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diff --git a/old/64068-0.txt b/old/64068-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1c28e3b..0000000 --- a/old/64068-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3507 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The platinum metals, by A. D. Lumb - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The platinum metals - -Author: A. D. Lumb - -Release Date: December 22, 2020 [eBook #64068] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Image source(s): https://archive.org/details/platinummetals00lumbrich - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PLATINUM METALS *** - - - - - This ebook (originally published in 1920) was created in honour of - Distributed Proofreaders 20th Anniversary. - - - - - _IMPERIAL INSTITUTE_ - MONOGRAPHS ON MINERAL RESOURCES - WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE - BRITISH EMPIRE - - - PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE - MINERAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE WITH THE - ASSISTANCE OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL - STAFF OF THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE - - - - - THE PLATINUM METALS - - - BY - - A. D. LUMB, A.R.S.M., F.G.S., Assoc. Inst. M.M. - LATELY OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT, IMPERIAL INSTITUTE - - WITH A MAP - -[Illustration] - - LONDON - - JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. - - 1920 - - - - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IMPERIAL INSTITUTE - MINERAL SECTION - - -The Imperial Institute is a centre for the exhibition and investigation -of minerals with a view to their commercial development and for the -supply of information respecting the sources, composition and value of -minerals of all kinds. - -The Imperial Institute is provided with Research Laboratories for the -investigation, analysis and assay of minerals, and undertakes reports on -the composition and value of minerals, for the information of -Governments and producing companies and firms, in communication with the -principal users in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the Empire. - -Important minerals from within the Empire are exhibited in the -respective Courts of the Public Exhibition Galleries, and also in the -Mineral Reference Collections of the Institute. - -A special staff is engaged in the collection, critical revision and -arrangement of all important information respecting supplies of minerals -especially within the Empire, new methods of usage and other commercial -developments. - -Articles on these and related subjects are periodically published in the -_Bulletin of the Imperial Institute_, and monographs on special subjects -are separately published under the direction of the Committee on Mineral -Resources. - - - - - IMPERIAL INSTITUTE - - - Advisory Committee on Mineral Resources - - The Right Hon. VISCOUNT HARCOURT, D.C.L. (_Chairman_). - - [A]Admiral SIR EDMOND SLADE, K.C.V.O., K.C.I.E. (nominated by the - Admiralty), (_Vice-Chairman_). - - EDMUND G. DAVIS, Esq. - - [A]WYNDHAM R. DUNSTAN, Esq., C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., Director of the - Imperial Institute. - - J. F. RONCA, Esq., M.B.E., A.R.C.S., Department of Industries and - Manufactures (nominated by the Board of Trade). - - [A]Professor J. W. GREGORY, F.G.S., Professor of Geology, University - of Glasgow, formerly Director of Geological Survey, Victoria, - Australia. - - Sir ROBERT HADFIELD, Bart., F.R.S., Past-President Iron and Steel - Institute. - - Captain A. L. ELSWORTHY, Intelligence Department, War Office - (nominated by the War Office). - - W. W. MOYERS, Esq. (Messrs. A. Watson & Co.), Liverpool. - - R. ALLEN, Esq., M.A., B.Sc., Imperial Institute (_Secretary_). - -Footnote A: - - Members of Editorial Sub-Committee - - - MINERAL SECTION - - Principal Members of Staff - - - _Superintendent_ - - R. ALLEN, M.A. (Cantab.), B.Sc. (Lond.), M.Inst.M.M. - - - _Assistant Superintendent_ - - S. J. JOHNSTONE, B.Sc. (Lond.), A.I.C. - - - _Senior Assistants_ - - G. M. DAVIES, M.Sc. (Lond.), F.G.S. - W. O. R. WYNN, A.I.C. - - _Assistants_ - - S. BANN. - F. H. BELL. - H. BENNETT, B.Sc. (Lond.). - A. T. FAIRCLOTH. - R. C. GROVES, M.Sc. (Birm.). - E. HALSE, A.R.S.M., M.Inst.M.M. - - - - - PREFACE - - -The Mineral Resources Committee of the Imperial Institute has arranged -for the issue of this series of Monographs on Mineral Resources in -amplification and extension of those which have appeared in the -_Bulletin of the Imperial Institute_ during the past fifteen years. - -The Monographs are prepared either by members of the Scientific and -Technical Staff of the Imperial Institute, or by external contributors, -to whom have been available the statistical and other special -information relating to mineral resources collected and arranged at the -Imperial Institute. - -The object of these Monographs is to give a general account of the -occurrences and commercial utilisation of the more important minerals, -particularly in the British Empire. No attempt has been made to give -details of mining or metallurgical processes. - - HARCOURT, - _Chairman Mineral Resources Committee_. - - IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, LONDON, S.W.7. - _July 1920._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - - PAGE - =THE PLATINUM METALS: THEIR OCCURRENCES, CHARACTERS AND USES. - WORLD’S OUTPUT= 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - =SOURCES OF SUPPLY OF PLATINUM METALS= - - (_a_) BRITISH EMPIRE: 16 - _Europe_: United Kingdom. - _Asia_: India (Burma). - _Africa_: Rhodesia; Union of South Africa. - _America_: Canada; Newfoundland. - _Australasia_: Australia; New Zealand. - - - CHAPTER III - - =SOURCES OF SUPPLY OF PLATINUM METALS= - - (_b_) FOREIGN COUNTRIES: 32 - _Europe_: France; Finland; Germany; Lapland; Russia; Spain. - _Asia_: Armenia; Borneo; China; Japan; Sumatra. - _Africa_: Congo Free State; Madagascar. - _America_: Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Mexico; United States. - - WORLD MAP OF PLATINUM DEPOSITS 59 - - REFERENCES TO LITERATURE ON THE PLATINUM GROUP 60 - - - NOTE.—_Numerals in square brackets in the text refer to the Bibliography - at the end._ - - - - - THE PLATINUM METALS - - - - - CHAPTER I - PLATINUM METALS: THEIR OCCURRENCES, CHARACTERS AND USES - - - INTRODUCTION - -The metals which comprise the Platinum group are the following: -Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Osmium, Ruthenium and Rhodium. - -Up to the year 1914 Russia produced over 90 per cent. of the world’s -supply of platinum, the Republic of Colombia, South America, ranking -next in importance with about 5 per cent. Owing, however, to the war and -to the chaotic conditions brought about by the revolution, the output of -Russia has considerably decreased, and although the Colombian production -has been steadily increasing, the increased demand in connection with -munition manufacture caused a somewhat serious shortage during the -latter stages of the war, which was especially felt in the United -States. As a result much exploratory work has recently been carried on -in an endeavour to discover new deposits of importance; but up to the -present, although several fresh occurrences have been brought to light, -results have on the whole been disappointing. - - - OCCURRENCES - -Platinum usually occurs in nature as native metal alloyed with one or -more of its allied metals in the form of very fine grains more or less -flattened; sometimes in the form of irregular nuggets; and occasionally, -though rarely, in small cubic crystals. It is sometimes coated with a -black layer of iron oxide, which may be magnetic, in which case it is -not easily recognizable. When unrefined it is referred to as “crude” -platinum. - -With the exception of a certain amount of the platinum metals, obtained -from the refining of copper and gold bullion, particularly from the -copper-nickel deposits of Sudbury, Ontario, about 99 per cent. of the -whole supply is derived from alluvial deposits. Several occurrences of -platinum _in situ_ are known, but so far few are of commercial -importance: however, in view of the indications of exhaustion shown by -some of the placer deposits, notably in Russia, the exploration of -primary ores is now receiving more attention and practical results have -already been achieved in Russia and in Spain. - -The mother rocks from which the deposits are derived, in the large -majority of known cases, consist of basic and ultra-basic igneous rocks, -including peridotites, pyroxenites and dunites. The two first are -composed of iron magnesian silicates, pyroxene, augite and hornblende -with olivine, chromite, ilmenite and magnetite: the dunites consist -principally of olivine with some chromite. These rocks are often found -to have undergone more or less alteration to serpentine. In addition, -platinum has been found in quartz veins, notably at the Boss Mine, -Nevada, and in a few known cases it has been derived from formations in -schistose, or altered sedimentary rocks. - -When present in serpentine, platinum is usually disseminated through the -rock in fine particles. It seldom occurs in a lode-formation. In -sedimentary rocks it usually occurs in sandstones. In cases where -alluvial deposits have been derived from the basic igneous rocks, the -associated minerals are usually chromite, magnetite, ilmenite, iridium -and osmiridium. In sedimentary deposits the metal is commonly associated -with quartz, copper, nickel, silver and palladium. - -Platinum has been found in certain varieties of the copper ores -tetrahedrite and bournonite. It has occasionally been located in shales -and in coal, although not in recoverable quantities. In the latter case, -in an Australian coal, it is associated with vanadium[1] p. 992. - -Several cases are known of platinum being present in meteorites, two -well-authenticated instances having been reported from Mexico. Platinum -has been shown to exist in meteoric iron from New South Wales. - -Crude platinum, as recovered, contains from 70 to 90 per cent. of the -metal, and, as mentioned above, is really an alloy of platinum with one -or more of the allied metals, the chief impurities consisting -principally of iron and copper. - -The table on the next page gives the analyses of typical samples of -crude platinum from the Urals, California, British Columbia, and other -places. - -Platinum also occurs in combination with arsenic in the mineral -_Sperrylite_ (PtAs_{2}), in the form of minute octahedral crystals. The -colour of this mineral is tin white, its lustre is metallic and -brilliant, its hardness varies from 6 to 7, and its specific gravity is -10·6. The mineral is brittle and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. It -is very rare, and is interesting as being the only mineral of platinum -known besides the native metal. It occurs associated with sulphide -minerals of magmatic origin in gabbros and diabases, notably in the -nickeliferous pyrites of Sudbury, Canada, and in the copper ores of the -Rambler Mine, Laramie, Wyoming. - -It is probable that the palladium, which is also found in these -deposits, is similarly present in the form of an arsenide, but such a -mineral has not yet been definitely proved to exist. - -The following is an analysis of a sample of sperrylite: platinum, 54·47 -per cent.; rhodium, 0·76 per cent.; palladium, trace; arsenic, 42·23 per -cent.; antimony, 0·54 per cent.[2] p. 69. - - - PROPERTIES OF THE PLATINUM METALS - -_Platinum._—The colour is white with a greyish tinge. When pure it is -very malleable and ductile. Its coefficient of expansion is less than -that of all other metals. Platinum fuses at about 1750° C., but the -presence of impurities lowers the melting-point. Its specific gravity is -21·5, and its hardness is from 4 to 5. Its electric conductivity is low, -being 13·4 at 0° C.[3] p. 398. - - - _Composition of Native Platinum and Osmiridium_ - - ──────────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬──────┬────────────────── - Locality. │ Pt. │ Fe. │ Pd. │ Rh. │ Ir. │ Os. │ Cu. │Os-Ir.│ Remarks. - ──────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┼────────────────── - _Platinum_│ Per │ Per │ Per │ Per │ Per │ Per │ Per │ Per │ - │cent.│cent.│cent.│cent.│cent.│cent.│cent.│cent. │ - Urals 1[B]│76·22│17·13│ 1·87│ 2·50│ tr. │ │ 0·36│ 0·50│Magnetic grs. - Urals 2 │73·58│12·98│ 0·30│ 1·15│ 2·35│ tr. │ 5·20│ 2·30│Magnetic grs. - Urals 3 │81·34│11·48│ 0·32│ 2·14│ 2·42│ tr. │ 1·13│ 0·57│Non-magnetic. - Urals 4 │78·94│11·04│ 0·28│ 0·86│ 4·97│ │ 0·70│ 1·96│Non-magnetic. - Urals 5 │86·50│ 8·32│ 1·10│ 1·15│ │ tr. │ 0·45│ 1·40│Non-magnetic. - Borneo │82·60│10·67│ 0·30│ │ 0·66│ │ 0·13│ 3·80│Gold, 0·20 per - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ cent. - Brazil │72·62│ tr. │21·82│ │ 0·88│ │ │ │Sand, 0·42 per - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ cent. - Granite │68·19│ 7·87│ 8·26│ 3·10│ 1·21│ │ 3·09│ 14·62│Gangue, 1·69; - Cr., │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ non-magnetic. - B.C. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Granite │78·43│ 9·78│ 0·09│ 1·70│ 1·04│ │ 3·89│ 3·77│Gangue, 1·27; - Cr., │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ magnetic. - B.C. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Chocó, │86·20│ 7·80│ 0·50│ 1·40│ 0·85│ │ 0·60│ 0·85│Sand, 0·95. - Col. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Chocó, │84·30│ 5·31│ 1·06│ 3·45│ 1·46│ 1·03│ 0·74│ │Gold, 1·0; sand, - Col. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 0·61. - California│85·50│ 6·75│ 0·60│ 1·00│ 1·05│ │ 1·40│ 1·10│Gold, 0·8; sand, - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 2·95. - California│79·85│ 4·45│ 1·95│ 0·65│ 4·20│ │ 0·75│ 4·95│Gold, 0·55; sand, - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 2·69. - Oregon │51·45│ 4·30│ 0·15│ 0·65│ 0·40│ │ 2·15│ 37·30│Sand, 3; gold, - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 0·85. - Fifield, │75·80│10·15│ tr. │ 1·30│ 1·30│ │ 0·41│ 9·30│Gold, nil; sand, - N.S.W. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 1·12. - “Austra- │61·40│ 4·55│ 1·80│ 1·85│ 1·10│ │ 1·10│ 26·00│Gold, 1·2; sand, - lia” │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 1·4. - Currumbin,│26·12│27·17│ │ │ │ │ 2·51│ 40·02│Sand, 1·33. - Q. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - _Osmi- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - ridium_ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Urals │10·08│ tr. │ tr. │ 1·51│55·24│27·23│ tr. │ │Ru, 5·85 - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Nevyanskite_). - Urals │ 0·14│ 0·63│ │ 1·65│43·94│48·85│ 0·11│ │Ru, 4·58 - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Nevyanskite_). - California│ │ │ │ 2·60│53·50│43·40│ │ │Ru, 0·50 - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Nevyanskite_). - “Austra- │ │ │ │ 3·04│58·13│33·46│ 0·15│ │Ru, 5·22 - lia” │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Nevyanskite_). - Currumbin,│ 3·00│ │ │ │62·00│33·00│ │ │Sand, 2·00 - Q. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Nevyanskite_). - │ │ │ │ /\ │ │ │ │ - Tasmania │ 0·37│ 0·30│ 0·21│ 33·80 │57·09│ tr. │ │Ru, 8·19; Au, ·04 - │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ (_Siserskite_). - _Platin- │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - iridium_ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Condado, │55·44│ 4·14│ 1·49│ 6·86│27·79│ tr. │ 3·30│ │ - Brazil │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - _Native │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Iridium_ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Urals │19·64│ │ 0·89│ │76·80│ │ 1·78│ │ - ──────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────┴────────────────── - Reference—Pt., platinum; Fe., iron; Pd., palladium; Rh., rhodium; Ir., - iridium; Os., osmium; Cu., copper; Os-Ir., osmiridium; Ru., ruthenium. - -Footnote B: - - Average percentage of Urals platinum is a little under 80.[4] p. 558. - -Platinum is not acted upon by either nitric, sulphuric or hydrochloric -acid, but is soluble in aqua regia (1 part of nitric to 2 parts of -hydrochloric acid), or in other mixtures liberating chlorine, with the -formation of platinum tetrachloride (PtCl_{4}). It is not acted upon by -air or moisture, even at high temperatures. It is corroded by caustic -alkalis, sulphides, sulphates, phosphates and arsenides, if heated in -contact with them. It will not amalgamate with mercury unless sodium is -present, in this respect differing from gold and silver. - -Platinum, in a finely-divided condition, absorbs large quantities of -hydrogen or other gases, which on occlusion become more active: hence -its value as a catalytic agent. - -_Palladium._—This metal resembles platinum, but is sometimes fibrous, -the colour being between that of platinum and of silver. It possesses a -lower melting-point than platinum—about 1550° C. It is malleable, has a -hardness of from 4·5 to 5, and a specific gravity of 11·5. As already -stated, palladium, when found in copper ores, is probably present in -combination with arsenic. _Porpezite_, a rare mineral, containing gold -and up to 10 per cent. palladium, has been identified in gold-bearing -veins in Brazil [see p. 54]. - -Palladium is produced from the refining of copper matte and of base gold -bullion from Australia and elsewhere. - -_Iridium_ is a brilliant white brittle metal, with a specific gravity of -22·4, and hardness of 6 to 7. Its fusion point is very high—about 2200° -C.—and under ordinary conditions it is not attacked by any acid. At -1100° C. it begins to oxidize to a purple oxide. Iridium usually occurs -either in crude platinum, or alloyed with osmium, as iridosmine, or as -native metal. The bulk of iridium is derived from the platinum placer -deposits of the Urals, but the Californian metal is more valuable, on -account of its better quality. It is also obtained in small amounts from -copper bullion. - -_Osmium_ is a hard and brittle metal, bluish-grey in colour. Its -specific gravity is 22·5, and it has a very high melting-point, in this -respect being the most refractory of the group. - -_Iridosmine_, or _Osmiridium_, an alloy of iridium and osmium, occurs as -hexagonal crystals, or flattened grains of lighter colour than platinum. -It may contain from 40 to 77 per cent. of iridium, and from 20 to 50 per -cent. of osmium. If the iridium predominates, the alloy is called -_Nevyanskite_, and _Siserskite_ if the osmium content is high. It is -distinguishable from platinum by the brittleness of the flakes. -Siserskite gives off a pungent odour, if strongly heated, caused by the -volatilization of osmium. Iridosmine has a hardness of 6 to 7, and a -specific gravity of 19 to 21. - -_Ruthenium_ is a white metal, with a specific gravity of 12·1. It is -scarcely acted upon by aqua regia. Ruthenium occurs mainly in small -amounts in iridosmine. It is also found in the copper ores of Sudbury -and other places. _Laurite_ is a very rare sulphide of ruthenium -(RuS_{2}), containing a small amount of osmium, which has only been -recognized in the Borneo deposits. - -_Rhodium_ is a white metal resembling aluminium, with a specific gravity -of 12·1, and a melting-point of about 2000° C. It is ductile and -malleable at red heat. In addition to its occurrence in crude platinum, -the metal is also contained in small quantities in the sperrylite found -in the copper ores of Sudbury, Canada[5] p. 779. - -_Colloidal Platinum._—This has only recently been detected in ores, and -therefore its occurrence might not be detected qualitatively. By -destroying its colloidal condition, however, its presence can be -discovered in the ordinary ways[4]. - - - METALLURGICAL TREATMENT - -Crude platinum can be refined either by dry or by wet methods, the -following being brief outlines of the two processes: - -By the wet method, the crude platinum is dissolved in aqua regia, with -excess of hydrochloric acid. Evaporation is continued until the whole of -the nitric acid is expelled. By addition of a solution of ammonium -chloride, the platinum is then precipitated as ammonium -platini-chloride. This precipitate is heated to redness, when chlorine -and ammonium chloride are given off, and spongy platinum remains. The -last is next granulated, after fusion by the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe in a -small lime furnace. Platinum obtained by this method may contain small -amounts of iridium, rhodium and palladium. - -In the dry method, introduced by Delville and Debray, the crude platinum -is smelted with galena in a small reverberatory furnace. A portion of -the lead is reduced to the metallic state by the iron in the charge, and -forms a fusible alloy with the platinum. The osmiridium present settles -to the bottom of the furnace, and may thus be removed. Litharge is then -thrown in to form more alloy, and some glass to act as a flux. The alloy -is cupelled, and the residual platinum is then melted in a lime furnace -with the oxy-hydrogen flame. The platinum thus obtained often contains -iridium and rhodium. - -A combination of these two methods is also sometimes employed[3] p. 403. - -The electrolytic process of gold-refining was introduced to treat -platiniferous gold. In the gold chloride, or Wohlwill method, iridium -and osmiridium are insoluble, and remain with the anode slime. Platinum -and palladium, if nearly pure, are also insoluble, but when present -alloyed with gold and silver, pass into the solution and remain there. -In a hot bath it is stated that the platinum present should not exceed -50 gm. per litre. According to T. K. Rose, a cold bath containing only -20 gm. per litre causes a certain quantity of platinum to be deposited -with the gold[6]. - -H. F. Keller, in “Platinum, the Most Precious of Metals” (_Journal of -the Franklin Institute_, November 1912) deals fully with the extraction -and refining of platinum. - - - PLATINUM-REFINING AGENCIES - -The following contains a list of the principal firms engaged in the -refining of platinum metals: - - -In England: Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd., Lees & Sanders, Warstone -Smelting Works, Sheffield Smelting Works, Johnson & Sons. (This is the -list of the Ministry of Munitions.) - -In France: Legende et Cie., Compagnie Internationale du Platine, Lyon -Allemand, Lecht Lyonnais, Henrique Marrett, Bonnen, Hesse Fils. - -In Germany: W. C. Heraeus, G. Siebert, F. Eisennad & Co. - -In the United States: Baker & Co., American Platinum Works (N.T.), -Irvington Smelting and Refining Works, J. Bishop & Co., H. A. Wilson & -Co., Belais & Cohn, Kastenhuber & Lehrfeld, Roessler & Hasslacher -Chemical Co., Wildberg Bros., and others handling scrap. - -According to Russian information about 25 per cent. of the Russian -output before the war was refined in Germany. In Russia there are -practically no platinum-refining facilities[7]. - - - THE USES OF PLATINUM AND ITS ALLIES - -_Platinum._—In the chemical industry platinum is largely used for -catalyzers in the manufacture of sulphuric, acetic and nitric acids; for -stills for the final concentration of sulphuric acid; and in the -electro-chemical industry. - -In the making of “contact” sulphuric acid a “contact mass” is charged -into the chambers of the plant. This is formed by soaking asbestos, or -anhydrous magnesium sulphate, with platinic chloride solution, and -baking the mass to drive off the chlorine. The contact mass usually -contains from 7 to 8 per cent. platinum, in a very finely-divided state. -In the making of acetic acid from a mixture of air and alcohol vapour, -platinized asbestos is used. For the catalyzer used in the conversion of -ammonia into nitric acid a very fine-meshed platinum gauze is used; this -is strengthened at its edges with platinum-iridium wire. One ounce of -platinum is required for the production per annum of 25 tons of -catalytic acid, or of 40 tons of nitric acid from ammonia. - -In the finely-divided state all the other metals of the platinum group, -especially palladium, have also the facility of absorbing great -quantities of certain gases, and can be used as catalysts. - -Owing to its high melting-point, and to the resistance to the action of -acids at high temperatures, platinum is largely used for chemical ware -in the form of crucibles, dishes, etc. Platinum crucibles are -indispensable in the chemical analysis of rocks. - -In the electrical industry platinum is largely used for contact points, -in telegraph and telephone apparatus, in magneto-contacts, and in the -construction of the thermo-couples of pyrometers. In the manufacture of -jewellery, especially in the crown-setting of diamonds, platinum has -been much used in the place of gold: alloyed with a little iridium it -can be worked into delicate designs, which are durable. During the war, -however, when platinum was largely wanted in the making of munitions, -its use in jewellery manufacture was much restricted. Platinum was -formerly largely used in dentistry. In photography potassium -platino-chloride is required for producing platinotype prints. In the -form of barium platino-cyanide it is used in X-ray photography as a -coating for the projecting screen. - -Platinum is required in the manufacture of certain parts of -chronometers, theodolites and watches; also for standard weights and -measures, and for various types of self-lighting lamps[4] p. 561. - -_Palladium_ has its chief value as a substitute for platinum, in -palladium-gold alloys, which are used extensively in dentistry, for -jewellery and for chemical ware. It is also utilized in the manufacture -of astronomical instruments and watches, also for plating metal ware[1] -p. 1002. The use of palladium as a catalyzer is well known. - -_Iridium_, when pure, is of small value, being difficult to manipulate -on account of its brittleness. It is principally used in alloy with -platinum for hardening purposes. Jewellers’ platinum usually contains 10 -per cent. iridium, and in the electrical industry an alloy composed of -from 15 to 50 per cent. iridium is usually employed. Alloys with up to -10 per cent. of iridium are ductile and malleable, but with over that -amount are hard and difficult to work. - -The metal is used in the manufacture of fountain-pen points, for which -purpose the grains require careful selecting[8] p. 106; also for -standard weights and for contact points. Iridium black, an oxide, is of -value as a pigment for chinaware[1] p. 1001. - -Iridium is suitable for sharp surgical instruments, and gold needles -with soldered iridium ends are employed for stitching wounds. It is also -used in photography. Iridium is of greater scarcity than platinum, hence -its greater value. - -_Osmium._—There is now little or no market for osmium. It was formerly -in considerable use for the manufacture of incandescent lamps. Osmic -acid is used for staining anatomical preparations in microscopic work. -On account of the poisonous nature of its vapour the extraction of -osmium is costly and dangerous. - -_Ruthenium_ is also of little or no commercial value. Both these metals -possess the disadvantages of being brittle and easily oxidized. - -_Rhodium_ is of small commercial use. It is used principally in alloy -with platinum. An alloy containing 10 per cent. rhodium is used for some -thermo-couples of pyrometers, and in the making of laboratory utensils. - -_Platinum Alloys._—Platinum forms alloys with a number of metals, but -only a few are of industrial importance[3] p. 400. Platinum and iridium -form a hard and elastic alloy, which is unaffected by air, and takes a -high polish. Alloyed with 10 per cent. iridium platinum is used for one -of the wires in thermo-couples of pyrometers; and with 10 to 20 per -cent. iridium for making standard measures of length and weight. - -Platinum and copper form various alloys. An alloy with 18·75 per cent. -copper, called “coopers’ gold,” takes a high polish and closely -resembles 18–carat gold. - -An alloy of platinum and silver containing 66 per cent. silver is used -as a standard of electrical resistance. An alloy containing 20 to 30 per -cent. silver is used in dentistry. - -Platinum alloys with lead, zinc and other metals at low temperatures; it -is usually recovered from these alloys by cupellation. - -Platinum alloys with steel in all proportions. With 10 per cent. -platinum, rusting is prevented. A very elastic metal is produced by -alloying platinum with from 5 to 10 per cent. gold. - -The melting-point of silver is raised by alloying it with platinum, but -its thermal conductivity is lowered. - - - The following table gives the composition of the principal platinum and - palladium alloys[4] p. 561: - - ───────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬───────────── - │ Pt. │ Cu. │ Ag. │ Au. │ Ni. │ Pd. │ Other - │ │ │ │ │ │ │Constituents. - ───────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼───────────── - │Parts.│Parts.│Parts.│Parts.│Parts.│Parts.│ Parts. - Jewellery alloys: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Platinum alloy │ 1│ 0–1│ 2–5│ │ │ │ - Platinor │ 2│ 5│ 1│ │ 1│ │Brass 2. - Palladium alloy │ │ │ │ │ │ 9│Rhodium 1. - Mock gold │ 7│ 16│ │ │ │ │Zinc 1. - Mock gold │ 1│ │ 1│ │ 6│ │Brass 1. - Mock gold │ 1│ 4│ │ │ │ │ - Coopers’ pen metal:│ 4│ 1│ 3│ │ │ │ - Watch alloy │ │ 13│ 11│ 18│ │ 6│ - Watch alloy │ │ 25│ 4│ │ 1│ 70│ - Watch alloy │ 63│ 18│ │ │ 17│ │Cadmium 1. - Platinum bronze │ 1│ │ │ │ 90│ │Tin 9. - Dentists’ alloy │ 5│ │ │ 3│ │ 4│ - Dentists’ alloy │ 7│ │ 3│ 2│ │ │ - Dentists’ alloy │ 6│ │ 1│ 2│ │ │ - Dentists’ alloy │ │ │ │ 4│ │ 1│ - Palladium alloy │ │ │ 2│ │ │ 3│ - ───────────────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴───────────── - - - ALLOY SUBSTITUTES FOR PLATINUM - -On account of the scarcity and high price of the platinum metals, much -attention has lately been directed towards the discovery of suitable -substitutes. - -In the electrical industry an alloy of 3 parts of palladium and 2 parts -of silver is in use, also an alloy of nickel and chromium. _Platinite_, -an iron-nickel alloy, containing 46 per cent. nickel and 0·15 per cent. -carbon, has the same coefficient of expansion as glass, and, when coated -with copper, is used to replace the platinum connection wires of -incandescent lamps. Tungsten is sometimes used for certain ignition -devices. For cathodes an alloy of 90 per cent. gold and 10 per cent. -copper can be used to replace platinum; the same alloy, if electrically -coated with platinum, and then carefully polished and burnished, is -suitable for platinum anodes. - -For platinum chemical laboratory ware, there are several substitutes, -such as fused quartz; various iron, chromium, and nickel-chromium -alloys; _palau_, a gold-iridium alloy marketed in California; -_rhotanum_, a general name for gold-palladium alloys containing from 60 -to 90 per cent. of gold, which are suitable for most chemical purposes, -except for use with hot concentrated nitric acid, and for electrolytic -anodes; _amaloy_, which is a complex alloy containing nickel, chromium, -tungsten, etc., highly resistant to corrosion and to cold nitric and -sulphuric acids[9] p. 600. - -In the jewellery trade platinum has been replaced by an alloy of 90 per -cent. palladium and 10 per cent. rhodium. For certain surgical work -various _stellite_ alloys, containing cobalt and chromium, and hardened -by the addition of tungsten and molybdenum, are valuable substitutes for -platinum, and are not affected by antiseptic solutions. In dental work -pins are now made of tungsten coated with palladium[10] p. 549. For most -technical purposes an alloy of tungsten and nickel with gold or silver -is used in Germany; it may be cast, rolled or forged, is acid-resisting, -and capable of taking a high polish[11]. _White gold_, another -substitute for platinum, contains fine gold, from 75 to 85 per cent.; -pure nickel, from 10 to 18 per cent.; and zinc, from 2 to 9 per cent. -_Illium_, a chromium-nickel-copper alloy reported recently as the -discovery of S. W. Parr, of Illinois, is a substitute for gold or -platinum, costing only 25 cents per ounce. It is stated to have been a -“50 per cent. standard of success.” The alloy withstands hot or cold, -strong or diluted acid, can be both cast and machined, and is already -used largely in the manufacture of calorimeter bombs[12]. - -The results of researches made to discover substitutes for platinum, and -undertaken by the National Dental Association of America, are described -at length by F. A. Fahrenwald, in a paper read in January 1916 before -the American Institute of Mining Engineers. - - - SCRAP PLATINUM - -A considerable amount of platinum in the form of old and worn articles -is now collected for return to the refineries, where it is re-treated, -and sold again as new metal. The trade in scrap platinum has been -particularly active in the United States, official statistics showing -that in 1916, 49,400 oz. of refined platinum were recovered. - - - WORLD’S OUTPUT OF PLATINUM - -According to J. L. Howe, the estimated limits of the total -world-production of crude platinum, up to January 1917, were as -follows[13]: - - - _In oz._ (_troy_) - Minimum. Maximum. - Russia 7,115,482 10,128,308 - Colombia 700,000 735,000 - Borneo 175,000 200,000 - United States 10,000 12,000 - Canada 9,000 10,000 - Miscellaneous 9,000 10,000 - ————————— —————————— - Total 8,018,482 11,095,308 - ========= ========== - -On the other hand, James M. Hill[14] states that possibly 5,000,000 oz. -was the total world’s production to June 1917, which he distributes -according to the uses made of it as follows: - - - Oz. - Chemical and physical apparatus 1,000,000 - Electrical devices 250,000 - Catalyzing 500,000 - Dental uses 1,000,000 - Jewellery 1,000,000 - Minor uses and hoarded (balance) 1,250,000 - -It is difficult to obtain exact figures of the annual production of -crude platinum. This is particularly so in the case of Russia, where -there appears to have been a tendency for private enterprises to keep -their published outputs as low as possible, in order to avoid -registration. The discrepancy between the official and actual figures of -production in Russia is variously estimated at from 20 to 60 per cent. - -The table on the next page is compiled from the sources considered most -reliable. - - - _World’s Production of Crude Platinum_ - - (In troy oz.) - - ─────────────────────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬─────── - │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912. │ 1913. │ 1914. - ─────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼─────── - Borneo and Sumatra[C]│ │ │ 200│ 200│ [D] - Burma[E] │ │ 38│ 57│ 58│ 37 - Canada[F] │ │ │ │ │ 18 - Colombia[G] │ 10,000│ 12,000│ 12,000│ 15,000│ 17,500 - Madagascar[H] │ 13│ 3│ │ │ - New South Wales[I] │ 332│ 470│ 610│ 442│ 244 - Russia[J] │176,334│187,008│177,596│157,735│157,182 - United States[C] │ 390│ 628│ 721│ 483│ 570 - Victoria[L] │ │ 184│ │ 127│ - ─────────────────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴─────── - - ─────────────────────┬───────┬───────┬─────────┬────── - │ 1915. │ 1916. │ 1917. │1918. - ─────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼─────────┼────── - Borneo and Sumatra[C]│ [D]│ [D]│ [D]│ - Burma[E] │ 18│ 9│ 4│ - Canada[F] │ 23│ 15│ 57│ 39 - Colombia[G] │ 18,000│ 25,000│ 32,000│27,030 - Madagascar[H] │ │ │ │ - New South Wales[I] │ 56│ 82│ 259│ - Russia[J] │119,789│ 78,682│50,000[K]│ - United States[C] │ 742│ 750│ 605│ - Victoria[L] │ │ │ │ - ─────────────────────┴───────┴───────┴─────────┴────── - - _Canada._—The recoveries of platinum at the works of the - International Nickel Company in New Jersey for the years 1910–1912 - were 258,666 and 497 oz. respectively, chiefly from Canadian matte. - - _Russia._—The _actual_ productions of platinum as quoted in _Mineral - Industry_ in oz. were: 1910, 300,000; 1911, 280,000; 1912, 300,000; - 1913, 275,000; 1914, 240,000; 1915, 124,000; 1916, 90,000; 1917, - 50,000. - -Footnote C: - - _U.S.A. Mineral Resources, 1917, Geol. Surv._ - -Footnote D: - - Estimates not available. - -Footnote E: - - _Records of Geol. Survey, India._ - -Footnote F: - - _Mineral Production_, Mines Dept., Canada. Figures are for alluvial - production only, and far below _actual_ production figures, not - including Ontario production from nickel matte, for which only - incomplete information is available. [See p. 25.] - -Footnote G: - - _Mining Journal_, November 30, 1918, p. 700, and _Mineral Industry_. - -Footnote H: - - _Mines and Quarries Reports_, Home Office. - -Footnote I: - - _Annual Rept. Dept. of Mines._ - -Footnote J: - - _Mineral Industry._ These are _official_ figures for production; - _actual_ production is much greater than these. - -Footnote K: - - Estimated. - -Footnote L: - - _Dept. of Mines Reports_ (platinum obtained from copper matte). - -The market value of platinum has risen considerably since 1880. In that -year the price was 12_s._ 7½_d._ per oz. troy, in 1890 it was 25_s._ -3_d._, and in 1900, 63_s._ 1½_d._ The average prices in London and New -York for the years 1910–1919 were as shown on the accompanying tables: - - - Average price in pounds per troy oz. of refined metals of the platinum - group in London - - ─────────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬───────┬─────┬─────┬───── - │1910.│1911.│1912.│1913.│1914.│1915.│ 1916. │1917.│1918.│1919. - ─────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼───────┼─────┼─────┼───── - Platinum │ 9·1│ 8·6│ 9·5│ 9·5│ 8·1│ 10·9│10–14·5│ 14·5│ 20│ 24 - Metals │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - ─────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴───────┴─────┴─────┴───── - - 1910, 1915, 1916 and 1917—_Metal Market Year Book_. 1911, 1912, 1913 - and 1914—_Mining Magazine_. - - - Average price in dollars per troy oz. of refined metals of the platinum - group in New York - - ──────────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬──────┬───── - │1910.│1911.│1912.│1913.│1914.│1915.│1916.│1917.│1918. │1919. - ──────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼──────┼───── - Platinum │ 33│ 43│ 46│ 45│ 45│ 50│ 84│ 103│106[M]│ 114 - Iridium │ │ │ │ │ 65│ 83│ 94│ 150│ │ - Iridosmine│ │ │ │ │ 33│ 35│ 45│ 80│ │ - Palladium │ │ │ │ │ 44│ 56│ 67│ 110│ │ - ──────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴──────┴───── - - 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1917—_U.S. Geol. Surv. Mineral - Resources_. - - 1911, 1912, 1913, 1918 and 1919—_Eng. and Min. Journ._, vol. 107, - No. 2, p. 77. - -Footnote M: - - The price was fixed on May 14, 1918, at $105. - - - - - CHAPTER II - SOURCES OF SUPPLY OF PLATINUM AND ALLIED METALS - - (_a_) BRITISH EMPIRE - -The outputs of platinum metals in different parts of the British Empire -are shown in the table on p. 14. - - - EUROPE - - - UNITED KINGDOM - -There is no known occurrence of platinum in the United Kingdom, but -there has always been much trade done there in the platinum metals, -England having been the second largest importer of the big consuming -nations. The following were the importations of Russian platinum for -five periods since 1863: - - - _Period_ _Oz._ - 1863–1880 512,005 - 1881–1890 167,999 - 1891–1900 437,645 - 1901–1910 259,111 - 1911–1915 71,624 - - [15] p. 923 - -The above figures do not include receipts of platinum for seven -different years since 1863, for which there are no records. - -The table on the next page gives a summary of total imports of platinum -metals for the years 1910–1918, with the countries of origin. - -The platinum market in London was controlled by the Government from -January 1916 to December 1918, Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd., acting as -buyers. On December 26, 1916, platinum was declared contraband. - - - _Imports of Platinum Metals, wrought and unwrought, into United Kingdom_ - (_in troy oz._) - - ───────────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬────── - │1910. │1911. │1912. │1913. - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - _From British countries_ │ 24│ 1,011│ 1,100│ - _From foreign countries_: │ │ │ │ - Russia │ 4,167│ 2,579│ 461│ 1,778 - Germany │ 5,837│ 8,786│ 1,669│ 50 - France │35,149│30,449│33,969│33,149 - United States │ 494│ 794│ 644│ 3,623 - Colombia │ 2,037│ 4,909│ 4,552│ 3,725 - Other foreign countries│ 454│ │ 158│ 315 - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Total: foreign countries │48,138│47,517│41,453│42,640 - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Grand total, oz. │48,162│48,528│42,553│42,640 - ───────────────────────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴────── - - ───────────────────────────┬──────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬───── - │1914. │1915.│1916.│1917.│1918. - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼───── - _From British countries_ │ │ │ 28│ 458│ 265 - _From foreign countries_: │ │ │ │ │ - Russia │ │ 7│ │ │ - Germany │ 3│ │ │ │ - France │12,592│1,878│1,666│ 632│ 596 - United States │ 257│1,265│ 191│2,716│ - Colombia │ 2,296│ 139│ │ │ - Other foreign countries│ 40│ 59│ 79│ │ 362 - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼───── - Total: foreign countries │15,188│3,348│1,936│3,348│ 958 - ───────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼───── - Grand total, oz. │15,188│3,348│1,964│3,806│1,223 - ───────────────────────────┴──────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴───── - - [16] - -About 7 per cent. of the Russian and one-half of the Colombian outputs -were sold to England during the war, as well as most of the Australian -and Indian production. Much of this metal was refined in the United -States. - -According to J. E. Orchard[17], the commercial control (financial) of -the world’s output of platinum of 267,233 oz. of 1913 was divided as -follows: France, 74 per cent.; Russia, 18 per cent.; United States, 4 -per cent.; British Empire, 2 per cent.; other countries, 2 per cent.; -whilst the political control (territorial) was divided as follows: -Russia, 93 per cent.; Colombia, 6 per cent.; other countries, 1 per -cent. - - - ASIA - - - INDIA - -Traces of platinum and iridium have been noticed in association with the -gold obtained from native workings at Bonai City. The gold occurs in a -deposit of iron oxide, which forms the cementing material in a hard -stratum of quartz pebbles. The oxide is separated by pounding, and then -washed away to extract the gold. The proportion of platinum to gold is -probably less than 1 to 20. - -Platinum occurs, associated with gold, in the gravels of the Irawaddy -River in Burma. A small quantity of platinum is obtained at Myitkyina by -the Burma Gold Dredging Company. During the years 1911–13, 152 oz. were -won by this company. In 1915 the output was 17·7 oz., and in 1916, 9·25 -oz. In 1917, 4 oz. only were produced[18]. Owing to the cessation of the -golddredging operations at Myitkyina, Burma has ceased to produce -platinum, the quantity recovered during the year 1918 being only 0·31 -oz.[19]. - -It has also been located with iridosmine in the auriferous gravels of -the rivers draining the slopes of the Patkoi Ranges, both on the Assam -and Burma sides[20]. - - - AFRICA - - - RHODESIA - -Platinum has recently been located in the Gwelo district, about 6 miles -north-east of Indiva siding, where it occurs in the great dyke of -norite, which is here about 4 miles wide. A. E. V. Zealley, the late -assistant Government geologist, made this occurrence the subject of a -special report[21]. - -The country rock is a serpentinized dunite. The deposit is capped by a -ferruginous siliceous gossan from 4 to 5 ft. wide, which may be traced -on the surface for about 100 ft., and is comparable to a fissure vein. -The gossan consists largely of hæmatite and chalcedony, with occasional -veinlets of copper and nickel minerals. Although the presence of -platinum in the ore could not be detected by panning, the possibility of -its occurrence on geological grounds was considered, and a sample of -concentrate from an unstated amount of ore was forwarded to the Imperial -Institute for analysis. The sample was found to contain platinum to the -amount of 1 dwt. 20 gr. per ton. A report on the further development of -this deposit is awaited with interest. - -A sample of concentrate from an unstated amount of material from the -gem-bearing gravels of Somabula Forest, Gwelo district, was received at -the Imperial Institute from the Director of the Geological Survey of -Southern Rhodesia in November, 1918. On analysis this sample yielded the -following per ton: platinum, 3 oz. 12 dwt.; osmiridium, 7 oz. The -concentrate also contained a large proportion of gold. As shown by the -latest information available, the deposits, although undoubtedly rich, -appear to extend over a limited area. According to an analysis made at -the Imperial Institute, a sample of chromite from Southern Rhodesia -(Selukwe) contained 0·17 per cent. copper and nickel oxides, and a trace -of platinum[22]. - -H. B. Maufe[23] has stated that as the River Umtebekwe drains two areas -of ultra-basic rock containing chromite, it might be expected to contain -alluvial platinum, as well as gold, and, as a matter of fact, platinum -has actually been discovered in a reef in the Great Dyke (norite), at -the head of the Umtebekwe valley. - -The presence of platinum was recently reported at Willoughby’s Halt, 12 -miles south of Gwelo. - - - UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA - -_Cape Colony_[24].—Platinum is present in varying quantities in the -copper-nickel deposits at Insizwa, situated in the Cape Province, close -to the boundary between East Griqualand and Pondoland. - -The rock formation consists of a basin-shaped mass of intrusive norite, -averaging from 2,000 to 3,000 ft. in thickness, and lying in the shales -and sandstones of the Beaufort Series of the Karroo System. - -The ore body consists of sulphides of copper and nickel, in association -with pyrrhotite, the minerals occurring disseminated near the basal -margin of the intrusive in olivine picrite. Gold and silver are also -present in small quantities. - -The average copper and nickel contents in the ore are each about 4 per -cent., and the platinum content averages from 2 to 3 dwt. per ton, the -platinum being unequally distributed through the ore[25] p. 14. - -It is not certain in what form the platinum occurs. It does not appear -to be present as sperrylite. In the opinion of W. H. Goodchild it may -occur in close association with the silver[25] p. 35. - -Mining operations have been intermittently carried on here during the -last fifty years, the last exploratory work coming to an end in 1911. -Operations were, however, resumed early in 1920. - -_Transvaal._—Small amounts of platinum and its allied metals have from -time to time been noticed in black sands from the battery “clean-ups” on -the Rand at Klerksdorp and other gold-mining districts, and platinum to -the amount of 2½ dwt. per ton is reported to have been present in -residual slimes at the Rietfontein mines[26]. A specimen, consisting of -about 85 per cent. osmiridium and 15 per cent. platinum, recently -received at the Imperial Institute, was stated to have been taken from a -compact shale, immediately underlying the banket reef in one of the -mines of the Klerksdorp district. In the large majority of the gold -mines, however, the platinum metals, if present, appear to exist in such -small quantities as to escape detection. - -A series of samples of chromite from Kromdaal, near Rustenburg, showed -from a mere trace to 1 dwt. of platinum per ton, and one sample of -chromite from the Secocoeniland deposits showed as much as 1½ dwt. of -platinum per ton[27]. - - - NORTH AMERICA - - - CANADA - -The occurrence of platinum in Canada was first observed in 1862, in the -course of gold-mining operations on the Rivière-du-Loup and the -Rivière-des-Plantes in the province of Quebec[28] p. 210. - -Since that time platinum has been found in a number of localities -associated with auriferous gravels, but the crude metal has only been -obtained commercially from the Similkameen district in British Columbia. -These deposits first attracted attention in 1885. All the workings are -alluvial, although the platinum has in several cases been traced to its -parent source. - -_Alberta._—Platinum and gold in minute grains, closely intermixed, are -found in the North Saskatchewan River, near Edmonton. In 1918 certain -platinum occurrences were examined by the Munitions Resources -Commission, visits being paid to Fort Saskatchewan and the Peace River -district, in Alberta. These deposits, however, proved to be -disappointing. In the former locality, which was carefully tested by -drilling, the values of the samples obtained averaged less than 10 cents -in gold and platinum per c. yd. of gravel[29] p. 427. - -_British Columbia._—Platinum, associated with gold, which is the -dominant metal, occurs in the Tulameen River and its tributaries, the -principal of which is Slate Creek, others being Cedar, Eagle, Bear and -Granite Creeks. The metal is present in small rounded grains, or -pellets. Chromite is often found intergrown with the platinum, olivine -and pyroxene usually occurring in association. The heavy minerals -remaining with platinum in the concentrate are titaniferous magnetite, -chromite and native copper. The platinum is sometimes magnetic, probably -due to the covering of the grains by small particles of magnetite[30]. - -The following analysis, according to G. C. Hoffmann, is representative -of an average sample of crude platinum from the Tulameen River: - - - Per cent. - Platinum 72·07 - Palladium 0·19 - Rhodium 2·57 - Iridium 1·14 - Osmiridium 10·51 - Copper 3·39 - Iron 8·59 - Gangue (Chromite) 1·69 - -Owing to the presence of osmiridium in considerable proportion, the ore -is classed as “hard metal,” and on that account fetches a higher price. -Many of the richer placers have become exhausted, and work is now -carried on by a few individuals, principally Chinese, who work during -the summer months only. In some cases high benches, 50 to 100 ft. above -the creek bottom, are being worked. Much of the platinum and gold is of -a coarse texture, with a rough surface, and the latter is sometimes -found embedded in quartz. Nuggets are sometimes found encrusted with -chromite, and are thus liable to be overlooked. The deposits are -therefore not of great age, and the metals have not been transported -long distances from their sources. - -Kemp is of opinion that the platinum is derived from pyroxenite dykes -cutting through peridotites, which outcrop on Olivine and Grasshopper -Mountains. - -It is of interest to note that some diamonds and rubies have been -discovered with the platinum in the Tulameen deposits. They are of good -quality, but of small size, and occur in a matrix of dunite[28] p. 210. -American capital dominates the platinum industry in the district. In -1918, at the request of the Imperial Munitions Board, special -investigations in this area were undertaken by members of the Geological -Survey, and several prospecting bores were put down to bedrock. Full -reports of the work done are not yet available, but it is understood -that the results are considered to be promising, and to warrant further -examination of the district[29] p. 429. - -Platinum was in 1918 discovered at Franklin Camp, near Grand Forks, -B.C., in the “Black Lead,” so-called, which is a mixture of augite, -75·13 per cent.; orthoclase and microcline, 17·06 per cent.; hornblende, -1·47 per cent.; and magnetite, 6·06 per cent., as determined by -microscopic measurements on a typical specimen, with accessory minerals, -chalcopyrite, bornite and apatite. A sample of chalcopyrite assayed 0·38 -oz. crude platinum per ton. Samples of the “Black Lead” assayed from -0·02 to 0·17 oz. per ton[31]. - -At Burnt Basin, on the Mother Lode claim, an auriferous quartz vein -carries platinum, in amounts varying from a trace to 0·25 oz. per ton. -The quartz also contains chalcopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite and -molybdenite[31]. Native platinum in small quantities has been found -associated with gold in the following localities: Tranquille River, -Fraser River, Rock Creek, Yale District, North Thompson and Clearwater -Rivers. It has also been reported to occur in a dyke across the Kootenay -River upon the Granite Poorman Mining Company’s property a few miles -from Nelson[32]. At Siwash Creek, in the Tulameen district, small flakes -of platinum, associated with chromite, often occur in shear zones in -granite. Dredging for gold and platinum is being carried on, on the -Peace River, North British Columbia. - -According to J. B. Hobson the heavy concentrate produced on the -Consolidated Caribo hydraulic mine at Quesnel, contains, besides gold -and silver, platinum, palladium and osmiridium, one analysis giving a -total value of $3,873 per ton. The gold and silver being non-amalgamable -are probably included in particles of pyrite and galena, whilst the -platinum metals are found as minute grains or are enclosed in particles -of chromite and magnetite. A system of “under-currents” is being -installed to properly dress this concentrate[33]. - -In 1917 the recorded output of crude platinum from the placer gravels of -the Tulameen district in British Columbia was 57 oz., that for 1918 -being 39 oz. For the five years preceding 1892, this district produced -on an average over 1,500 oz. per year. - -_Manitoba._—Samples of gold ore containing platinum have been obtained -in the Star Lake district of south-eastern Manitoba[34]. Analyses of the -samples from different auriferous reefs were made by the Department of -Mines in 1917, and yielded platinum varying in amount from a trace to -0·1 oz. per ton. In addition to gold and platinum, the veins carry small -quantities of galena, zinc blende, pyrite, chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite -in a gangue consisting mainly of quartz. - -Platinum is reported to occur in auriferous quartz veins in several -mines and prospects in Le Pas district; a picked sample of ore from the -mine of the Northern Manitoba and Development Company, assayed $49 gold -and $17 platinum per ton[35]. McCafferty’s Prospect, about 5 miles away, -contains platiniferous quartz. - -_Nova Scotia._—According to E. R. Faribault in _Summary Report_, 1918, -Part F, of the Canadian Department of Mines, platinum has been found, -mostly in traces, in some of the old gold districts of Halifax county -and, lately, in the tungsten concentrates of the Moose River mines. So -far, all occurrences are in quartz veins in the lower quartzite and -slate formation of the gold-bearing series of the Atlantic coast. The -platiniferous mineral is supposed to be sperrylite, with which is -associated arsenopyrite. - -_Ontario._—Sudbury is one of the few places where platinum is profitably -extracted from deposits _in situ_. The metal, which was first discovered -in this region in 1889, is found mostly in combination with arsenic, as -sperrylite associated mainly with chalcopyrite in the well-known copper -and nickel-bearing deposits of the district. - -The origin of the ore bodies has not yet been settled. They are either -marginal deposits in, or off-shoot deposits to, a norite laceolith, -which has intruded sedimentary rocks, the ores consisting principally of -chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and pentlandite. Metallic platinum, gold, -silver and palladium occur in the ore, the last also, probably, as an -arsenide. The highest platinum content is associated with the highest -copper content; the highest palladium with the highest nickel. According -to Roberts and Longyear[36] the mean analysis of rocks of from sixteen -drill holes gave an average ore content of: copper, 1·11 per cent.; -nickel, 1·95 per cent.; silver, 0·223 oz.; gold, 0·022 oz.; and metallic -platinum, 0·0068 oz. per ton. The ore is principally worked for its -nickel and copper content, and yields a large proportion of the world’s -supply of nickel. The ore is first smelted at the mines, and a portion -of the low-grade matte so produced is then shipped to South Wales for -final treatment, the remainder being sent to the recently-constructed -refinery of the International Nickel Co., at Port Colborne, Ontario, and -to the United States. It was stated in 1903 that this matte contained on -the average 1·25 oz. of the platinum metals per ton of nickel content of -the matte, of which about 80 per cent. was extracted[37] p. 10. The -Victoria Mine, owned by the Mond Nickel Co., is stated to carry a high -percentage of the precious metals, as is also the Vermilion Mine, -although in the latter case the ore body is very small. In 1917 the -total output of copper-nickel ore from these deposits amounted to -1,506,828 tons, of which the Canadian Copper Co. raised 1,139,629 tons, -the Mond Nickel Co. 361,335 tons, and the Alexo Mining Co. 5,864 tons. -The nickel content of the ore of the Canadian Copper Co. was about 2·5 -times that of the copper, whilst the ore mined by the other two -companies contained the two metals in approximately equal proportions. -The matte produced by the Alexo Mining Co. is smelted by the Mond Nickel -Co. According to the report of the Royal Ontario Nickel Commission, the -matte produced by the Canadian Copper Co. in 1916 was estimated to -contain 4,640 oz. platinum and 8,460 oz. palladium, corresponding to -0·10 oz. platinum and 0·15 oz. palladium per ton of matte, the -International Nickel Co. recovering in that year 1,093 oz. platinum and -257 oz. allied metals. This company is now reported to have improved its -methods of recovery. In 1918 the total matte shipment by the Canadian -Copper Co. is stated to have contained, among other precious metals, -8,677 oz. platinum and 13,016 oz. palladium[38]. - -According to information supplied by the Mond Nickel Co., their nickel -residues derived from the refining of the matte are taken over by -Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd. During the years 1915–18 the residues -disposed of were estimated to contain the following amounts of platinum -metals: - - - (In oz. troy.) - ───────────────────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬───── - │1915.│1916.│1917.│1918. - ───────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼───── - Platinum │3,078│3,782│4,913│4,465 - Palladium │5,474│ │ │ - Iridium and Rhodium│ 973│ │ │ - ───────────────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴───── - - -Messrs. Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd., have kindly supplied the following -figures of platinum-extraction from these residues: - - - Oz. troy. - 1916 3,722 - 1917 4,719 - 1918 4,958 - -The British America Nickel Corporation, who are developing some large -deposits in the same district, are also erecting a refinery near Hull on -the Ottawa River. It is stated that they will employ the Hybinette -process of electrolytic refining, and expect to obtain a high recovery -of the precious metals[29] p. 425. - -With gradual improvements in the refining process, and with the refining -of the whole of the matte produced, instead of a portion only, as at -present, it seems probable that the production of platinum metals by the -three nickel companies may in time exceed 10,000 oz. per annum. - -The 1919 report of the Ontario Bureau of Mines shows that in 1918 the -International Nickel Co. treated 62,250 tons of matte for 650 fine oz. -of platinum, 787 oz. of palladium, and 473 oz. of metals of the rhodium -group. This cannot be used as a basis of calculation, as the proportions -are not constant. - -On the Quinn claims, near the Crœsus Mine, Munro Township, is auriferous -quartz containing platinum. Five assays gave a platinum content of value -ranging from $180 to $1,800 per ton (with platinum at from $40 to $50 -per oz.)[31]. The Abro Mine in the Timiskaming district in 1915 shipped -between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of ore, containing 0·03 oz. of palladium -and platinum per ton. The ore consists of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and -pentlandite, in a gangue of altered peridotite and serpentine[7]. - -_Yukon Territory._—Platinum occurs associated with gold in small -quantities in most of the tributaries of the Yukon River, notably at the -mouth of the Hootalinqua River, and in the River Lewis[37] p. 12. - - - NEWFOUNDLAND - -Chromite derived from the serpentinized area in the region of Mount -Cormack, situated in the central part of the island, has been found to -contain small quantities of platinum[39]. - - - AUSTRALASIA - - - AUSTRALIA - -The most important occurrences of platinum in the Commonwealth are at -Fifield and at Platina, in New South Wales. - -The outputs of crude platinum in Australia in recent years were all -exported to the United Kingdom as under: - - - ────────────── - Year. Troy oz. - ────────────── - 1910 332 - 1911 470 - 1912 610 - 1913 442 - 1914 244 - 1915 56 - 1916 82 - 1917 259 - 1918 607 - ────────────── - - _Note._—These figures do not include the osmiridium produced in - Tasmania. - -Recent imports of manufactured platinum were as under: - - - ─────────── - Oz. - ─────────── - 1910 320 - 1911 504 - 1912 318 - 1913 301 - 1914–15 223 - 1915–16 89 - 1917–18 18 - ─────────── - -The question of the refining of platinum in Australia has been under -consideration for some time; so far the crude material has all been sent -to England. The outlook for future production of crude platinum in -Australia is not promising, with the exception of that of Bald Hill -district, Tasmania. - -_New South Wales._—Platinum is obtained at Platina, in the Fifield -division, in the east central part of the State, from a buried gravel -channel, in which it occurs in association with gold and osmiridium. The -rocks in the vicinity of the “leads” consist chiefly of slates, but the -source of the platinum is not known[4] p. 557. These deposits were first -exploited in 1894, and from that year to 1918 inclusive, the total -output of platinum from New South Wales was 14,680 oz.[40]. The gravels -have yielded amounts of 6 dwt. platinum and 2 dwt. gold per ton, but -according to Government reports the richer deposits are nearly worked -out; mining operations are carried on with great difficulty, as there is -a great scarcity of water and a deep overburden, varying from 20 to 80 -ft. in depth. It is estimated that there are 200 acres of -platinum-country available, sufficiently rich to pay, were it worked on -a large scale with an abundant supply of water[41]. - -A new occurrence has recently been discovered about 1 mile distant from -the old Platina deep “lead,” the platinum being associated with small -quantities of gold. The “lead” has so far been proved to extend over an -area about 1 mile in length, and from 60 to 150 ft. in width, the wash -varying in depth from a few feet to up to about 80 ft. The pay gravels, -which rest on shales and sandstones of Silurian and Devonian age, -intruded by dioritic dykes, are stated to be from 1 to 3 ft. thick. The -following analysis is representative of the crude platinum produced: - - - Per cent. - Platinum 75·90 - Iridium 1·30 - Rhodium 1·30 - Palladium trace - Osmiridium 9·30 - Iron 10·15 - Silica 1·12 - - [42] p. 14. - -Platinum is frequently found in beach sand deposits on the coastal -border between Queensland and New South Wales, notably at Ballina, close -to the mouth of the Richmond River; at Evans Head, further south; and at -Currumbin, near the mouth of the Tweed River. In this locality black -sands containing platinum, associated with gold, cassiterite, monazite -and osmiridium, accumulate on the beaches during stormy weather. At -Ballina and Evans Head, the platinum predominates over the gold, but at -Currumbin, further south, the gold is in the greater quantity[4] p. 557. -The minerals are present in a very finely-divided state, and separation -of the valuable metals is a matter of considerable difficulty. The -problem does not appear to have been satisfactorily solved up to the -present time, although promising experiments have recently been carried -out with screening and magnetic treatment. The deposits are, -unfortunately, very low grade. - -The sources of the metals are uncertain. The platinum and osmiridium -appear to have been derived from the western edge of the Clarence coal -measures, which now exist only as fragmentary outcrops. The gold, tin -and monazite may have their origin in granite and other rocks of the New -England tableland. Chromite is present in some of the Currumbin sands, -which suggests serpentine as the probable source of platinum[4] p. 557. -Other associations are zircon, garnet, tourmaline, ilmenite, magnetite -and sapphire. - -In the Broken Hill district, principally at Little Darling and Mulga -Springs Creek, platinum has been proved to extend over a considerable -area in a copper-nickel gossan, closely associated with gabbro, -decomposed gneisses and schists. In addition to platinum, the amounts of -which vary from a trace to 16 dwt. per ton, gold, silver, iridium and -palladium are also present[43]. The deposits bear some resemblance to -the nickel deposits of Sudbury, Ontario, and it is thought that here, -too, the platinum occurs combined with arsenic, as sperrylite. - -_Queensland._—In addition to the beach deposits between Southport and -Currumbin, described above, platinum has been found in Coopooroo and -Wairamba Creeks on the Russell Goldfield, near Innisfail; also in the -Lucknow and Alma “reefs” of the Gympie Goldfield, where it is present in -quartz lodes with native gold, and arsenopyrite, the accompanying rocks -consisting of slates, alternating with volcanic tuffs and conglomerates; -the metal also exists in the neighbouring gold-bearing alluvial deposits -of Brickfield Gully. - -Another occurrence of alluvial platinum is known at the head of the Don -River in Central Queensland[4] p. 556. - -_Victoria._—Platinum occurs in the Walhalla Copper Mine, where it is -associated in a hornblende-diorite lode-formation with copper pyrites, -gold and silver. The ore is stated to contain from 2 to 7 dwt. platinum -per ton. In the Thompson River Copper Mine platinum is found in a -hornblendic rock rich in chalcopyrite. - -_Tasmania._—Iridosmine has been produced from the Bald Hill district -near Waratah, in the north-western part of the state, since 1900, the -metal being obtained from placer deposits in Nineteen Mile Creek and its -tributaries, Linger-and-Die, McGinty’s and Barren Creeks, and from -Savage River. It has been located _in situ_ in the rocks of Bald Hill, -principally in serpentine, but also with chalcedony and opaline silica -in lode-formations. In the former case, it is associated with magnetite, -pyrite, pyrrhotite, nickel and gold. The iridosmine in the placer -deposits is sometimes coated with iron oxide, and is also at times found -enclosed in chromite. The following analysis in percentages, made at the -Imperial Institute, is typical: osmium, 57·09; iridium, 33·80; platinum, -0·37; ruthenium, 8·19; palladium, 0·21; gold, 0·04; iron, 0·30; copper, -trace. - -Other localities in Tasmania at which osmiridium has been located are -Heazlewood River, Whyte River, Castray River, Huskisson River, Wilson -River and Boyes River; also the Badger gold diggings, west of Savage -River, and the Salisbury goldfield near Beaconsfield. - -The following table gives the recent annual output of osmiridium in -Tasmania: - - - ───────┬───────┬─────── - Year. │ oz. │ Value - │(troy).│ in £. - ───────┼───────┼─────── - 1910 │ 120 │ 530 - 1911 │ 272·9│ 1,188 - 1912 │ 778·8│ 5,742 - 1913 │1,261·6│ 12,016 - 1914 │1,018·8│ 10,076 - 1915 │ 247 │ 1,581 - 1916 │ 222·2│ 1,899 - 1917 │ 332·1│ 4,898 - 1918 │1,607 │ - 1919 │1,669·7│ 39,614 - ───────┴───────┴─────── - -_South Australia._—In the north-east part of the State traces of -platinum have been recognized by analysis as occurring in the outcrop of -a lode near Boolcoomatta. Further information on this occurrence is not -available. - -_Papua._—Osmiridium, associated with small amounts of gold only, is -known to occur as alluvial in the neighbourhoods of various serpentine -areas; in the Lakekamu district, in flaky form; in the Yodda Valley, in -appearance similar to native bismuth; and in other places in shot-like -granules[44]. - - - NEW ZEALAND - -Platinum is only obtained commercially in New Zealand from the Orepuki -district of Southland, where it is produced by the Round Hill Gold -Mining Company as a by-product in the washing of auriferous gravels. -According to information recently supplied by the Mines Department, the -annual output of crude platinum for the last ten years has averaged 30 -oz., but in view of the recent falling-off of the gold production in -this locality, the prospects of any increase in the output of platinum -seem small. - -In South Island the presence of platinum has been reported on the Thames -River in quartz lodes, in a region of serpentine and diorite, and in a -pyritic lode near the Taramakau River in the district of Westland, in -close proximity to sheets of altered magnesian eruptive rocks[4] p. 557. -The platinum in the latter case occurs in association with silver, in -the proportions of about 7 parts of the latter to 1 of the former, -together with pyrite and limonite. Samples taken from the lode have been -stated to have an average content of 3 dwt. 8 gr. platinum per ton[45]. - -Other localities in South Island where platinum has been located are the -Taraka and George Rivers, which flow into Awarua Bay; the east coast of -Otago, in beach sands and river gravels; the Clutha River; and the -Nelson gold district. - -Concentrates containing up to 2·5 per oz. per ton are reported to have -been obtained from the Parapara sub-division. Platinum in New Zealand is -often associated with gold, and the deposits are in many cases similar -to those of the Urals. - - - - - CHAPTER III - SOURCES OF SUPPLY OF PLATINUM METALS - - (_b_) FOREIGN COUNTRIES - - - EUROPE - - - FRANCE - -Platinum metals are not produced in France, but platinum is known to -occur at several places. In the Department of Charaste and Deux Sevres -it occurs associated with pyrite and limonite; in the Valle du Drae, -Hautes Alpes, above Chatalard, platinum occurs in tetrahedrite in -metamorphic limestone; at St. Arey, near La Mure (Isere), it occurs in -bournonite, in dolomite and altered limestone. Platinum is found in -argentiferous tetrahedrite and malachite near Presles, in Savoy[31]. - -As mentioned below, under Russia (p. 36), France controlled the -production of platinum in Russia before the war through the Compagnie -Internationale du Platine, due to its extensive ownership of platinum -deposits and its contracts with Russian companies. - -The accompanying table gives a summary of recent imports, with countries -of origin, as far as can be obtained. - - - _Imports_ - -Recent imports in kilograms (42·87 troy oz.) into France of crude, -manufactured and scrap platinum, were as under: - - - ─────╥────────┬───────┬────────┬───────┬──────────── - From ║ United │Russia.│Germany.│Serbia.│Switzerland. - Year.║Kingdom.│ │ │ │ - ─────╫────────┼───────┼────────┼───────┼──────────── - 1910 ║ 480│ 5,878│ 1,104│ 204│ 85 - 1911 ║ 575│ 6,895│ 822│ 782│ 127 - 1912 ║ │ 5,454│ 283│ 144│ - 1913 ║ 78│ 4,500│ 220│ │ 2 - 1914 ║ 63│ 2,595│ 161│ │ - ─────╫────────┼───────┼────────┼───────┼──────────── - 1915 ║ │ │ No│details│available - 1916 ║ │ │ │ │ - 1917 ║ │ │ │ │ - 1918 ║ │ │ │ │ - ─────╨────────┴───────┴────────┴───────┴──────────── - - ─────╥────────────────┬──────────╥────── - From ║Austria-Hungary.│ Other ║Total. - Year.║ │countries.║ - ─────╫────────────────┼──────────╫────── - 1910 ║ │ 44║ 7,795 - 1911 ║ │ 192║ 9,393 - 1912 ║ 271│ 84║ 6,235 - 1913 ║ 171│ 97║ 5,067 - 1914 ║ │ 102║ 2,921 - ─────╫────────────────┼──────────╫────── - 1915 ║ No details│available ║ 188 - 1916 ║ │ ║ 578 - 1917 ║ │ ║ 578 - 1918 ║ │ ║ 41 - ─────╨────────────────┴──────────╨────── - - - GERMANY - -Platinum has recently been discovered in Westphalia, deposits having -been found in Freudenberg, Siegen, Meschede, in Siegerland, Sauerland -and Westerwald. It occurs in a series of fragmental deposits, -including principally slates and graywackes, the latter composed of -quartz and slate, with an argillaceous cement; it is also occasionally -found in the recemented fragments which are presumably derived from -the basal granite formation, underlying the platinum series[46] p. -606. The beds are believed to be of marine origin, and are probably of -Silurian and Devonian age. The platinum, which is present in a very -finely-disseminated state, is associated with chromium, nickel, -arsenic, antimony, iron, copper, lead, zinc, silver and gold, some of -which appear to have been introduced by solutions at a stage -subsequent to sedimentation. Krusch investigated these deposits in -1914, and is of opinion, in view of the similarity of the chemical -associations with those of the Ural and British Columbian formations, -that the original source of the platinum was peridotite, or other form -of basic igneous rock. A number of samples, analysed by Krusch, -yielded values ranging from a trace to 33·5 gm. (1 oz. troy) platinum -per ton[47]. At the outbreak of war the capital necessary for -exploitation had not been raised, but in 1918 it was stated that -treatment works had been erected at Wenden[2]. - -As mentioned above, about 25 per cent. of the Russian output of platinum -before the war was refined in Germany, and it is known that German -capital was helping to finance the pre-war platinum operations of that -country[2]. - - - _Imports_ - -The following is a summary of imports into Germany of crude, -manufactured and scrap platinum in kilograms (42·87 troy oz.) for the -years 1910–13: - - - ─────┬────────┬───────┬────────────────┬───────┬───────┬──────────┬─────── - From │ United │France.│Austria-Hungary.│Russia.│United │ Other │Total. - Year.│Kingdom.│ │ │ │States.│countries.│ - ─────┼────────┼───────┼────────────────┼───────┼───────┼──────────┼─────── - 1910 │ 419│ 846│ 265│ 278│ 127│ 216│ 2,151 - 1911 │ 292│ 895│ 451│ 190│ 255│ 239│ 2,322 - 1912 │ 458│ 642│ 554│ 272│ 48│ 307│ 2,281 - 1913 │ 191│ 683│ 233│ 451│ 236│ 230│ 2,024 - ─────┴────────┴───────┴────────────────┴───────┴───────┴──────────┴─────── - - - RUSSIA - -Up to the year 1914, Russia produced about 93 per cent. of the total -world’s supply of platinum, the metal being derived from extensive -deposits of alluvial sands in the Ural Mountains. The platiniferous area -extends approximately 80 miles along the central part of the chain of -mountains in the Government of Perm, and along the eastern slope, the -principal centre of the placers being at Goroblagodat, and on the -western side at Nizhni-Tagilsk. - -Platinum was first discovered in the Urals in 1823, and exploitation -commenced in the following year. In 1828 the Russian Government -instituted platinum coinage, which consisted of 3–rouble, 6–rouble and -12–rouble pieces, the coins containing about 2 per cent. iridium. A -3–rouble piece weighed 10·31 gm., and the price paid by the Government -to the producers was 16_s._ 10_d._ per oz.; but owing to the subsequent -rise in value of platinum, the coinage was discontinued in 1845[48] p. -606. - -The platinum industry began to develop in 1869, the price at that time -being under £5 per lb.[49], but from that year onwards the value, -although subject to considerable fluctuations, has steadily increased. -It has been estimated that since the beginning of the industry in -Russia, about 6,000,000 oz. of platinum have been recovered from -30,000,000 to 40,000,000 c. yd. of gravel. - -As was explained in Chapter I, the official statistics of the Russian -output of crude platinum are considered to be low. In the following -table, the estimated and official figures of production are given for -the years 1910–17: - - - _In oz. troy_ - Year. Estimated output. Official output. - 1910 300,000 176,334 - 1911 280,000 187,008 - 1912 300,000 177,596 - 1913 275,000 157,735 - 1914 240,000 157,182 - 1915 124,000 119,789 - 1916 90,000 78,682 - 1917 50,000 - -In the official statistics the Ural mining district is divided into five -principal areas. The following table shows the annual outputs by -districts in recent years: - - - _In oz. troy_ - ────────────────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬────── - District. │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912. │ 1913. │ 1914. │ 1915. │1916. - ────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼────── - South Verkhotur │111,070│121,314│118,048│102,552│106,528│ 80,985│52,353 - Perm │ 46,068│ 46,885│ 38,709│ 36,878│ 38,050│ 22,996│14,818 - North Verkhotur │ 11,862│ 11,362│ 13,166│ 11,376│ 7,426│ 12,288│ 9,968 - Tcherdynsk │ 6,359│ 5,016│ 6,162│ 6,109│ 4,753│ 3,518│ 1,542 - South │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Ekaterinburg │ 972│ 1,040│ 1,382│ 816│ 421│ 2│ - ────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼────── - Total │176,331│185,617│177,467│157,731│157,178│119,789│78,681 - ────────────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴────── - -Exports of crude platinum from Russia for the years 1911–15 were as -follows[15] p. 923: - - - ─────────────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬─────── - To. │ 1911. │ 1912. │ 1913. │ 1914. │ 1915. - ─────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼─────── - Great Britain│ 1,053│ 2,107│ 1,580│ │ 66,884 - France │168,527│169,580│140,615│ 64,778│ 7,900 - Germany │ 51,612│ 50,558│ 58,458│ 17,906│ - United States│ │ │ │ │ 5,266 - ─────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼─────── - Total │221,192│222,245│200,653│ 82,684│ 80,050 - ─────────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴─────── - -The platinum industry in Russia has always been mainly in the hands of a -few large firms of foreign countries. For a long time Johnson, Matthey & -Co., Ltd. controlled the greater part of the trade. In 1898 the Société -Anonyme de l’Industrie du Platine was established in Paris, and, by -purchasing a large number of mines, and leasing others, was able to -secure a large share in the control of the industry. - -The refining of the crude platinum has been, and still is, almost -entirely in foreign hands, all but approximately 2 per cent. of the -entire output being refined abroad. In 1915 it was reported that the -construction of a refinery at Ekaterinburg was completed, which was to -be placed under Government control. The principal platinum-refining -works were formerly those of Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd., of England, -but early in the eighties this firm was, to a certain extent, superseded -by Heraeus & Co., of Hanau, Germany. They, in turn, in 1909, were -compelled to give first place to the Société Anonyme de l’Industrie du -Platine, of Paris, which became the chief centre of the -platinum-refining industry, a position which it held until the outbreak -of war. France at that time had a monopoly of 90 per cent. of the -Russian production. This foreign control had an unfavourable effect on -the industry, and in 1913 the Russian Government passed a law forbidding -the exportation of crude platinum. In July 1915, exportation was again -permitted, subject to a 30 per cent. _ad valorem_ export tax, and at -about the same time an order was issued forbidding the exportation of -raw platinum in quantities valued above 500 roubles (£53), the price of -the metal to be fixed by the State[15] p. 923. In February 1917 the -Government further enacted an order prohibiting the importation of drawn -and spun platinum. It was hoped by these means to encourage the -establishment of domestic refineries. In 1916 the Government fixed the -price at £16 10s. per oz. In March 1917 it was reported that the miners -were not satisfied, and later sales were reported up to £22 per oz. of -crude metal, 83 per cent. fine[50] p. 17. - -According to N. Vissotzki[51], the platiniferous belt of the Urals, -geologically speaking, consists of four parallel bands striking, -roughly, north and south; the westernmost of these, made up of -crystalline schists, forms the watershed between Europe and Asia. The -next band to the east comprises olivine- and mica-gabbros, -diallage-peridotites, diorites and altered syenites—all of which have -been erupted from a great depth. The third band is made up of Lower -Devonian sedimentary rocks, shattered and buried in places by diabasic -eruptive rocks. The eastern portion of this band is formed of eruptive -rocks of deep-seated origin which may be gneissose granites. The fourth, -or most easterly band, is composed of ancient rocks, which have been -eroded by the advancing sea of Lower Tertiary age. - -The area emerged from the waves as early as the Carboniferous period; -consequently the accumulation of platinum, and in some localities of -gold, in the surface-deposits, were not swept away. They were -concentrated later on in the alluvia—perhaps at the time of the most -intense glaciation, probably in the Pleistocene. - -Throughout the Urals, the primary source of the platinum is associated -with the eruptive basic rocks, among which the platiniferous and -auriferous dunite forms three great masses. The principal outcrops of -platiniferous dunite and platinum-bearing alluvia are connected with the -second of the four parallel bands mentioned above. Towards the south, -the band becomes discontinuous, and finally dies out altogether. Here a -few outcrops of platiniferous olivine-rock contain a small percentage of -platinum, with osmiridium and other members of the group associated with -it. - -The two principal platinum-producing districts are in the central Urals, -and are: (1) The Shuvaloff Estates, Isov district, on the River Iss, -near Goroblagodat. (2) The Demidoff Estates, Nizhni-Tagilsk district, on -the Martian River in the South Verkhotur district. Prior to 1879 the -latter field furnished the larger part of the platinum, but since then -the former has been the most productive, and now supplies about 80 per -cent. of the total output. The whole of the platinum is derived from -gravel deposits, which are usually auriferous, and associated with -dunite. - -_The Isov district._—Platinum is concentrated in the channels of the -Rivers Iss, Veeya and Tura. In the north of this region it is obtained -from the Sosnovki, Kytlymi, and Mala Kosva Rivers; further north again, -platinum occurs with gold in the Vagran River, and in the system -comprising the Rivers Lobva, Niasma, Lialia, Aktai, Emerlo and Talits, -the gold here being predominant. Other sources of supply of platinum and -gold in this district are on the Ivdevl River. In the south of the area, -platinum deposits are worked on the tributaries of the Tagil, Salda, -Imiaun and Tura Rivers[15] p. 921. - -_The Nizhni-Tagilsk district._—The richest placers occur in the valleys -of the Visim, Martian, Sisim, Chaush and Cherna Rivers. Further south, -platinum is found with gold in the gravels of the Nevian, Verkhne-Iset, -Bilenibaev, Alapaev, Sysert, Kyshtym and Mias areas, and also in the -Tanalyk, Sakmar and Urtazym Rivers. - -Other localities of smaller importance are the Nikolae Pavdinsk and -Rastes districts in the northern Urals, and the Systersk mining -district. - -The placers are derived from country rock, made up of serpentine gabbro, -diallage and olivenite, the principal associated minerals being quartz, -zircon, ilmenite, chromite, magnetite, spinel, native gold and -palladium. Gold is present in the concentrate in very variable -quantities, and sometimes contains silver, but the latter generally -occurs in combination with palladium. The crude platinum usually -includes some iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and iron. - -The basic igneous rocks, from which the platinum is derived, are exposed -in the form of discontinuous elliptical outcrops near the summits of the -Urals, particularly on the western side of the mountains. These outcrops -attain larger dimensions in the northern and central Urals than further -south. The process of concentration of platinum in the gravels has -clearly extended over a very long period of time, and it is probable -that the richer gravels have been reconcentrated, perhaps several -times[52] p. 299. Platinum nuggets are rarely found, but three of large -size were discovered in the Nizhni-Tagilsk district, their weights -respectively being 25½ lb., 21 lb., and 11½ lb. - -Duparc, in a brief description of the geology of the deposits, states -that they are essentially of magmatic origin. The structure of the rock -is in the nature of concentric bandings; the felspathic rocks at the -outer edge gradually grade into the intermediate stage of pyroxenes, -until the central dunite is reached, composed of olivine and chromite. -The richness of the gravels is in proportion to the size of the dunite -deposits, and to the extent of erosion of these rocks. According to -Duparc, platinum ore derived from a pyroxenite source usually contains -high percentages of platinum and palladium, but low percentages of -osmium and iron. The same writer estimated in 1916 that the reserves -were sufficient for about twelve years, provided that the same methods -of working and rate of extraction were employed during that period[53]. - -The amount of the platinum in the wash is very variable. The average -yield was formerly over ½ oz. per c. yd., but latterly, owing to the -gradual exhaustion of the richer deposits, the average returns have not -exceeded from 2 to 3 dwt. per c. yd. The crude metal assays about 83 per -cent. platinum, from 5 to 7 per cent. osmium and iridium, with small -amounts of ruthenium, palladium, and gold, and about 10 per cent. -impurities, mostly iron and copper[54]. The thickness of the pay gravels -varies from 3 to 6 ft., and about 4 ft. may be taken as the average -width, the overburden running from a few to over 60 ft. The extent of -the productive area is about 170 sq. miles, and from 15,000 to 20,000 -miners were employed before the war[4] p. 558. It has been noticed that -the platinum deposits are characterized by their uniformity, of course -not being so sinuous in direction as gold deposits. - -In former times mining was entirely carried on by primitive methods with -hand labour, but the utilization of dredges has steadily increased, -since their introduction in 1900. In 1909, 13 per cent. of the total -production was obtained by dredging, and in 1914 this percentage rose to -one-third of the total output. The season during which dredges may be -employed extends on the average from the middle of April to the middle -of October. In the South Verkhotur and Perm areas dredges have been used -in the large enterprises; but at the small mines the working is very -primitive, and carried on largely with the help of _starateli_, or -tributers. In 1914 a modern 7½ c. ft. dredge was installed on the -Nikolaie-Pavdinsk Estate. - -In mines where dredging is not in use, the gravels are mined by open -cuts, or, if the overburden is thick, shafts are employed. The former -method is much preferred, both on account of its relative cheapness, and -also because it is possible to obtain a better clean-up of the bedrock. - -The usual types of stationary plant in use include the _botchka_, or -conical revolving screen; the _tchaska_, or puddling machine, with a -bottom of perforated iron plates; and the _boronka_, or conical screen, -on which the stones and clay are turned over by a double rake[55]. The -gold is removed by amalgamation with mercury in wood, iron or porcelain -bowls. Special methods are in use in certain parts of Russia for working -the deposits during the winter. The workings are allowed to freeze, and -the frozen ground is mined after being partially thawed by means of wood -fires. The method is simple, but care must be taken to ensure that the -thawing does not proceed too far, otherwise the ground collapses, and -the workings become flooded. The method is suitable for depths to 30 -ft., and in localities where the snowfall is comparatively slight. - -Latest reports from Russia indicate that no dredges are now working -there, the platinum being produced by hand methods only. - -Some interesting experiments were recently carried out by V. N. -Chorzhevski in the Nizhni-Tagilsk district, with a view to testing the -commercial possibility of mining platinum _in situ_. The metal here -occurs, in association with chrome iron ore, in dunite rock, which in -this region extends over an area of 11½ sq. miles. The platinum appears -to be present in quantities directly proportional to the amount of -chromite in the rock. The dunite is first ground under runners; the -chromite slack is separated from it; and after this has undergone a -second grinding, the metal is separated by washing[56]. An experimental -test, carried out in March 1917, is stated to have produced over 200 oz. -platinum from 9,720 lb. chromite slack. Another experiment with 3,600 -lb. of grey slack, “or fines,” consisting chiefly of undecomposed dunite -obtained from the dredges, is reported to have yielded ⅓ oz. of -platinum. - -_Lapland._—Platinum occurs associated with chromite and diamonds, in -alluvial deposits on the Ivalo River. It is believed to be derived from -serpentine rock, of which the neighbouring country is largely -composed[4] p. 556. - -_Finland._—Platinum has been found in the south in a lode-formation -containing quartz, siderite, calcite and dolomite. Gold and carbonate of -copper are also present in small quantities.[4] p. 557. - - - PLATINUM CURRENCY - -In a dispatch to the Great Powers on February 26, 1920, the Soviet -Government promised to withdraw the decree annulling Russia’s foreign -debt, to pay arrears of interest, and giving as a guarantee to an -Anglo-American syndicate certain important platinum and silver-mining -concessions, in return for which the abandonment of intervention in -Russia’s internal affairs was demanded. To be used in payment of foreign -purchases, the Government was about to issue “platinum” credit notes of -50, 100, 500, and 5,000 roubles, the issue to be limited to 65,000,000 -roubles, and backed by platinum reserves of 37,500,000 roubles. The -Government would be ready to convert the platinum reserves into coin if -required[57]. - - - SPAIN - -Promising deposits of platinum have recently been reported at Ronda, in -the province of Malaga. Domingo de Orueta, a Government geologist, -having noticed the similarity of the geology of this district to that of -the platiniferous deposits of the Urals, proceeded, a few years ago, to -explore the area systematically, and was soon rewarded, in the discovery -of the metal. The deposits, which are alluvial, extend along the Verde -and Guadaiza rivers, and are derived from serpentine and peridotite -rocks, the latter composed principally of rhombic pyroxene, with some -spinel and some dunite. Chromite occurs in association with the -platinum. The pay gravels contain about 8 gr. platinum per ton, and are -stated to have an average thickness of 5 ft., the depth of overburden in -the Guadaiza area, where apparently the richer gravels are found, being -about 33 ft., as compared with 49 ft. in the Verde locality[10] p. 547. -The Spanish Government have taken over the exploitation of these -deposits, and no public prospecting, without Government permission, is -allowed. - -Platinum is known to exist in a number of other localities in Spain, -especially in the northern districts; but so far as is known, it occurs -in very small quantities of no commercial importance. The metal has been -recognized in the following rivers: Minho, Luna, Sil, Orbigo, Gallego, -Cinca Darro and Lower Jenil, where it occurs in the concentrate sands, -accompanied by magnetite, ilmenite, zircon and, frequently, gold[58]. - - - ASIA - - - ARMENIA - -Platinum, in association with gold, is reported to occur in the district -of Batum and Sasun, on the Charokh River[46] p. 610. - - - BORNEO - -Platinum was discovered in south-eastern Borneo in 1831, in the gravels -of Gunung Lawack, but for a long time the natives were ignorant of its -value. In recent years it has been obtained on a small scale as a -by-product in the process of gold-washing, carried on in the province of -Tanah-Laut, in the south-eastern extremity of the island[59]. The -deposits occur in streams, which rise in the Bobaris Mountains, where -the country rocks are composed of schists and gneisses, intruded by -serpentine gabbro and diorite dykes[52] p. 298. Platinum has, however, -not yet been located _in situ_. In addition to gold, the platinum is -associated with osmiridium in the gravels, the two former being -frequently found intimately intergrown. The platinum content of the -native metal has been found by a number of analyses to vary from about -57 to 83 per cent., and that of osmiridium from 0·18 to 10·07 per -cent.[60]. - -The rare mineral _laurite_, a sulphide of ruthenium and osmium, was -discovered in these deposits. - -According to L. Hundeshagen[61], the platinum occurring in the diamond -placers of western and south-eastern Borneo is in the form of thin -scales, ranging from 0·1 to 1·0 mm. in length. These platinum scales -contain from 3·8 to 4·5 per cent. of copper, evidently as an alloy. - - - CHINA - -In the Uryanchai district of Mongolia, situated on the Russian border, -deposits of auriferous gravels have been worked on a fairly extensive -scale for some time past. It was announced a few years ago that platinum -and iridium had been found in appreciable quantities, associated with -the gold, some large platinum nuggets being obtained from this region in -1911. Although no attempt at commercial development has yet been made, -the prospects of profitable extraction appear to be hopeful. Extensive -outcrops of olivine rocks have been noticed in the vicinity, and the -nature of the occurrence is stated to bear some resemblance to that of -the platiniferous fields of the southern Urals[8] p. 107. - - - JAPAN - -Platinum occurs in the Yubari-garva, Pechau and other rivers in the -province of Hokkaido. It is also found in Nishi-Mikawa, province of -Sado. In the former locality gold and iridosmine are associated with the -platinum, and in the latter gold and iron sands are present[62]. In no -case has the metal been traced to its parent source. In the Hokkaido -deposits the average quantity of platinum present is only 2 or 3 per -cent. of the iridosmine content. It is possible that further exploration -in these areas will reveal occurrences of greater importance[9] p. 597. - - - SUMATRA - -Platinum is obtained at Sipongi, where it occurs with wollastonite and -grossularite in limestones and schists, near intrusions of granodiorite -and augite diorite. Gold is also present. - -L. Hundeshagen[61] is of opinion that the present ore deposit was -originally a layer, or a big lens, of limestone embedded in the old -schists, which has, by apophyses of granite, been altered into garnet -and wollastonite, being at the same time, or very soon afterwards, -mineralized by hot solutions carrying copper, gold, platinum, etc. A -sample of slightly decomposed wollastonite with no copper, or only -minute traces of that metal, proved to be richest in platinum, the assay -showing 6 gm. of platinum per 1,000 kg., while samples with 2 to 10 per -cent. of bornite and malachite contained only traces of platinum; and -none could be detected in auriferous garnet, poor in wollastonite. About -10 to 25 metres from the outcrop the concentrated river sand shows small -particles of whitish crystalline gold and rounded grains of white -platinum, the latter varying from 0·1 to 0·3 mm. in size. - - - AFRICA - - - CONGO FREE STATE - -In the Katanga district, platinum and palladium have been reported to -occur in certain alluvial gravels, accompanied by gold and silver. One -sample from this locality is stated to have yielded the following -amounts per metric ton: 3·4 gr. platinum, 12·3 gr. gold, 8·3 gr. silver. -It has also been located _in situ_ in sandstones containing gold. - - - MADAGASCAR - -Platinum is produced on a small scale as a by-product in alluvial gold -mining on the Vatana River, near the village of Ambia, in the Vatomandry -district. Traces of the metal have also been found in auriferous gravels -in the regions of Fenerive, Marolambo, and Vandrozo, over an area -extending along the eastern side of the island for a length of about 450 -miles. The platinum is apparently derived from the decomposition of -pegmatite. It is rarely found pure, being usually coated with iron -oxide, and strongly magnetic, a property which is utilized in the -process of separation from the gold[63]. - - - NORTH AMERICA - - - MEXICO - -Platinum has been shown to exist in the states of Guerrero and Hidalgo -in deposits of ferrous clays, which are of undoubted sedimentary origin, -and are apparently laterites. The metal exists in a very finely -disseminated state, invisible to the naked eye[64]. - - - UNITED STATES - -At the beginning of the war there was a considerable shortage of -platinum in the country, caused partly by the falling-off of the -imports, and in part owing to the increased demand in connexion with -munition manufacture. - -California is the principal producer of crude platinum, and in 1917 this -State supplied 460 oz. out of the total output of 605 oz.; with the -exception of a few ounces from the State of Washington, Alaska and -Oregon provided the balance. - -A considerable quantity of foreign crude and manufactured platinum is -imported annually, as shown in the following tables: - - - _Imports of Manufactured Platinum into the United States_ - - (In troy oz.) - ──────────────────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬────── - │1912. │1913. │1914. │1915. │1916. │1917. │1918. - ──────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - _From British │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries_: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Canada │ 777│ 582│ 55│ 139│ 511│ 332│ 253 - United Kingdom │19,169│16,595│ 6,476│ 7,692│ 9,513│ 3,195│ 357 - Other British │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │ 4│ │ │ │ 5│ │ 25 - ──────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Total, British │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │19,950│17,177│ 6,531│ 7,831│ 9,569│ 3,527│ 635 - ──────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - _From foreign │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries_: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - France │25,723│24,519│16,570│ 3,480│ 3,395│ 2,507│ 814 - Germany │22,673│29,075│30,015│ 2,350│ 10│ │ - Netherlands │ │ │ │ │ 159│ │ - Norway │ │ │ 258│ │ │ 120│ - Russia (European) │ │ │ 815│ │ │ │ - Colombia │ │ │ │ 480│ │ 207│ 1,665 - Other foreign │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │ │ │ │ 63│ 512│ 57│ 3 - ──────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Total, foreign │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │48,396│53,594│47,658│ 6,373│ 4,076│ 2,891│ 2,482 - ──────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Grand total, oz. │68,346│70,771│54,189│14,204│13,645│ 6,418│ 3,117 - ──────────────────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴────── - - - _Imports of Crude Platinum into United States_ - - (In troy oz.) - ───────────────┬────────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬────── - │1911[N].│1912. │1913. │1914. │1915. │1916. │1917. │1918. - ───────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - _From British │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries_: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Canada │ 554│ 45│ 314│ 535│ 139│ 91│ 25│ 76 - United │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Kingdom │ 28,153│19,951│ 8,368│ 7,084│ 6,805│36,703│ 1,561│ 1,073 - Other British│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - possessions│ │ 7│ │ │ 5│ │ │ — - ───────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Total, British │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │ 28,707│20,003│ 8,682│ 7,619│ 6,949│36,794│ 1,586│ 1,149 - ───────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - _From foreign │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries_: │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - France │ 44,964│10,178│ 7,284│ 4,921│ 3,507│13,014│ 52│ 166 - Germany │ 37,041│15,335│23,345│15,105│ 2,366│ │ │ — - Norway │ │ │ 200│ 442│ 285│ 302│ │ — - Panama │ │ │ │ 160│ 105│ 92│ 12│ 372 - Brazil │ │ │ │ │ │ 118│ 103│ 27 - Chile │ │ 9│ │ │ │ │ 766│ 3 - Colombia │ 5,503│ 6,627│10,461│12,387│13,121│25,588│21,071│25,365 - Other foreign│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │ 17│ 13│ │ │ 1│ 103│ 99│21,663 - ───────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Total, foreign │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - countries │ 87,525│32,162│41,290│33,015│19,385│39,217│22,103│47,596 - ───────────────┼────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── - Grand total, │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - oz. │ 116,232│52,165│49,972│40,634│26,334│76,011│23,689│48,745 - ───────────────┴────────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴────── - -Footnote N: - - Including manufactured platinum. - -In 1917, 38,831 oz. of refined platinum metals, of which 7,384 oz. is -believed to have been of domestic origin, were recovered from alloy with -other metals, and 72,186 oz. were obtained from the refining of scrap -metal, and sweepings. The shortage was also to some extent relieved by -the receipt from Russia early in 1918 of a special consignment of 20,922 -oz. of crude platinum, which had been collected in 1917 by the -Russian-English Bank, and which was taken out of Russia by F. W. Draper -and delivered to the United States Government. It yielded 17,640 oz. -platinum, 64·75 oz. palladium, 182·11 oz. iridium and 48·56 oz. of -rhodium, a total of 85·725 per cent. of platinum metals, slightly above -the usual 83 per cent.[65]. - -_Alaska._—The first production of platinum in Alaska was in 1916, in -which year about 12 oz. were shipped to the United States. In 1917 the -output rose to 81 oz., of which 66 oz. were obtained from the Seward -Peninsula and 15 oz. from the Copper River country. - -In 1918 an increased output of 135 oz. was partly obtained from alluvial -deposits and partly as a by-product in the treatment of copper ore of -the Salt Chuck mine, Ketchikan[66]. - -This mine is a palladium-copper mine containing mainly bornite with a -little chalcopyrite, and the alteration products covellite and -chalcocite, the metals present being, besides copper and palladium, -gold, silver and platinum. The ratio of palladium to platinum averages -50 to 1. The concentrates produced, representing about 3½ per cent. of -the weight of the ore, contain: copper, 40 per cent.; gold, 1·2 oz.; -silver, 5·3 oz.; and platinum metals, 3·15 oz. per ton[67]. - -In the Seward Peninsula the larger portion is derived from placer -deposits in Dyme Creek, Koyuk district, where the gravels are primarily -worked for gold, 1 oz. platinum being obtained for every $5,000 worth of -gold. In 1918, 56 oz. were recovered. Bear Creek and Sweepstake Creek -have also supplied small quantities of platinum, and a little is derived -from placers on Boob Creek, in the Tolstoi district [50] p. 19. - -A possible source of platinum appears to lie in the neighbourhood of the -Red Mountain, on the Kenai Peninsula. The mountain is composed of -fine-grained dunite, in which abundant chromite occurs. Up to 1917 no -placer mining had been attempted in this locality[68]. - -In the Goodro Mine, at the head of Kasaan Bay, Prince of Wales Island, -were found in 1918 both platinum and palladium, the latter in greater -amount, and carried in bornite and chalcopyrite; some chalcocite and -covellite are present also in the ore. The copper minerals are -disseminated through pyroxenite, and the country rock consists of -limestones, slates and other sedimentaries. The platinum content is -small, but regular, whilst the amount of palladium present is -proportional to the amount of copper, there being about 1 oz. of -palladium to every 8 to 12 per cent. (units) of copper[69]. - -A Bill has been introduced into Congress providing for the incorporation -of the United States Platinum Corporation, with capital stock of -$30,000,000, the object of which is to secure a concession from the -Government of land areas in Alaska containing platinum sands, and to pay -for such privilege, as a royalty or subsidy, one-eighth of the net -profits obtained from the working of the concession[70]. - -_California and Oregon._—Platinum has been proved to exist over a wide -area in placer deposits associated with gold, but the proportion of the -platinum metals to the gold is usually small. Platinum is obtained from -sands in streams rising in the belt of serpentine rocks in central -California, and from the serpentine areas in the Siskiyou and Trinity -counties in the north-west of the State, which continue north-east into -Curry, Josephine and Jackson counties in south-western Oregon[52] p. -300. The sources of the platinum obtained along the foot-hills of the -Sierra Nevada were old stream channels on the western slopes of the -mountains, which are now buried beneath lava several hundred feet deep. -These “deep leads” are also mined by drifting for their gold and -platinum contents, and in a few cases a fair amount of the metals is -extracted from them. Some platinum is obtained by hydraulic mining, but -this is carried on with difficulty, owing to the prevailing scarcity of -water[50] p. 18. - -Platinum occurs in black sands found on the Pacific coast in the -counties of Coos, Curry and Josephine, Oregon and Del Norte, California. -Formerly these beach deposits were rich in platinum, but at the present -small quantities only are obtainable after stormy weather. This area has -recently been examined by the United States Bureau of Mines, but the -results were disappointing. - -In California most of the output of platinum is produced by dredging for -gold in the Butte, Calaveras and Stanislaus counties[50] p. 19. In -Trinity county mining is in progress on the Trinity River, about 4 miles -below Junction City, by the Valdos Dredging Co. The output from this -source for sixteen months in 1916–17 was stated to be 1,950 gm. -Platinum, with gold and osmiridium, is also obtained on the Yuba River, -about 12 miles east of Marysville in Yuba county, by the Yuba -Consolidated Goldfields[10] p. 540. Some alluvial platinum has been -recovered at the Bean Hill Gold Mine, situated 12 miles south-east of -Placerville, and this locality is at present under investigation[71]. -Californian metal contains from 25 to 45 per cent. iridium. Its origin -is believed to be the serpentine- and olivine-bearing rocks of the -Sierra Nevada and other ranges. - -In Oregon, in addition to the platinum obtained from the beach deposits -near Bullards and Marshfield[50] p. 20, it occurs in placer deposits, -rich in chromite, in south-west Oregon, the principal output being -derived from the Waldo district. - -Platinum also exists in small quantities in streams in the neighbourhood -of the Blue Mountains, eastern Oregon, where the Powder River Gold -Dredging Co., in Sumpter district, produces on a small scale. Other -platiniferous localities in eastern Oregon are the Granite and Canyon -districts, and Spanish Gulch in Wheeler county[10] p. 541. - -_Colorado._—Platinum is known to exist in the black sands from Clear -Creek. Its presence has also been reported in the gold gravels of the -Iron Hill placer at Como, where it occurs mechanically combined with -magnetite. Another occurrence recently discovered is in a vein worked by -the Rollcall Mining Co., near Villa Grove. An assay of material from -this vein, taken at a depth of 1,500 ft., showed the following values: -gold, 3·2 oz.; platinum, 5·09 oz.; silver, 3·05 oz.; and copper, 3·5 per -cent.[9] p. 592. - -_Nevada._—In 1909 the occurrence of platinum in Clark county was noticed -by the United States Geological Survey to be in association with copper, -nickel and cobalt ores from the Key West and Great Eastern Mines, near -Bunkerville. The ore bodies are contained in pegmatites and basic -intrusions, which carry pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, the platinum -content in the ore averaging about 0·2 oz. per ton[72]. - -In 1914 platinum, with palladium, was discovered at the Boss Gold Mine, -situated 10 miles west of Goodsprings, in Clark county. The mine was -originally worked for copper, and later for its copper and gold -contents. The country rock consists of limestone of middle Carboniferous -age, intruded by sills of quartz monzonite porphyry, the ore bodies -occurring in a fault zone in the limestone. The copper ores comprise -mainly chrysocolla and malachite, and contain traces only of platinum. -The gold ore occurs in a fine-grained siliceous matrix, containing a -bismuth-bearing variety of _plumbo-jarosite_ (a hydrous sulphate of iron -and lead). The rare metals are present in the free state, being -apparently alloys of gold, platinum and palladium[73]. - -In 1919 the Boss Mine shipped $22,365 worth of platinum-bearing ore[74]. -A plant of 300 tons monthly capacity has recently been erected at Los -Angeles, California, for the treatment of its complex ores, which -average 7 per cent. of copper, 4 per cent. bismuth, and 1·0 oz. of -platinum and palladium, 0·75 oz. of gold, and 3 oz. of silver per ton. -The pulp from ore pulverized to 80 mesh is agitated with sulphuric acid -(2 per cent.). The acid solution contains the copper and about 20 per -cent. of the platinum. The copper is precipitated as cement copper, -together with the platinum, by means of scrap-iron. The remainder of the -platinum, together with the gold and silver, is first leached with, and -then precipitated from, a neutral solution of calcium chloride. The -inventors of the process claim that approximately 92 per cent. of the -copper, 96 per cent. of the platinum metals, gold and silver, and over -90 per cent. of the bismuth are recovered by this process[75]. - -Metals of the platinum group have recently been shown to exist in small -quantities in the ore of the Oro Amigo Mine, situated between 1 and 2 -miles north-east of the Boss Mine. This ore differs from that of the -Boss Mine, in that bismuth and plumbo-jarosite are absent. According to -H. K. Riddell, the platinum metals content averages from a trace to 0·1 -oz. per ton of ore. - -_North Carolina._—At Mason Mountain, in Mason county, platinum occurs -associated with rhodonite, garnet, biotite and iron sulphides in -metamorphic deposits. - -_New York._—It was reported a few years ago that platinum existed in -large quantities in alluvial sands of the Adirondack region. J. M. -Clarke, the New York State Geologist, examined the occurrence in 1917, -and found that platinum was present in traces only, the deposits being -of no economic importance [10] p. 541. - -_Pennsylvania._—At Lancaster county platinum is associated with pyrite, -chalcopyrite and galena in mica-schist, and also at Boyertown in black -Triassic shale. - -_Washington._—The production of platinum on a small scale has been -reported from beach deposits at the mouth of the south fork of the Lewis -River near Yacolt, and also on beaches southward from the Straits of -Juan de Fuca[10] p. 542. The metal has also been located at various -places in the Cascade Mountains in the central part of the State. - -_Wyoming._—Palladium and platinum, in the proportion of 3 to 1, are -obtained at the Rambler Mine, in Albany county, the metals occurring as -sperrylite in copper ore, contained in the kaolinized portion of a -dunite dyke, intrusive into granite gneiss. The ore consists of -covellite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite, with nickel and -gold[76]. It is stated that the platinum and palladium contents vary -directly with the percentage of copper present, a typical assay giving -the following values: copper, 5 per cent.; gold, 0·02 oz.; silver, 1 -oz.; palladium, 0·4 oz.; and platinum, 0·6 oz. per ton[77]. - -_Utah._—Platinum and gold in very fine particles occur in the Green -River, east of Vernal; also in the Colorado River, near Hite, below the -mouth of the Green River. Attempts to mine these deposits have so far -proved unsuccessful, due largely to the inaccessibility of the region, -as well as the finely-divided condition of the platinum[42] p. 11. - - - SOUTH AMERICA - - - BRAZIL - -José Vieira do Couto, in 1801, first pointed out that platinum occurs in -the sands of the Lages River, near Conceiçao, Minas Geraes. According to -E. Hussak[78], platinum in that region occurs only in the alluvium of -rivers having their rise on the eastern slope of the Serra do Espinhaço. -The platinum is accompanied by black pebbles of quartz-tourmaline rocks, -magnetite, hematite, rutile, octahedrite, xenotime, monazite, senaite, -pseudomorphs of rutile after octahedrite (_captivos_), zircon and gold, -which is sometimes of a copper-red colour (palladium-gold). Palladic -gold was formerly called _ouro branco_ (white gold), by the miners. - -At Condado, further north on the eastern slope of the same Serra, -platinum also occurs with very similar associations. The platinum from -both localities occurs in bunchy, mammillated and globular forms, -concave within, with thin walls, having a radiated fibrous structure -under the microscope. It is frequently in thin foliated crusts, having -the characteristic structure of hematite. It was accurately described by -Wollaston in 1805 and 1809. Hussak thinks the primary formation was an -olivine rock, or gabbro, while the platinum is secondary, having been -most probably re-deposited from solutions resulting from the -decomposition of platiniferous pyrites or of sperrylite (PtAs_{2}), -minerals derived, possibly, from the neighbouring schistose quartzite, -or from the overlying conglomeratic quartzite. - -The platinum of Condado, although comparable, as regards density, to the -Russian platinum, is very rich in palladium, is non-magnetic and -contains practically no iron. An analysis by G. Florence gave the -following percentages: insoluble residue, 0·92; platinum, 73·99; -iridium, 0·08; palladium, 21·77; iron, 0·10 (= 96·86), undetermined -(rhodium and osmium), 3·14. - -In the Rio Abaeté, Minas Geraes, platinum—very different in appearance -and chemical composition from that of the Serra do Espinhaço—occurs in -placer deposits, associated with gold, diamonds and the following -minerals: rolled pieces of a hydro-phosphate of barium and aluminium -(_gorceixite_ = “marumbé” of miners), garnet, almandite, pyrope, -ashy-blue oxide of titanium (_bagageira_—regarded as a good indicator -for diamonds), magnetite, chromite and calcium-titanate (_perovskite_). -Pyroxene-olivine rock, a typical picrite-porphyry, rich in perovskite, -and granular magnetite rocks, rich in titanium, have been observed by -Oliveira in the vicinity. Hence it is highly probable that the platinum, -as in the Urals, came from olivine rocks. The platinum occurs in thin -laminæ, strongly rolled, and, rarely, in cubical crystals with the edges -visibly rounded. It is strongly magnetic and contains no palladium. -Minute crystals of osmiridium may occur with those of platinum, and in -the platinum particles are found regular inclusions of osmiridium, as at -Nizhne Turinsk, in the Urals, the platinum of which locality it -resembles in chemical composition, magnetic properties and crystalline -structure. The following analysis shows the percentage and composition -of a general sample: insoluble residue, 7·57; iron, 9·62; palladium, -trace; copper, trace; platinum metals, 82·81. - -The auriferous alluvial of the Cuyabá and Coxim rivers in the southern -part of the State of Matto-Grosso, also contain some platinum. According -to Luiz Caetano Ferraz[79], platinum occurs in the River Coxipó-Mirim, -where golddredging is carried on, combined with palladium, iron, osmium -and iridium in small spherical grains, flattened on one side, of a -brilliant white colour and strongly magnetic. It is found in alluvial -deposits, associated with various kinds of quartz and oxides of iron, -marcasite, arsenopyrite, rutile, anatase, almandine, garnet, black -tourmaline, monazite, staurolite, white topaz, sphene, cassiterite, -wolfram, graphite, galena and native silver. - -In the State of Bahia, platinum has been found in Ituassú, Feira de S. -Anna and Serra do Assuruá, and it is said to occur at Sâo Bartholomeu, -and in the Serras do Pitango and Macahubes[80]. - -Platinum also occurs in Brazil as rare disseminations in the -gold-bearing _jacutinga_, intercalated in the itabirites (e.g. at Gongo -Socco Mine, long since abandoned). The jacutinga occurs as narrow bands -and nuclei in the itabirites, containing a high percentage of gold, with -much talc, clay and pulverulent pyrolusite. As accessory minerals -zircon, rutile, cassiterite and tourmaline occur. Hussak thinks that the -gold-bearing jacutinga has been derived from altered pegmatite veins. - -From analyses made by Johnson (1833–41) on the Gongo Socco bullion, it -would appear that the percentages of silver and platinum decreased while -those of copper and palladium increased with depth (Henwood). The -percentages of palladium varied from 3·89 to 4·80, and that of platinum -from 0·04 to 0·12. - -At Candonga, gold occurs in an eruptive rock rich in magnetite enclosed -in itabirite, and is probably of contact-metamorphic origin. The gold -occurs in grains of high standard, and with it are found fine indented -scales of palladic gold, of a bright copper-red colour. - -At Itabira do Matto Dentro gold occurs in jacutinga, lying between a -micaceous iron schist, rich in quartz, and an enormous solid bed of -itabirite. The palladium-gold may be copper-red, dark-brown or -silver-white in colour. Native platinum also occurs with the gold. - -Grains of platinum have also been found in the most northerly of the -auriferous lenticular masses, which occur near the Bruscus River, near -Pernambuco, in Cambrian crystalline schists. The matrix is a coarse -white quartz containing small quantities of the arsenides and sulphides -of iron, and the sulphides of copper, lead and zinc. - -Platinum, although widely distributed in Brazil, occurs in such small -quantities that so far there has been no production; but in the near -future richer and more extensive deposits may be discovered, or it may -be found practicable to win the metal from those already known, as an -important by-product. - -Palladium-gold, or _porpezite_, is a natural alloy of palladium and -gold, and may contain up to 10 per cent. of the former metal. It is -found in Brazil, in gold-washings, and also in the gold-bearing -jacutinga reefs at Gongo Socco, Candonga and Itabira do Matto Dentro. In -1870 Henwood showed that the palladic gold from Gongo Socco contained, -to a moderate depth from surface, from 0·04 to 0·12 per cent. of -platinum. (Palladium-gold has also been reported from gold-washings in -the Caucasus, near Batoum.) Ruer concludes, from an examination of the -freezing-point curves of artificial alloys of gold and palladium, that -these alloys form a continuous series of mixed crystals, and that there -is no indication of chemical combinations[81]. - - - COLOMBIA - -This republic is the second largest producer of platinum in the world, -and in pre-war years supplied about 5 per cent. of the world’s total -output. Owing to the decline of the Russian supply, and the increased -demand for the metal, the industry has in recent years received a -considerable stimulus, and in 1916 Colombia’s production rose to -approximately one-third of the Russian output. - -Platinum was first introduced into Europe from Colombia in 1735, -although the metal was known in America for some time previously[48] p. -608. In 1810 the value of platinum stood at $5 to $6 (U.S.) per oz., and -in 1823 the price had further dropped to from $3 to $4 per oz. As a -result, platinum was rejected as waste in the operation of refining gold -by the “dry-blowing” system. Later, when platinum became valuable, much -of this dumped metal was recovered, notably in Quibdo, the capital of -the Chocó district, where much gold-refining was carried on. - -The following table gives the outputs of crude platinum from Colombia, -in recent years, principally produced in the Chocó district: - - - Year. Oz. (troy). - - 1911 12,000 - 1912 12,000 - 1913 15,000 - 1914 17,500 - 1915 18,000 - 1916 25,000 - 1917 32,000 - 1918 35,000 (estimated) - -The larger portion of the production is shipped to the United States, -the exports to that country for the years 1910–18 being as follows: - - - Year. Oz. (troy). - - 1910 1,600 - 1911 5,503 - 1912 6,627 - 1913 10,461 - 1914 12,387 - 1915 13,121 - 1916 25,588 - 1917 21,278 - 1918 27,030 - -The crude platinum is estimated at 84 to 85 per cent. fine. The price in -1917 fluctuated from £16 to £20 10_s._ per oz., the average for the year -being nearer the latter amount. - -During 1918 the United States Government fixed the price at $105 per -oz., which stimulated production. - -The deposits are alluvial, and consist of re-concentrates of older -gravels. The principal source of supply is at the head of the San Juan -River, which enters the Pacific Ocean north of Buenaventura, the richest -deposits occurring in the Condoto, Opagado and Tamanal Rivers, -tributaries of the San Juan[82]. Platinum is also obtained in the Upper -Atrato River, which flows northward to the Caribbean Sea. It is nearly -always found associated with gold. In the gravels of the San Juan River -the two metals are present in about equal proportions, and in those of -the Atrato the ratio is approximately 85 of gold to 15 of platinum. - -The area including the watersheds of the San Juan and Upper Atrato -Rivers is known as the Chocó district. T. Ospina, Director of the -Colombian School of Mines[83], estimates that in the area are 5,000 sq. -miles of gold and platinum deposits, the Mira River forming the southern -boundary of the area. In 1916 he estimated that there were in it -68,000,000 c. yd. of actually profitable gravel, with a reserve of -336,000,000 yd. of possibly profitable ground. Platinum has also been -recovered in much smaller amounts on the Micay River in the Barbacoas -district, near the frontier of Ecuador. The stream beds in which -platinum occurs are those in which Tertiary conglomerates have become -eroded; the river gravels about the areas underlain by that formation -are barren. The conglomerates are composed of rounded boulders of basic -rocks, such as diabase, melaphyre, peridotite and dunite[48] p. 620. - -At Novita Vieja, in the centre of the Chocó district, a bed of -conglomerate 6 to 12 ft. thick has been laid bare, over an area 2½ miles -long and ½ mile wide, through the sluicing away of the overlying sands. -It contains 0·5 oz. of gold, and 0·5 oz. of platinum, per ton[84]. -According to Castillo, the parent rock is a typical gabbro, pyroxene -predominating over the felspar[85] p. 826. - -Platinum has been found in the Chocó district in serpentine rock. -Granite also occurs in the same district, traversed by quartz lodes -containing palladium, iridium, osmium and rhodium. - -Colombian crude platinum contains from 80 to 85 per cent. platinum, the -remaining 15 to 20 per cent. consisting chiefly of iridium and osmium. -The sands in which it occurs are described as brown in colour, and -carrying, besides platinum and gold, the heavy minerals chromite, -magnetite and ilmenite [85] p. 384. - -In the past, mining operations have been very irregularly carried on, by -primitive methods of working, but dredges are now being employed in -increasing numbers. In 1915 a dredge was operated on the Condoto River, -in the province of Chocó, by the Anglo-Colombian Development Company, -and showed good results. Native methods of working are very simple. The -alluvial gravels derived from dried-up beds of ancient rivers are -hand-washed with the use of the _batea_ or dish. Where the metal occurs -in the bed of a river it is obtained by diving girls, who work down to -the platiniferous gravels, removing the gravel in small dishes, the men -being employed in washing the gravels on the river banks[86]. About 90 -per cent. of the total output is recovered by these primitive methods. - -A large portion of the industry is in the hands of two companies, one of -which is the South American Gold and Platinum Company, of New York, a -Lewisohn company, which has absorbed the interests of the -above-mentioned Anglo-Colombian Development Company, Ltd., the Gold -Fields American Development Company, Ltd., and Johnson, Matthey & Co., -Ltd., of London. The second company—the British Platinum and Gold -Corporation, Ltd.—has recently amalgamated with the Paris (Transvaal) -Gold Mines, Ltd., taking in the latter’s interests on the Opogodo and -other places. - -The question of transporting platinum concentrate to the coast is not a -matter of much difficulty, as the Atrato River is navigable as far as -Quibdo, and the San Juan can be ascended by vessels of moderate draught -for over 140 miles inland. - -An estimate of average working costs appears to be 6_d._ per c. yd. for -dredging, and 3_d._ for hydraulicking[87]. In 1917 new platiniferous -deposits were discovered in the Caceres district, between the Cauca and -Nechi Rivers, in the department of Antioquia. The mineralized area -extends along the Caceri River, a distance of 14¼ miles, the width at -the north end being 1¼ miles, and 300 ft. at the southern extremity [10] -p. 545. - - - ECUADOR - -Platinum occurs, in association with the gold obtained from steam -gravels, in the area covered by the Rivers Bogota, Cachabi, Uimbi, -Santiago and Cayapas, but it has not so far been found in sufficient -quantities to be of economic importance. - -Dredging has been employed in mining these deposits, but does not appear -to have been a success, and operations are now largely confined to -native washings[88]. - - - FRENCH GUIANA - -Platiniferous gold-bearing sands are found in the Aporuague River, the -metal, according to an analysis by A. Danmer, having the following -composition in percentages: platinum, 41·96; gold, 18·18; silver, 18·39; -copper, 20·56[89]. - - - - - WORLD MAP OF PLATINUM DEPOSITS - - -[Illustration: - - MAP SHOWING THE PLATINUM-BEARING DISTRICTS REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT. - - (British Empire and Protectorates shaded.) -] - - - - - REFERENCES TO LITERATURE ON THE PLATINUM METALS - - ------ - -Footnote 1: - - Lindgren, W.: “Platinum and Allied Metals,” _U.S. Geol. Surv., Min. - Res. of U.S._, 1911. - -Footnote 2: - - Thomas and MacAlister: _The Geology of Ore Deposits_, London, 1909. - -Footnote 3: - - Gowland, W.: _Metallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals_, London, 1918. - -Footnote 4: - - Dunstan, B.: _Queensland Govt. Min. Journ._, 1917, =18=. - -Footnote 5: - - Lindgren, W.: “Platinum and Allied Metals,” _U.S. Geol. Surv., Min. - Res. of U.S._, 1910. - -Footnote 6: - - Rose, T. K.: “Electrolytic Refining of Gold,” _Trans. Inst. Min. and - Met._, 1914–15, =24=, p. 45. - -Footnote 7: - - Hill, Jas. M.: “The Platinum Situation,” _Eng. Min. Journ._, July 26, - 1919. - -Footnote 8: - - Hautpick, E. de: _Mining Journ._, Feb. 1, 1913. - -Footnote 9: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1916, =25=. - -Footnote 10: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1917, =26=. - -Footnote 11: - - _Review of Foreign Press, Technical Supplement_, War Office, May 27, - 1919, p. 395. - -Footnote 12: - - _Mining Journ._, Dec. 27, 1919. - -Footnote 13: - - _Chem. and Met. Eng._, Oct. 15, 1918, p. 607. - -Footnote 14: - - Hill, Jas. M.: “Platinum Deposits of the World,” _Eng. Min. Journ._, - June 30, 1917. - -Footnote 15: - - Merz, A. R.: _Journ. Ind. and Eng. Chem._, Nov. 1918, =10=, No. 11. - -Footnote 16: - - _Annual Statements of Trade of the United Kingdom._ - -Footnote 17: - - Spurr, J. E.: “Who Owns the Earth?” _Eng. Min. Journ._, Feb. 7, 1920. - -Footnote 18: - - _Records Geol. Surv. of India_, 1916, =47=, pt. 3, p. 163. - -Footnote 19: - - _Records Geol. Surv. of India_, 1919, =50=, pt. 3, p. 156. - -Footnote 20: - - _Records Geol. Surv. of India_, 1915, =46=, p. 284. - -Footnote 21: - - Zealley, A. E. V.: _South Rhod. Geol. Surv., Short Rept._ No. 3, March - 20, 1918. - -Footnote 22: - - _Bull. Imp. Inst._, 1907, =5=, p. 137. - -Footnote 23: - - “Geology of the Selukwe Mineral Belt,” _Geol. Surv. Bull. South - Rhod._, 1919, No. 3, p. 65. - -Footnote 24: - - Versfield, W.: Rept. on Metal Resources of Union of S. Africa, 1918. - -Footnote 25: - - Goodchild, W. H.: _Trans. Inst. Min. and Met._, 1916–17, =26=. - -Footnote 26: - - Bettel, W.: _S. African Mines_, Nov. 10, 1916. - -Footnote 27: - - Hall, A., and Humphrey, W. A.: “The Chromite Deposits of the Bushveld - Plutonic Complex,” _Trans. Geol. Soc. S. Africa_, 1908, =11=, pp. - 75–6. - -Footnote 28: - - _Mining Journ._, Feb. 29, 1913. - -Footnote 29: - - Mackenzie, G. C.: _Can. Min. Inst. Bull._, April 1919. - -Footnote 30: - - Camsell, C.: _Mining Journ._, May 1914, p. 523. - -Footnote 31: - - Uglow, W. L.: “Geology of Platinum Deposits,” _Eng. Min. Journ._, Aug. - 30, 1919; Sept. 6, 1919. - -Footnote 32: - - _Chem. Trade Journ._, 1911, =49=, p. 271. - -Footnote 33: - - _Min. Sci. Press_, April 10, 1920, p. 536. - -Footnote 34: - - _Board of Trade Journ._, 1917, =99=, p. 156. - -Footnote 35: - - _Can. Min. Journ._, 1916, =37=, p. 548. - -Footnote 36: - - _Can. Min. Inst. Bull._, 1918, No. 63, p. 99. - -Footnote 37: - - _Geol. Surv. of Canada, Min. Res. of Canada_, 1903, No. 818. - -Footnote 38: - - _Board of Trade Journ._, April 17, 1919, p. 504. - -Footnote 39: - - Howley, G. P.: _Mining World_, 1907, =26=, p. 783. - -Footnote 40: - - _N.S.W. Dept. of Mines, Ann. Rept. for 1918_, p. 52. - -Footnote 41: - - _N.S.W. Dept. of Mines, Ann. Rept. for 1915_, p. 59. - -Footnote 42: - - Hill, Jas. M.: “Platinum and Allied Metals in 1916,” _U.S. Geol. - Surv._, July 12, 1917. - -Footnote 43: - - _Rec. of Geol. Surv. N.S.W._, 1916, =9=, pt. 3, p. 127. - -Footnote 44: - - _Min. and Sci. Press_, April 10, 1919. - -Footnote 45: - - Bell, G. M.: _Economic Geology_, 1906, =1=, No. 8, p. 749. - -Footnote 46: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1914, =23=. - -Footnote 47: - - Krusch, P.: “The Platinum Deposits of Germany’s Palæozoic” (trans. by - F. S. Schmidt), _Min. and Sci. Press_, 1914, =109=, p. 880. - -Footnote 48: - - _Pan-American Union_, 1917, =45=. - -Footnote 49: - - _Mining Journ._, 1904, =76=, p. 597. - -Footnote 50: - - Hill, Jas. M.: “Platinum and Allied Metals in 1917,” _U.S. Geol. - Surv., Min. Res._, 1917, pt. 1, p. 11. - -Footnote 51: - - Vissotzki, N.: _Bull. du Comité géologique_, St. Petersburg, =22=, - 1903 (abstract in _Trans. Inst. M.E._, 1903, =27=, p. 660). - -Footnote 52: - - Hill, G. M.: _U.S. Comm. Repts._, 1917, No. 94. - -Footnote 53: - - Duparc, L.: _Soc. Ings. Civils, France, Mem. 1916, Bull._ Janv.-Mars. - -Footnote 54: - - Ball, S. H., and Low, B.: _Eng. and Min. Journ._, March 10, 1917, p. - 407. - -Footnote 55: - - Tovey, L.: _Eng. and Min. Journ._, Oct. 10, 1908, p. 704. - -Footnote 56: - - _Chem. Trade Journ._, 1917, =60=, No. 1,562, p. 362. - -Footnote 57: - - _Eng. and Min. Journ._, Mar. 6, 1920. - -Footnote 58: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1915, =24=, p. 580. - -Footnote 59: - - Posewitz, T.: _Geology and Mineral Resources of Borneo_, 1892 (trans. - by F. H. Hatch). - -Footnote 60: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1913, =22=, p. 597. - -Footnote 61: - - Hundeshagen, L.: “The Occurrence of Platinum in Wollastonite, Sumatra, - N.E.I.,” _Trans. Inst. Min. and Met., 1903–4_, =13=, p. 550–2. - -Footnote 62: - - Wada, Tsumashire: _Minerals of Japan_, 1904, p. 89 (trans. by Takudgi - Okawa). - -Footnote 63: - - _Bull. Econ. de Madagascar_, 1912, No. 2, p. 86. - -Footnote 64: - - Hautpick, E. de: _Min. Journ._, July 27, 1912, =98=, p. 747. - -Footnote 65: - - _Mineral Industry_, 1918, =27=, p. 571. - -Footnote 66: - - _Eng. and Min. Journ._, Jan. 11, 1919, p. 107. - -Footnote 67: - - Mertie, J. B., Jr.: “The Salt Chuck Palladium-Copper Mine,” _Eng. and - Min. Journ._, July 3, 1920. - -Footnote 68: - - Martin, Johnson and Grant: _U.S. Geol. Surv., 1917_, _Bull._ No. 587, - p. 238. - -Footnote 69: - - Campbell, Donald G.: “Palladium in Alaskan Lode Deposits,” _Min. and - Sci. Press_, Oct. 11, 1919. - -Footnote 70: - - _Board of Trade Journ._, Dec. 11, 1919, =103=. - -Footnote 71: - - _Min. and Sci. Press_, Mar. 15, 1919, p. 367. - -Footnote 72: - - Hall, F. A.: _Eng. and Min. Journ._, Oct. 10, 1914, p. 642. - -Footnote 73: - - Knopf, A.: _Min. and Sci. Press_, June 5, 1915, p. 878. - -Footnote 74: - - _Chem. and Met. Eng._, March 24, 1920. - -Footnote 75: - - _Min. and Sci. Press_, March 9, 1920. - -Footnote 76: - - _Eng. and Min. Journ._, May 25, 1905, p. 985. - -Footnote 77: - - Taft, H. H.: _Eng. and Min. Journ._, 1918, =106=, No. 21, p. 900. - -Footnote 78: - - Hussak, Euginio: “O Palladio e a Platina no Brasil,” _Annas da Escola - de Minas de Ouro Preto_, 1916, No. 8, 85–188. - -Footnote 79: - - Ferraz, Luiz Caetano: _Annas da Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto_, 1909, - No. 11. - -Footnote 80: - - Carneiro, A. J. de Sousa: _Riquezas Mineraes do Estado da Bahia_, - 1908. - -Footnote 81: - - Maclaren, J. M.: _Gold: Its Geological Occurrence and Geographical - Distribution_, London, 1908, p. 25. - -Footnote 82: - - _Journ. of the Royal Society of Arts_, 1908, =56=, p. 884. - -Footnote 83: - - Ospina, T.: Paper read before second Pan-American Congr., Jan. 3, - 1916. - -Footnote 84: - - White, R. W.: _Eng. and Min. Journ._, 1897, =63=, p. 189. - -Footnote 85: - - Castillo, J. C.: _Min. and Sci. Press_, 1909, =98=. - -Footnote 86: - - “Platinum-seeking in Colombia,” _The Times_, Nov. 26, 1912. - -Footnote 87: - - _Mining Journ._, Nov. 30, 1918, p. 700. - -Footnote 88: - - Millar and Singewald: _Mineral Deposits of South America_, New York, - 1919, p. 405. - -Footnote 89: - - Kunz, George F.: “Platinum and Palladium in Brazil,” _Pan-American - Bull._, April 1919, p. 408. - -Footnote 90: - - _U.S. Comm. Repts._, 1919, No. 21, p. 387. - - - PRINTED BY - HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., - LONDON AND AYLESBURY, - ENGLAND. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Footnote [90] (was 64) was unanchored. - 2. P. 59, added missing title “WORLD MAP OF PLATINUM DEPOSITS.” - 3. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 4. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 5. Footnotes were re-indexed using numbers and collected together at - the end of the last chapter. - 6. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - 7. Enclosed bold font in =equals=. - 8. Subscripts are denoted by an underscore before a series of - subscripted characters enclosed in curly braces, e.g. H_{2}O. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PLATINUM METALS *** - -***** This file should be named 64068-0.txt or 64068-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/0/6/64068/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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