Magnesium Resources of the United States a Geologic Summary and Annotated Bibliography to 1953
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Magnesium Resources of the United States A Geologic Summary and Annotated Bibliography to 1953 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1019-E Magnesium Resources of the United States A Geologic Summary and Annotated Bibliography to 1953 By ROBERT E. DAVIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1019-E UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. -Price 70 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract_____________________..____.__._____._....___ 373 Introduction______._________..____.__________ 374 Purpose and scope of report___.___________________... 374 Abundance, availability, and uses___________________... 375 Sea water and sea-water bitterns...._....___...._______..___ 376 Magnesite_____________________________________ 378 Description. ________________.________.__________ 378 Mode of occurrence_____________.______________ 378 Uses.. __ ____ __ _____....._........-.._._._...__.....-_..... 379 Mining and beneficiation_____________._____________________ 380 General distribution.______________________________________ 381 Distribution by States___________________________________ 381 California. __________________________________ 381 Idaho___________ -__.___-_-_ - -___-__- _-_-_-_-__._ 386 New Mexico____ ___ __ _ _ ___ ______________ 386 Nevada....._.__.._.__.___._...._...._.________.-.___ 387 Gabbs________.___________________________________________ 387 Overton _ _ _ _ _ _______________ 388 Currant Creek...____________________________......__._. 389 Oregon__.____.___.._._____..______._.._.___._._..._. 389 Pennsylvania.__-----_.___-__-_-___._-_._____-_-.__-_-__..____ 390 Texas......_____________....._..__.....___________ 390 Utah........._..._-.-..._.-..-.._.--........._ _____....-. 391 Vermont..._..__._...________.___......________._ 391 Washington____________._._______...________ 391 Other States...._-_-_._-_.___._..-_-___..._.___....... 393 Reserves... _.._.__..__-____....__..__.-.-._______________ 393 Dolomite...._._._-__.._-._-___._----.__..___-_.____.___...___. 393 Description and definitions..-.__._.________-_____________________ 393 Origin and mode of occurrence...............______._______._____._. 395 Uses...__._.__.._-_._-._---_---.---_-.-_____-.._--._.______ 396 Refractories___..-___..__....________________________. 397 Magnesium. _____ _______.._-_____.___-__...______ ..._.. 398 Mining and beneficiation_______.___________________________________ 400 General distribution.______________________________________________ 401 Distribution by States________--__._-_______________________________ 401 Alabama.____________________________________________________ 402 Arizona.__________________---_---___-__--_-__--___-._-_______ 403 Arkansas......_______________________________________________ 404 California. _____.____-___.-__-___-_-_-_-___-.__.________ 405 Colorado.....__..-..-.--._..._-.._-_--_.--..-._..-....__-__ 408 Connecticut_______.._ ______ __- __ ______ ______________ 409 Florida..-..-..--------. ---.----------. -_--__--. 410 Georgia. ____-___-_-----_.------_------_---__----__...-.____-- 411 Idaho.... ___- -__---_-_---_ __--_-_--__--....._,.- 412 Dlinois. --_ - -- _ __ 413 III IV CONTENTS Dolomite Continued Indiana______________________________________________________ 416 Iowa__-_-_---_-____-_.__-__-_-__._______._______________.__ 417 Kansas_______________________________________________________ 419 Kentucky__. .--________.___.__.__..__..______.._.____. 420 Maine.__-__---------__--___..---_..____.._________._.___.--_ 421 Maryland.___________________________________________________ 422 Massachusetts. _______________________________________________ 423 Michigan.____________________________________________________ 424 Minnesota_ _--__----____________________________--_--___-___ 427 Missouri__._____----_-___________________________---___--_-_ 429 Montana..__-___..__.__...._._._..._...___...._.___._ 432 Nevada_______.__..__..._.._._...__...._______....____. 433 New Jersey_____________________________________________._._ 435 New Mexico._------_______________.._______________-___-___-__ 436 New York.________..__.___..__..._._.._.___.__._.._..._._.___ 438 North Carolina________________________________________________ 439 Ohio_________.____.___.__.._._.__.___._.__......_------ 440 Oklahoma-...___..._..._._.__........._.___...._.____.....___ 446 Pennsylvania. ________________________________________________ 448 South Carolina....___._.....___.._._.._._______._._._..__.__. 452 South Dakota....____________________________________________ 453 Tennessee.___________________________________________________ 454 Texas____._--_.._.._......._._.__.._...__._... __.________ 456 Utah_________________________________________________________ 459 Vermont.____________________________________________________ 462 Virginia______._-_______________________-._.___------------_ 463 Washington__ _ _____.__.____..__..._._.___._._____.__-__-_-_- 467 West Virginia..____________________________________.------. 469 Wisconsin.___________________________________________________ 471 Wyoming__ ____________________._______________---_--------_ 474 Reserves--__--__-___-___--______._______.____-_____._-----------_ 477 Annotated bibliography._______________________________________________ 477 Index._______________________________________________________________ 515 ILLUSTRATION PLATE 2. Map of the United States showing distribution of magnesium resources and location of magnesium metal plants. _______'__ In pocket CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES MAGNESIUM RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES A GEOLOGIC SUMMARY AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY TO 1953 By ROBERT E. DAVIS ABSTRACT Magnesium ranks eighth in order of abundance in the earth's crust and occurs sparsely in sea water and in larger quantities in a wide variety of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The presently important commercial sources of magnesium metal and magnesium compounds are sea water and sea-water bitterns, dolomite, magnesite, brucite^ and inland brines. Brines are only briefly mentioned in this report. Magnesium and its compounds are used widely in the aircraft, automotive, metal lurgical, building, pharmaceutical, agricultural, glass, rubber, paper, textile, and paint industries. Magnesium is extracted from sea water or sea-water bitterns by the process used by the Dow Chemical Co. at their magnesium plant at Freeport, Tex., or by some variation of the Dow process. In this process lime is used to precipitate magnesium hydroxide from the water; the precipitate is dissolved in hydrochloric acid and mag nesium chloride is produced; the magnesium chloride is decomposed in an electrolytic cell into magnesium and chlorine. It is now common practice to substitute dolomite for lime. The dolomite furnishes the necessary lime and additional magnesium to the reaction. Magnesite, or magnesium carbonate, occurs in commercial quantities in the United States principally as a replacement in dolomite. Its chief use is as a refractory material in the metallurgical industries; it is used to a lesser extent in the fertilizer, rubber, textile, and paper industries; During World War II magnesite was used as a commercial source of magnesium metal. In the past magnesite has been mined in California, Washington, Nevada, and Texas; at present the only commercial domestic production is from Nye County, Nev., and Stevens County, Wash. Magnesite occurs also in New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The occurrence of magnesite in each of these States is discussed briefly. Brucite occurs in commercial quantities only at Gabbs, Nye County, Nev. Dolomite, the double carbonate of magnesium and calcium, occurs chiefly as a sedimentary rock, commonly interbedded with limestone. The term "high-grade," as used in the present report, refers to dolomite rock containing more than 40 percent magnesium carbonate and less than about 3 percent noncarbonates. The largest single use of dolomite, where the chemical composition of the rock is important, is as a refractory material. It may be used in either its natural state or calcined. During World War II, and to some extent during the postwar years, dolomite has been used as an ore of magnesium metal. 373 374 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OP MINERAL RESOURCES Dolomite occurs in at least 40 States, but the largest sources of high-grade rock probably underlie parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Large reserves also are present in the limestone valleys of the Appalachian Mountains, extending from Alabama to New Jersey. Except for Louisiana and the northern Great Plains States, dolomite occurs in nearly every State west of the Mississippi River. The more important dolomitic formations in each State are described briefly. INTRODUCTION PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF REPORT The present report is a compilation of information on the dolomite, magnesite, and brucite deposits and occurrences in the United States, with a brief section on the use of sea water as a source of magnesium and magnesium compounds. It has been compiled from published literature and data in the files of the U. S. Geological Survey. Many of these data are the result of investigations made by the Geological Survey dur ing WorM War II, and this information, particularly that collected by C. F. Deiss on the dolomite deposits of