilizer 'vVorks, V/alton Building, Atlanta, Ga. Coronet Phosphate Co., 19 Rector St., New York, N. Y. L.W. Ruber Co., 170 Broadway, New York, N. Y. International Agricultural Corp., 61 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Alexander M. Mclver & Son, 503 Peoples Building, Charleston, S, C. The Phosphate Mining Co., 110 William St., New York, N.Y. H. D. Ruhm, 305 West Seventh Street, Columbia, Tenn. _Vlrglnla-Carolina Chemical Corp., P.O.Box 667, Richmond, Va. _2- Uiifi PH OSPHATES AND PHOSPH AT E ROCK -■'•'^ (continued) REFERS l^ES ; Johnson, Bertrand L. Phosphate Rock, Part I. General Information U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6256, 1930. Minerals Yearbook Review of 1940. U. S, Bureau of Mines, 1941. Martin, H,S. and Wilding, James. Phosphate Rock. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. Seeley W. Mudd Series, A.I.M.E. 1937. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. CalifornM" State Division or Mines Bulletin 113, 1938. Jacob et al. Composition and Distribution ^j. Phosphate Rock. U. S. Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 364, 1933. Jacob et al. Nutrient Value of the Phosphorous In Calcined Phosphate. Journal of Agriculture Research No. 10, May 1935. Ross, V/. H. Use and Preparation of Concentrated Fertilizers, Transactions American Electrochemical Society. Vol.48y pp 293-305,.. 1925. NOTE S; 1. Specimens of apatite and phosphate rock may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco. 2. Other sources of phosphates are guano, marl, and bones, 3. The deposit of wavellite (a basic hydrojus aluminum phos- phate) at Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, has been used as a source iOf phospliate. 4. Voelckerite , a variety of apatite containing little or 'no fluorine or chlorine i-5-.characterir,tlc of the glaucophane schist in the Coast Ranges. The formula Is ykx^iFOi^) 209.0. -3- ■^ »-t5 118 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF Mli^S Walter W. Bradley . ^ TTTI Ferry Building State Mineralop;ist cJuli -• ly^i San Francisco I COmffiRGIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA ! (Series 1941) PLATINUM By George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist I PROPERTIES - The "platinum group metals" include platinum '(Pt), iridium (Ir) , osmium (Os), palladium (Pd) , rhodium (Rh), and ruthenium (Ru). They are all grayish-white, lustrous metals, highly resistant to erosion, and they all melt only at a high temperature. The specific gravity of platinum, iridium, and osmium varies from .21.50 to 22.47 when pure and the specific gravity of palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium varies from 12.10 to 12.44 when pure. The hardness of platinum varies from 4 - M-i; iridium, 6^; osmium, 7; palladium, 4i- - 5; rhodium, ; and ruthenium, 6^. Most of the platinum of California is alloyed with other metals of the platinum group and much of it would be classed as platiniridium. Iridosmine, a native alloy of iridium and osmium is a frequent associate of platinum; it sometimes shows the presence of the rarer metals, rhodium and ruthenium. OCCURRENCE - In California platinum sands occur in small amounts in the principal placer mines of the gold belt of the Sierra Nevada, but in no place is the metal so abundant that the deposit can be worked for platinum alone. This metal undoubtedly came originally from the serpentine and peridotite or pyroxenite, which occur as intrusive masses throughout the feold belt. In many places iridosmine !in small silvery- white scales is more common than platinum itself. Little or no platinum was recovered until the beginning of dredging operations on a large scale alofig the foothills of the moion tains. The gold is recovered by anialgamation, but the platinum is in the black sand and is saved by panning. The platinum occurs in very small scales and grains, as a rule som.ewhat smaller than the gold, : which in the dredging fields generally passes a lOO-mesh screen; the quantity is very small, A few ounces of platinum, are recovered also from some of the placer mines in northwestern California in j Siskiyou, Trinity, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. Serpentine and peridotite are abundant in this region, and the platinum is undoubtedly derived from these rocks. The presence of platinum Is : characteristic of the beach sands along the Pacific Coast. The principal beaches where platinum has been reported from California are Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Santa Cruz, and occasional points between Santa Cruz and the Golden Gate. The richest beaches are further north in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Though platinum occurs widely in California, it has not been positively identified as a -1- i I'iiC- ;R -i.j fjli ■-i>iSj:;,r #60;- :j. .iy;.iii:!ijj.-' ;vi-^. -• .". il.?rij{?r- f ..71., • ..,. , -19 PLATIIJUM (Continued) icons tltuent of any rocks. As noted in Bulletin 113 of the California 'state Division of Mines platinum has been found in the following counties: Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, El Dorado, Humboldt, Inyo, 'Kern, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity, Ventura and Yuba. PPISPARA.TION - Crude platinum can be refined either by wet or jdry methods or by a combination of the two. The standard wet method jinvolves dissolving the platinum In aqua regla, precipitating as ammonium platinic chloride, heating to redness, and thus fusing the spongy Platinum with an oxyhydrogen blowpipe in a furnace made from blocks of lime or in an electric furnace. After thus removing the platinum the other metals of the platinum group are recovered from the solution and from the insoluble residue. In theory the iseparation of the various platinum metals from other metals and from each other is quite simple, but the manipulation is said to be different and is complicated further by the precautions necessary to prevent loss of the expensive materials. As to details reference may be made to a paper by V/ichers, Gilchrist and Sv/anger, which is listed in the bibliography of this paper covering work done on platinum jmetals at the U. S. Bureau of Standards. I USES - The industrial uses of platinum depend chiefly upon its jhigh fusing point (1755° C.) and its resistance to chemical attack. ■It is valuable for crucibles, dishes, spoons, and all sorts of llaboratory apparatus; when used for such purposes a sm.all amount of iridium is usually added to increase its hardness and durability. ;In the contact process for the manufacture of sulfuric acid, platinum lis the best catalyst, but it has been partly replaced by cheaper but less efficient material, such as vanadium oxide, "^2^5' Platinum is used in the platinum resista.rice thermometer and the rhodium-platinum Ithex'mocouple, devices for measuring high temperatures. It is also iused in electrical apparatus for contact-points of bells, magnetos land induction coils. Considerable platinum is used in Jewelry and jln dentistry, but because of the increased price of the metal, gold jand gold alloys are gradually taking its place. Platinum is used in imaking photographic prints and is superior to silver in that it gives a greater variety of tone and is permanent. TESTS - The material to be examined is dissolved in aqua regla and evaporated to dryness, redlssolvcd in hydrochloric acid and boiled down to a thin paste (not quite dry); add distilled water and a few drops of sulfuric acid. To this solution a little potassium Iodide is added which, if platinum is present, produces a characteristic wine-red coloration ranging to a reddish pink in the presence of only small quantities. _2- 120 PLATINUM (Continued) MARKETS Platinum ~ per oz. troy, official price of leading interest, $36. Iridium - per oz. troy, ^175, for sponge or powder. Osmium - per oz. troy, "^45 © $48. Palladium - per oz. troy^ $24. Rhodium - per oz. troy, 44-25, nominal. Ruthenium ~ per oz. troy, S35 ^ $40. (Quotations June 1941/ POSSIBLE BUYERS American Platinum Works, N. J. R. R. Ave., at Oliver St., Newark, N.J. 'Baker & Co., Inc., 54 Austin St., Newark, N, J. J. Bishop 8c Co., Malvern, Pa. G-oldsmith Bros., Smelting and Refining Co., 58 E, Washington St., Chicago, 111, S. B. Grader & Sons, 212 Stockton St., San Francisco, Calif. Handy & Harman, 57 William St., New York, N. Y. Ilrvington Smelting and Refining Works, Irvington, N. J. Pacific Platinum Works, Sl4 S, Spring St., Los Angeles, Calif. (Platinum Metals Corp., 261 P'lfth Ave., New York, N. Y. jGec. R. Randolph, 833 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. l-£h'--eve &--Co^, Bryant and Zoe Sts., San Francisco, Calif. V/estern Gold, and Platinum Works, 589 Bryant St., San Francisco, Calif. S. S. White Dental Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Wildberg Bros. Smelting and Refining Co., 742 Market St., San r-'rancisco, Calif. }-"J}T. .rOGR\PHY N. 'H, "",':'; Sir iG, Platinum and Allied Metals. Minerals Yearbook 1940, pp. 749-758. C. A. Logan. Platinum and Allied Metals In California. Calif. . State Dlv. of Mines Bulletin No. 85 (1919). Adolf Pahst. Minerals of California. Calif. State Dlv. of Mines, Bulletin No. 113 (1938). G. A. Roush. Strategic Mineral Supplies. McGraw-Hill Book Company, I Inc. New York and London (1939), pp. 505-338. P. M. Tyler and R. M. Santmyers. Platinum. U. S. Bur, of Mines Inf. Circ. 6389 (1931). Edward Wichers, Raleigh Gilchrist, and Wm. Ij. Swanger. Purification, of the Six Platinum Metals. Trans. Am. Inst. Mln, and Met, Eng., vol. 76, (1928), pp. 602-63O. NOTES 1. Specimens of platinum minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. The only knovm natural compound of platinum Is the arsenide, sperryllte, PtAsg, which has been found sparingly in two or three localities in association with copper and nickel ores. -oOo- -3- , Ci+tai '»>.A .A-U « • • idle ±: . 1. 2 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley ■ , Ferry Building State Mineralogist ^^^ " •^^^'=^ San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORIIA (Series 1942) PYRITE AND SULFUR By • ■ George L. Gary, Mineral Technologist P ROPERTIES - Sulfur (S) occurs in crystals, incrustations, dis-- seminatlons, and compact masses. There is no cleavage but it is very brittle. Luster resinous to glassy. Color, yellow when pure but it may be orange, brown, gray or black. Hardness 1^- to 2-|. Specific gravity 2.05 to 2.09. Pyrite (FeSg) iron disulfide. Cobalt and nickel sometimes re- place part of the iron. Finely divided gold is frequently intimately associated with pyrite, and copper and arsenic are sometimes present. The cube and pyritohedi'on are the most common crystal forms and the faces are frequently striated. The mineral usually occurs massive, or fine granular but it may be subfibrous radiated; also reniform, globular and stalactitic. Luster metallic. Streak greenish black or brownish black. Color pale brass-yellow. Hardness 6 to 6-|. Specific gravity 4.95 to 5.10. OCCURRENCE - Commercial deposits of sulfur in the United States^' occur usually in sedimentary beds with gypsum and- limestone and were probably formed by the action of the organic matter on gypsum. Sulfur Is also formed from hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) in and near volcanoes, and superficial sulfur deposits of the same origin are common near hot springs. Sulfur produced by the alteration of sul- fide minerals has never been found in commercial quantities. In California sulfur is found in 14 counties, the most Impoi^tan-' of which are Alpine and Inyo counties. Sulfur from the Leviathan lline, Alpine County occurs disseminated through brecciated tuff and as large yellow masses. The Inyo County deposits are located in the Last Chance Range and occur in sedimentary beds with gypsum and limestone. The enormous deposits of Louisiana and Texas ai e the most im- portant domestic source of sulfur and were derived from gypsum. Italy, Sicily, Japan, Spain, and Chili are also important pro- ducers of sulfur, Pyrite is the most common of the sulfide minerals, ' occurring- .' - all kinds of rock, but it is especially prominent in metamorphic schists, slates, quartzites, quartz veins, and unalteres sandstones. The only present-operated commercial deposits of pyrite in California is in Shasta County v/here it occurs in a shear zone in rhyolite. In former years, production came also from Alameda County The main production o'f pyrite in the United States is from Tennessee. -1- J, ) P YRITE AND SULFUR 3_23 (continued) Spain has long been the world's chief soui'ce of pyrite. Norway and Finland contribute pyrite as a by-product of copper mining. PREPARATION - There are several ways of extracting sulfur from its containing rock. Sulfur from the Texas deposit is recovered by the Frash process. This method employs super-heated water (300°F) which is forced down a cased well (composed of concentric pipes) to the sulfur bed where it escapes into the formation through perforations in the casing. The heat of the water melts the sulfur which then settles to the underlying formation (anhydrite, CaSo4 in this case) and enters the v;ell casing through perforations in the bottom of the casing, this section being sealed off from the hot-water passage. Com- pressed air forced down the center pipe assista in bringing the sulfur to the surface where it runs into large vats and is allowed to solidify. The product is very pure and usually requires no further treatment. Other extraction methods applicable to sulfur mines by conven- tional methods involve melting the sulfur by super-heated steam or by burning a part of the sulfur in Gill regenerative kilns, Pyrite when roasted yields sulfur dioxide which is used to make sulfuric acid. The residue of ferrous oxide (FeO) may be used as a source of iron. USES - Both native sulfur and pyrite are used to make sulfuric acid. Sulfur is used in the sulfide and sulfate processes for making paper from wood pulp. It is also important as a fungicide and insec- ticide. Sulfur dioxide is valuable in the chemical industries and is the Major refrigerant in small refrigerating systems. It. is used as a bleach and as a food preservative. Sulfur is Incorporated in rubber in the correct p oportions before vulcanizing to yield a product of varying degrees of hardness. Without the addition of sulfur, rubber products would be useless. The use of sulfur in explosives is now confined to black powder, although in the form of sulfuric acid, sulfur is used in the manu- factujf'e of nitroglycerin. TESTS - Native sulfm^ may be recognized by its color, light weight, and by the fact tha.t it burns readily, giving off an irrit- ating odor (sulfur dioxide). Pure sulfur when placed on a silver coin and moistened v;ith water, will leave a black or yellow stain of silver sulfide, Pyrite is distinguished from pyrrho tit e and chalcopyrite by its pale brass-yellow color and inferior hardness. It is soluble in initric acid. MARKETS - Sulfur, per long ton f.o.b, Texas mines for domestic uiarket, $16.00, \m: I 'py: POSSIBLE BUYERS: .YRITE Leonard rj. Buck, Inc, 1 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. The Davidson Chemical Corporation, 20 Hopkins Place, Baltimore, Md. General Chemical Co., 400 Sansome St., San Francisco, California Stauffer Chemical Co., 636 California St,, San Francisco, California St. Jos ph Lead Co., 250 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y. -2- :i J - ;jr:tA'.J PYRITS AND SULFUR (continued) 124 POSSIBLE BUYEFIS '^YRI TE (cont'd.) lenry Suhl, Inc., 149 Broadway, New York, N. Y. ^Julphur Jrining & Railroad Co., 627 East Main St., Rlclimond, Va. >. Tennant, Sons & Co., Nev/ York, 9 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. pLFUR Uerican Cyanide & Chemical Corp., 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. Douglas Sulphur Co., P. 0. 'Box 231, Houston, Texas. I'reeport Sulfur Co., 122 East 42nd St., New York, N. Y. jreneral Chemical Co., 4(50 Sansome St, San Francisco, California jloppers Company. Tar & Chemical Division. 1201 Koppers Bldg. Pittsburgh, Pa. .OS Angeles Chemical Company, I960 Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles, Calif. [cKesson & Robbins, Inc., Heavy Chemical Div. , 155 East 44th Street, New York, N. Y. lonsanto Chemical Company, 1700 South Second Street, St. Louis, Mo. liagara Sprayer & Chemical Co., Inc., Middleport, N. Y, lepublic Chemical ODrporation, 94 Beekman St., New York, N. Y. Itauffer Chemical Company, 636 California Street, San Francisco, Calif. ?exas aulf Sulphur Co., Inc., 73 East 45th Street, New York, N. Y. )he Vitro Manufacturing Co., Corliss Station, Pittsburgh, Pa. rishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. REFERENCES iUndy, V/.T. Sulfur and Pyrites. Industrial Minerals and Rocks, Seeley W. Mudd Series, A. I. M. E. 1937. 'abst, Adolf. Minerals of California. Bulletin 113, California State Division of Mines, 1938. lidgway, ibbert H. Sulfur - G-eneral Information. Information Circular 6329, U. S. Bireau of Mines, 1930. NpTES 1. Samples of pyrite and sulfur may be seen in the m.useum f the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Fran- isco, California. 2. Marcasite, also FeS2, may be distinguished from pyrite ly its orthorhombic crystals. The twin "fiveling" v/hich presents a awtooth profile, is very characteristic. When dissolved in nitric cid marcasite yields frte sulfur, whereas the sulfur of pyrite is onverted to sulfuric adid. -y- * . . ; .. i. t : :.: .. ■ -r '■* L26 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES V/alter W. Bradley - „_ , „ . , Ferry Building State Mineralor,ist oune - ±y^i San Francisco COmERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) QUARTZ By G-eorf^e L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Quartz, silica, or silicon dioxide, Si02, occurs raany different forms; as crystals commonly prismatic, with prism faces horizontally striated, also in massive forms of great variety. From coarse to fine-grained crystalline to flint like or crypto- crystalline, giving rise to many variety names. It also may form in concretionary masses; as sand. Fracture conchoidal or shell-like. Luster vitreous, in some specimens greasy, splendent. Transparent to translucent. Possesses strong piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties. Streak and color usually colorless or white, but frequently colored by various impurities and may then be any color. The hardness is 7; the gravity 2,65. The more important varieties v;ith a brief description of each, follow: Coarsely Crystalline Var ieties 1. Rock Crystal. Colorless quartz, commonly in distinct crystals. 2. Amethyst. Quartz colored purple or violet, often in crystals. 3. Rose Quartz. Coarsely crystalline, but without crystal form, color a rose-red or pink. Often fades somewhat on exposure to light. 4. Sm.oky Quartz; Cairngorm Stone. Frequently in crystals of a smoky yellow to brown ajid almost black color. Named cairngorm from the locality of Cairngorm in Scotland. 5. Citrine. Light yellow in color. 6. Milk y Quartz. Milky white in color owing to minute liquid inclusions. In some cases v/ith greasy luster. 7. Cat' s-eye. A stone which, v/hen cut in a round shape ( en cabochon }, exhibits an opalescent or chatoyant effect, as it is termed, is called a cat' s-eye. Quartz among other minerals, gives at tim.es this effect, which is due either to fibrous inclusions or to the fibrous nature of the quartz Itself. The latter is seen in tiger' s-eye , a yellow fibrous quartz from South Africa, which is pseudomorphic after the fibrous mineral crocidollte. 8. With Inclusions. Many other minerals occur as inclusions in quartz and thus give rise to variety names, Rutllatea quartz has fine needles of rutile penetrating it. Tourmaline and other minerals are found in quartz in the same way. Aventurlne .is quartz including brilliant scales of hematite or mica. Liquids and gases m.ay occur as Inclusions; both liquid and gaseous cai-'bon- dioxide exist in some quartz. - ^ i^'i/ii 1%-^iMi ,»; , ,'. 127 QUARTZ (continued) Cry ptocrystalllne V arieties The cryp to cry s talllne varieties of 'quartz may be divided into TO general clasoes; namely, fibrous and granular , which in most jases, are Impossible to tell apart without microscopic aid, ■^» Fibrous Varieties Chalcedony is the general name applied to those varieties having i^ fibrous alignment of particles, visible however only under the nicroscope. It is more specifically thought of as a brown translucent variety, v-ith a waxy luster, often mammillary and in other imitative shapes. Chalcedony has been deposited from aqueous solutions and is frequently found lining or filling cavities in rocks. Color and banding give rise to the following varieties: 1. Carnelian. A red chalcedony. 2* Chrysoprase . An apple-green chalcedony. 3. Heliotrop e or bloodstone . A green chalcedony with small red gpots in it. ^' Agate . A variegated variety with alternating layers of halcedony and opal, or granular cryptocrystalllne quartz. The different colors are usually in delicate, fine parallel bands which are commonly curved, in some specimens concentric. Most agate used for commercial purposes is colored hy artificial means. Some agates lave the different colors not arranged in bands but irregularly iistributed. Mo s s a gate is a variety in v/hich the variation in color Is due to visible impurities, often manganese oxide in moss-like patterns. Wood that has been petrified by replacement by clouded agate is known as silicified or agatized wood. 5, Onyx . Like agate, is a layered chalcedony and opal, with Layers arranged in parallel planes. K B, G-ranula r Varieties ~ 1. Flint . Something like chalcedony in appearance, but dull, often dark in color. It usually occurs in nodules in chalk and breaks v/ith a prominent conchoidal fracture giving sharp edges. Used for various implements by early man. 2. Chert , A compact massive rock similar in most properties to flint, but usually light in color, 3. J.asper . A granular cryptocrystalllne quartz, usually colored red from hematite inclusions. 4. Pras e. Dull green in color; otherwise similar to jasper, and occurs with it. OCCURRENCE - Quartz occurs as an important constituent of those Igneous rocks which have an excess of silica, such as gra.nite, rhyolite, pegmatite. It is extremely resistant to both mechanical and chemical attack, and thus the breakdown of igneous rocks containing it yields quartz grains which may accumulate and form the sedimentary rock sandstone. Also occurs in metamorohic rocks, as gneisses and schists, while it forms practically the only mineral of quartzites. Deposited often from solution, and is the most common vein and gangue mineral. Forms as flint deposited v/ith chalk on the sea floor in nodular masses. Solutions carrying silica may replace beds of limestone with a granular cryptocrystalllne quartz knov/n as chert , or discontinuous beds of chert may form contemporaneously with the limestone. In rocks it is associated chiefly v;ith feldspar and -2- 128 (QUARTZ (aon tinned) muscovite; in veins with practically the entire range of vein minerals. Often carries gold and becomes an important ore of that metal. Occurs in large amount as sand in stream beds and upon the seaehore and as a constituent of soils. Many forms of silica are produced in commercial amounts in California as sand, quartz,, quartzite, sandstone and chalcedony. Fine large specimens of rock crystals, smoky quartz, rose quartz and a sm^all amount of amethyst have been found in California as well as other varieties of quartz mentioned herein. PREPAMTION - Methods of mining the various siliceous materials vary widtly, dependent on the form of the uiaterial, nature and location of deposits, and type of product to be made. However, most of the deposits are worked by open-pit or quarrying methods, often in a very crude way. Sand deposits may be worked by hydraulicking, by dredging or by the use of a steam shovel. Vein quartz is often obtained as a by-product in the mining of other materials. Pegmatite quartz is almost alv/ays obtained as a by-product in working pegmatite dikes for feldspar or mica. In the grinding and preparation of silica for market several methods are in use, dependent upon the type of raw material, the character of the product desired, and the progressive- ness of the producer. For ceramic use silica is ordinarily ground to pass through a 140 mesh sieve, but for paint, polishes, fillers, etc., much finer" grinding Is necessary, a 200 or even 300 mesh product being required. For sand paper much coarser grains are needed and these grains must be carefully graded by size. Massive flint and crystalline quartz are very hard and tough. Crushing the crude rock is difficult and expensive, and to obviate this it is often calcined before crushing. Cplcination is usually done in a small vertical kiln, resembling a lime kiln, fired with wood or coal, in which is placed alternate layers of rock and fuel. As the fuel burns away the charge slowly sinks in the kiln, the heated rock being removed at the bottom and quenched with water. The calcined rock may then be broken down by hand, and fed tp "chaser mills" or crushed in jaw crushers, possibly followed by chaser mills. Fine grinding may be done either wet or dry. 1/Vet grinding may be accomplished in conical mills, short tube mills, in long tube mills or in wet grinding pans. If a wet grinding process is used the finished product is usually sized by some system of water classification. Dry grinding may be done in conical mills, short pebble mills of the intermittent type or long tube mills. In dry grinding methods sizing of the finished product is not common, but in some instances air separation may be used. The wet ground product may be dried by steam in open tanks or over steam-pipe racka or in rotary driers. USES - Quartz is widely used in its various colored forms as ornamental material. As sand used in mortar, in cement, as a flux, as an abrasive, and in the ma.nufacture of glass and silica, brick. In powdered form is used in porcelain, paints, sandpaper, and scouring -> ^Jl' as;. ' f ■. . • ;« ■ - ^ « -. ' ■ «.1-}J.... if! .dl :.29 QUARTZ (Continued) i soaps, and as a v;ood filler. As quartzite, sandstone, and in its ! various other rock forms as a building stone and for paving purposes. Lar^e amoui-:ts of quartz sand are used as an acid flux in certain i smelting operations. As rock crystal in various optical and i electrical equipment. Its military use is in radio transmitting and ■receiving sets for controlling the output frequency of the radio ; transmitters and the response frequency of the radio receivers and in frequency meters. TESTS - Infusible even on the thinnestcedges. When fused with an equal volume of sodium carbonate, effervesces and gives a colorless glass; unacted upon by salt of phosphorus. Soluble only in v (; hydrofluoric acid. r/ARKETS - Quartz Rock Crystals - For fusing, all sizes, $100 @ ^50 per ton. Prisms for piezo-electrical and optical use command premium. Silica - Per ton, water ground and floated, in bags, f.o.b. Illinois: 525 mesh, $21 @ 04O for 92 to 99i- percent grades. : Dry-ground, ai3>-floated, 325 mesh, 92 @ 99i- percent silica, $18 © $30. Glass sand, f.o.b. producing plant, $1.25 © $5 per ton; molding sand, 50?; © $3.50; blast sand, $1,75 © $6. California: f5 for quartz and $2.50 for sand. (Quotations May 1, 1941.) I POSSIBLE BUYERS I Silica Charles 3. Chrystal Co., Inc., 11 Park PI., New York, N. Y. The Dicalite Company, 120 Wall St., New York, N. Y. :Stanley Doggett, Inc., 75 Varick St., New York, N. Y. Industrial Minerals & Chemical Co., 6th & Gilman Sts., Berkeley, Calif. Innis Speiden & Co., Inc., 117 Liberty St., New York, N. Y. Johns-Manville Corp., 22 East 40th St., New York, N. Y. Kennedy Minerals Co., 2550 East Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. L. A. Salomon Bro. , 216 Peai^l St., New York, N. Y. Smith Chemical & Color Co., 55 John St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Tamms Silica Co., 228 North La Salle St., Chicago, 111. United Clay Mines Corp., Prospect and Oakland St., Trenton, N. J. Western Talc Co., 1901 East Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Whittaker, Clark 3c Daniels, Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. C. K. Williams & Co., 640 North 13th St., Easton, Pa. Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison Ave. , New York, N. Y. Quartz Crystals Bausch & Lomb, P.ochester, N, Y. General- Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. U. S. Navy Department, Federal Office Bldg. , Civic Center, San Francisco, Calif. -4_ 4 130 QUARTZ (Continued) BIBLIO&RAPHY iOliver 3owles. Dimension Stone. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. New York (1937) pp. 763-794. V, L. Eardley-Wilmot. Abrasives. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. New York (1937) pp. 1-58. Herbert Hughes. Granules. Industrial Minerals and Rocks, The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. New York (1937) pp. 347-352. Robert W. Metcalf. Abrasive Materials. Minerals Yearbook (1940). i U. S. Eur. of Mines, pp. 1271-1286. 'Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. Calif. State Div. of Mines. i Bulletin No. 113 (1938).. IH. Ries. Special Sands. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The I American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. ; New York (1937) pp. 749-762. R. M. Santmyers, Quartz and Silica. U. S, Bur. of Mines Inf. Circ. 6472, 6473, 6474 (1931). J, R, Thoenen. Sand & Gravel. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining a-nd Metallurgical Engineers. pp. 671-720. Paul M. Tyler. Quartz, Industrial Minerals and Rocks. The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. New York (1937) p. 517. NOTES 1. Specimens of quartz may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Silica sand suitable for glass manufacturing would no doubt be of interest to the following glass companies: iBrock Glass Co., 202 Santa Fe St., Santa Ana, Calif. IChrysolite Products Coro. , 1708 Standard Ave., Glendale, Calif. ;A. H. Fostar Co., 2414 E. 58th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Technical Glass Co., 2050 E. 48th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Hazel-Atlas Glass Co., 89th & G. St., Oakland, Calif. Lathford Marble Glass Co., 7441 Roseberry Ave., Huntington Park, Cali£ Glass Products, Inc., 2435 E, 56th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Glass Containers Corp., 36th & Santa Fe., Los Angeles, Calif. Maywood Glass Co., 5615 S. Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. Mississippi Glass Co., Fullertbn, Calif. Owens-Iliinois Pacific Coast Co., 1855 Folsom St., San Francisco, Calif. Philadelphia Quartz Co., Quartz & I.ndependent St., South Gate, Calif. Los Angeles Chemical Co., I960 Santa Fe., Los Angeles, Calif. ' -oOo- -5.. State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES 132 Walter W, Bradley . Ferry Building State Mlneraloaist IVAI - 19^1 San Francisco COMliERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) QUICKSILVER By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - The most important ore mineral of quicksilver is Cinnabar, the brilliant red sulfide of mercury, from v;hich over 95 percent of the world's output of the liquid metal is obtained. Althoi.igh there are 13 mineral species fo'und in California that contain mercury as part of their chemical composition only two others, ■ besides cinnabar occur in commercial quantities; native mercury, which Is fairly comnion and metacinnabar, the black sulfide, which is the least common of these three ore-minerals. Cinnabar is generally massive, earthy or minutely crystalline, but good crystals are occasionally found. The color is cochineal-red often inclining to brownish red and lead-gray; the streak is scarlet. The hardness Is 2 - 2.5 and the gravity is 8 - 8.2. It is distinguished from other red-colored minerals by its high specific gravity, brilliant adamantine luster and perfect cleavage. OCCURRENCE - The principal quicksilver ore deposits of California are found in the Coast Ranges, within a northwest - southeast belt approximately 400 miles long by 75 miles wide, extending from Santa Be.rbara County on the south to an area about Clear Lake, 100 miles north df San Francisco. Most of these deposits occur in the fracture planes of basic Igneous rocks (especially serpentines) and their associated seaiments (sandstones, •shales and cherts) . In addition to the principal Coast Range Quicksilver belt, there are other more scattered deposits in California. In two of these, the Cuddeback and Coso mines, the ore occurs in rhyolitic rocks. Quicksilver deposits appear to be related to volcanic activity and are frequently found to be the result of hot springs and fumaroles. PREPARATION - The ores of mercury mined in California, unlike' most other metals that are won by smelting, are treated at the mines, and the liquid metal is shipped as a finished commercial product in iron flasks containing 76 lb, each. Two kinds of reducing apparatus are used: (l) in the furnace method, the ore is directly exposed to the action of the fla„me; the volatile products of combustion, with more or less dust, sulfur vapors and mercury, are driven out of the ore, and all pass together through the condensers. The operation is continuous. (2) In the case of retorts, the ore is heated in a closed vessel away from the flame, and only the volatile constituents that are released from the ore, chiefly mercury and sulfur, pass into the condensing apparatus. In most retorts the operation is intermittent. -1- .■] 133 QUICKSILVER (Continued) USES - Wehrly, whose paper is listed In the bibliography, summarized mercury uses as follows: In this country about 45 percent of the total mercury' consumed Is used In the preparation [Of mercurial salts - calomel, corrosives, oxides, organic mercurials, and other chemical compounds. In this class - the chemical uses -' Is also placed the production of fulminate, taking normally about 6 ipercent; vermilion, 6 percent; acetic acid, 2^ percent; and dyestuffs, slightly over 1 percent. The total for this class is over 60 percent. Mechanical adaptations calling for a total of about 13 percent comprise meters, measuring Instruments such as 'be.rometers, hydi'ometers, thermometers, and gages; tliermostats, vacuum tubes and pumps and pressure-control instruments. Of these, meters consume the imost - about 62 percent. In the electrical field, using a little over 8 percent, are such applications as battery zincs, diffusion lamps, cells for the preparation of caustic .soda and chlorine, and |arc rectifiers. Batteries and lamps take about equal quantities -' ;2.7 percent. These uses total about 81 percent. Of the remainder, the most important use is In the preparation of hatters felt, using over 10 percent of the total. Others are gold amalgamation, about 2 percent; dental amalgams, over 2^ percent; thermostatic and plating alloys, i percent; and laboratory use, about 2 percent. TESTS - Cinnabfr (HgS) , when carefully heated in the open tube Jives sulphurous fumes and metallic mercury, which condenses in nlnute globules on the cold walls of the tube. In the closed tube ilone the mineral gives a black subllma,te of mercuric sulfide, but vith dry sodium carbonate one of metallic mercury. Before the Dlowplpe on charcoal it is wholly volatile, but only when quite free from gangue. MRKETS iuicksilver, per 76 lb. flask - $180. (Quotation, April 1, 1941) POSSIBLE BUYERS )elmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, NY. W. Berk & Company, Inc., Coast Chemical Division, 55 New Montgomery St., San Francisco, Calif, fhe Chisos Mining Co., 52 Exchange St., Portland, Maine, ^arrigues, Stewart & Davies, Inc., 40 Rector St., New York, N. Y. reneral Color Company, Avenue B. and Wright St., Newark, N. J. roldsmith Bros. Smelting & Refining Co., 58 E. Washington St., Chicago, 111. J, H. Gould & Co., 10 Pent House, Mills Bldg. , San Francisco, Calif, [aas Brothers, 63 Wall St., New York, N. Y. [evenor & Jehle, 326 West Madison St,, Chicago, 111. !has. L, Huisklng & Co., Inc., 155 Varick St,, New Yoi-k, N. Y,. .eghorn Trading Co., Inc, 21 V^est St., New York, N. Y. ohn F, Maher & Co., 1600 Henderson St,, Houston, Texas, lallinckrodt Chemical Works, St. Louis, Mo. [cKesson & Bobbins, Inc., 79 Cliff St., New York, N. Y. [efford Chemical Co., 1026 Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, Calif, lerck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N. J. . -2- . 134 QUICKSILVER (Continued) National Zinc Co., Inc., Bartlesville, Okla. j-eorge Newhall, Ncwhall Building, San Francisco, Calif. The Nev/ York Quinine & Chemical V/orks, Inc., 99 North 11th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. ?. W. Pabst, la Calle de Zaragoza 24, Mexico, D. F., Mexico. Pacific Vegetable Oil Co., 62 Townsend St., San Francisco, Calif, ferry M. Peabody & Co., 230 California St., San Francisco, Calif. Quicksilver Producers Association, Inc.^ 407 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. i. H. Rosenthal Co., Inc., 25 East 26th St., New York, N. Y. Jeorge Uhe Co., 75 Eighth Ave, New York, N. Y. 7urde Quicksilver Sales Co., 14 Wall St., New York, N. Y. The Wood' Ridge Manufacturing Div., F. W. Berk & Co., Inc., Railroad St. , "/ood Ridge, N. J. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ifalter %'. Bradley: Quicksilver Resources of California. California State Division of Mines. Bull. 78 (1918). RM. Bouton and L. H. Duschak. The Deterniination of Mercury. Tech. Paper 227, Bureau of Mines (1920). I. M. Meyer and A. W. Mitchell: Mercury. Minerals Year Book (1940), U. S. Bur. Mines, 659-676. llfred L. Ransorae and John L. Kellogg: Quicksilver Resources of California. Calif. State Mineralogist's Report, XXXV, pp. 355-486. P. Ross: Quicksilver Deposits of the Mayacmas and Sulphur Bank Districts, California. U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 922-L (1940). P. Ross: Quicksilver Deposits of the Mount Diablo District, ^'1 Contra Costa County, California. U. S. G-eol. Survey Bull. 922-B (1940). !has. S. Wchrly: Mercury. Columbia University Bull. Information, 40th Ser. , No. 25, June 1, 1940, pp. 57-61. I NOTES Specimens of quicksilver ores' may be seen in the museum of the lallfornia State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, Jalifornia. -oOo- -3- state of California 136 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES iWaltcr W. Bradley OCTOBER - 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Fran cisco COmiERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) SILVER •■ ■ .By George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist The most common silver-bearing minerals in California are argentlte, pyrargyrite, proustite, cerargj'-rlte, and argentiferous tetrahedrlte (freiberglte) . However, In many ore deposits, argenti- ferous galena Is-the most abundant primary ore. PRO PERTIES - Argentlte (silver sulfide, Ag2S, 87.1 percent silver) occurs massive as crusts. The only common crystal form is the cube. The luster Is metallic; color, dark lead gray, dull black on exposed surface; hardness 2i; specific gravity 7. 3. It is very sectile. Silver (Ag) is characteristically in wire form, thin sheets, skeleton crystals, dendritic groups, and masses. It rarely occurs in nuggets. It is malleable and the luster is metallic. Color tin white to pale ^--ellow but usuallj^ dull and tarnished. Hardness 2^, specific gravity 10,5, Pyrargyrite (silver sulfantimonlte, Ag^SbS3, 59.9 percent silver) is also known as "dark ruby silver" ore and' of ten occurs in small, well defined, prismatic or hexagonal crystals. The luster is metallic- adamantine, streak purple-red, color dark red to black; hardness 2^; specific gravity 5,3, Proustite (silver sulfarsenlte, Ag3AsS-^, 65.4 percent silver) Is sometimes called "ruby silver" ore. It occurs massive, incrusting, dis3emanated and in attached crystals. The luster Is adamantine, color red on fresh surface but darkens on exposure to light, streak scarlet, cleavage Imperfect, hardness 2 to 2i, specific gravity 5.6. Tetrahedrlte (ojpper sulfantimonlte, 3Cu2S.Sb2S3 when piire. Argentiferous tetrahedrlte or freiberglte is the most common form in California, The silver content is variable). Tetrahedrlte occurs in masses and crystals. The luster is metallic, color dark iron- gray, hardjaess 31, specific gravity 4,7. 1 Cerargyrite (silver chloride AgCl, 75.3 percent silver) is jknov/n as "iiorn silver" and usually occurs in thin crusts or seamiS ibut small cubic crystals are also found. The luster is waxy to jadamantine; color gray, greenish, often v/ith a tinge of violet. The imineral darkens on exposure to light. It is very sectile. The jhardness is 2, specific gravity 5.5. j OCCURRENCE - Silver has been produced from 41 counties in the State, the most important of which are Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Kern, Mariposa, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Bernardino, Shasta, and Yuba counties, -1- 't: f 137 SILVER (continued) Silver generally occurs as an alloy v;ith gold (electrum - a gold- silver sulfide, of the base metals. Its most com.mon occurrence in the lead-silver districts is with galena (PbS) . The Cerro C-ordo district in Inyo County was the most productive In California. The orebodies ?;erc lenticular masses of argentiferous galena and cerusite enclosed in limestone^ The silver ore is now apparently exhausted. The argentiferous lead ores of the Darwin mining district, Inyo County, grade from contact metamorphic deposits to fissure vein de- posits and are enclosed in lime silicate strata. Apparently the metallic minerals originated from deep seated magmatic sources. Most of the silver from the Dphir district, Placer County, was derived from electrum. The ore occurs in a series of quartz veins of northwest trend which dip to the south west. The enclosing rock is gr^modiorite. The gold and silver minerals of the Mojave district occur in a series of north and northwest trending quartz veins vrhich occupy fault fissures of moderate displacement. The silver occurs mainly as oerargyrite above the water level, changing in depth to argentite. The silvei^lead-copper ores of the Blind Spring Hill District, Itono County, occur in lenses in a system of parallel, north south trending veins that have filled fault fissures in an intrusive igneous rock, varying in composition from granite to a quartz diorite. The silver is derived mainly from the secondary mineral strom.eyerite which is associated v;ith tetrahedrite and galena and is found in the lov;er part of the oxidized zone. tThe Palisade District is the only silver producing area of im- rtance in the northern Coast Ranges. The silver sulfides of the lisade Mine occur in tv;o steeply dioDing, quartz fissure veins which rike N 6° E. Silver is a by-product of the gold mines of the Grass Valley- vada City district. The Randsburg district in Kern and San Bernardino counties is an Important gold, silver and tungsten producing area. Most of the silver omes from San Bernardino County, not only from the Randsburg District, but also from two deposits in the Newberry Quadrangle, one in the 3alico Mountains and the other in the Lava Bed District. PREPARATION - The bulk of tlie world's silver is produced by refining base bullion, although some is produced by cyanidation, amalgamation, and the refining of anode m.ud from copper electrolysis. Base bullion is refined by the Parkes process, the Pattinson Process, and by c up e Hat ion. The Parkes process is described in the paper on gold of the jomm.ercial Minerals of California (Series 1941) publisJied by the State Division of Mines. In the process, silver and gold are collected in sine from molten lead. The zinc crust is then refined. The Pattinson process has been replaced by the Parkes process to 1 large extent. The theory of the process is somewhat complicated but Ls essentially as follows: if a molten lead-silver alloy is carefully a jooled, the silver concentrates in the liquid. When seven-eighths of the alloy has frozen, the remaining liquid is decanted. Thus the lead 3an be separated into high silver and loiv silver fractions. By re-» - )eated melting a rich bullion can be obtained containing 700 to 800 )unce3 of silver per ton. -2- SILVER (continued) I38 Silver and gold may be recovered from lead by cupellation if tnly small amounts of impurities are present. The lead-bullion is melted in a non-absorbent cupel in an oxidizing, atmosphere which converts it to lead oxide or litharge (PhO) , The litharge is drained • off as it is formed and after all of the lead has been oxidized, there 'emains a button containing gold and silver. Silver and gold are recovered from anode mud by a number of con- illca.ted processes one of which consists of a series of oxidizing iteps which eliminate the impurities in the form of a slag, leaving )hc gold and silver alloy in a fairly pure state, USES - An important use of silver is for coinage purposes. It s widely used in Jewelry and for plating tablev;arc, also for mirrors d in dentistry. Silver has been suggested as a partial substitute |or tin in certain solders to release the tin for defense purposes. t is an excellent conductor of electricity and is used to some extent the electrical industries. Silver salts are valuable in medicine and photograpli;^'-, TESTS - With soda on charcoal in a reducing flame, silver minerals yield malleable metallic globules of silver. On the addition of HCl, nitric acid solutions of silver minerals give 'a white curdy precipitate (silver chloride) which changes to Violet on exposure to light and is soluble in ammonia h^'^droxide (NH4.OH) . M ARKET S - The act of Congress approved July 6, 1939, fixed the I price of dom.estic silver m.ined after July 1, 1939, at $0,711 per bounce. The price through 1938 to June 30. 1939, v;as |o.6464 per ounce. Foreign silver continued at 44 3/4^» ^nd the Treasury's buying basis held at 3^^, (Quotations as of October 1, 1942). S POSSIB LE BUYERS - The Federal Government purchases most of the omestic silver tlirough the United States Mints at San Francisco, .Philadelphia, Denver, and the United States assay offices at Nev; Orleans [and Seattle. The majority of the silver sold by producers in California is alloyed with gold £ilthou£';h considerable amounts are recovered from base bullion. This material is sold to sm.elters rather than directly to the consumers of silver, 3IBLI0G-RAPHY jHenry, John L. Silver-Qold Deposits of Alpine County, California. ■ Engineering and Mining Journal. Vol. 121, No. 23, pp 936. 1926. Knopf, Adolph. The Darwin Silver-Lead Mining District, California. I U.S.G.S. Bulletin 580, pp. 1-18. 1913. IKnopf, Adolph. Mineral Resources of the Inyo and White Mountains, California. U.S.G.S. Bulletin 540, pp. 81-120. 1912. Lindgren, Waldemar. The Gold-Silver Veins of Ophir, California. Poiu'teenth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey. Part II, pp. 245-284. 1892-93. Minerals Yearbook, Review of 1940. (Keiser, H.D., editor) U.S. Bureau of Mines. 19^1. [Newton, Joseph. An Inti'oduction of Metallurgy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York. Chapman & Hall, Limited, London, 1933. -3- pj-Ti I SILVER (continued) 139 Pabst, Adolf, Minerals of California, Bulletin II3, California i State Division of Mines. 1938. rnsome, Alfred L. General G-eolo^^y and Ores of the Blind Spring Hill Mining District, Mono County, California. California Journal of Mines and Geology. Vol. 36, No. 2, Apri^. 1940. Ries, H. ' Economic Geology. (Seventh Edition) John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Nev,^ York. Chapman Hall, Limited, London. 1937. Spurr & Wormser. The Marketing of Metals and Minerals. McGraw-Hill. Book Company. Inc. 1925. Tucker, Vf.B., and Sampson, R.J. Economic Mineral Deposits of the Newberry and Ord Mountains, San Bernardino County. California Journal of Mines and Geology, Vol. 36, No. 3. July 1940, Warner, Thos. Silver Discovery in Saline Valley, Inyo County, California. Engineering & Mining Journal. Vol. 121, No. 23, p. 938. 1926. NOTES : 1. Specimens of silver and silver minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Ep.ncisco, California. ijH 2. Other silver ore minerals occurring in California are "^tephanite (Ag5SbS4) , polybasite p (AgCu)T_gSboSiyn > sylvanite (AuAgTe4), stromeyerite (AgCu)2S, embolite AgtciBr) . ooOoo -V i .. state of California 141 .Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES -Talter W. Bradley ^^ZZ 7^7^ Ferry Building State Mineralogist MARCH - J-y^*^ San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF .;3ALIF0RNIA (Series 1942; ST RONTIUM i By G-eorge L« G-'ary, Mineral Technologist P ROPERTIES - Celestite . the strontium sulfate, SrS04, (SrO,56.4^) Is found in cleavable masses and as fibrous seams. Cleavage in two iirections. The mineral may be colorless, white, pale blue or red. iardiiess ,3; Specific gravity 3.9. Strontianlte , SrC03, strontium carbonate, contains 70,1^ SrO. It occurs in acicular and prismatic crystals, in columnar and fibrous nasses, and may be colorless, white, yellowish, green or brown. lardness 3-|- to 4. Specific gravity 3.7. OCCURRENCE ~ Celestite occurs in San Bernardino County in the Lvawatz Mountains, on the southern slope of the Cady Mountains, and just north of Bars tow. It also is found in Imperial and Inyo countias. Strontianlte occurs in Inyo, Plumas and San Bernardino counties IS a secondary mineral derived from celestite. PREPARATION - Strontianlte and celestite are heavy enough to )ermit separation from their gangue by gravity concentration. Strontium is prepared by treating strontianlte with hot nitric icid (HNO3). Strontium hydroxide may be prepared from either celestite or itrontianite in a number of ways. One method is to reduce strontian- - .te to strontium oxide by heating the mineral with a reducing agent !uch as coal, charcoal, or sulphur and then dissolve the oxide in fater to form strontium hydroxide, Celestite, the strontium sulfate, is not soluble in dilute acids ijid must first be roasted to strontium sulfide, v/hich is soluble, be- 'ore converting it to any of the commercial strontium salts. Metallic strontium may be obtained by electrolysis of fused strontium chloride. -1- .e.c dm STRONTIUIJ (continued) 2.42 USES - Strontium is used commercially mainly in the form of compounds, some of which are nitrate, hydroxide, carbonate, and chloride. Strontium nitrate is the principal constituent of red flares both for military and civilian purposes. In other forms it is used as a necessary constituent of tretcer bul^lets" and shells. Strontium hydroxide is used in the beet sugar industry to aid in the separation of sugar from the beet-sugar molasses. . . Ground celestite is used to purify caustic soda for the rayon in- dustry. It may be substituted for ground barite as a weighting agent in oil-well drilling mud, Strontianite is used on a small scale in Europe for desulphur- izing and dephosphorizing steel, but because of the low sulphur and phosphorous content of domestic orea, it is unimportant in the United States for this purpose, • TESTS - Strontium minex'als give a crimson flame, especially with • HCl, Both'stronti^.mite and celestite give an alkaline reaction on moistened turmeric paper aft^r intense heating. The flame is not as deep red as that for lithium and if barium chloride is used v;lth a strontium salt on platinum wire for a flame test, the crimson coloration is destroyed, whereas with a lithium salt it is intensified. If hydrochloric acid is used for the strontium flame test, the color resembles the yellowish red of the calcium but is, more persistent on prolonged heating, Strontianite is soluble in hydrochloric acid with effervescence ' ■and strontium sulfate is precipitated from dilute solutions with sul- • furic acid, Celestite is insoluble in dilute acids and must first be fused with sodium carbonate before making wet tests for strontium. (Calcium and barium will also come down as sulfates if they are present and for this reason the flame test for strontium is more reli~ ■ able than wet tests) . MARKE TS - Celestite: Per ton in carload lots, 92^ SrSo4, finely powdered, ^45, Strontianite: Per ton lump in carload lots, minimum 6h% @ 86% SrCO^, |55. nominal. (Quotations March 1942). POSSIB LE BUYERS : ' • , ' - Foote Mineral Company, 1609 Sumner St., Philadelphia, Pa. Pan-Chemical Company, 1396 North Harvard St., Claremont, California REFERENCES: Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California, California State Division -of Mines Bulletin 113, 1938. Hill, James M. Barium and Strontium. Our Mineral Supplies. U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 666, 1919. Knopf, Adolph. Strontianite Deposits near Barstow, California Contributions to Economic G-eology. Part I Metals and Non-metals Except Fuels. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 660, 1917. Santmyers* R.M. Strontium From a Domestic Standpoint. U.S.Bureau of Mines Economic Paper No. 4, 1929. NOTES ; Specimens of strontium minerals may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Bldg, San F r artnl sco, -• California, -2- ti iX IV.t ■ai<:-i' V ) • ■ ■'■■ U v-l • state of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W, Bradley Ferry Building State Mineralogist i^ebruary - l9^^ San Francisco COIBvIERCIAL MINEMLS OF CALIFORNIA " (Series 1942) TAL C By G-eorge L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Talc, a hydrous magnesium silicate, H2Ms-5Si40x2. is usually foliated massive to granular and compact massive. It has perfect basal cleavage. Thin laminae and flexible but not elastic. Sec tile. Greasy feel. Luster pearly on cleavage sur- face. Color, white, silvery white, to apple green. It also may be greenish gray lo dark green, or if impure, brov/nish to blackish green or reddish. Hardness 1-1:|-. Specific gravity 2,7 ~ 2.8. OCCURRENCE - Talc is an alteration product of magnesium sili- cates which are found associated with igneous or metamorphic rocks and for this reason talc deposits of any Importance always occur in metamorphic rocks. In California, talc is often associated with serpentine or actinolite. Soapstone deposits frequently occur in basic igneous ro'cks. Talc and soapstone occur in most of the coimties in California, but the main production has come from Inyo and San Bernardino counties with lesser amounts having been shipped from Butte, .A Dorr,do,and Los Angeles counties. Other small deposits have been utilized to a small extent. The deposits near Tecopa and Zabriskle in Inyo County occur on the contact betv/een diorite and a banded limestone, and the talc is closely associated with fibrous tremolite. The material is from to 12 feet thick and is very often soft and white. San Bernardino County deposits lie directly south of those in Inyo County and also occur on a diorite limestone contact. PREPARATION - The milling of talc is fairly well standardized. ' At present it is all ground dry and separated 'oy air. However, to ,_avold the danger of silicosis, wet grinding, classifying, and con- entrating is being tested in various localities and it is likely hat these methods will replace the dry process. Talc has. been successfully recovered by flotation. -1- >^ V. '»•'■ -l TALC (continued) "^^^ USES - Talc is widely used as a i-lllfcr Tor paint, rubber, and paper. The main outlet for coarse and off-color talc is in the manufacture of roofing paper, >. Calcined talc, known as "lava", may be cut, machined, and threaded. After firing, the article is hard, resistant to acids _ and alkalies, and has a very low coefficient of expansion. Lava' is used for insulators, refractories and radio parts. The quantity of talc used in cosmetics is very small in com- piirison to its other uses. The lubricating qualities of talc make it suitable for a constituent in some cup greases. It is dusted on the inside of pneumatic tires to prevent pinchine, of the tube and is used in other rubber articles, such as gloves, boots, and shoes, to facilitate handling and wearing. Some of its many other uses are to coat foundry molds, bottle molds, etc; as an absorbent for drying .oily leather, as a packing material for eggs and fruit, and as an abrasive in some automobile and wood polishes. TEST S - Talc is charactv-rized by its smooth, soapy feel but the presence of magnesium must be proved before the material can be distinguished from j^r ^plxJ^lli^'ue . MRKETS - Per ton, carload lots, f.o.b. works. Containers included unless otherwise specified. Talc, California domestic, 1, c.l. ton ^20.00 2, c.l. ton !;?17.00 Georgia: 98 percent through 200 mesh, c^ay, S6; white $8, packed in 50 lb. paper or 200 lb, burlap bags. New Jersey: Mineral pulp, ground, $8.50 @ s^l0.50. Bags extra. New York: Double air floated, short fibre, 325 mesh $12. @ Sl5. Vermont: 99a percent througn 200 mesh, extra white, bulk basis, $10.00; 97 percent throutj;h 200 mesh, medium white, $9.50. Packed in parser bags, 51-25 per ton extra. Virginia: 200 mesh, 04". 75 ^ 05.50; 3'^J mesh, $6,20 © 57; Crude 04, Quotations February 1942. POSSIBLT.: BUYERS American Cyanide & Chemical Corp., 60 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York, NY Browning, E.S. & Co., 1515 Third St., San Francisco, California. Chrystal Co. Inc., Chai-les B. , 13 Hudson St. New York, N, Y. Coon Companies, Inc., 711 Gibbons St., Los Aigeles, California Consolidated Minerals Co., P.O.Box 92, Long Island City, N. Y. Iradustrial Minerals cc Chemical Co., 6th ^: Gilman Sts. Berkeley, Calif. Innes, Speiden & Co., 117 Liberty St., New York, N. J-. International Pulp Co., 41 Park Row, New York, N. Y. Kennedy Minerals Co. Inc. 2550 E. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. King 8c Co. E. & F, Inc., 405 Atlantic Ave. Boston, Mass, Los Angeles Chemical Co., I960 Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Merck & Co, Inc., Rahway, N. J, -2- •'n;..i^ . 146 i'ALC (con'olaueo) Pacific Coast Talc Co., 2149 Bay St., Los Angeles, California Parsons, M. 7/., Imports and Plymouth Organic Laboratories Inc., 59 Beekman St., New York, K. Y. Rosenthal Co. Inc., H.H. , 25 East 26th St., Mew York, N. Y. Salamon, L.A. A Bro., 216 Pearl St., llev; York, N. Y. Schundler, F.E. & Co. Inc., 620 Railroad St., Joliet, 111. Smith Chemical & Color Co., 55 John St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Solomon, C. Jr., 314 Battery St., San Francisco, California Southern California Minerals Co., 320 South Mission RDad, Los Angeles, California. Starkie, Albert E. , 528 No. Cuyler Ave., Oak Park, 111. Tamms Silica Co., 228 North LaSalle St.. Chicago, 111. Tropical Chemical Co. of California, 2444 East 8th St., Los Angeles, Cc?,lifornia. Western Talc Co., 1901 East Slauson Ave., Los Angeles, California Wliittaker, dark & Daniels Inc., 260 West Broadway, New York, N. Y. V/iliiams, C.K. & Co., 640 North 13th St., Easton, Pa. Wishnick-Tumpeer, Inc., 295 Madison. Ave. , New York, N. Y. REFERENCES Diller, J.S. Talc and Soapstone. Minerals Resources of the United States. Part II Non-metals, 1913- Gillson, Joseph L. Talc, Soapstone, Pyrophyllite. Industrial Minerals and Rocks. Seely W. Mudd Series A. I. M. E. 1937. Ladoo, Raymond B. Non-Metallic Minerals. McGraw Hill Book Company Inc., New York and London, 1925. Mineral Yearbook Review of 1940. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines. Bulletin 113, 1938. Ries, H. Economic G-eology. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York Seventh Edition 1937. NOTES 1. Specimens of ts.lc, soapstone and pyrophyllite may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco. 2. Steatite denotes the m.assive, compact variety of talc, whereas soapstone is composed essentially of talc but contains other minerals as impurities. 3. Pyrophyllite is a hydrous aluminum silicate ( H2AI2S 1402^2 ) > which exhibits the same soapy feel as talc and is frequently mistaken for it, Pyrophyllite and talc are nearly identical in luster, color and hardness. However, pyrophyllite is really distinguished 'oy the presence of aluminum which may be detec- ted by heating; some of the mineral with cobalt nitrate on charcoal or by wet tests. Pyrophyllite, like talc, occurs in schists and other metaraorphic rocks and in igneous rocks as a product of hydrothermal alteration. Certain grades of pyrophyllite may be used for many of the same purposes as talc, -3- 148 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley -^ . Ferry Building State Mineralogist SEPTEMBER > 1942 Sgji Francisco COM!;IERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) TIN By G-eorge L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - The only important ore of tin is the oxide, casaiterite, SnOg* It occurs in tetragonal crystals, frequently in elbow-shaped twins with a characteristic notch, giving rise to the miner's term visor tin; often in reniform or kidney shapes, structure fibrous divergent; also massive, granular or impalpable; in rolled grains. Cleavage imperfect. Fracture uneven. Brittle, Luster adamantine and crystals usually splendent. Streak white, grayish, brov/nish. Color brown or black; sometimes red, gray, white or yellow. The hardness is 6-7 and the specific gravity varies from 6,8 - 7.1. OCCURRENCE - Cassiterite is v/idely distributed in small amounts but is produced on a commercial scale in only a fev; localities. It has been noted as an original constituent of Igneous rocks and pegmatites, but it is more commonly to be found in veins associated with quartz, in or near granitic rocks. Tin veins usually have minerals which contain fluorine and boron, such as tourmaline, topaz, fluorite, and apatite, and the minerals of the wall rocks are commonly much altered. It is thought, therefore, that the tin veins have been formed through the agency of vapors v/hich carried tin with boron and fluorine. Frequently associated v/ith wolframite, Cassiterite is also found in the form of rolled pebbles in placer deposits, stream tin , Cassiterite occurs in California in Butte, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Siskiyou and Trinity counties but not at present found in sufficient quantities to v/arrant mining. PREPARATION - Roughly about three-fourths of the tin produced is derived from placer deposits formed by the weathering and accumulation of debris from granites and quartz veins. Lode mining of tin is conducted in the manner employed in the mining of all vein deposits. The vein matter must in general carry 1 to 2 percent tin to be commercial. The mining of detrital material is accomplished by panning, hydrauli eking, or by dredgiiig. The concentrate obtained carries 60 to 75 percent metallic tin and is consigned to tin smelters for reduction. The location of the smelting plants at great distances from the mines is not an important factor in the industry owing to the low ratio of the transportation charges on the concentrates to the value of the metal. -1- i^-£ik -J- TIN (continued) 1^9 I^TALLURGICAL USES - The metallurgical uses of tin, which account for about 9^ percent of the consumption of flew metal, automatically divide themselves into two groups - as pure metal and as alloy, the former accounting for somewhat more than half, and the latter for a little less than half of the consumption. The outstand* Ing use is in the production of tinplate, that is, mild steel sheets covered with a layer of tin as a protective coating; a small amount is used in a similar manner to put a lead- tin coating on steel in the manufacture of terne plate, and small amounts are also used in coat- ing metals other than steel. The other main uses for the pure metal are in foil, used in wrapping foods, tobacco, et cetera, and in collapsible tubes for salves, ointments, tooth pastes, and other similar products. Solder and babbit (bearing metal) account for the bulk of the metal used in alloy form, with lesser amounts in bronze, die casting alloys, and in similar combinations. CH EMICAL USES - Industrial uses for tin in the form of various compounds account for about 6 percent of the consumption, about one-quarter in the form of oxide, and three-quarters in other compounds, of which the chloride is the most important. The oxide is used as an opacifying agent in white glasses and enamels, and the chloride as a weighting agent in fabrics, particularly silk. MILITARY USES - There are no specific military uses, but war demand considerably increases the consiimption of tin in many of its ordinary industrial uses, particularly tin cans, solder, and bearing metal. Such uses as we find of tin in military equipment are merely adaptations of the ordinary industrial uses, applied to a product that happens to be of a military character. TESTS • The best test is to fine-grind the sample and dissolve In dilute hydrochloric acid. Add a small piece of aluminum, or iron, to reduce the tin to the stannous condition and filter if necessary. Then aftd. the filtrate to a solution of mercuric chloride (HgClg) , A gray precipitate (mcrcur .>us chloride HgCl) will form if tin is present. MARKETS : Tin, per lb, f, o. b. New York, 99 percent, 52.125c. (Quotations September 1942). POSSIBLE BUYERS Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave,, Brooklyn, NX E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (The R. & H. Chemicals Depart-. ment) , Wilmington, Del. Federated Metals Diyisdon, American Smelting & Refining Co., 120 Broad.way, New York, N. Y, The Harshaw Chemical Co., Cleveland, Ohio. The 0. Hommel Co., 209 Fourth Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. The Mcaean Chemical Co., 1106 Republic Bldg. , Cleveland, Ohio Metal & Thermit Corp., 120 Broadv/ay, New York, N. Y, National Lead Company, 111 Broadway, New York, li. Y, -2- : ■■, tM.liSi,l.:. j^^ ^^ 'A. : ' : : :'^iiS^-I:r ■■-'toil V. 'P.&: at^ 3h: Ij&i&m. ■.i. atp .ti •'V ■ .i-'-'-t^/'. ..;?»;*:.•■ •;^': ,§^;' ir^(y:(- ^v-: - . . .. ^'V r ; ■ » , «■■■■■'.. „ ,Iao,f;;r!siiD 150 TIN (continued) BIBLIOGRA-PKY Adolph Pabst, Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin No. 113 (1933). E. 77. Pehrson and John B. Umhau, Tin, Minerals Yearbook 1940. pp. 677-701. G. A. R)ush. Tin. Strategic Mineral Supplies. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., Nev; York and London (1939). pp. 162-199. Richard J. Segerstrom, Tin in California. 37th Report of the State Mineralogist (l94l) . pp. 531-557. Staff of the Foreign Minerals Division, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Mineral Raw Materials. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London (1927) pp. 205-211. NOTES 1. Specimens of tin ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. . Stannite, Cu2FeSnS4, is a minor ore of tin. 3. Additional Buyer: Tin Pj?ooessing Company, Texas City, Texas, (Federal Agency) , C-zOod state of California ^51 Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley taottapv tqAo Ferry Building State Mineralogist ^^i^HAni - A.^ ^-d San Francisco CORTJfflRCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) TITANIUM By G-eorge L. Qr&ry, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Ilmenite (Ferrous titanate, FeTi03, iron 36.8 per cent, titanium 31.6 per cent). It occurs in tabular crystals, in flat plates v/ithout definite outline, in disseminated grains, in compact masses, and as sand. The luster is metallic to sub-metallic. Color iron-black. Streak black to brownish black. May be magnetic without heating. The hardness is 5^ to 6. Specific gravity 4.7. Rutile (Titanium oxide, Ti02-, titanium 60 per cent. Iron is usually present). It is found as inbedded grains or crystals, as acicular inclusions, or massive. The luster is adamantine to sub- metallic. The color is red grading through brownish red to black. Streak pale brov/n. Specimens nay be sub- trains lucent or transparent. Hardness 6. Specific gravity 4.2. Sphene (Calcium titanosilicate CaTlSi05 OaO, 28.6 per cent, TiOg 40,8 per cent. Iron is usually present in small amounts). It occurs as crystals and grains. The luster is resinous to adamantine. Color gray, brovm, green, yellov;, or black. It is tronsparent to trans- lucent. Hardness 5 to Si. Specific gravity 3.5. OCCURRENCE - Ilmenite has been found in 27 counties in California principally in the beach or river sands. Los Angeles and Santa Cruz counties report the only production in the State, The Los Angeles deposits are located at Hermosa, Beach and in the San Gabriel Mountains and those in Santa Cruz County are at Aptos, about 12 miles south of Santa Cruz, The Hermosa Beach deposit extends for 2-g- miles south of Clifton. The black sands contain a heavy concentrate of titaniferous iron and form a lenticular deposit ranging in thickness from 8 feet to 14 inches. The overburden is gray and v;hite sand containing silica, olivine, epidote, garnet, and zirconium silicate. The titaniferous ores in the San G-abriel Mountains south of Soledad Canyon, consist almost entirely of magnetite and ilmenite with little visible gangue. They are associated with rocks of the gabbro family. The Santa Cruz deposits occur in irregular crescents 100 to 200 feet long and as much as 50 feet vide azid consist of layers of black sand up to 5 or 6 inches thick separated by thicker layers of lean sand. The sand contains magnetite, martlte, and ilm.enite. -1- ■•-■. 152 TI TANIUM! (continued) Rutlle and sphene occur in California mainly as accessory min- erals in igneous rocks and are usually not of sufficient concentration to "be valuable as an ore of titanium or titanium oxide. PRSPARATIOI-J - Titaniferous iron ores may "be divided into two classes for ore dressing purposes. One type contains ilmenite in large enough fragnfente ^to be re].eased from the magnetite by crushing, fol- lowed oy magnetic separation and chemical treatment of the ilmenite to produce titanium oxide. The deposits of the San G-abriel Mountains, are of this type. The other class of titaniferous iron ores includes those in which j the titanium is in chemical combination with the ores or the ilmenite j is too finely divided to be separated mechanically, and require direct j chern i cal tre a tme n t , ' Me'callic titanium unites very readily v/ith oxygen or nitrogen and requires special precautions for its preparation. One process (developed by ^7. Kroll of Niagara Falls, N. Y. ) begins with TiCl4 (titanium tetrachloride) which is reduced with pure magnesium in molyb- denum lined crucibles in the presence of argon at about 1000° C. The pov/dcred metal, which does not alloy v.'ith magnesium, is separated from the magnesium salts by leaching and acid trcatm.ent. It is compressed into bars and melted in a special vacuum apparatus, USES - The greatest amount of titanium is used in the form of the oxide as a pigment in paints, rubber, plastics, and for improving the luster of rayon. It is also used in cosmetics and soap, Rutilc as such is used as a coating on wcld.ing rods. The small amount of titanium metal used is in the form of alloys such (as ferro titanium, cup ro titanium, etc, vrhlch are added to molten metals as scavengers just before casting, TitaniuiA in complex deoxidizing agents contoAning aluminum, titanium, ano. vanadium, serves to protect and intensify the hardening effect of vanadium in steels so that less of this more expensive vanadium can be used. TESTS - The phosphate bead heated in the reducing flame is violet v/hen cold if titanium is present, Titrjiium minerals fused with sodium carbonates and dissolved in hydrochloric acid gives a violet color to the solution when tin is added. A yellow to amber color results v;hcn hydrogen peroxide is added to a sulfuric acid solution containing titanium, MARKETS - Per gross ton Ilmenite, 60 percent Ti02, f.o.b. tlantlc seaboard, $28,00 © $30.00 according to grade and impurities, Rutlle, per lb,, guaranteed ninimium 94 percent concentrate, 8 @ lOjz^, nominal; 88 @ 90 percent $95,00 per ton,^c,i,f. New York, (Quotations as of November 20, 1941) . POSSIBLE BUYE RS American Zirconiuri Corp., St. Helena Ave., Baltimore, Md. Belmont Smelting & Refining \"orks. Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, ;■: i« • Y. The Chemical & Pigment Co., Div. Glidden Co,, 6401 St. Helena Ave, , Baltimore, Hd, Du Pont de Kemours, E.I., Sc Co., Inc., (Krebs Pigments Department), Wilmint^ton, Del, -a- 153 TITAlvIlM (continued) Ekstrand & Tholand, Inc., 441 LexlnGton Ave,, Nov/ York, N. Y. Foote Mineral Company, 1609 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa. Karshav; Chemical Co., The, Cleveland, Ohio. [Mackay, A. D. , 198 Broadway, Nev/ York, N. Y- ! National Titanium Co., Vernon, California. Titanium Alloy MfG. Co., Drawer C, Brid£.se Station, Niagara Falls, K.Y. i Titaniam PiGments Corporation, 111 Broadway, New York, iJ. Y^ United Color and Pi^^ment Co., Div. Interchemical Obrp., McClellan St., Nev/ark, N. J. jVandorbllt Co., a» T. Inc., 230 Park Ave., New York, N. Y» "Vitro HanufacturinG Co., The, Corliss Station,. Pittsburfsh, Pa. V»'ittaker, Clirl: & Daniels, Inc., 260 V/est Broadv/ay, New York, N. Y. '.Vishjiick-Tumpecr, Inc., 295 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. . BIBLIOGRAPHY [Bau~-hmen, V'ill, The Utilization and Metallurgy of Titanium. Report ■ 23 of the State Hineralocist vol. 23, No. 3. July 1927. Pabat, Adolf. Minerals of California. Bulletin 113> California State Division of Hines, 1938. SiiTGwald, Joseph T. , Jr., The Titaniferous Iron Ores in the United States, Their Composition and Eaonoraic Value. U. S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 64, 1913. Toungman, S. P., Deposits of Titanium-Bearinj^ Ores. (Domestic and ForeiGn) . U.S.Bureau of Mines Inform^ation Circular 3686. Oct. 1930. Youngman, E.P. Titanium. U.S.Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6365 ► October 1930. NOTES 1. Other titanium bearing minerals of very little importance as titanium ores are brookite (an orthorhombic form of TlOg) , and bentonite Cbarium titanosilicate, BaTiSi^Op) . 2. Specim.ens of llmenite, rutile, and sphene or titanite may be seen in the museum of the State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco,. California. -3- 154 State of California Department of Natural Resources Division OF MINES Walter "/. Bradley apbtt ioat Ferry Building St ate Mineralog ist Armi, - xy^x g^ Francisco COM!"ERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1941) TUNGSTEN By G-eorge L, G-ary, Mineral TechnoloGlst PROPERTIES - The principal ores of tungsten are wolframite, echeelite, liubnerite and ferberite. Scheelite, calciun tungstate, CaVlTOi,. is the principal tun/'ssten mineral of California; only minor occurrences of the other tungsten minerals have 'oeen found here. Scheelite occurs massive or in p./ramidal crystals v;ith a vitreous or adamantine luster. It is white, yellowish white, pale yellow, brownish, greenish and reddish in color, and gives a Vi^hite streak. The hardness is 4.5 - 5; the gravity varies from 5.9 - 6.1. OCCURREi'CE - Tungsten ores are commonly found associated v;ith Igneous rocks, such as granites, acid pegmatites and acid porphyries. The deposits may be found encased in the igneous rocks or within slates or quartzites at or near the contact of igneous rooks with sedimentaries. Tungsten deposltes are generally classified as to I their occurrer.ce as follows: segregation deposits, pegmatites, veins [replacement, contact metamorphlc, and placers, Scheelite has been 'produced in California principally in the Atolia district in San Bernardino and Kern counties, followed by important deposits and (Production in the Tungsten Hills, near Bishop, Inyo County; and Benton Range, Mono County, Other deposits, some of which have been productive, occur in El Dorado, Fresno, Nevada, Riverside, San Diego, Siskiyou, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties, PREPARATIO N - In the manufacture of tungsten steel the tungsten concentrates may be Introduced directly into the steel bath but in the production of f errotungsten, tungsten trioxlde and tungsten pov;der seT^eral methods are employed which with the preparation of ductile tungsten and cemented, tungsten carbide may be :referred to in the circular on Tungsten, by William 5 Vanderburg which is listed in the bibliography. USES - The principal use of tungsten is in the manufacture of toolvS for metal cutting. For this purpose it is employed either in certain types of steel known as high-speed tool steels (the more common one containing 18 percent tungsten, 4 percent chromium, and 1 percent vanadium) or In cemented carbides either alone or with other elements. Tungsten finds important application in electric-* light and radio-tube filaments, but the quantities used are not large, 'Tungsten salts are used in the chemical, pigment, and tanning industries, -1- I I TUNGSTEN (continued) ^55 • TESTS - The mineral is finely pulverized and heated with hydrochloric acid. If tungsten is present, a yellow powder, tungsten' . trioxide will be produced. Upon the addition of metallic tin or zinc the solution v/ill turn indigo blue, the intensity of the color depending upon the amount of tungsten in the specimen tested. If the mineral is insoluble, as wolframite, fuse with sodium carbonate, and then dissolve in hydro cli3.oric acid and test as above. MARKETS - Tungsten ore, per unit WO^r, 6% ■ - . Wolframite, Chinese, c.i.f. New York — in bond |17. 50-19. 50 S^heelite, domestic, f.a.s,, Los Angeles ' 5124. ©0 nom. li innerite, domestic, f.o.b. Tucson a;23.00 nom. Tuigsten metal, per' lb, in ton lots, 98^ to 99^, powdered |2.50 - 5.00 •(Quotations April 1, 1941). PO SSIBLE BUYERS Clifford, L. Ach, 2309 East 8th St., Los Angeles, California. Atkins, Kroll & Co., 260 California St., San Francisco, California. Atolia Mining Co., Crocker Building, San Francisco, California. Belmont Smelting ^ Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, NY. Bradley & Ekstrom, 320 Market St, San Francisco, California. A. M. Capen's Sons, Inc., 50 Howard St., New York, N. Y. Cocmo Metal Alloys Corp., 275 Front St., New York, N. Y. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp., North Chicago, 111. W,. R. Grace & Co., 7 Hanover Sq. , New York, N. Y. Hersch-Van Siclen, Inc., 432 Fourth Ave., New York, N. Y. Molybdenum Corp. of America, 500 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Ore Metal & Engineering Corp., 112 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif, Henry Rising & Co., 626 St. Paul Ave., Los Angeles Calif, The Ore & Chemical Corp., 80 Broad St., New York, N. Y^ Wah Chang Tr-iding Corp., 233 Broadway, New York, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carlton D. Hulin. Geology and Ore Deposits of the Randsburg Quad- rangle, California State Division of Mines Bulletin No.95 (1925). Dwight M. Lemmon. Tungsten Deposits in the Tungsten Hills, Inyo County, Calif. U. S. Geol. Survey Bulletin 922-Q (1941). Dwight M. Lemmon* Tungsten Deposits of the Benton Range, Mono County, California. U. S. Geol-.> Survey Bulletin 922-S (l94l). Dwight M. Lemraon and John V. N. Dorr 2nd. Tungsten Deposits of the Atolia District, San Bernardino and Kern fibunties, California. U. S. Geol. Survey Bulletin 922-H (1940). Robert H» Ridgway and H, W. Davis. Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Vanadium. Minerals Yearbook (1940). William 0. Vanderburg. Tungsten. U.S/Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6821 (January 1935). William 0, Vanderburg, Mining and Milling Tungsten Ores. U.S.Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6852 (September 1935)* NOTES TT Specimens of scheelite and other tungsten ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San F-rancisco, California. 2. There are other tun£^sten minerals found in California such as powellite and cuprotungstite but so far they are only to be nsidered as interesting raineralogioal occua-'rences. -2- * ..iJ>. ■ - .(Vw ^;.i>iiUwi• l« ^ I ».I..' • -■ » . . ii.X'^r; < ^ ?-'3.i»3' • >'^- • - - • - f. • roO ! •no*!^..';. « •• s *. ■ ■ ■ ^ • 157 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley MARrw loko Ferry Building State M i neralogist ^" " ^' ^^ San Francisco COmiERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) VANADIIM By . George L, G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Vanadinite PbcCl( VO^)'^, a lead ch] orovanadate is a source of vanadium and a minor ore of lead. It is found as sharp prismatic crystals, rounded crystals, globular forms, or as incrusta- tions. It is ruby red, brown or yellow in color and has a resinous to adamantine luster. The streak is v/hite or yellowish. Hardness 3. Specific gravity 6,66 to 7.10. . Carnotite , a hydrous potassium uranium vanadate, approximately K20,2U03. V20r3.2H20, is a source of vanadium, uranium and radium salts, which occurs as powder, in earthy masses, or as incrustations. It is canary yellow in color, rather soft, and has a specific grav- ity of about 4.0, Roscoellte, H2K(Al,V)-^(SiO^)2 a vanadium mica, is unique in having a large percentage of vanadium in place of iron.. It occurs in minute scales. Pearly luster. Color, clove brown to brownish green and dark green. Hardness 2^-. Specific gi^avity 2,97. OCCURRENCE - Peru is the largest single producer of vanadium in the world, followed by the United States and South V/est Africa. In California vanadinite has been found in Kern and San Bernardino counties. Considerable development v/ork was done at the San Bernardino county deposit near G-offs in an effort to expose paying quantities but without success. Carnotite has not been reported from any locality in California. The principal commercial source of vanadium and uranium in the Unit&d - States is the carnotite deposit in western Colorao.o and adjoining portions of Utah, which is founa in loosely cemented Jurassic sand- stone. Arizona also produces vanadium from the Mammouth - St. Anthony Mine, near Mamm.outh. Roscoellte was first found on G-ranite Creek, near Coloma, El Dorado County. Later it was found in Big Red Ravine, near the old Sutter Mill in the same county, but not in commercial amounts. PREPARATION - Vanadinite may be concentrated on tables because jaf its high, specif ic gravity. Carnotite has been concentrated by air « !.,«■ ^1^ 158 VANADIUM (contlnuea) blast during the crushing process. The specific gravity of roscoelite is too low to pennit its separation by gravity concentration. I The two common forms in which the concentrate is prepared for ■ use in the manufacture of ferry-alloys are V9,nadium-pentoxide and ferrous- vanadate. The finely ground vanad-ium concentrate is heated in a reverb-.. tr,- toi-.y tya-e hearth with sodium carbonate. The vanadium is taken up by the soda slag from which it is leached and converted to vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) . The unroasted concentrate may be leached in lead lined vessels with sulphuric acid, and by decantation, evaporation and ignition, vanadium pentoxide is obtained. '" In the separation of vanadium from carnotite, the radium and uranium are removed first, then the vanadium is precipitated from a neutral solution by ferrous sulphate as ferrous vanadate. •; Vanadium may be recovered from phosphates by a patented process • i in which the vanadium content of a phosphoric acid solution is con- 1 verted to vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) then extracted by means of a : selective solvent. Reduction to the m£>taliic state and the preparation of ferro- vanadium (which contains from 30 to 40 percent vanadium) is carrie'' ; on in the electric furnace or "oy the aliunino thermic process. USES - Vanadium is classed as one of the critical materials by the United States Army and Navy Munitions Board, and its principal use is in the manufacture of special alloy steels. It has been found necessary to increase the vanadium content of steels in which molybdenum has been substituted in part for tungsten. "Grainal" alloys which consist principally of vanadium, titanium, aluminum, and iron are claimed to increase the hardening capacity of certain structural steels. TESTS - With borax, in the oxidizing flame, vanadates give a yellow bead when hot vvhich changes through yellov/lsh green to nearly colorless when cold. In the reducing flame, vanadates in a borax bead give a dirty green color which becomes a fine green upon cooling. •With salt of phosphorous (sodium ammonium phosphate), material con- taining vanadium is yellow to amber color in the oxidizing flame and fine green after being heated in the reducing flame and allowed to cool. Vanadium minerals are decomposed by hydrochloric acid and the solution becomes reddish brown when hydrogen peroxide is added. MARKETS - Per lb. V2O5 contained, f.o.K^ mines, minimum 9% concentrate, 27t$^ (Quotation February 14, 19^2). POSSIBLE BUYERS Belmont Smelting & Refining Works, Inc., 316 Belm.ont Avenue, Brooklyn,- N. Y. Electro Metallurgical Company, 30 East 42nd Street, New Yorl^, N, Y. Metallurgical Products Co., 35th and Moore Streets, Philadelphia^ Pa^ -2- 'rr-H^^A^: tp-l Oi« t- 9i3i: VANADIUM (continued) I59 it' ': POSSIBLE BUYERS (cont'd.) ^ Ore Metals and Engineering Co., 112 Market Street, Sf.n Francisco, { California i: U. S, Vanadium Corporation, 114 Sansome Street, San Francisco, California. Vanadium Corporation of America, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York,N. Y. REFERENCES Doerner, H.A. Notes on Extraction and Recovery of Ra.dium, Vanadium, and Uranium from Carnotite. U. S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations No. 2873, May 1928. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. California State Division of Mines Bulletin No. 113, 1938. Parsons, Charles L. , R.B.Moore, S.C.Llnd, and O.C.Schaef er. Extraction and Recovery of Rti.dium, Uranium and Vanadium from Carnotite. U. S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 104, 1915. Ries, H. Economic Geology. John ViTiley Sc Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y. Seventh Edition. 1937. Spur, Josiah Edv/ard and V/ormser, Felix Edgar. The Marketing of Metals and Minerals. McG-raw-Hlll Book Company, Inc., New York, N.Y. Minerals Yearbook, Review of 1940, U. S. Bureau of Mines. ■ NOTES 1. Specimens of vanadium minerals may be seen in the museum of the O.lifornla State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. Cuprodescloizlte, a variety of desclolzite, 4RO,V205.H20 (vv'here R=>Pb,Zn,Cu) occurs with cerussite and vanadlnlte at Camp Signal, San Bernardino County. -y- 160 State of California Department of Natural Resources DIVISION OF MINES Walter W. Bradley ATrruqT ■ Tozn ' Ferry~BuIIdini State Mineralogist AULrUbT - 1^41 San Francisco 'CrOMMERCXAi MINERALS OF CALIFORl^IIA (Series 1941) ZINO By ■ George L. G-ary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIE S - The sulfide, sphalerite . ZnS, is the one common primary ore of zinc. It is usually found in cleavable masses coarse to fine granular, and can be recognized by its striking resinous luster. The color is white when pure, and green when nearly so; commonly yellow, bricwn to black, darkening with increase in the amount of iron present. Transparent to translucent. Streak white to yellow and brown. Hardness, 3-g- - 4. Gravity, 3.9 - 4,1. OCCURRENCE - Sphalerite, the most important ore of zinc, is n extremely common mineral, and is associated with galena, pyrite, marcaslte, chalcopyrite, smithsonlte, calcite and dolomite. In its occurrence and node of origin it is closely allied with galena, with which.lt is most commonly found. Zinc deposits are of four types: !j(l) residual deposits, consisting chiefly of lead minerals with liwhich the zinc is associated; (2) vein or fissure deposits; (3) 'replacement deposits located particularly in limestones and dolomites; and (4) disseminated deposits confined to limestones and dolomites, .in which the mineral grains are scattered through the rock. The California zinc ores of Shasta and Calaveras counties are associated with copper, while those of Inyo, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties are associated principally with lead-silver ores. Sphalerite, the principal ore of zinc, is very common in California and is prevalent in most of the mining regions, PREPARATION - Metallic zinc is obtained by distillation of its roasted ores with carbon. The sulfide and carbonate, by roasting, are converted into oxide, and the silicates are calcined to remove moisture. The impure oxides, or the silicates, are mixed with fine ;coal and charged in tubes or vessels of clay, closed at one end an4 connected at the other end with a condenser. These are submitted to a gradually Increasing temperature, by which the ore is reduced to metallic zinc,, and, being volatile, distills, and is condensed. Metallic zinc is also obtained by electrolytic deposition. -1- .ar;o^j^r^°s.;.;«. 161 ZINC (Continued) USES - Metallic zinc, or spelter, as it is called, is used chieily for galvanizing iron, as an alloy with copper in brass, and in storage and telegraph batteries. Zinc dust or zinc shavings are used to precipitate gold from its solution in the cyanide process. Large amounts of zinc are used in the pigments zinc oxide and lithopone (a mixture of barium sulfide and zinc sulfate). Zinc chloride is used as a wood preservative, TESxS - On charcoal in the reducing flame compounds of zinc give a coating which is yellow v/hile hot and white on cooling, and moistened by the cobalt solution and again heated becomes a fine green. Note, however, that t'.ie zinc silicate (hemlmorphite) becomes blue when heated after moistoiiing with cobalt solution. Sodium sulfide precipitates zinc sulfide in alkaline solutions. MARKETS - Zinc - 1^^ , St. Louis for Prime Western. Contract prices I'c'r High-G-rade zinc delivered in the East and Middle West in nearly all instances comuand a premium of 1^ per pound over the current market price for Prime V7estern. (Quotations July, 1941.) POSSIBLE BUYERS J. T. Ba'fctr Chemical Co., Phillipsburg, N. J. Belmont Smelting ^ Refining vVorks, Inc., 316 Belmont Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. ,E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (Electroplating Division), Wilmington, Del. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., (G-rasselli Chemicals Department), Wilmington, Del. National Lead Company, 111 Broadway, Nev/ York, N. Y. The New Jersey Zinc Co., 160 Front St., New York, N. Y. St. Joseph Lead Co., 250 Park Ave., New York, N. Y. U. S. Smelting, Refining & Mining Co., Newhouse Bldg. , Salt Lake City, Utah. BI3L IGC-PAPHY Carle R. navward - An Outline of Metallurgical Practice. D. Van ; Nostiand Company, Inc., New York (1929), pp. 195-236. Adolf Pabst. Minerals of California. Calif. State Div. of Mines, Bulletin No. 113 (1938). E. W. Pehrson. Zinc. Minerals Yearbook 1940, pp. 127-148. NOTES 1. Specimens of zinc ores may be seen in the museum of the California State Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. 2. The carbonate, smithsonite, ZnCO-z, and the silicate, hemlmorphite, Zn4Si207(0H)2.H20, are usually associated with sphalerite deposits as secondary minerals, 3. The three minerals zincite, ZnO, franklinite, (Fe,Zn,Mn) "(Fe,Mn)204, and willemite, Zn2Si04 are found in a unique deposit at FranElin, New Jersey. ~oOo- -2- 1 163 State of California 5 Department of Natural Resources I I DIVISION OF MINES Walter 7/. Bradley September - 1942 Ferry Building State Mineralogist San Francisco COMMERCIAL MINERALS OF CALIFORNIA (Series 1942) ZIRCONIUM 3y G-eorge L. Gary, Mineral Technologist PROPERTIES - Zircon (ZrSi04 zirconium orthosilicate; ZrOo 67.2 percent, Si02 32.3 percent) and baddeleyite (Zr02 Zirconium oxide Zr02 96,5 percent) are the commercial sources of zirconium or zirconium oxide, Brazillte is the term applied to the fibrous, botryoidal or columnar forms of baddeleyite. Zircon is practically alv/ays found in crystals which are either [embedded or occur loose in sands. It may occur in irregular grains. The luster is adamantine; color, usually brovm but also red, yellow, and colorless; hardness Th', specific gravity 4.7. Baddeleyite occurs in tabular, monoclinic crystals with nearly perfect basal cleavage. The luster is greasy to vitreous or ■subm.etallic; color, black, brovm, yellow to colorless; streak, .white; hardness 6.5; specific gravity 5.5 to 6.03. OCCURRENCE - Zircon is an accessory mineral of granitic and monzonltic rocks; it also occurs in pegmatites. It is absent from _ • veins formed near the surface or under conditions of lessened 'temperature and pressure. The metal hafnium occurs in notable amounts in zirconium minerals. Zircon occurs in considerable amounts in many placer deposits derived from the disintegration of granitic and pegmatitic rocks. The best known deposits in the U, S. are at .Zlrconia, near Green River, in Henderson County, North Carolina, where it occurs in the decomposed outcrops of a pegmatite dike. Zirklte (the name applied to a commercial ore of zlrconia, composed of a mixture of baddeleyite or brazillte, zircon, and a supposed- new, unnamed silicate of zirconium) has been found in Brazil in the Caldas district on the border of the States of Mlnas Geraes and Sao Paulo. It occurs in large quantities and is probably connected with pegmatite dikes in nephelite-seyenite. The most notable occurrence of zircon in California is in Placer County where it has been obtained in commercial quantities In the sluice boxes of the Kaufield dredge, 2 miles east of Lincoln, It Is found in the follov-ing counties as an accessory mineral in acid eruptive rocks or in sands: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, i -1- 164 ZIRCONIUM (continued) El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Mono, Nevada, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Yuba. The most important localities for gem zircons are the Mongka district, Indo-China, and Ceylon, G-en zircons also occur in Tasmania, Nev/ South Wales, and New Zealand. USES - Zircon is used to a stedily growing extent in refractories, specialized porcelains, and heat resisting glass. The outstanding characteristics of zircon refractories are: low coefficient of ex- pansion, high density, no n- inflammability, high melting point (2570° C), freedom from corrosion, and high mechanical strength. It is also the usual raw material for the manufacture of zirconium compounds, of which opacifiers are probably the most important, supplanting antimony and to some extent tin oxide in vitreous enamels and ceramic glazes. The use of zircon enamels is growing; they are nonpoisonous and the same opacity is obtained with 2 percent zirconium as with 6 percent antimony oxide. The oxide makes a nonpoisonous, non-discoloring white paint of permanency and good covering power, which is not affected by hydrogen sulfide, by acids or by alkalies. Zircon is used as insulation in electric heating devices, and as a coating on welding rods. Metallic zirconium is employed as powder or ductile metal in photo-flash bulbs, radio transmitter tubes, ammunition primers and spot v/eldlng electrodes. In steel making, zirconium acts as a scavenger and deoxldlzer, removing nitrogen and oxygen o,s well as nonmetallic inclusions. Nickel- tungsten- zirconium (oooperite) is an a.lloy used for high speed tools. When transparent, zircon serves as a gem stone, rivaling the diamond in brilliance. It is colorless in some specimens, but more often of a brown and red orange color called hyacinth or jacinth. Blue zircons are produced by heat treatment. The colorless, yellowish, or smokey stones are called Jargon . PREPARATION - In the concentr-ation of zircon from zircon or monazite sand, the sand is usually passed over magnetic separators. The monazite is rem.oved by the strongest m.agnet, and ilmenite by the intermediate magnet, and the magnetite by the weakest. Zircon is recovered from the tailings by gravity concentration. Zircon (ZrSi04) is converted to zirconium salts by (l) fusion with niter cake (sodium acid sulfate) (2) dissolving the fusion product in hot water and filtering off the free silica and other Insolubl ■', TESTS - Zircon is distinguished by its crystal form and high specific gravity. It is Infusible (blowpipe) but loses color. It is practically Insoluble in acids. An HCL solution of a soda fusion containing zirconium turns turmeric paper orange color. This test Is like that for a borate, the absence of which must be proved, MARKETS - Zirconium alloy - 12 to 15 percent Zr, 39 to 45 .percent Si, $102,50 © $107,50 per gross ton; 35 to 40 percent Zr, -2- nli- 165 ZIRCONIUM ( continued) 47 to 52 percent Si, 14 @ 16{z! per lb. Commercially pure zirconium powder, ^7.00 per lb. (Quotations September 1942). POSSIBLE BUYE RS Brazilian Minerals & Timbers Corp., 233 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Foote Mineral Cbmpany, 1609 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa. Carl Marks & Go,, Inc., 50 Broad St., New York, N. Y. Mercantile Import and Export Corp., 21 East 40th St., New York, N. Y, Montgomery Bros., 61 Fremont St., San Francisco, Calif. Sicklick 8c Company, Ltd., 40 East 49th St., New York, N. Y. C. Tennant, Sons & Co., of New York, 9 Rockerfeller Plaza, New York. Titanium Alloy Mfg. Co., Drawer C, Bridge Station, Niagara Falls, N.Y, BIBLIOGRAPHY E. & M. J. Metal and Mineral Markets. McG-raw-Hill Publishing Company, Inc., New York, N. Y. Dana, Edward Salisbury. Manual of Mineralogy (Fifteenth Edition). Revised by Hurlbut, Cornelius S., Jr. John V/iley & Sons, Inc., New York. Chapman and Hall, Limited, London. J Ladoo, Raymond B. Non-Metallic Minerals, Occurrence- Prepararion - Utilization. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York. 1925 pp. 657-665. Llngren, V/aldcmar. Mineral Deposits, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. Nev,' York and London, 1933. ' Marden, J.W., and Rich, M.N. Investigations of zirconium with especial reference to the m.etal and oxide. Bull, 186, U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1921. Minerals Year Book, Review of 1940. (Keiser, H.D,, editor) U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1941. Nev/ton, Joseph. An Introduction to Metallurgy. John V/iley & Sons Inc., New York. Chapman & Hall, Limited, London. 1938. Pabst, Adolf. Minerals of California. Bulletin 113. California State Division of Mines. 1938. Rles, H. Economic Geology. (Seventh Edition) John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York, Chapman Hall, Limited, London. 1937. Rogers, Austin Flint. Introduction to the Study of Minerals. McGravz-Hlll Book Company, Inc. New York and London. 1937. Symons, Henry H. California Mineral Production and Directory of Mineral Producers for 1938. Bulletin 117, California State Division of Mines. Tyler, Paul M. , and Heurer, R. P. Refractories, Industrial Minerals and Rocks, Seeley l/V. Mudd Series. A.I.M.E., New York, N. Y. 1937. Youngman, E. P, Zirconium. U.S.Bureau of Mines Inform.ation Circular No. 6455, Part 1, General Information. June 1931. NOTE ; Specimens of zirconium bearing minerals may be seen in the museum of the California Division of Mines, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California. -3- THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. .^Ai. MR 7 REl^ PHYS SCI LIBRARY FEB 1 r-:4 RECEIVED i-HYSlCALSCS. LIBRARY FEL PHYSICAL SGS.UBRAi^Y Book Slip-20m 5,'59(A2537s4)458 181^96 Call NumbcK Calif. Dept, of natural resources. Div. of mines t Bulletin. PHYSICAL SCIENCES LIBRARY qiif^ ElBRAKT ,„„VERSITY OF CALffOMfW^ DAVIS i i 181596