Chromite

Chromite - 911Metallurgist

The minerals that collectively are known as chromite form an isomorphous series of the general formula (Mg,Fe)O. (Cr,Al,Fe)2O3. So wide is the range in chemical composition in this group that chrome ore consisting entirely of the mineral chromite may range from less than 30 pct to more than 60 pct Cr2O3. The most comprehensive published […]

Bauxite

bauxite production

Bauxite is known mainly as the ore from which aluminum is smelted but it has large use also in the manufacture of artificial abrasives and as a basis for certain chemical industries. A small amount is used for refractories and for other purposes. Composition Dana and others give the mineral formula of bauxite as Al2O3·2H2O […]

Search for Heavy Minerals by Equilibrium Concepts

equilibrium concepts map

A river delivers a given load of sand, and hence of heavy minerals, into the sea into which it empties. This load is fixed by drainage basin characteristics and processes. Wave energy available for redistributing that load is fixed in an entirely different way. Estuarine Traps Rivers which flow into estuaries, sounds, lagoons, or bays […]

Gross-Count Method of Microscopic Quantification

microscopic-quantification field

Microscopic evaluation of trace quantities of metalliferous phases in flotation products requires counting large numbers of particles. Particle counts of many thousands may be required for precision, but not “obtained practically by conventional microscopic techniques. A less tedious microscopic method for evaluating trace sulfides in mill tailings was developed for the O’okiep Mining Company in […]

Bacteria & Hydrogeochemical Prospecting

hydrogeochemical-prospecting contour map of lithium concentrations

Action of certain strains of bacteria has been implicated as a significant factor in the oxidation of ore deposits. Other bacteria are thought to be significant in the formation of syngenetic sedimentary ores and in supergene enrichment processes. A normal soil/ground-water regime provides all of the necessary pH and Eh conditions for several groups of […]

Titanium Mineralogy

titanium minerals piampaludo eclogitic ore

The study of minero-petrographical characteristics and the subsequent textural and structural characterization of an ore mineral represents the first step of each industrial processing whose aim is the beneficiation of each valuable mineral phase present inside the ore. Analytical, mineralogical and petrographical, chemical and multispectral image analyses based investigations, applied to eclogitic ore samples deriving […]

Stop Mining Method

stop mining method (2)

Stop Mining Flat Deposit In the previous topic you were introduced to the different methods adapted to mine underground deposits. Well the basic elements are common to most underground mining operations, there are many variations in the theme. In the next three topics we will see how these methods can be adapted to mining deposits […]

Cobalt Mineralization – Cambrian Mississippi Valley Type Rocks – 911Metallurgist

cobalt index and ni-co ratio map

Cobalt-sulfide mineralization can be found in potentially economic quantities where permeable, basal Cambrian formations “pinchout” against Precambrian paleotopographic highs. These environments are common around the Saint Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri and they share many similarities with the geologic environments of Zambia and Zaire in South Africa. Exploration Philosophy Exploring for cobalt-bearing minerals in southern […]

Surface Tension of Wetting for Minerals

wetting-adhesion-polymer-three-phase-equilibrium

Critical Surface Tension of Wetting for Minerals: Another criterion satisfying the requirement for complete wetting can be deduced from Zisman’s concept of the critical surface tension of wetting (γc). Zisman and co-workers (as reviewed by Zisman, 1963; 1964) found a linear relationship between the cosine of the contact angle and the surface tension of a homologous […]