Where to find information on mineral raw materials

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STATE OF ILLINOIS

HON. ADLAI E. STEVENSON, Governor

DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION

HON. NOBLE J. PUFFER, Director

DIVISION OF THE

STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief
URBAN A

CIRCULAR NO. 149

WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION
ON MINERAL RAW MATERIALS

M. M. LEIGHTON

Reprinted with Additions from Chemical Industries
Vol. 64, No. 6, pp. 930-931, June 1949

URBANA, ILLINOIS

19 5 0

'WHO'S STATE gg||

3 3051

00004 6171

WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION
ON MINERAL RAW MATERIALS*

M. M. LEIGHTON

Minerals are often important raw materials for chemical operations,
but the chemical market research man is not usually conversant with the
field. Many information sources are available to help him find the field.

The problem of surveying the min-
eral raw material supply by the
chemical market researcher may be sim-
ple or difficult, depending on what the
mineral raw materials are, what use is to
be made of them, in what quantity they
are desired, whether or not they are to
be obtained on the open market or are
to be produced from deposits, and how
familiar the researcher is with the min-
eral field and the sources of information.
In this paper it is assumed that a chemical
manufacturing plant is being planned that
will require mineral raw materials in large
amounts, either for conversion into a man-
ufactured product or for use as processing
materials.

MINERAL SPECIFICATIONS
The first thing to be done is to compile
carefully and critically the specifications
of composition, properties, and amounts
of the mineral or minerals that will be
required. Minerals in the natural de-
posits are almost invariably impure, or
have a range in composition, or are in-
timately mixed with other minerals. Tol-
erance in composition and properties
should, of course, be determined. The
mineral variety may be important.

Silica, as an example is available in the
forms of quartz veins, quartzite rock, sand-
stone made up of quartz grains, tripoli,
or diatomite. For some purposes it is con-
ceivable that any one of these might serve,
according to their costs, but for many other
purposes only one or two of these varieties
would serve because of certain fundamental

-ented before the

differences in crystal structure and prop-
erties, and in cost of extraction and prepara-
tion.

Therefore, it may be necessary, after
having determined the composition and
properties of the mineral substance desired,
to consult reference books such as Dana's
"System of Mineralogy," Dana's "Manual
of Mineralogy," or "Industrial Minerals
and Rocks," or other similar volumes (see
list of reference books appended to this
article) ; then turn to sources of infor-
mation on resources.

INFORMATION SOURCES
The geology and mineral resources of
the United States have been subjects of
study for many decades, but because of
their hidden occurrence and the vastness
of the field, there is much yet to be
learned. We shall consider here the general
sources of published information in eco-
nomic geology and mining. In some cases
state and federal geological and mining
bureaus can furnish information not yet
pub'ished.

The most prolific sources of such in-
formation are the U. S. Geological Sur-
vey, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the
many state geological surveys and nr'ning
bureaus. (A list of these with their
addresses is herewith appended.) The
information of the federal and state sur-
veys and bureaus in some instances supple-
ments each other and neither rhould be
neglected. Lindgren's "Mineral Deposits,"
Bateman's "Economic Mineral Deposits "
Ries' "Economic Geology," Emmon's
"Principles of Economic Geology," Mc-
Kinstry's "Mining Geology," "Minerals

[3]

II HERE TO FIND INFORMATION

Yearbook" published annually by the U. S.
Bureau of Mines, "Mineral Industry" pub-
lished annually by McGraw-Hill, "In-
dustrial Minerals and Rocks" published by
the A.I.M.M.E., "The Stone Industries"
by Oliver Bowles, "Materials Handbook"
by Brady, and "Mineral Resources of the
United States" published by Public Af-
fairs Press are among the useful refer-
ence books that may be named.

The publication lists of the federal and
state geological surveys and mining bu-
reaus are desirable to have at hand. In
addition, one should have access to the
"Annotated Bibliographies of North Ameri-
can Geology," published by the U. S.
Geological Survey, the "Bibliography and
Index of Foreign Geology" published by
the Geological Society of America, the
"Annotated Bibliography of Economic
Geology" published by the Economic Ge-
ology Publishing Co., the "Engineering
Index," "Chemical Abstracts," the technical
publications of the American Institute of
Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, and
others in this field.

Other sources of information and as-
sistance are the specialists and consultants
in geology and mining at universities and
in private practice.

Most of the state surveys can furnish
lists of mineral producers, together with
information about products. Information
of a highly specialized .order concerning
geochemistry and geophysics is procurable
from certain laboratories like those of
the U. S. Geological Survey, U. S. Bureau
of Standards, Pennsylvania State College
School of Mineral Industries, the Illinois
Geological Survey, and certain other in-
dustrial institutes and universities.

MARKET RANGE

• Some mineral commodities have a nar-
row geographic market range: agricul-
tural limestone, crushed rock, most struc-
tural clay products, certain coals, rock
wool, etc.

Other mineral commodities have mar-
ket areas of much wider range : coking
coals, petroleum and natural gas, marble,
granite, slate, Indiana limestone, kaolin,

bentonite, refractory brick, lightweight
refractory brick, cement (in some cases),
salt, bromine and other mineral salts,
magnesite, fertilizers, abrasives, asbestos,
fluorspar, feldspar, fuller's earth, glass
products, graphite, monazite, mica, pig-
ments, and other minor mineral products,
mineral waters, metallic ores, alloying
minerals, etc.

Information concerning the former group
is obtainable from the state geological sur-
veys. Information about the latter requires
sources that are both state and national,
and in some cases international.

Minerals which are not to be found
in commercial quantities in this country
are summarized in "Mineral Resources of
the United States" published by Public
Affairs Press, and information may also be
obtained from specialists of the U. S. Ge-
ological Survey, of the U. S. Bureau of
mines, and of certain universities and state
surveys.

CHEMICAL
METALLURGICAL
AND PROCESSING
MATERIALS

ON MINERAL RAW MATERIALS

INFORMATION AVAILABLE
It may be helpful to cite some specific
examples of the nature of the information
available. Examples are drawn, because
of familiarity, from the work of the Illinois
Geological Survey.

Figure 1, depicting the State of Illinois,
shows the locations of plants producing raw
mineral materials for the chemical, metal-
lurgical, and processing industries. These
include high-purity dolomites, high-calcium
limestones, special types of clays, molding
sands and bonding materials, fluorspar,
abrasives, etc. The Illinois Geological
Survey has a great deal of information on
the composition, physical and chemical
properties of these materials, their avail-
ability, and in some cases information on
deposits that are not yet developed. The
Survey maintains specialists in geology,
physics, chemistry, and mineral economics,
whom you may consult for information.

Figure 2 suggests that a large amount of
information is available from the Illinois
Geological Survey on many kinds of rock
and rock products and clay and ceramic
products.

Figure 3 also suggests the amount of in-
formation that the Survey has on the many
occurrences of oil and gas in the State.
This information includes the composition
and physical properties of the crude oil.
In addition, the Survey possesses much in-
formation on the brines found in many
of these pools and in other drilling-; like-
wise on the coals of the State and on their
use as chemical raw material.

WATER SUPPLIES
The question of plant location is apt to
be tied up very closely with the question
of water supplies. Information on sources,
physical and chemical properties, and
quantities is usually available from the
state geological surveys, state water surveys

WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION

and engineers, and U. S. Geological Survey.
Public health aspects are commonly handled
by the departments of public health in each
state.

NEW TECHNOLOGIC USES
New technologic uses may be found
in "Minerals Yearbook," "Mineral Indus-
try," chemical publications and engineer-
ing journals. "Annotated Bibliographies"
and the "Engineering Index" should be
scanned.

Matters of mine, pit, or quarry develop-
ment to supply the needs of a large com-
pany should, in due time, receive the at-
tention of the company's engineers and
consulting engineers. Plant locations should
be considered in connection with the
valuable information that can be supplied
by the industrial agents and commissioners
of most of the railroad systems, who have

information regarding local conditions and
costs as well as transportation facilities.

The complexity of the mineral commod-
ity field and the specialization in its vari-
ous phases make it essential that the
chemical market research worker who is
interested in these commodities maintain
a shelf of ready reference books and develop
an acquaintance with the numerous sources
of information that exist throughout this
country. The information of the U. S.
Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau
of Mines on foreign sources has been
greatly amplified recently by foreign studies
and by consideration of international min-
eral economics.

Specialized mineral economists in this
country are comparatively few but they
do exist in some state and federal organ-
izations, in a few universities, and in spe-
cialized fields of industry. Those mineral
economists who keep abreast of worM-wide
developments as well as national develop-
ments— politically, industrially, and tech-
nologically— often have valuable informa-
tion on questions of long-time supplies.

The Economic Geology Publishing Co.,
a non-profit organization of research eco-
nomic geologists set up to pub'ish the
"Journal of Economic Geology" (founded
in 1905), is also prepared to cite sources of
information. Inquiries to it may be sent
to 100 Natural Resources Building, Urbana,
Illinois.

REFERENCES

Some Textbooks of Mineralogy

Dana's System of Mineralogy, Vol. I, Elements,

Sulfides. Sulfasalt% Oxides. Cha;. Palache,

Harry Berman, and Clifford Frondel. John

Wiley & Sons, New York, 1944.
Dana's Manual of Mineralogy. C. S. Hurlbut.

John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1941.
Elements of Optical Mineralogy, Pts. I, II, and

III. A. N. Winchell. Tohn Wiley & Sons,

New York. 1937, 1933. 1929 respectively.
Microscopic Characters of Artificial Minerals.

A. N. Winchell. John Wiley & Sons, New

York, 1931.

Som

Min-i

Deposits. W. Lindgren. McGraw-
Hill, New York, 1933.

Economic Mineral Deposits. Alan M. Bateman.
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1942.

Economic Geology. H. Ries. John Wiley &
Sons, New York, 1937.

ON MINERAL RAW MATERIALS

Mineral Economics. Ed. by F. G. Tryon and
E. C. Eckel. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1932.

Principles of Economic Geologv. Wm. H. Em-
mons. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1940.

Elements of the Petroleum Industry. E. L.
DeGolyer, Amer. Inst, of Min. & Metal.
Engineers, 29 W. 39th St., New York 18,
N. Y.

Groundwater. Cyrus F. Tolman. McGraw-
Hill, New York, 1937.

Refractories. F. H. Norton. McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1942.

! Mine
wdities

■als

Mineral Resources of the United States. Pub-
lic Affairs Press, Washington, 1948. Pre-
pared by the staffs of the U. S. Bureau of
Mines and the U. S. Geological Survey.

Minerals Yearbook. U. S. Bureau of Mines.
Annual volumes.

Mineral Industry. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Annual volumes.

Ore Deposits of the Western States. A.I.M.
M.E., New York, 1933.

Strategic Mineral Supplies. G. A. Roush. Mc-
Graw-Hill, New York, 1938.

Mines Register, Inc., 425 West 25th St., New
York 1, N. Y. Biennial.

Annotated Bibliography of Economic Geology.
Econ. Geol. Pub. Co., 100 Natural Resources
Building, Urbana, 111. Semi-annual.

Mineral Deposits of South America. B. L.
Miller and J. T. Singewald, Jr. McGraw-
Hill, New York, 1919.

Mineral Industry of the British Empire and
Foreign Countries. Imperial Inst., London,
1948.

The Mineral Position of the British Empire.
Imperial Inst., London, 1937.

Ores and Industry in the Far East. H. Foster
Bain. Council of Foreign Relations, 1933.

World Minerals and World Politics. C. K.
Leith. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1931.

Industrial Minerals and Rocks. A.I.M M.E.,
1937.

The Stone Industries. Oliver Bowles. Mc-
Graw-Hill, New York, 1934.

Non-Metallic Minerals. R. B. Ladoo. Mc-
Graw-Hill, New York, 1925.

Ceramic Data Book. Industrial Publications
Incorporated, 59 E. Van Buren St., Chicago,
1943-44.

Directory of the Refractories Industry. Amer-
ican Refractories Institute, 1872 Railway Ex-
change Bldg., St. Louis, Mo., 1942.

Materials Handbook. George S. Brady. Mc-
Graw-Hill, New York, 1947. An encyclo-
pedia for purchasing agents, engineers, execu-
tives, and foremen.

Mineral Deposits of the Canadian Shield. E. S.
Bruce. MacMillan Co., Toronto, 1933.

Industrial Uses of Selected Minerals. U. S.
Dept. of Commerce, Office of Domestic Com-
merce, 1948.

Mineral Resources of China. V. C. Juan.
Econ. Geol. Pub. Co., 100 Natural Resources
Building, Urbana, 111., 1946.

Minerals in Modern Industry. W. H. Voskuil.
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1930.

Minerals in World Affairs. Thomas S. Lover-
ing. Prentice-Hall, New York, 1943.

Mine Examination and Valuation. Chas. H.
Baxter and R. D. Parks, Houghton, Mich.,
1939.

Handbook for Prospectors and Operators of
Small Mines. Max W. von Bernewitz— re-
vised by Harry C. Chellson. McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1943.

Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter. Schnell Pub.
Co, Inc., 59 John St., New York 7, N. Y.

Annotated Bibliographies and Indices

Economic Geology, Econ. Geol. Pub. Co. 100
Natural Resources Building, Urbana, 111.

North American Geology, U. S. Geological Sur-
vey, Washington, D. C.

Foreign Geology, Geological Society of America,
419 W. 117 St., New York 27, N. Y.

Chemical Abstracts, Amer. Chem. Society, 1155
16th St., N.W., Washington 6, D. C.

Engineering Index, Engineering Index, Inc.,
29 W. 39th St., New York 18, N. Y.

Scientific and Industrial Reports, U. S. De-
partment of Commerce, Office of Technical
Services, Washington, D. C.

Federal Bureaus (Washington, D. C.)
Department of Commerce

Bureau of the Census, James C. Capt, Direc-

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce,
Amos E. Taylor, Director

National Bureau of Standards, E. U. Condon,
Director

Patent Office, Casper W. Ooms, Commissioner
of Patents
Department of the Interior

Bureau of Mines, James Boyd, Director

Geological Survey, William E. Wrather, Di-
rector

Oil and Gas Division, Max W. Ball, Director

State Geological Surveys

Alabama, Geological Survey of Alabama, Uni-
versity

Arizona, Arizona Bureau of Mines, Tucson

Arkansas, Office of State Geologist, Little Rock

California, State Division of Mines, Department
of Natural Resources, Ferry Building, San
Francisco 11

Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Board,
Golden

Connecticut, Connecticut Geological Survey,
Trinity College, Hartford 6

Delaware, no geological survey

Florida, Florida Geological Survey, Drawer
631, Tallahassee

Georgia, Department of Mines, Mining and
Geology, Atlanta

Idaho, State Bureau of Mines and Geology,
Moscow

Illinois, State Geological Survey Division, De-
partment of Registration and Education, Ur-
bana

Indiana, Division of Geology, Dept. of Con-
servation, Bloomington

Iowa, Iowa Geological Survey, Iowa City

Kansas, State Geological Survey of Kansas,
Lawrence

WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION

Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey, Rm.
No. 5, Miller Hall, University of Kentucky,
Lexington

Louisiana, Louisiana Geological Survey, Lou-
isiana State University, Baton Rouge 3

Maine, State Geological Survey, Orono

Maryland, Department of Geology, Mines and
Water Resources, Baltimore 18

Massachusetts, no geological survey

Michigan, Geological Survey Division, Depart-
ment of Conservation, Lansing

Minnesota, Minnesota Geological Survey, Min-
neapolis 14

Mississippi, Mississippi Geological Survey, Uni-

Missouri, Missouri Geological Survey and Wa-
ter Resources, Rolla

Montana, State Bureau of Mines and Geology,
Butte

Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division,

• University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Nevada, Nevada State Bureau of Mines, Reno

New Hampshire, Mineral Resources Committee,
New Hampshire State Planning and De-
velopment Committee, Durham

New Jersey, Division of Geology and Topog-
raphy, Department of Conservation and De-
velopment, Trenton

New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources, Socorro

New York, State Science Service, Office of
State Geologist, Mineral Res. Division, Albany

North Carolina, North Carolina Department of
Conservation and Development, Raleigh

North Dakota, North Dakota Geological Sur-
vey, Grand Forks

Ohio, Division of Geological Survey, Depai

ment of Natural Resources. Columbus
Oklahoma, Oklahoma

nan

ological Survey, Noi

Oregon, State Department of Geology and Min-
eral Industries, 702 Woodlark Building, Port-
land 5

Pennsylvania, Topographic and Geological Sur-
vey, Department of Internal Affairs, Harris-
burg

Rhode Island, Mineral Resources Committee,
Rhode Island Industrial Commission, Provi-
dence

South Carolina, South Carolina Geological Sur-
vey, Columbia 19

South Dakota, State Geological Survey, Ver-
million

Tennessee, Division of Geology, Nashville 3

Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology, Univer-
sity of Texas, Austin

Utah, Utah Geol. and Mineralogical Survey,
Utah State Department of Publicity and Indus.
Dev., Salt Lake City

Vermont, Vermont Geological Survey, Burling-

Virginia, Virginia Geological Survey, Conserva-
tion Commission, Charlottesville

Washington, Division of Mines and Geology,
Department of Conservation and Develop-
ment, Olympia

West Virginia, West Virginia Geological and
Economic Survey, Morgantown

Wisconsin, Wisconsin Geological and Natural
History Survey, Madison 6

Wyoming, Geological Survey of Wyoming,