?1 f'f^^'i A/ T N CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY €NG/^'^rD,^,^ f l^PArr ' ConMll Unlvaralty Ubrary TN 490.P7G78 1919 The mineral Industry of the British empl """leaA 004 683 995 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924004683995 IMPERIAL MINERAL RESOURCES BUREAU THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES WAR PERIOD PLATINUM AND ALLIED METALS (1913-1919) LONDON : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased through any Bookseller or directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses: Imperial House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2, and 28, Abingdon Street, London, S.W.I; 37. Peter Sthekt, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; 23, Forth Street, Edinburgh; or from EASON & SON, Ltd., 40 & 41, Lower Sackville Street, Dublin. 1922. Price 2s. Od. Net. GT. /S^if' TrriPBe-iAL Jl^STnuTE . LoHhotO, JV1 oLcU PEEFACE The following digest of statistical and technical information relative to the production, consumption and value of Platinum and Allied Metals will form a part of the volume or volumes on the Mineral Eesources of the Britisli Empire and Foreign Countries constituting the Annual Mineral Conspectus of the Bureau. Although nominally covering only the period of seven years ending 31st December, 1919, the digest will be found to contaia more recent statistical and other information relative to production and consumption in the more important countries concerned. In this, the first year of publication, an effort has been made to fill in, as far as possible, the hiatus due to the war in the publications relating to mining and metallurgical statistics. Labour, health and safety statistics have been omitted owing to the difficulty involved in procuring reliable information for the war period, but in future issues such statistics as are available will be included in respect of each year. Eesort will also be had to graphical representation of statistics of production, consumption and prices. The quantities of platinum and allied metals are expressed iri troy ounces, the weights of platiniferous ores, mattes, etc., in short tons of 2,000 lb., and values in pounds, shillings and pence at par rates of exchange. (Signed) E. A. S. Ebdmayne, Chairman of Governors. 2, Queen Anne's Gate Buildings, London, S.W.I. Febrmry, 1922. 35648 A2 CONTENTS PAGB GENERAL- Properties of the Platinum metals . .. . 5 Uses 9 PRICES 13 WORLD'S PRODUCTION 16 BRITISH EMPIRE— United Kingdom 1^ Rhodesia 20 Union of South Africa 21 Canada 23 India 33 Commonwealth of Australia : New South Wales 33 Victoria 35 Queensland 35 Tasmania 36 Papua ... 44 New Zealand ... 45 FOREIGN COUNTRIES— France . 46 Germany . 48 Russia . 49 Spain . 56 Madagascar . 58 United States ... . 59 Chile . 71 Colombia , 72 Japan . 75 Netherlands-India . 76 REFERENCES TO TECHNICAL LITERATURE ... . 78 PLATINUM AND ALLIED METALS GENEEAL The " plaitinum metals " include platiDum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium, which are usually found naturally associated more or less intimately with each other. The principal member of the group is platinum. The specific gravities of palladium, rhodium and ruthenium range between 11-5 and 12-26, while those of platinum, iridium and osmium rajige from about 21"6 to 22'48. All members of the group except osmium are fusible in the oxy-hydrogen flame, in which osmium volatilizes as tetroxide without fusion. Platinum , palladium and iridium have many uses ; rhodium is of very small economic importance ; while ruthenium and osmium have at present little if any industrial application, although the natural alloy osmiridium is of considerable value for its iridium-dontent, and, when occurring in coarse grains (" point-metal "), as a tipping for the gold nibs of fountain-pens. Among igneous rocks, platinum is found only in the extremely basic types, poor in silica and rich in magnesia, such as olivine rock (dunite) and its allies, especially serpentine, which is usually an alteration product of olivine. In- these rocks the platinum metals are generally associated with chromite. The platinum metals, however, are obtained almost entirely from placer deposits, in which, excepting the osmiridium fields of Tasmania and Papua, platinum is found in quantities greatly exceeding those of the other members of the group. Less important as a source of platinum are sulphide copper ores, some of which contain metals of the group, in addition to gold and silver ; and increasing quantities are being obtained from blister copper at electrolytic copper and bullion refineries. In such ores, and especially in the nickel-copper ores of Sudbury, Ontario, palladium is present in much larger proportion than the other members of the platinum group, with platinum, iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium in smaller quantities, in the order given. FROPERTIES of the PL.'iTINDM METALS. Platinum. — This is a heavy tin-white metal, harder than copper, gold and silver, but ranking next to the two latter metals in malleability and ductility. Its atomic weight is 195'2, and its specific gravity 21'46 (G. Matthey). Platinum is not oxidized under ordinary atmospheric conditions, ' nor is it sensibly volatilized at the strongest heat to which utensils of the pure metal are usually subjected although it has been volatilized in the electric furnace, as also have the other metals of its group. Its melting point is about 1,755°C., but its fusi- HSIUS A 3 ,6 bility is lowered by the presence of carbon, arsenic and many other impurities. Platinum can be welded at a temperature considerably below its melting point. The metal can be rolled into thin sheets and drawn into fine wire, the latter having a tenacity of about llj tons per sq. inch. Its ductility is impaired by the presence of other metals of the platinum group even in small amount, while 0'3 per cent, oi silicon is said to render it hard and brittle, and even a trace of antimony is sufficient to produce brittleness. Its coefficient of expansita is lower than that of any other metal, and, this being about the same as that of ordinary glass, platinum can be fused into electrical or other apparatus made of silch material without risk of the glass being fractured on cooling or when heated. When pure, platinum is not affected by hydrochloric or nitric acid singly ; but it is very slightly attacked by concentrated sul- phuric acid when heated above 200°C. When treated with aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids) or with other mixtures that evolve chlorine, it dissolves, platinum tetrachloride being formed. When alloyed with silver, copper, lead, zinc, or certain other metals, it is partly dissolved by nitric i acid. The metal is attacked by cyanide.s. ^ Platinum can be more or less readily alloyed With most metals, but the alloys of platinum and other members of the group with gold are unstable, the platinum metals having a tendency to separate out and become concentrated, thus rendering the sampling of platiniferoUs gold-bullion a matter of considerable difficulty. The alloys of platinum with silver and with iridium are among the most important of such mixtures, few of the others having industrial uses. Compact platinum does not amalgaimate with mercury unless sodium is present. At high temperatures, platinum is oxidized by alkalis and nitrates. It is also attacked at high temperatures by carbon, and by silica in the presence of carbon, and consequently crucibles and' other vessels made of platinum should not be heated in contact with charcoal or other solid fuel. The same caution applies to the heating of cyanides, sulphides, arsenides, arsenates and phosphates, in such vessels. The metal is a powerful catalyzing agent when finely divided. Platinum occurs native, usually in grains and scales, less com- ' monly in nuggets, and rarely in isometric crystals.' Native platinum is almost invariably alloyed with a considerable amount of iron, the percentage of which may be so high as to make the crude- platinum magnetic. Copper is also invariably present, with small percentages of palladium, rhodium and iridium, and commonly at least a trace of osmium. Typical assays of crude platinum show from 7-55 to 13'4 per cent, of iron in samples from the Ural placers, while as much as 19-5 per cent, of iron was found in one nuggeit analysed. In the same region, a magnetic platinum occurs containing iron in smaller amount than in any other crude platinum known, but also nearly 1 per cent, of nickel Probably close on 99 per cent, of the native platinum hitherto produced has been obtained from placers. Platiniferous chromite has been found in serpentine in the Transvaal, and, more recently, at Eeaume, in Ontario. The native alloy platinum-gold has been reported to occur in quartz at the Pas, Manitoba, and at Burnt Kidge, British Columbia; while a small quantity of platinum has been obtained from a gold-platinum-palladium lode in Nevada, U.S.A., and from a palladium-copper lode in Alaska. The only known natural compound of platinum is the mineral sperrylite , first found in the Sudbury nickehf erous pyrrhotite. This is a diarsenide of platinum (PtAsz), the mineral when theoretic- ally pure containing 56'5 per cent, of platinum. As isolated at Sudbury it contaiiis up to about 52"6 per cent, of platinum, from 0"5 to 0"75 per cent, of rhodium and only a trace of palladium. Antimony is also present in small quantity. The mineral occurs disseminated through the ores in minute pyritohedral crystals, which have a tin-white colour, black streak and metallic lustre. According to S. Pina de Eubies,* native platinum always shows the spectrum of nickel, and more strongly when iron is present. Palladium. — Palladium is a silver- white metal, with the same hardness as platinum, although it is less ductile. Its atomic weight is 106'7, and its specific gravity 11'5. Palladium is the most easily fused of the platinum metals, melting at about 1,546°C. One of its most remarkable properties is its power of occluding or absorbing hydrogen at ordinary temperatures and at a red heat, the gas being retained by the metal on cooling, and being removed only by raising the metal to a red heat in a vacuum. It is soluble only with difficulty in boiling hydrochloric and sulphuric acids, but readily dissolves in nitric acid and in aqua regia. Palladium occurs native, usually in grains, but sometimes fibrous and in minute octahedra, and invariably alloyed with a small percentage of platinum and some iridium. Its occurrence in the native form is commonly associated with that of platinum. Porpezite , a natural gold-palladium-silver alloy found in Minas Geraes, Brazil, contains from 5 to 10 per cent, of palladium. Most of the palladium of commerce is obtained from nickel- copper mattes produced by smelting pyrrhotite ores at Sudbury, Ontario. Palladium has not been traced to any definite mineral in nickel ores, but it is commonly found in greater quantity in the more cupriferous varieties. The bUster copper obtained from such copper ores as carry the most nickel is stated to be almost invari- ably the richest in palladium as well as in platinum, the percent- age of the former, when much nickel is present, being especially noticeable. * The Prasenco of Nickel in Native Platinum; Arch. Sci. Phys. Nat., 1916, 41, 475-478. 35648 A 4 Iridium. — Iridium is a comparatively rare member of the platinum group. It has a metallic lustre, and varies in colour from tin- white to light steel-grey or yellowish grey, giving a grey streak. It is distinguished physically from platinum by its greater hardness, its brittleness and its generally lighter colour. The atomic weight of iridium is 193-1, and its specific gravity 22' 42. Iridium is not attacked by acids or by mixtures of acids, or by fused alkahs; but it is converted into an insoluble oxide by fused potassium bisulphate. The metal is malleable at a red heat. It can be fused only in the oxy-hydrogen flame, its melting point being about 2,290°C. When finely divided it is, like platinum, a powerful catalyzer, but owing to its comparative rarity is not used industrially for this purpose. ' Iridium occurs native usually in alloy with osmium in greatly varying proportions. This natural alloy is commonly called " iridosmine " ; but, when the percentage of iridium exceeds that of osmium, the alloy is more conveniently known as osmiridium, and when osmium preponderates, as iridosmium. Some rhodium, platinum, ruthenium and other metals are usually present in minor quantities in the alloy. Formerly, the world's supply of iridium was entirely obtained from the platinum-bearing gravels, chiefly in the Urals and the Choco district of Colombia; but in recent years Tasmanian osmiridium has become an important source of the metal. Osmium. — This hard, bluish metal has an atomic weight of 190"9 and in crystalline form a specific gravity of 22"48, and is the heaviest substance known. In the compact state it is in- soluble in all acids, including aqua regia, but when finely divided is soluble in fuming nitric acid, and, less readily, in aqua regia. It is infusible in the oxy-hydrogen flame, but is oxidized at a temperature somewhat higher than the melting-point of zinc (420°C.), the highly poisonous vapour, osmium tetroxide (osmic acid), being given off. The melting point of osmium is usually given as about 2,500°C. Osmiridium occurs native in two principal varieties, known respectively as nevyanskite, which contains more than 40 per cent, of iridium, and siserskite, which contains less than 40 'per cent. The latter variety is comparatively rare. These major varieties are further distinguished, according to the more pro- minent accessory platinum metal, as rhodium-nevyanskite, ruthenium-siserskite, etc. Nevyanskite is a lustrous tin-white mineral occurring in flat scales and in shotty form with prism faces fairly well developed ; also in crystal aggregates and in massive nuggets. The heaviest known nugget of the mineral weighed nearly 2J oz. troy. The specific gravity of nevyanskite is from 19-3 to 21'12. Siserskite is a dull mineral varying in colour from steel-grey to bluish grey. It occurs in forms varying from fine-grained particles to sofid nuggets, some of which are angular and others rounded. The specific gravity of siserskite is considerably lower than that of nevyanskite, being from 15 '2 to 16- 3. Rhodium. — This is a hard, white metal, having an atomic weight of 102'9, and a specific gravity of 12"1. It is malleable at a red heat, but is slightly less ductile than platinum. It melts at about 1,970°C. When pure the metal is practically insoluble in all acids, including aqua regia, but is dissolved by fused alkaline bisulphates. It is a powerful catalytic agent when finely divided. Its salts are distinguished from those of the other members of the platinum group by their rose-red colour. Crucibles made of rhodium are said to have been found in all respects practically as resistant as those made of iridium. The applications of the metal are, however, restricted by the limited supply available. Ehodium is found in all native platinum, and in the nickel- copper ores of Sudbury and elsewhere. Rhodite, or " rhodium- gold," is a native alloy of gold with from 34 to 43 per cent, of rhodium. Ruthenium. — As found, ruthenium has a colour varying from dark grey to black, but the pure fused metal is white, resembling iridium in appearance. It has an atomic weight of 101' 7 and a specific gravity of 12' 26. The metal is hard and brittle. After osmium it is the least fusible, but most readily oxidized metal of the platinum group. It is. practically insoluble in acids or mix- tures of acids, but is soluble in aqueous solutions of alkali hypo- chlorites and in a mixture of fused caustic potash and potassium nitrate. At a bright red heat it is oxidized superficially by air or oxygen. When finely divided, the metal has catalytic properties. Ruthenium is obtained as a by-product in the treatment of osmiridium and other native alloys of the platinum metals. Uses op the Platinum Metals Platinum.. — Platinum has been used in the chemical, electrical, dental and jewellery industries, and for miscellaneous purposes, including coihage. Its earliest application was as an adulterant of gold for the last-mentioned purpose, when platinum was the cheaper metal. ■ , > ^ , During the period under review^i pure platinum was used in increasingly large quantities in munition plants, as a catalyzing, agent in the contact process of making the highly concentrated! sulphuric acid employed in the manufacture of high explosives ; also at plants for the manufacture of nitrates from atmospheric nitrogen. It has been estimated that, towards the end of the war, some 500,000 oz. of platinum was in use in the making of contact acid. The metal is not actually destroyed in this process, nearly all of it being ultimately recoverable. In 1915 it was estimated that, in the various plants in the United States employ- ing the contact process of making sulphuric acid, 43,888 oz. of platinum was contained in 1,487,000 lb. of " contact mass " used. The operating companies reported losses of platinum ranging from a negligible minimum up to 0'25 gram (about 4 grains) per ton of acid, so that only a very small quantity of platinum was required for renewal purposes. The platinum does not enter 10 into the chemical reactions^ but acts as an exciter in the forma- tion of sulphur trioxide, which, on combination with water, yields sulphuric acid. There are several kinds of " contact mass," the two most commonly used having asbestos or magnesium sulphate bases. The mass is made by soaking the base in solutions containing platinum chloride and afterwards heating it. This treatment results in a more or less complete distribution of very fine particles - of metallic platinum throughout the mass. Some " contact mass " contains from 7 to 8 per cent, by weight of platinum, while certain maaufacturers make a mass containing as little as O'S per cent.* In nitric acid plants, platinum gauze of very fine mesh is used as the catalyzer. There is also a large consumption of platinum in the manu- facture of evaporating-dishes, crucibles, stills and other utensils used in chemical laboratories and many chemical industries. In order to meet a great shortage of the metal when supphes from Eussia failed during the war, a French Inter-ministerial Com- mission t suggested the employment of an alloy of gold and platinum containing 125 per cent, of platinum, or an alloy of gold and palladium containing 20 -per cent, of palladium, for the manufacture of evaporating-dishes and crucibles. '' The use of platinum in the electrical industry is decreasing. An alloy containing 33 per cent, of that metal and 67 per cent, of silver is employed as a standard of electrical resistance. The so-called " platinum " used in electrical*work is an alloy of that metal and iridium, the proportion of the latter ranging from 15 to 50 per cent, for different classes of work, and averaging about 20 per cent. Substitutes of lower price have been found for platinum for some electrical purposes. In the manufacture of incandescent lamps, the wires are no longer made of platinum, but of nickel-chromium alloys or of tungsten or molybdenum. Molybdenum has also to a large extent been substituted for platinum in the resistance wires of electrical furnaces and heaters, which formerly contained a considerable amount of the more expensive metal ; while it was stated as far back as 1914 that a large proportion of the electrical ignition (" sparking-plug ") points of internal-combustion engines was being made of metallic tungsten instead of platinum. For telegraphic and telephonic apphances, the French Commission referred to above suggested as a substitute for platinum contacts an alloy consising of 10' 5 per cent, of gold, 88-25 per cent, of silver and 1-25 per cent, of copper. For many high-duty electrical contacts, however, no quite satisfactory substitutes for platinum appear as yet to have been found. * J. M. Hill, The Production of Platitmm and Allied Metak in 1914. U.S. Geol. Surv. Min. Resources; Washington, 1916. ' t A. Breton, War-time Substitutes for Platinum in Prance; La Nature Paris, 1919, Pt. I, 366-367. 11 Platinum and alloys of silver with from 25 to 33 per cent, of platinum have been largely used in dentistry. In recent years, molybdenum plated vpith platinum is said to have been vi^idely employed for artificial teeth in the United States, while during the war palladium-gold alloys were exten- sively used in American dentistry, so as to release platinum for military purposes. A large amount of platinum has for some years been used in the United States for jewellery, although much of this was merely a plating over some inferior metal. After the entry of that country into the war, the use of platinum for jewellery decreased con- siderably, only 12 per cent, of platinum metals being so consumed in 1918. Since the Armistice, however, platinum has been increasingly in demand for jewellery in the United States, con- siderably more than one-half of the platinum metals used there in 1919 and 1920 being so employed. Normally, in that country, jewellers' " platinum," contains an average of 10 per cent, of iridium, but for certain work the proportion may be as high as 15 per cent. In this, as also in the electrical industry, iridium is principally employed as a hardening element. Platinum is used in the preparation of platinum salts, notably the chloride, for photographic work. In 1828, a platinum coinage was issued by the Eussian Govern- ment, the intrinsic value of the metal being then reckoned at less than six times that of silver and only slightly more than one- third that of gold. In 1845, the minting of platinum was aban- doned, its price having appreciated to such an extent as to make the coins of greater value for exportation as metal than for their nominal worth as money. It was recently stated that the Soviet Government contemplated the issue of a new type of credit note backed by reserves of a platinum coinage ; but in this con- nection it has to be remembered that it is much rarer than gold, while its production is erratic, and its price is subject to wide fluctuations. Miscellaneous uses of platinum include medical purposes {needles for syringes, etc;), for which the French authorities, at the suggestion of the Commission already referred to, are under- stood to have employed during the war nickel which had under- gone a special thermal treatment, or an alloy of gold and platinum. Other uses of platinum are in the manufacture of certain gunnery apphances and signalling instruments ; while an alloy containing 73 per cent, of silver and 27 per cent, of platinum is employed for soldering the latter metal. Palladium. — This metal is chiefly employed in the manufacture of palladium-gold alloys now extensively used in dentistry, and to some extent in the jewellery and chemical industries. Iridium. — Pure iridium, which is the most costly metal of the platinum group, appears to have only a very limited industrial application. As already mentioned, it is used principally as a 12 hardening element in platinum-iridium alloys employed in the jewellery and electrical industries. Th© standard metre prepared by Johnson, Matthey and Co., in 1870, and adopted by the French International Commission of Weights and Measures, was an alloy consisting of 90 per cent, of platinum with 10 per cent, of iridium. At a later date, Matthey recommended an alloy of platinum with 15 per cent, of iridium for standard measures of length made in tubular form, and an alloy with 20 per cent, of iridium for standard weights. All these alloys are very hard and elastic, take a high polish and are unaffected by the atmosphere. The alloy with 10 per cent, of iridium is probably the most important. It is used as one of the wires in thermo-electric couples for measuring high temperatures, the other wire being made of absolutely pure platinum. According to J. M. Hill,* to produce 10 oz. of iridium it is necessary to refine approximately 200 oz. of Eussian and 630 oz. of Colombian crude platinum. Rhodium. — This meta.1 is of very small industrial importance. It is principally used, in the form of an alloy consisting of 10 per cent, of the metal with 90 per cent, of platinum, as one element in thermo-electrical couples for the measurement of high temperatures, the other wire being of pure platinum. Osrjfiium. — On account of its high melting point, this metal has been employed as a filament in incandescent electric lamps, but, owing to its high cost, it has been very largely replaced by tungsten. The original " Osram " filament is stated to have been an osmium-tungsten alloy. Osmium is used to a very slight extent in medicine and in the dyeing of silk. There is at present little or no market for osmium except as a tipping, in the form of coarse-grained osmiridium (" point metal "), for the gold nibs of fountain-pens, the natural alloy being otherwise practically of no value except for its content of iridium. The extraction of osmium from that alloy is not only a very costly process, but it is also a dangerous operation, owing to the highly poisonous character of osmic acid vapour. With proper precautions, the metal might be employed as a substitute for iridium in the hardening of platinum alloys ; but the risk attending the handling of osmium under temperatures at which it will oxidize would appear likely to militate against its substitution for that purpose. The application of osmiridium to industrial uses has been ex- tended in recent years, and the demand for this mineral, especially for the coarse-grained variety produced in Tasmania, increased considerably after 1917, with a consequent notable advance in the- price offered. The demand for osmiridium has recently become greatly reduced, and the price has dropped to less than half the average for 1920. {See Tasmania.) * Platinum and Allied Metal? in 1917; U.S. Geol. Surv. Min. Res • Washington,, D.C., 1918. 13 Ruthenium. — This metal, which is easily oxidized and brittle, has few if any uses, nor do its salts appear to have found any definite industrial application. In 1910, a small quantity of ruthenium alloyed with platinum was imported into the United States, probably for chemical purposes. Prices of the Platinum Metals United Kingdom In 1913 and until the declaration of war in August, 1914, the price of platinum in the London metal market averaged about 185s. per oz. On the outbreak of hostilities the market became disorganized and was officially closed until 9th November, 1914, when it was opened under strict rules as to the nature of dealings. Quotations for platinum during the period August-December of that year must be regarded as nominal. The price of the metal continued to be quoted at 185«. (nominal) until about November, 1915, when the quotation was raised to 198s. per oz. About that time an embargo was placed on the exportation of platinum from this country. Early in December, 1915, the metal was quoted at 210s. per oz. nominal and subject to negotiation. By the end of 1915 the scarcity of platinum supplies had become acute, and on 2nd January, 1916, the Government called on all dealers in and users of the metal to furnish within three days a statement showing the quantities of platinum in bulk, in process of manufacture, and in finished articles, of which they were in possession, requiring these to be placed at the Govern- ment's disposal if necessary. No market quotation for platinum was then available, the metal being no longer purchasable in the market except by the consent of the Government, who, through their appointed agents, Johnson, Matthey & Co., were prepared to buy at 200s. per oz. In March, 1916, this firm offered 190s. per oz. and in April 2025. per oz. for platinum, and in May the price was fixed at 190s. In September the Government raised its buying price to 200s. per oz. and fixed the selling price of any not required at 220s. On 29th December, 1916, all the platinum metals were added to the list of absolute contraband. During 1917, new, platinum was quoted at 290s. per oz., and Johnson, Matthey & Co. bought scrap for the Government at 260s. In March, 1918, new platinum was quoted at 400s. per oz., and scrap at 360s., this continuing until the end of the year. During November and December, palladium was quoted at 500s. per oz. nominal. In January, 1919, new platinum was still quoted at 400s. per oz., but scrap at 340s., the nominal quotation for palladium remaining as at the end of 1918. From February to May, the quotation for new platinum was 440s. and for scrap 360s. per oz., that for palladium being unchanged. In June, new platinum was 14 quoted at 442s., from July to November at 450s., and in Decemlber at 510s. per oz. nominal, the quotation for palladium being unchanged at 500s. nominal. Early in January, 1920, platinum was quoted nominally at 770s. per oz., while palladium advanced to 800s., this continuing until early in March, when palladium eased to 600s. nominal. In April, platinum was quoted at 520s., and in May at 500s. per oz. nominal, tlie market being weak. Palladium was nominal and unquoted. In June, supphes of platinum were plentiful and the market was dull owing to absence of demand, the quotation being nominally 400s. to 440s. per oz. In July the same condi- tions prevailed, and the price of the metal was nominally 400s. , and in the following month about 420s. , while the price for palla- dium was more or less nominal at about 400s. In September the quotation for platinum advanced to about 620s. nominal, while that for palladium was about 600s. Early in November the price for platinum was lower, being nominally quoted at 520s. per oz., while that for palladium declined to 500s. nominal. By the middle of December the quotation for the former metal had fallen to about 460s. and for the latter to 440s. , and it was understood that some quantities of Eussian platinum were available for sale in Norway. At the end of 1921, refined platinum was quoted at 390s. per oz., "raw" platinum at 360s., refined palladium at 380s., and "raw " palladium at 260s. to 280s., all nominal and subject to negotiation. United States On 2nd March, 1918, the U.S. War Department took over the control of the production, refining, distribution and use of crude and refined platinum in the United States for the period of the war, and a maximum price of $105 per oz. for all imports was fixed by the War Industries Board. Bequests for inventories of the existing stocks of crude and refined platinum and platinum- iridium alloys were sent out to the industry. The Board intimated, however, that it had n« intention of taking over and handUng directly the stocks of these metals, but was in favour of permitting shipment by the producers and dealers subject to certain conditions. On 1st May, 1918, the Board commandeered parts of the supply of platinum, iridium and palladium, agreeing to pay the following prices per troy oz. for these metals up to 80th June : — Platinum, |105 ; iridium, $175 ; palladium, $135. These prices not only governed the value of refined metals, but were .under- stood to include the platinum-metal contents of scrap niaterials and crude platinum. A requisitioning order of 21st June, 1918, covered all platinum, iridium, or palladium in the control of or produced by certain firms, excepting when such metals were contained in articles of 15 jewellery on which the value of the labour exceeded 20 per cent, of the value of the metal. This order became effective on 30th June, to continue until the end of the year. It did not change the prices estabUshed on 1st May. The requisitioning orders were cancelled on 1st December, 1918, and prices then advanced. According to the Engineering and Mining Journal, the prices of refined platinum in New York during the period under review were as follows : — Prices of Refined Platinum in New York, per troy oz. Year Highest Lowest Average monthly average. monthly average. for year. $ $ $ 1913 45-50 43-45 44-88 1914 50-20 42-19 45-14 1915 85-50 38-00 47-13 1916 101-25 62-56 83-40 1917 105-00 87-83 102-82 1918 108-00 105-00 105-95 1919 151-35 99-20 114-61 1920 154-23 79-62 110-90 1921 82-61 70-23 75-03 The average prices of refined platinum, iridiimi, iridosmine and palladium in New York for 1914 and later years, as tabulated by the U.S. Geological Survey for use in their computations, are shown below, the figures being believed very nearly to represent the average of actual sales. No prices of osmium, rhodium, or ruthenium are available. Average Prices of Refined Platinum Metals in New York, per troy oz. Metal. 1914. 1915. 19J6. 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. $ $ $ $ $ S $ Platinum 45 55 84 103 105 123 111 Iridium 65 83 94 150 175 255 331 Iridosmine 33 35 45 80 90 105 150 Palladium 44 56 67 110 135 130 108 On 1st January, 1921, iridium was quoted in New York at 1325 per oz., but by the middle of the year the price had fallen to 1160-1170. At the close of the year, there were no buyers of iridium or osmiridium. 16 WOELD'S PEODUCTION The world's total production of platinum up to the present time may be estimated at approximately 11,000,000 troy ounces, of which Eussia has contributed about 90 per cent., Colombia about 7 per cent., and Borneo about 2 per cent., the remainder coming almost entirely and about equally from the United States, Australia and Canada. Of the total production, probably about 99 per cent, has been obtained from placers. Deposits containing osmiridium are widely distributed m western Tasmania, and since 1910 there has been a more or less steadily increasing production of this natural alloy in that region, which is the most important osmiridium field in the world. The output has, however, been largely governed by fluctuations in the demand and the price obtainable for the product. The maximum yield of osmiridium in Tasmania for any year was 2,009 oz. in 1920. It was recently reported that the market price of the material had sharply declined, owing to a great falling-off in the demand, and that this was having a serious effect on the Tas- manian industry. The production of platinum metals from deposits in the United States, chiefly placers in California and Oregon, has been small, amounting annually to only about 8 per cent, of the domestic requirements, the remainder being obtained by the refining of imported crude metal and, in minor amount, as a by-product in the refining of copper and Canadian nickel-copper matte. The production of platinum metals in Cariada has until recently been unimportaiut, but fairly considerable quantities have been more or less irregularly obtained for some years past from nickel-copper matte produced in the Sudbury district of Ontario. It was not until 1919 that any attempt was made to recover the platinum metals from such matte within the Dominion. There is a small annual production of platinum metals in New South Wales, this being almost wholly obtained from alluvia] gravels at a single locahty, namely, Platina, in the Fifield division. There was for a few years a quite insignificaint production of platinum in Burma, but since 1918 no output of the metal in this or any other part of India has been recorded. There has been a small recovery of platinum metals in Japan in recent years, almost entirely from placers in Hokkaido. The following table shows the world's production of platinum metals from placers only {i.e., not including refinery returns from mattes, scrap, etc.) during the period under review, the figures for the British Empire, Eussia (to the end of 1916), the United 17 States and Japan being official, while the remainder are mostly estimates based on the best information available : — World's Production of Platinum Metals from Placers only Quantity : Crude oz. troy Country. 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. i 1918. 1919. 1920. British Empire : Canada (a) ... India New South Wiile8(6) Tasmania (c)... 18 58 442 1,262 37 244 1,019 23 18 56 247 15 9 82 222 57 4 259 332 39 • 607 1,607 25 213 1,670 17 796 2,009 Total 1,780 1,300 344 328 652 2,253 1,908 2,822 Foreign Countries : Russia (d) ... United States (e) Colombia (/)... Borneo and Sumatra Japan 157,735 483 15,000 183 157,182 570 17,500 119,789 742 18,000 78,682 750 25,000 69 50,000 605 32,000 64 126 25,000 647 35,000 t 51 30,000 824 35,000 t 154 35,000 613 35,000 t Total 173,401 175,252 138,531 104,501 82,795 60,698 65,978 70,613 Total ... 175,181 176,552 138,875 104,829 83,447 62,951 67,886 73,435 (a) This is only an insignificant proportion of the actual total recovery of platinum metals which should be credited to Canada. By far the greater part of the total recovery is obtained in the refining of nickel- copper mattee. (See Canada.) (6) Crude platinum concentrates containing from 5 to 10 per cent, of osmiridium. (c) Oemiridium. (rf) Crude platinum concentrates containing approximately 83 per cent. of fine metals. Of this amount, iridium, osmium, rhodium and palladium together constitute from 4 to 6 per cent. The 17 per cent, of residual material consiste largely of chromite and sand, and of thie amount about one-twelfth is fine-grained osmiridium. (e) For total production, see p. 65. (/) Colombian crude platinum is estimated to have a fineness of from 84 to 85 per cent. • 0-31 oz. + Information not available. The official figures of platinum production from placers do not fully represent the output, a considerable proportion of which escapes registration. (See Kussia.) The outstanding features of the world's placer-production of platinum metals during the period under review are (1) the serious decline in the Eussian output and (2) the considerable increa-se in that of Colombia. The former is accounted for by shortage of labour, difficulties in obtaining renewals and other 18 essential supplies for the dredges by means of which most of the platinum won in Russia in reeent years has been recovered, and the destruction of many of the dredges during the latter half of the period under review. The increase in the Colombian pro- duction has been largely due to the stimulus afforded by the increased demand for platinum during the war and the curtail- ment of Eussian production and exports. BEITISH EMPIRE United Kingdom Platinum is not known to occur in any part of the United Kingdom. From about 1870 to 1890 the output of Russian crude platinum was refined in London by Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd., and in Paris by Des Moutis, Quennessen and Co. (see pp. 55 and 56) . From 1890 to 1909 the Eussian crude platinum was chiefly refined in England, France aaid Germany. In 1909 the Society Anonyme d'Industrie du Platine, which had been established in 1898 and had already purchased and acquired leases of a number of platiniferous areas in the Urals and' owned a refinery in Paris, obtained control of the greater part of the Eussian output. This was effected by agreements with the Shuvalov and Demidov families, owners of the most productive placers, for the pur- chase of the whole of their output of crude platinum metals at a price arranged on a sliding scale. British and other buyers thus became very largely dependent on Paris for their supplies, and at an enhanced price. The French contracts have now expired, and, having regard to the heavy ad valorem export duty on Eussian crude platinum imposed early in 1914 and to later restrictions on exportation (see p. 55), as also to the completion of a Govern- ment-controlled refinery at Ekaterinburg in March, 1916, it would appear likely that the greater part of the output will in future be refined in Eussia. During the period 1889-1913 only about 1 per cent, of the Eussian crude platinum production exported appears to have been directly consigned to the United Kingdom,* the ]bulk of her supplies being received through Paris. The quantities of wrought and unwrought platinum received in England from France during the period under review are shown in the general table of Imports. * Special Supplement to the Budget Estimate of the Russian Mining Department for 1916: Petrograd, 1915. 19 Imports of Wrought and Unwrought Platinum into the United Kingdom (Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom : Customs and Excise Department, London) From Quantity (oz. troy). 1913. 1914. 1916. 1916. 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. Russia Germany France United States Colombia Other Foreign Countries. 1,778 50 33,149 3,623 3,725 315 3 12,592 257 2,296 40 7 1,878 1,265 139 59 1,666 191 79 632 2,716 596 362 - 1,337 36 122 Total from Foreign Countries. 42,640 15,188 3,348 1,936 3,348 958 1,495 Total from British Possessions. — — — 28 458 265 1,210 Total 42,640 15,188 3,348 1,964 3,806 1,223 2,705 2,752* Value (£). Bussia Germany France United States Colombia Other Foreign Countries. 13,013 436 300,554 34,343 29,697 2,698 22 115,976 2,300 18,406 331 50 15,198 9,951 774 564 14,469 1,627 1,027 8,969 27,705 10,238 8,671 25,712 567 2,435 Total from Foreign Countries. 380,741 137,035 26,537 17,123 36,674 18,909 28,714 Total from British Possessions — — — 270 5,963 4,641 21,712 Total 380,741 137,035 26,537 17,393 42,637 23,550 50,426 64,033t * Includes 1,849 oz. unrefined platinum, 879 oz. refined platinum and 24 oz. platinum alloys, including dental platinum. t Includes £39,990 value of unrefined and £23,643 value of refined platinum, and £400 value of platinum alloys. 20 Exports of Wrought and Unwrought Platinum from the United Kingdom (Colonial and Foreign Produce). (Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom : Customs and Excise Department, London) To Quantity (oz. troy). 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. Prance Other Foreign Oountrieg ... 1,636 108 878 83 44 — — 520 1,883 170 Total to Foreign Countries 1,744 878 83 44 — — 520 2,053* Value (£). France Other Foreign Countries ... 13,115 702 6,893 600 441 12,148 51,669 3,682 Total to Foreign Countries 13,817 6,893 600 441 — — 12,148 .55,351t * Includes 291 oz. of unrefined and 1,762 oz. of refined platinum. •j" Includes £6,447 value of unrefined and £48,904 value of refined platinum. Prior to 1920, exports of platinum manufactured in the United Kingdom from imported "raw" metal were not separately reported. In 1920, 2,838 oz. of refined platinum, value £65,570, and 494 oz. of platinum alloys (including dental alloys), value £14,026, were exported, chiefly to the United States. Rhodesui The areas in Southern Ehodesia which have geological features favourable for the occurrence of platinum are very large, and it is expected that the metal will eventually be found in payable quantities. In the Gwelo district,* platinuln has been found in the " Great Dyke " of norite, which extends in a north-easterly direction for about 300 miles, nearly throughout the territory. As occurring in that district, about 6 miles north-east of Indiva siding, the ore is apparently a segregation of magnetite, chromite and heavy silicates in a large body of partly-serpentinized dunite, which at this locaUty forms the main mass of the dyke. The width of the * A. E. V. Zealley, The Occurrence of Platinum in Southern Rhodesia; Southern Rhodesia Geol. Surv., Short Papers No. 3, March 20, 1918 : Saliehury, Rhodesia. 21 dyke averages from 3 to 4 miles. Copper and nickel oxidation pro- ducts are present in the platinum-bearing material of the ore-body. No platinum appears to have been detected in the ore in ordinary panning, but a sample of concentrate sent to England was found to assay 1"6 dwt. of the metal per short ton. This assay indicates that the platinum content of the ore is insufficient for profitable working. Platinum metals have been proved to occur in the diamond- bearing gravels of Somabula Forest, near Willoughby's siding, about 12 miles south-west of Gwelo. An examination of the pebbles composing the gravels revealed the prese'nce of chromite and chromite-bearing rocks in appreciable quantity. A sample of the heaviest concentrate was, therefore, taken by Zealley from the rotary pans used for the washing of the gravels, and this yielded by assay 3'2 oz. of platinum and 6 oz. of osmiridium per short ton. The quantity of gravel represented by the sample, however, is not known. The concentrate contained a large amount of gold. Subsequent sampling indicated that the amount of the platinum metals in the gravels was too small for economical recovery.* Union of South Africa Cape Province. — Copper deposits were discovered in the In- sizwa range in 1865 , and the presence of nickel with the ores was recognized in the early nineties. Shortly afterwards the presence of platinum in the ores over a wide area was proved by assays, samples showing about 4 per cent, of both copper and nickel, with from 2 to 3 dwt. of platinum per ton. These discoveries attracted much attention to the district by exploration com- panies and syndicates, and the Government commissioned A. L. du Toit to make a geological survey, his investigations being completed during 1910. + In 1915 the district was examined by W. H. G-oodchild, whose results have since been published. t The Insizwa range is situated in the Mount Ayliff district, close to the boundary between East Griqualand and Pondoland, about 60 miles from the south-east coast. Like a number of other mountains in this region, it is composed of Karroo sedimentary rocks in which there are huge sills (horizontal sheets) of intrusive gabbro. According to -Goodchild Qoc. cit.), the range consists of a central mountain mass, roughly oval in plan, flanked by two principal offshoots, one of these lying to the east and the other • H. B. Mauf«, B. Lightfoot and A. E. V. Zealley, The Geology of the Selukwe Mineral Belt; Southern Rhodesia Geol. Surv. Bull. No. 3, 1919. X. M. Macgregor, The Geology of the Diamond-bearing Gravels of tlie Somabula Forest; Southern Rhodesia Geol. Surv. Bull. No. 8, 1921. t 15th Annual Report of the Geological Commission of the Cape of Good Hop«, 1910, 111-142. t The Economic Geology of the Insizwa Range; Trans. Inst. Min. Met., London, 1917, 26, 12-84. 22 to the west. The area of the oval is more than 100 sq. miles. The base of the range is composed of sedimentary formations tentatively correlated with the middle or lower Beaufort beds of the Karroo system (Permo-Carboniferous). These rocks consist of thin-bedded bluish sandstones, sandy mudstones, and shales frequently containing small amounts of carbonate of lime. The same rocks are found at the plateau-like top of the range. Between the lower and the upper series there is an intrusive sheet of gabbro averaging about 2,000 feet in thickness and dipping towards the centre of the oval. The shape of this gabbro mass is thus roughly that of a thick shallow basin, the dip of the basal contact around the periphery of the mountain probably averaging about 30°. The sedimentary rocks above and below the gabbro have been metamorphosed by contact with the intrusive, and changed to hornfels. There are four distinct types of ore deposits, all possessing one feature in common, namely, that they carry sulphides only in the near vicinity of the lower hornfels-gabbro contact. Of these types, Goodchild regards the mineralized norite or picrite con- taining disseminated sulphides of copper, nickel and iron, as the most important yet discovered, and thinks this type has probably greater economic possibilities than the others. In a recent summary of the known facts concerning the copper- nickel deposits of the Insizwa range, Du Toit* remarks that although the sulphides (chalcopyrite and pentlandite with pyrrhotite) form veins and lenses of considerable richness in places, the actual ore-body, if worked, would be a gabbro-picrite containing sulphides to the amount of about 5 or 6 per cent. The material is therefore of low grade. The quantity of mineralized rock, however, appears to be considerable. It is favourably situated for mining, and the metallurgical extraction should not be difficult. The assays . show a quantity of nickel a little less than the copper, but of twice the commercial value of the latter, while there are accessory amounts of jilatinum and gold. He points out that 1 dwt. of platinum per ton increases the value of the ore by about one pound sterling. Trans'Daai.— The occurrence of small amounts of platinum and other metals of its group has been noted in battery black sands when cleaning up at mills in the Klerksdorp area, and a specimen stated to have been taken from shale underlying a conglomerate reef formerly worked in that district is reported to have consisted of 15 per cent, platinum and 85 per cent, osmiridium. Platinum to the amount of about 2J dwt. per ton is said to have been present in residual slimes at the Eietfontein mines. * The Gteology of Pondoland and portions of Alfred and Lower Umzimkulu Counties, Natal; Union of South Africa, Gteol. Surv. ; 1920, 42. 23 Samples of chromite from Kroonstad, near Eustenburg, about 55 miles west of Pretoria, have been found to contain from traces to 1 dwt. of platinum per ton, and the chromite of Lydenburg district, in the eastern part of the Transvaal, is also stated to contain platinum in more than traces. Canada The platiniferous deposits known in Canada are as follows : — * Maritime Provinces. — Only one platinum-bearing deposit has been reported from these provinces, this being a " prospect " which was being developed for scheelite in the Moose Biver district, Nova Scotia. A trace of platinum, and gold estimated at 0'04 oz. per ton, have been found in heavy Wilfley table fines, sperrj'lite being thought to be present in the ore.t The chances of finding valuable platinum placers in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are considered to be remote. Quebec. — Traces of platinum were found in chromite from St. Cyr during tests made in 1917. + There are great bodies of serpentine in the province which offer conditions peculiarly suited to the occurrence of platinum metals. Platinum has been reported from placer workings on Kivi^re- des-Plants and Eiviere-du-Loup, both tributaries of the Chaudi^re river, and the rocks from which the metal was derived cannot be far distant. It is suggested that chromite from various mines in the province, and also the deposits of asbestos, should be tested for platinum. In 1852 minute grains and scales of platinum and osmiridium were noted by T. S. Hunt§ in the gold obtained from placers on the two rivers mentioned, but no attempt appears to have been made to save these metals. * J. J. O'Neill, The Platinum Situation in Canada, 1918; Geol. Surv. Canada, Summ. Report, 1918, Pt. G. . Ottawa, 1919. C. Cameell, Platinum Investigations in British Columbia; Geol. Surv. Canada, Summ. Report, 1918, pt. B. : 1919. + Annual Report on Mines, Nova Scotia, 1918, 50. I Department of Mines, Mines Branch, Canada, Summ. Report, 1917, 90. I Annual Report Geol. Surv. Canada, 1851-52, 120. 24 The serpentines found in Quebec, from Gasp^ to the Vermont (U.S.) border, carry disseminated chromite in considerable quantity, and in places workable bodies of that mineral, but they have never been properly examined for platinum. A nugget containing 46 per cent, of platinum and 54 per cent, of chromite was found in glacial drift near Plattsburg, New York State. Eeferring to this discovery, Kemp* remarks that a south-westerly movement of the- ice would have brought glacial material to Plattsburg from the great areas of serpentine in Quebec north of Vermont, which are commercially productive of chromite, and that there seems little reason, therefore, to doubt that the nugget was derived from this source, although as yet no platinum has been announced in the serpentine region. Ontario. — Palladium and platinum occur in the nickel-copper ores of the Sudbury district in amounts which, although small, add greatly to the value of the ores.. Iridium and rhodium have also been recovered from the Sudbury ores, and ruthenium and osmium are also present, although neither of these two metals appears as yet to have been recovered from the ores. It is considered probable that most of the osmium is lost by volatiliza- tion during the process of smelting to matte. The platinum occurs in the form of sperrylite, an arsenide of the metal {see p. 7), but the palladium content of the ore, which is much larger than that of platinum, has not been traced to any definite mineral. The known nickel-copper deposits are all more or less connected with the basic edge of a grea,t synclinal sheet of norite. The proved, or positive, ore of the Sudbury area has been authoritatively estimated at not less than 70 million tons, while the probable and possible ore is estimated to exceed 80 million tons, making a total of 150 million tons. Platinum has also been reported from Reaume township,! where it occurs with chromite in a diamond-bearing rock which gave an assay of 13"44 per cent, chromic oxide, 14"58 per cent, of iron and 0'066 oz. of platinum per short ton (2,000 lb.). It is hoped that more careful prospecting will result in the discovery of ore richer in chromium than this sample. If a workable chromite deposit is discovered, the platinum should be recoverable as a by-product. No platiniferous placers are as yet known in th© province, although there are important areas of chromite-bearing serpen- tines in northern Ontario from one of which platinum has been reported. Manitoba.— The only occurrence of platinum reported from this province is in the Stai- Lake area. In 1917 samples from three quartz claims gave traces of platinum, in addition to gold and silver, while a picked sample from another claim gave O'l oz. of platinum per short ton with 2' 3 oz. of gold and only a trace of * U.S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 193, 57. t Report Ontario' Bureau of Mines, 1914, 23, Pt. 1, 47. •25 silver.* This sample consisted of quartz carrying pyrite and arsenopyrite. The district was visited in 1918 by E. L. Bruce,! who, however, obtained no platinum from deposits sampled. No platinum placers are known in the province. Alberta. — In this province there is no known occurrence of platinum in solid rock. Native platinum, in minute rounded and flattened grains, has been found in association with gold on the bars of North Saskatchewan river. Drill tests of these silt- covered gravels made for the Munition Eesources Commission in May, 1918,t showed that, although topographically the ground would be ideal for dredging, the quantity and value of the gravel were insufficient for profitable working. British Columbia. — Lode platinum has been found in this pro- vince in three distinct types of deposit as follows : (1) in associa- tion with chromite in the peridotite-pyroxenite rocks and their derivatives ; (2) in close association with copper, usually in the form of chaloop;yTite, in various classes of deposits, often quite acid ; (3) in shear zones in typical granite, apparently unaccom- panied by other minerals except a development of chlorite. In type (1) the platinum and chromite are frequently found intimately mixed, but the presence of one does not necessarily mean that of the other. The chromite is usually disseminated through the rock, sometimes occurring in small bunches, but rarely in payable quantities. The platinum is still more erratic in its distribution, some portions of the chromite being barren, while another part, even of the same specimen, may give high platinum values. At other points, country rock containing very little chromite gives a higher assay for platinum than do the richer parts of the rock. Any systematic testing of these rocks would be costly and of doubtful value. At certain points, where peculiar geological features may have influenced the concentra- tion, as in shear zones, in large segregations of chromite, in highly serpentinized areas and in or neaj: dykes which have been accom- panied by some mineralization, there are many more chances of success. Such lode deposits are the source of the platinum in the placers. In, type (2), the platinum must have migrated in solution, since it occurs in veins and in contact-metamorphic deposits. The mineral form in which it occurs has not been determined for any of the deposits in British Columbia. At present there is no property known in the province where any important ore-body of this type has been developed ; but there are many deposits which give traces of platinum in general samples and some which give high values in picked samples. In at least two cases it has been shown that the platinum is practically confined to the sul- phides of copper. • J. R. Marshall, Star Lake Area, Manitoba; Geol. Surv. Canada, Summ. Report, 1917, pt. D., 21-22 : 1918. t Geol. Surv. Canada, Summ. Report, 1918. + Final Report of the Work of the Commission, November, 1915 — ^March, 1919, 185-194: Toronto, 1920. 26 Of type (3) only one example is known. J. F. Kemp* showed that platinum was present in the granite about Siwash creek, in the Tulameen district, Similkaimeen mining division, southern British Coliimbia. His samples were taken from shear zones, and there are no data to show whether there is any platinum in the undisturbed granite. The values obtained were not such as to make the deposit of economic interest. Platinum occurs in the gravels of placers from one end of the province to the other. In 1878 it was mentioned as occurring with gold in the placers of the Tranquille and Similiameen rivers ; but the miners were unaware of its value, and no effort was made to save it until about 1887. Up to 1900 the only place where platinum was saved was in the Similkameen district; and, as placer mining for gold became less and less active, the production of platinum also dechned, aaid only an insignificant quantity of the metal has been produced since 1900. Platinum has been reported from placers on 27 rivers and creeks in British Columbia, but in nearly all the occurrences gold has been the more important metal, and only in the Similkameen, Quesnel and Liard mining divisions have serious efforts been made to recover the platinum commercially. The total production of platinum in the Similkameen division has been estimated at more than 10,000 oz., all of which was obtained by sluicing with hand -labour ; but, with the exhaustion of the more easily accessible gravels, placer-mining in this division greatly declined, and large potential reserves of gravel remain untested. The production of placer-platinum in Canada during the period under review (see p. 17) was almost entirely obtained from deposits in the Similkameen division. No systematic testing for platinum has been done in the Quesnel division, although the results of panning appear to warrant a close examination. The metal was obtained in unrecorded amount by Chinese from placers along the Quesnel river, and its occurrence has been frequently noted by other operators, some assays being high in platinum. Two large hydrauHo mines have been operated in this division, namely, the Bullion (formerly the Consohdated Cariboo Hydrauhc) mine and the Quesnel HydrauUc Gold Mining Com- pany's mine. At the former mine, which is situated near Quesnel Forks, Cariboo district, the heavy concentrates remaining in the sluices after cleaning up were found in 1903 and 1904 to contain large percentages of platinum, palladium and osmiridium, in addition to gold, silver and copper ;t but before new apparatus could be installed for the proper recovery of such material this large property was closed because of htigation, and the much- needed testing of other placers in the district has consequently not yet been undertaken. The gold and silver values at the Bullion mine are included in particles of pyrite and argentiferous ' ' ' 1 ^ . * U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 193. t Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1904, 4lG. 27 galena and partly also in small particlet; of gold coated with man- ganese and other metallic oxides. The platinum metals are found in minute grains, and enclosed in small fragments and nuggets of magnetite and chromite. The Quesnel Hydraulic Gold Mining Company's property is situated on Twentymile creek, which enters Quesnel river about 12 miles below Quesnel Forks. A large hydraulic plant was in- stalled at this mine in 1909. The gravels are said to contain metals of the platinum group, and tests have recently been made with a view to their recovery. The gold return's to date have been disappointing, but it is believed that, if the platinum values can also be recovered, the property will be payable. In the Liard mining division, platinum and osmiridium occur with gold in the placers of Thibert creek, but no effort was made to save the former metals until 1905. In that year, samples from 250 lb. of concentrates obtained during three weeks in which a simple experimental plant was in operation yielded 60 oz. of platinum per short ton at the British Columbia Government assay office, and up to 15 oz. of platinum and 7 oz. of gold per ton in San Pranfcisco. These results were obtained almost entirely from top gravel, and the bottom gravels were expected to yield much richer concentrates.* . The Boulder Creek Hydraulic Mining Company has since been working for gold on Thibert creek, but, although assays of black-sand concentrates have shown good values in platinum, adequate measures for obtaining such con- centrates do not appear as yet to have been -taken. During the war a considerable stimulus was given to prospect- ing for platinum in British Columbia, where any property that gave promise of a supply of the metal was investigated by an official of the Government. Yukon. — In 1903 a small sample of gold from near Dawson, in this Territory, tested in the British Columbia Government assay office was reported to have yielded 390 milligrams (6 grains) of osmiridium to one ounce of gold.t During the next two years a number of samples of gold from different localities in the Yukon were refined in the same laboratory, and in almost every case platinum and allied metals were separated in commercially important quantities. The platinum appeared to be directly combined with the gold, and was not visible in the gold dust ; and, for this reason, it had doubtless been overlooked in the ordinary melting down and refining of such gold dust at the Mint.J Taking these figures as a basis, W. E. Cockfield§ estimates that the total output of gold dust from the Yukon would contain an average of at least 2,500 oz. of platinum per annum. According to the same authority, platinum occurs in the auri- ferous gravels on Burwash creek, visible as a separate metal in the * Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1905, 77-78. t Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, British Columbia, 1903, 23H. t Ibid., 1905, 30 J. § Note furnished to J. J. O'Neill, loc. cit. 28 gold dust, but in small amount — about 150 milligrams (2'3 grains) per oz. of gold. It cap be separated from the gold dust with care, but the production from this locality cannot exceed 4 or 5 oz. per season under present conditions of mining. Platinum has been reported also from Ferguson creek (a tribu- tary of O'Connor, or Kaskawulsh, river), Teslin or Hootalinka river, Scroggie creek, Stewart river and numerous other localities. As yet, no deposits are known in the Yukon Territory which oould be profitably exploited for the platinum metals alone. Production of Platinum Metals in Canada* The production of platinum metals in Canada has until recently been of small importance, having formerly been obtained from the alluvial gravels of British Columbia, principally in the Similkameen district. The nickel-copper ores of Sudbury, Ontario, now con- stitute the most important source of the platinum metals in Canada, but, owing to the very small quantities in which they occur per ton of ore and the difficulty of recovering them in re- fining operations, no attempt was made to do so within the Dominion until 1919. For that year the International Nickel Company of Canada reported a recovery at the Port Colbome refinery, in an-impure state, of about 25 troy oz. of platinum and 62 oz. of palladium, valued at $4,981 (at 4s. 2d. to $1 = £1,038), with aJso a small quantity of fine gold and fine silver. For 1920 the same company reported a recovery, in an impure state, of about 89 oz. of platinum, 174 oz. of palladium and about 20 oz. of rhodium, osmium, etc., with a certain quantity of gold and silver. For many years past there has been a more or less irregular recovery of platinum, palladium and other metals of the group at the works of the International Nickel Company in New Jersey, U.S.A., this recovery being made from the residues obtained in the refining of the Sudbury nickel-copper mattes. Eesidues from other sources were treated along with those from the Canadian ores, but it is believed that the Sudbury mattes have been the source of by far the greater part of the platinum metals recovered. In 1916 the Canadian Copper Company (now the International Nickel Company of Canada) reported to the Eoyal Ontario Nickel Commission that the average content of precious metals in Sud- bury matte for the years 1913-1915 was roughly as follows, per short ton : — Quantity (oz. troy) Gold 0-05 Silver 1-75 Platinum O'lO Palladium 0-15 * Annual Reports of the Department of Mines, Ottawa. Report Royal Ontario Nickel Commiission, Toronto, 1917. 29 The matte produced from the Sudbury nickel-copper ores in 1916 was reported to have contained platinum and palladium as follows : — Company. Matte (short tons). Platinum (oz. troy). Palladium (oz. troy). Total. Per short ton. Total. Per short ton. Canadian Copper Co. Mond Nickel Co. 63,567 16,443 6,255 16,246 0098 0-988 9,382 16,180 0-148 0-984 Total ... 80,010 22,501 25,562 The statement of the Canadian Copper Company showed, how- ever, that its refinery in New Jersey, U.S.A., recovered less than 8 per cent, of the total platinum and palladium contained in the matte. No definite figures were available as to the recovery from the Mond Nickel Company's matte. Officially there was no production of platinum metals in Canada from nickel-copper matte. During the period 1913-1919 the Mond Nickel Company dis- posed of considerable quantities of its nickel residues derived from the refining of Sudbury matte to Johnson , Matthey & Co. , Ltd., for the recovery of their platinum-metal contents. The estimated contents of these residues and the recovery therefrom during the years 1915-1918, as published by the Imperial Insti- tute, are shown in one of the following tables. Early in 1920 the British America Nickel Corporation, Ltd., started the operation of its refinery at Deschenes, near Hull, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river. This company, which was formed in Canada in July, 1913, owns approximately 17,600 acres of mineral land, which includes the following copper-nickel properties, namely : the Murray, Elsie and liady Violet mines; the Gertrude mine ; the Whistle and Wildcat mine ; the Victor and Blue Lake group ; Nickel Lake ; and what are known as the Ealconbridge properties, all situated in the Sudbury district. It has acquired the exclusive rights for North America of the Hybinette electrolytic process for producing metallic nickel ; and as this method of refining lends itself much more readily tha'n others to the recovery of the precious metals, a substantial recovery of platinum metals in Canada is anticipated. The Corporation has been storing its residues, awaiting the perfection of its process of refining. The following tables show : (1) the production of platinum from the alluvial sands of British Columbia; (2) the recovery of gold, silver and platinum metals at the New Jersey (U.S.A.) plant 30 of the International Nickel Company of Canada; and (3) the recovery of platinum and associated metals from thfe residues obtained in the refinery of the Eoyal Mint at Ottawa.* The platinum obtained at the Mint is derived from the treatment of Canadian gold bullion and the iridium from imported South African gold bullion. • . Production of Platinum from Alluvial Sands The production of placer-platinum in Canada has been prac- tically confined to British Columbia. Prior to 1913 the quantities of platinum obtained annuaUy from alluvial deposits do not appear to have been recorded, only the values being shovpn. The value of the production from 1887 to 1899 averaged £710 per annum, t the maximum' output, valued at £2,083, being obtained in 1891. In 1899 the production had a value of only £172. There appears to have been no output in the years 1900 and 1903, or in the period 1906-12, while the value of the pro- duction for the other four years between 1900 and 1912 averaged only £82 per annum. The production of placer-platinum in British Columbia during the period under review was as follows :— Year 1913 1914 ,1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 Quantity (crude oz.) 18 23 15 57 39 25 17 Value (£) 102 221 125 796 533 448 150 * In addition to the recoveries shown for 1920, there was during that year a production, outside of the Dominion, of platinum met-als from matte derived from Canadian ore, as follows : — Platinum, 7,767 oz. ; palladium, 9,286 oz. ; rhodium, 10 oz. Information is not available as tp the quantity of matte treated and its precious-metal contents. The recoveries by the International Nickel Company of Canada, at the Port Colborne refinery, during 1919 and 1920 (see p. 28) must also be added to those shown in the tables. t Dollars converted to £ sterling at the rate of $1 = 4s. 2d. 31 Recovery at the International Nickel Company's Works, New Jersey, U.S.A. Matte Quantity (oz. troy). I Period treated (short tons). Gold. Silver. Platinum. Palladium. Rhodium. Other platinum- group metals. 1907-12 22,315 2,612 76,542 392-7 693-7 • (annual ' average). 1913 38,733 2,336 77,924 192-9 207-7 191 1 — 1914 40,267 2,696 75,928 748-4 756-4 515-8 — 1915 31,428 3,445 101,793 452-4 543-2 57-5 — 1916 ... 56,405 3.495 110,285 1016-6 1344-9 257-1 — 1917 59,209 1,955 92,964 970-7 1354-4 325-4 — 1918 62,250 1,969 107,077 649-7 786-6 472-6 — 1919 19,528 634 35,690 616-7 762-2 227-3 76-6-- 1920 ... 30,740 613 •81,883 488-9 739-2 390-3 102 •4t * Not given separately. t Includes osmium, iridium and ruthenium. Recovery of Platinum Black,* Iridium Precipitate and Palladium at the Royal Mint, Ottawa (Fiscal years ended 31st March) Platinum. Iridium. Palladium. Fiscal Jrear. Quantity Valuef Quantity Valuef Quantity Valuef oz. (gross"). (£). (gross). (£). (gross). (£). 1911 2-616 20-8 _ — 1912 — — — — — — 1913 8-913 63-0 — — — 1914 17-355 147-4 — — — — 1915 20-849 271-6 — — — ■ — 1916 7-504 110-9 — — — — 1917 17-952 346-5 — — — — 1918 15-936 303-3 49-775 1,131-7 — — 1919 23-349 414-7 20-782 472-5 0-696 1812 1920 ■ 14-613 161-5 " * A very finely-divided, dull-black powder obtained when platinum is precipitated from dilute solutions by reducing agents, t Values converted to £ sterling at the rate of "*■■ - = 4s. 2d. 32 Estimated Platinum- Metal Contents of Mond Nickel Company's Nickel Residues treated by Johnson, Matthey & Co., Ltd. (Quantity : Oz. trojO Year. Platinum. Palladium. Iridium and Rhodium. 1915 1916 1917 1918 3,078 3,782 4,913 4,465 5,474 973 The actual extraction of platinum from these residues during the years 1916-1918, according to figures published by the Imperial Institute, was as follows : — 1916, 3,722 oz. ; 1917, 4,719 oz. ; 1918, 4,958 oz. The corresponding figures for 1919 are not available. Since that year, the Mond Nickel Company has treated its nickel residues, for the recovery of platinum metals, at its own refining works. Imports of Platinum into Canada (Duty Free) Value: £* Wires, bars. Retorts, pans, Year. Crucibles. strips, sheets condensers. Total. ■ or plates. tubing and pipe.f 1913 949 29,399 _ 30,348 1914 2,041 14,528 30 16,599 1915 1,072 13,550 2,896 17,518 1916 1,131 14,299 3,017 18,447 1917 1,424 22,377 '7 28,808 1918 1,278 5,209 — 6,487 1919 3,259 30,206 53 33,518 1920 2,869 22,025 1,351 26,245 * Values converted to £ sterling at the rate of $1 = 4s. 2d. t Imported by manufacturers of sulphuric acid for use in their works. Exports of Platinum, from Canada In ores, concentrates, , &c. Old ana scrap. Total. Year. Quantity Value* Quantity Value* Quantity Value* (oz.) (£) (oz.) (£) (oz.) (£) 1913 ... _. 158 1,652 1914 ... — — .-t3 450 1915 ... — — 236 2,302 1916 ... — — . 532 8,739 1917 ... 1.36 2,356 195 3,942 331 6.,298 1918 ... 12 166 185 4,186 197 4,352 1919 ... 325 6,003 346 7,045 671 13,048 1920 ... 473 11,241 317 6,622 790 17,863 * Value i converted to £ eterli na at the i ate of $1 = = 4s. 2d. 33 India Platinum and iridosmine have been found in the auriferous gravels of the rivers draining the slopes of the Patkoi ranges, both on the Assam and on the Burma side. The former metal was in recent years obtained, with gold, by the Burma Gold-Dredging Company from the gravels of the Irrawadi above Myitkyina. Durmg the years 1911-1'2, about 94 troy oz., valued at ^6630, was recovered by that company, which furnished the whole of the platinum produced in India during the period under review. Since 1918, when the coixipany went into liquidation, no production of platinum metals has been reported in India. Production of Platinum Metals in India* The output shown iu the following table was produced wholly by the Burma Gold-Dredging Company. Year 1913 1914' 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 — — * Rec. Geol. Surv. India ; Calcutta. Annual. t Values converted to £ sterling at the rate of Rs. 15 = £1. Commonwealth of Australia. Neto South Wales.* — The occurrence of platinum in this State was first noted in 1861, when a small quantitj- was found near Orange, in Wellington county, about 30 miles north-west of Bathurst. Since 1878 small amounts of platinum and other metals of the group have been recovered from beach sands on the north- eastern coast, notably at Ballina, at the mouth of Richmond Quantity Value t (oz.) (£) 57-68 324 36-69 ■213 17-7 100 9-25 46 3-79 19 0-31 2 * Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Melhourne. B. Dunstan, Platinum; Queensland Geol. Surv. Pub. No. 268, Indus- trial Minerals : reprint of Article 5, 1920. G. A. Stonier, Rec. Geol. Surv., New South Wales, -Vol. IV. J. E. Carne, ibid, Vol. V. L. C. Ball, Gold, Platinum, Tinstone, and Monazite in the Beach Sands on the South Coast, Queensland, with Appendixes on the Beach Sands of New South Wales, etc. ; Geol. Surv. Queensland, Pub. No. 198, 1905. 35648 B 34 river, and at Evan's Head, farther to the south. These sa-nds, which contain also gold, cassiterite and monazite, vary consider- ably in their metallic contents, the platinum metals being gene- rally present in traces only, while the gold varies from a trace up to IJ oz. per ton. The concentrates obtained, however, have assayed up to 20 oz. of gold per ton, and up to 43 per cent, of platinum metals and 51 per cent, of cassiterite. A sample of the platinum metals was found on assay to contain 40-82 per cent, of osmiridium, 26' 12 per cent, of platinum, 27-17 per cent, of iron, 2-51 per cent, of copper, and 1-33 per cent, of silica. The mining of these sands has always been of an intermittent character, as they depend for enrichment on the south-easterly gales. The deposits at Evan's river have been described in detail by G. A. Stonier (loc. cit.), and the possible sources of the gold, platinum, and tinstone in the beach sands generally by J. E. Came {loc. cil.). Platiniferous ore was noted in 1889 at Broken Hill, where the platinum values in the lode vary from a trace to 14 dwt. per short ton, a felspathic ochre containing about 27 dwt. , and a, ferruginous claystone about 6 dwt. per ton, palladium and iridium also being present with the platinum. Practically, the only productive platinum deposits in the State at present are the alluvial gravels at Fifield and Platina, in the Fifield division, 54 miles north-west of Parkes, these deposits being the most important of their kind in the whole Common- wealth. The rocks about the " lead " worked are mostly Silu- rian slates, but there is apparently nothing to indicate the character of the rocks from which the platinum and associated osmiridium and gold have been shed. A specimen has been found, however, which contains both native gold and native platinum so associated that they must have had a common matrix, and this rather suggests a source outside a serpentine area. The alluvial deposits in the Fifield division have yielded 5J dwt. of platinum and 1 dwt. 18 gr. of gold to the short ton, but, according to Dunstan (loc. cit.), there does not appear to be much promise of a continuation of these high returns, on account of the limited extent of the wash-dirt in the lead. Small quantities of osmium, iridium and rhodium are found at various localities, including the beach sands of the north- eastern coast already mentioned ; the Aberfoil river, about 15 miles from Oban; and the gem-bearing gravels at Bingara, in Murchison county, at Mudgee, in Wellington county, and at Bathurst and other places. In some cases, as in the beach sands at Ballina, the osmiridium and other platinum metals amount to as much as 40 per cent, of the platinum, or about 28 per cent, of the whole metallic content. 35 Quantity Value (oz. troy) (£) 442 3,135 244 2,129 66 476 82 687 259 2,072 607 7,075 ... ■ 213 3,150 796 16,672 Production of Platinum in New South Wales* The total production of platinum in the State from 1894 to 1920 inclusive was 15,689 oz., valued at £64,406. The yield during the period under review was as follows : — Year 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 Almost the whole of the production was obtained from the Fifield division, only small quantities being recovered from the beach sands in the Ballina division. The high prices obt9,inable for platinum greatly stimulated production during the war period. The reduced output for 1919 was due to the fact that, for the greater part of the year, no water was available for treat- ment of the wash-dirt raised. Victoria, t — The production of platinum in this State has been very small, the total quantity recorded to the end of 1911 being only 184 fine oz., valued at d9989. This was contained in maJte produced in that year by the Gippsland Copper, Platinum and Gold Mining and Smelting Co., which, in 1910, re-opened an old copper mine near Walhalla, Cooper's Creek. The material treated by the company in 1911 was 1,116 long tons of copper ore and 18 tons of auriferous quartz. This yielded 91 tons of matte, containing 38 tons of copper, 668 oz. of silver, 56 oz. of gold and 184 oz. of platinum. There was no production in 1912. In 1913 the company smelted 1,291 long tons of ore for a yield of 127 tons of matte, estimated to contain 36 tons of copper, 619 oz. of silver, 41 oz. of gold and 127 oz. of platinum. No subsequent production has been reported. Iridosmine has been found near Foster, and at Waratah Eange, South Gippsland. Queensland.* — Platinum was first discovered in this State in 1869, at Brickfield Gully, Gympie goldfield, several pieces weighing up to 8 dwt. being found with alluvial gold. The metal has also been found on the Eussell Eiver goldfield, 16 to 20 miles W.N.W. of the port of Geraldton, on the north-east • Annual Reports of the Dept. of Mines, New South Wales : Sydney. t Annual Reports of the Secretary for Mines, Victoria: Melbourne. t B. Dunstan, loc. cit., and Queensland Mineral Index, Queensland Geol. Surv. Pub. No. 241, 1913. L. C. Ball, op. cit. 35648 B 2 36 coast ; and on the south-eastern coast in the sands of Currumbin Beach, near the mouth of the Tweed river, with osmiridiumr monazite, gold and tin. - : . , ■ ■Operations on these beach sands by individual miners near Point Danger, about five miles from the mouth of Currumbm creek, have given unsatisfactory results. The yields obtained have occasionally shown values in tin, gold, silver, platinum and monazite as high as from 7s. to' ll5. per short ton ; but the general average is stated to have been only about as many pence per ton, the platinum values being extremely small m comparison with those of the other constituents. It is evident that, ^-.t^ie successful working of the sands at this locaUty,, highly efficient mechanical apphances must be employed. Tasmania.— This is by 'far the most important osmiridium- producing country in the world, the next in importance being Kussia, Colombia and Papua. Nearly all of the Tasmanian production has hitherto been obtained from placer deposits, but a considerably larger propor- tion of 'the output may eventually be obtained by quarrying_ and crushing the rock from which those deposits have been derived, although no serious effort to mine or quarry the rock appears as yet to have been made. The occurrences of osmiridium in Tasmania are unique, in that the mineral is usually found alone or in association with gold, and only very rarely with platinum. Many of the deposits are so rich in osmiridium that it is the sole object of search. Both nevyanskite and siserskite occur, the former and much the more valuable variety of osmiridium being abundant, while the latter is comparatively rare, although occurring in fair quantity in the Mt. Stewart area. The osniiridium occurrences of Tasmania have most recently been described by A. M. Keid.* The productive areas are con- fined almost exclusively to the Western districts, and extend from Heazlewood for 30 miles in a south-easterly direction to South Dundas. The country to the north and south of these extreme points has not yet been explored, and extensions of the osmiridium fields may be discovered in these directions. The productive areas lie in a serpentine belt about 30 miles in length and from one to five miles in width. Osmiridium does not occur at all points along this belt, and rich deposits are found only at certain, isolated points where the ultra-basic dififerentiate consists wholly or partly of olivine and bronzite. Thus, in the Heazlewood district, rich concentrations occur in the dunites, bronzitites and peridotites on the north-western slope of Bald. Hill, while the monoclinic pyroxenites and gabbros are comparatively barren, osmiridium being almost entirely absent on the south-eastern slope. At Mt. Stewart, the rich osmiridium deposits are confined to a small area of p&ridotite and bronzitite in the valley of Loughnan * Osmiridium in Tasmania ; Tasmania Dept. of Mines, Geol. Surv. Bull. No. 32, 1921. 37 creek, ai:d the same conditions govern the distribution of the deiKtsits in Wilson River district and elsevchere. From the northern extremity at Nineteen-mile creek the serpentine belt extends unbroken to Castra Plain, where its southern continuation is interrupted by granite, which occupies the surface southward for several miles, ultimately giving place once more to- serpentine. The severance of the productive areas by the granite intrusive has given rise to two convenient geographical divisions, namely : (1) the northern, comprising the Long Plain, Heazlewood, Savage Eiver, Badger Plain, Whyte Eiver and- Mt. Stewart areas, all of these being in the Western Division of Tasmania ; and (2) the southern, comprising the Wilson River, Harman Eiver, Huskisson Eiver, Eenison Bell and Dundas fields, all of these being in the Gordon or Southern Division. In addition to these there are isolated masses of osmiridium- bearing serpentines on the Arthur River fall, about six miles beyond Heazlewood, towards the north. Southward of Macquarie Harbour, in the Gordon district, there are several isolated outcrops of serpentine; but, with the possible exception of a deposit in a belt of serpentine extending along the eastern flanks of Hamilton Range, no osmiridium occurrence of importance has as yet been discovered. The Hamilton Range occurrence is regarded as of very great im- portance and worthy of careful examination ; and it is believed that the closer investigation of the serpentinized intrusives throughout the district may lead to the discovery of deposits other than those of the osmiridium group. The only locality in which osmiridium is known to occur in the Northern Division of Tasmania is the Salisbury district, where, however, no serious attempt has been made to explore tlip serpentine belt, and no official examination has been under- taken. This area is stated to be worthy of verv careful investi- gation. Bald Hill is regarded as perhaj)s the most important souice of osmiridium in Tasmania. The aiea from which the mineral was derived does not exceed 500 acres, yet all the osmiridium found in the neighbouring rivers and creeks was derived from the solid rock in this area, having been liberated by decompositiou and denudation. The phenomenal rainfall of the western region of Tasmania is responsible for the present rapid erosion, and the serpentine formations have probably been subjected to erosive agencies from the Mesozoic era. The deposits derived from them represent, therefore, the metallic content of an enormous amount of disintegrated rock. In this locality osmiridium of the best quaUty and grain-size is found, although, as alre:idy mentioned, its distribution is -confined almost exclusively to the north-western slope of the hill. The peridotites extend right up to its summit, and primary deposits may be looked tVu there. 3r.ti48 B 3 38 Bald Hill lies between Nineteen-mile Creek and Heazlewood river, at the north-eastern end of the Tjong Plains, which are believed to be part of an eixtensive peneplain,* in which the streams have cut their courses in comparatively recent times. The general level of the higher parts of the peneplain and of Bald Hill is 1,600 feet above sea-level. Osmiridium has been mined from placer deposits in Nineteen- mile creek (one of the major affluents of the Savage river) and in its tributaries, also in Savage river for some distance below its junction with that creek. This creek rises near the niorth- eastem end of -Bald Hill, and its channel follows the line of con- tact of the serpentines with the intruded slates, schists and por- phyroids (Eeid, op. cit.). As Savage river is approached, the valley of the creek rapidly becomes deeper, until at the confluence it is 1,100 feet below Bald Hill. Nearly all its numerous tribu- taries flow northward from that hill, carrying with them the accumulations of the parent rock and the material of their own excavations. Practically all the osmiiridium and a large portion of the gold contained in the valley of Savage river were conveyed through this channel. This being the medium by which other large deposits received their values, the accumulations here are naturally very rich and furnish a large proportion of the total output. Moreover, this stream in cutting its deep channel liberated from the serpentine rock on the south side the bulk of this material, and its tributaries contributed nearly the whole of the remainder from other original deposits in serpentine. The " wash " varies in depth up to 15 feet, and in width from 30 to 150 feet. The osmiridium ranges in size from the finest' grains up to nuggets weighing more than 2 oz. The associated minerals are gold, gold-platinum, chromite, picotite (a variety of spinel), magnetite, pyrrhotite, amd pyrite. The mineral in Nineteen-mile creek is gradually becoming scarcer, and the ground remaining un worked is comparatively small. In addition to the alluvial deposits in this valley, a con- siderable area of detrital material high up on the hillside is stated to contain rich streaks, all that is necessary for their successful exploitation being to conduct water to them at a sufficient eleva- tion. Master-joints in the serpentine have in certain places served to collect the metal carried down by water, and it is expected that many rich pockets will yet be discovered in this locality. The largest nuggets of osmiridium hitherto found came from workings on Warner creek, a stream about half a mile in length flowing tortuously in a north-westerly direction into Nineteen- mile creek. This stream has carved its channel through Tertiary basalt deep into the underlying serpentinized peridotites. On the surface of the massive serpentine a conglomerate consisting of fragments of serpentine, peridotite, and chromite, held together by a ferruginous cement, has been developed. Underlying * W. H. Twelvetrees, The Bald Hill Osmiridium Field; Tasmania Dept of Mines, Geol. Surv. Bull. No. 17, 1914. 39 the basalt eastward, similar cemented material, now partly dis- integrated, is being worked for its content of osmiridium- The payable ground is confined to an agglomeration of soft, iron- stained fragments of serpentine, from 2 to 3 feet in thickness, resting on massive material of the same kind. In some places this broken rock contains very rich values in coarse-grained "metal," while in others osmiridium of much finer grain pre- dominates. Nearly all the specimens found here were coated with chromite or iron oxide, and most of them showed intergrowth with olivine. Only one other attempt has been made to locate similar claims under the basalt cover, but this was unsuccessful, and the ground remains prEictically unexplored. The conditions are, nevertheless, regarded as particularly favourable for the existence of payable ground under any part of the basalt area. The valley of Warner creek has beeh worked from one end to the other, and a large quantity of osmiridium has been recovered, together with appreciable quantities of gold, while gold with platinum attached in small scales is not infrequently found. In Jones creek, which flows north-easterly for three miles to Heazlewood river, the workings are confined to the bottom of the valJey, the osmiridium occurrence being almost identical with that of Warner creek. In the lower workings, six feet of detrital material overlies two feet of metal-bearing wash resting on decom- posed serpentine. There is only a small area in this locality remaining unworked, but the deposits under the basalt are con- sidered worthy of more attention than has been given to them. Small nuggets have been found in Burgess creek, another tributary of Heazlewood river, but a considerable jjurtion of the osmiridium occurs in very fine-grained particles. This area has been neglected for richer deposits in the neighbourhood, but will receive attention as these are depleted. There are no osmiridium deposits of any considerable value in the valley of Heazlewood river. None of the streams flowing into it from the east slope of Bald Hill contains osmiridium in more than minute quantities The Mt. Stewart area, in which osmiridium has been known for many years, lies about five miles south of the 14-mile peg of the Waratah-Corinna road. The hill from which the area takes Us name rises 1,645 feet above sea-level and 750 feet above Whyte river. From that river the serpentine belt extends southward 4^1 miles, its width being from 1 to IJ mile. On the west, south and east sides, it is walled in by granite, narrow dykes of which penetrate the serpentine near the centre of the mass. The rich osmiridium deposits are confined to the narrow valley of Eoughnan creek, which rises in a serpentine spur of Meredith range, and flows north for three miles, entering the Castra river about a quarter of a mile above its confluence with Whyte river. The channel of the creek is wholly in serpentine. On its course towards the Castra, it has cut obUquely across numerous osmiridium-bearing structural planes from which large quantities 85S48 B 4 40 «f the mineral have been hberated and concentrated in the gravels. The vpatershed of the creek is a broad basin lying between Mt. Stewart and Meredith range. A 10-acre lease at the upper end of this basin is stated to have produced more osmiridium than any other section of equal area in Tasmania. Directly below this in the iflat country are other rich claims, and farther down, where the stream flows swiftly through a narrow gorge, are shallow deposits now nearly all worked out. A.t the head of Loughnan creek very rich nuggety "metal '^ was located in June, 1918, and since that time several thousand jKJunds worth of .Osmiridium has been, recovered from talcose ironstone material derived from sharply-defined structural planes in massive serpentinized peridotite and bronzitite. The area worked was only 30 yards square, which gives an idea of the richness of the concentrations. Generally, the osmiridium occur- ring here is coarse, and several nuggets weighing 14 dwt. or more have been recovered. The mineral is said to have been detected actually in the rock in this locality, but the rich concentrations are confined to the planes. The quarrying method is regarded as the most suitable for the exploitation of this class of deposits. There are numerous occurrences of osmiridium in other districts, both as concentrations in alluvial and detrital deposits and as interstitial material obtainable by quarrying the parent (serpentine) rock. Many of the rich concentrations on the fields from which most of the placer osmiridium has been derived are now either exhausted or seriously depleted of their mineral wealth; and it is becomiiig recognized that the time is not far distant when the parent rock must be looked to as the principal source of osmiridium supplies. The seasonal nature of alluvial mining in Tasmania consider- ably affects the output of osmiridium, work being prevented in some of the fields by prolonged absence of rain, and in others by the risings of rivers with each rainfall.* On Wilson river, the osmiridium fields lie in an elevated position, and the very small streams where most of the workings are situated dry up in the summer; as plentiful water is necessary for successful min- ing, work then ceases. The top of Mt. Stewart, Jones creek (a locahty recently opened up in the Bald Hill area) and the top of Nineteen-mile creek are in much the same position as regards water supply, as are also the workings on the edge of the plateau and the slopes of Bald Hill. In the bed of Savage river alluvial inining can only be done to any important extent in summer time when the water is low, the river rising considerably with every fall of rain, rendering work in many places quite im- practicable. In the valley of Nineteen-mile creek, however, work is continuous throughout the year over a long stretch of country extending practically to the confluence of the creek with Savage river. Report of the Secretary for Mines, Tasmania, 1918, 135. 41 Production of Osmiridium in Tasmania Osmindium was identified in the gravels of Savage river in 1881, but the first official reference to its occurrence at this locality was made in 1894, since which year numerous reports on the osmiridium-bearing alluvial areas of the district generally have been issued by the Tasmanian Geological Survey. For some yoars, gold-diggers operating alluvial deposits in the Wbyte and Savage Eiver areas regarded osmiridium as au objectionable im- purity, since it was so difficult to separate from gold without the aid of quicksilver, while a penalty of 7s. 6d. per oz. was im- posed by the Mint for its removal. In their search for gold, the prospectors traced osmiridium up the valley of Savage river as far as Burnt Spur, the eastern boundary of the Corinna auriferous belt, beyond which payable gold deposits had not been found, and exploration in that direction was for the time discontinued. Subsequently, osmiridium was traced farther up Savage river to its confluence with Nineteen-mile creek, and along the course of that creek to its source in the serpentine areas of the Bald Hills. In 1899 several miles of Savage river and Nineteen-mile creek were leased for gold-dredging, which, however, was fotmd impracticable owing to rock-conditions. Up to this time all efforts to obtain a market for osmiridium had failed, but several parcels found their way to foreign consumers, who, appreciating the good quality and grain-size of the material, made further purchases, offering 25s. per oz. troy. With advances in the price, production increased, and operationa, hitherto confined to Savage river, were extended to Nineteen-mile creek, where the richest concentrations have since been found In 1909 the price reached 90s. per oz. , and miners were attracted in large numbers to these localities and to the neighbourhood of Wilson river. Prior to 1910 no official records of the output were made, but from that year the production has been systematically recorded by the Department of Mines. A little osmiridium, of which no return is made, is still taken out of the State and sold direct to foreign! consumers. The follovsdng table shows the production of osmiridium and its local price since official records were first made : — • Average Tftfn] Year. Quantity. local price per oz. Value. (oz. troy) £ £ 1910 120-00 4-42 530 1911 271-88 4-37 1,188 1912 778-77 7-37 5,742 1913 1,261-65 9-52 12,016 1914 1,018-83 9-89 10,076 1915 247-05 6-40 1,581 1916 222-15 8-55 1,899 1917 332-08 14-75 4,898 1918 1,606-74 27-90 44,833 1919 1,669-72 23-73 39,614 1920 2,009-20 38-38 77,114 42 The table shows that the production has generally followed the rise and fall in price. Prior to the war, most of the output went to Germany, but it was subsequently exported in considerable quantity to' the United States for refining, and it was believed in that country that most of the future output would be refined there- The output was greatlv reduced during the early years of the war, but a record recovery was made in 1918, since followed by further notable annual advances as regards both quantity and value. Immediately before the Armistice was signed in 1918, the price paid for crude osmnidium in the Tasmanian markets was as high as £37 7s. Gd. per oz. The price fell considerably after- wards, but, as will be seen, stood at a much higher average level during 1920. It has been suggested* that, as the iridium content of Tas- manian osmiridium from various localities ranges from 33 to 58 per cent., purchase on the basis of iridium content might be more satisfactory than that on which the mineral has hitherto been marketed, this being apparently very irregular. The great demand, and consequent high price offered, for Tasmanian! osmiridium are due to the scarcity of ' ' point naetal in other countries, t Point metal is so called because of its use in the tipping of gold nibs for fountain-pens, for which purpose the Tasmanian mineral is admirably adapted. The price of point-metal osmiridium is greatly in excess of that obtained for the ordinary fine-grained material, but the actual value cannot be definitely arrived at, as it is determined by negotiation between seller and buyer and not by current rates for crude metal. The ultimate value at the present time is estimated by Eead (op. cit.) as probably not less than £50 per oz. The value of the material of fine grain-size is governed by fluctuations of the platinum market, which, in turn, was until recently con- trolled by a group of financiers in Paris. So long as the demand for point metal continues, the industry in Tasmania is expected to remain in a flourishing condition. No satisfactory substitute has been found for osmiridium in the manufacture of fountain- pens, but the instability of the market has militated against the systematic development of the industry and retarded production. At the present time the demand is greater than the supply, and the market is buoyant. In the event of a serious fall in price, following a glut in the market, many of the poorer prospects will become unpayable, and the production from others will suffer. J The only country in Australasia regarded as likely to become a serious competitor with Tasmania in supplying the world's requirements of coarse-grained metal is Papua, which has con- * J. M. Hill, Platinum and Allied Metals in 1919; U.S. Geol. Surv. Min. Resources : 1920, 18. t A. M. Reid, op. cit., 96. t Since these remarks were written, reports have been received from Tasmania stating that the price of osmiridium had fallen to about £30 per oz. by June, 1921, and to £18 per oz. by August of that year, and that many miners were consequently giving up the quest for osmiridium. 43 siderable potentialities, river gravels containing gold, osmiridium iind platinum occurring in deposits evenly distributed over a wide nrea. Recent exploration and development are officially stated to have revealed enormous deposits of osmiridium- and gold-beaxing gravels in the valleys of the larger rivers of the Western Division of Tasmania. The bulk of this material is of fine grain-size, but the proportion of " point metal " increases as the workings approach the parent serpentine. So far as point metal is con- cerned, there does not appear to be any likelihood of the Tas- manian position as the sole producer on a large scale of such osmiridium being challenged by foreign competitors for many years. Imports of Platinum {Bars, Blocks, Sheets, etc.), into Australia (Trade and Customs and Excise Eevenue of the Commonwealth of Australia : Melbourne, Annual) Total. From United Kingdom. Year.* Quantity (.oz. troy). Value (£). Quantityt (oz. troy). Valuet (£). 1913 1914-15 ... . ... 1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 1918-19 1919-20 301 223 89 18 3 30 2,640 1,622 892 99 45 706 238 172 77 18 3 30 2,092 1,214 774 99 45 706 Imports of Platinum (Retorts, Pans, etc.), into Australia Year* 1913 1914-15 1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 1918-19 1919-20 From Total United Kingdom Value Valuet (£) (£) 1,184 151 1,112 449 341 11 850 142 811 516 1,401 1,870 642 350 * 1913, Calendar Year; 1914 to 1920, Statistical Trade Years ending 30th June. t This represents only such portions of the shipmente as had their origin in the United Kingdom. The totals include platinum from France and elsewhere shipped to Australia from U.K. ports. 44 Exports of Platinum Metals from Australia as follows :— ' Quantity (Oz. troy). .. 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. Crude Concentrates .- United Kingdom... 12,860 6,430 — — — ^ • — — Germany 12,860 9,645 ^ — — — — — ' — United States — -— -- 9j645 -- — — — — Total 25,720 16,075 ■ 9,645 -— ■ — - — — — Ingots, Bars, &c. : United Kingdom... 17,843 6,912 3,215 1,383 322 — Austria-Hungary. . . — . 3,537 — — — — Belgium 1,961 — — — — ■ — Germany 14,821 17,843 — ■■ — — — Italy — — 11,060 3,697 2,572 — ■ Switzerland — . ;■ — — 1,093 96 — United States — ' 5,723 — 257 1,190 — Other Countries ... — 964 5,015 3,987 3,311 32 Total 34,625 34,979 19,290 10,417 7,491 32 4,565 8,166 Other' forms : United Kingdom... 11,027 5,916 — — 96 32 Belgium 2,122 1,350 — — — — Germany 96 64 — — — — Italy — . — — 739 321 193 Russia — — 161 — — Switzerland 4,823 — 2,572 1,415 1,029 932 United States — 643 6,108 1,286 836 611 , Other Countries ... 739 2,508 579 675 129 64 Total 18,807 10,481 9,259 4,276 2,411 1,832 3,472 3,472 Germany In recent years platinum has from time to time been reported as occurring in the slates of Westphalia, the values announced ' ranging from traces up to 2 oz. per ton ; but investigations made on behalf of platinum refiners appear to have shown that the metal does not occur in payable quantities at any locality in Germany. No production of platinum metals in Germany has been recorded. The position of the country as regards the refining of Eussian crude platinum has already been briefly mentioned. {See United Kingdom.) During the period 1889-1913, about 29 per cent, of the Eussian crude platinum exported appears to have been direetly consigned to Germany. The quantity of crude, manufactured, and scrap platinum- metals imported into Germany from Eussia during'' the year 1913 is shown in the followmg general table of Imports. No supplies 49 from' thiit source were received in 1914 after the outbreak of the war. Statistics of the imports of platinum from Rns.'^ia during the pciiod January -July, 1914, and of the imports, if any, since the Annistice, are not available. Imports of Crude, Manufactured, and Scrap Platinum- Metals into Germany (Monthly Trade Accounts : Berhn) The following table shows the quantity and value of crude, manufactured, and scrap platinum-metals imported into Germany from the various countries named during the years 1912. 1913, and 1920. Statistics for 1914-1919 are not available. Quantity : Oz. tro^ Year. United King- dom. Au Btria- Hun- gary. France. RusBia. Sweden. Switzer- land. United States. Other Coun- tries. Total Quan- tity (oz.) Total Value (£).• 1912 1913 1920 14,726 6,141 17,811 7,491 14,468t 20,640 21968 8,745 14,500 1,190 4,308 7,202 2,154 966 7,491 1,643 7,587 6,626 4,270 11,817 73,884 67,226 40,477 688,700 586,500 • Marks converted to £ sterling at the rate of 20 marks = £1. f Austria. Exports of Crude, Manufactured, and Scrap Platinum- Metals from Germany (Monthly Trade Accounts : Berlin) The following table shows the quantity and value of crude, manufactured, and scrap platinum-metals exported from Ger- many to the various countries named during the years 1912, 1913, and 1920. Statistics for 1914-1919 are not available. Quantity : Oz. troy Tear. United King- dom. Austria- Hun- gary. France. Kuasia. Sweden. Switzer-; United land. States. Other Coun- tries. Total Quan- tity, (oz.) Total Value (£).* 1912 1913 1920 8,070 4,019 2,411 5,305 4,726t 1,190 1,415 1,704 1,157 257 868 4,179 1,543 21,251 1,704 27,745 5,048 1 — 1 2,090 7,202 7,459 38,516 306,450 49,416 401,150 21,412 730.750 * Marks converted to £ sterling at the rate of 20 marks = £1. j- Austria. Russia The output of platinum metals in Eussia, which amounts to approximately 90 per cent, of the world's total production, has been obtained from placers in the Perm Government, central Urals. 50 According to Duparc and Tikonowitch,* the geological forma- tions of tHp Ural region may roughly be described as ranging from Permo-Carboniferous rocks to acid and basic crystaUine schists of undetermined age, the schists being very strongly developed, especially on the Asiatic side. The Ural chain extends from north to south over a distance of about 600 miles. Primary platiniferous rocks are knovyn within the schists over a distance of about 300 miles, but the placer deposits, derived from those rocks, which have yielded the greater part of the platmum hitherto produced, he within a length of less than 100 miles. The pre-eminent matrix of the platinum is dunite, a deep- seated rock consisting essentially of oUvine and chromite, and considered to be derived bymagmatic segregation from pyroxenite, which is similarly derived from gabbro. Pyroxenite is a minor matrix of platinum, but the gabbro is practically barren. The platinum is associated with the chromite, but never m sufficient quantity for the rock to be profitably mined, and the inetal is obtained only from placer washings. The origin of the platinum in the placers of the Urals has in eleven cases been traced to dunite, whereas only in five cases has the source been traced to pyroxenite. The platiniferous dunite areas are more or less elliptical in form, and occur generally within a band of pyroxenite, which itself is surrrounded by extensive masses of gabbro. The dunite has been extensively exposed by denudation, and rivers originating in or traversing the dunite areas contain platinum-bearing gravels. The pyroxenite areas have also contributed platinum to river gravels. The crude platinum derived from the different dunite areas contains from 60"4 to 84'6 per cent, of pure platinum, while that from the pyroxenite areas is generally richer in platinum, of which it contains from 78'4 to 88'5 per cent., and is richer also in palladium, while poorer in osmium and lower in iron. Eussian crude platinum concentrates, as exported, are generally estimated to contain approximately 83 per cent, of fine platinum metals. + There are two kinds of platiniferous alluvium in the Urals, + namely : (1) that of old river beds passing over the parent rock, and (2) that of more or less large rivers into which these old river beds lead. In the channels at the original sources of the platini- ferous rivers there are frequently thick beds of very ancient alluvium, oyer the surface of which the present streams flow. Platinum is usually found at the base of this alluvial bed, the pro- ductive sands being of varying thickness, rarely exceeding 4 to 5 feet and frequently not reaching the smaller limit. Under these beds platinum is found, but only in very small quantities. The thickness of the barren ground is frequently as much as 33 feet or * L. Duparc and M. N. Tikonowitch; Le Platine et les GUes Platinifkres de I'Oural et du Monde : Geneva, 1920. t See Note (d), Worl'd's Production table, p. 17. ■< t E. de Hautpiok, Occurrence of Platinum in the Urals; Min. Journ., London, September 20, 1913, 891. 51 more, so that in many places the platiniferous beds are worked by drifts. In many old river beds, however, the barren groimd has a thickness not exceeding from 6 to 9 feet, and the deposits are exploited by open workings. The most imiportant centres of platinum production are :* (1) the Issovsky district, in the basis of the Rivers Iss and Tura, on the eastern (Asiatic) slopes of the Urals, and (2) the Nizhni- Tagilsk district, which is situated partly on the eastern and partly on the western (European) slopes of the chain. Massive outcrops of oUvine are known on the Sokolinaya Gora, the Veresovy Bar and the Svietly Bar, on the slopes of which all the platiniferous rivers and valleys belonging to the system of the River Iss have their origin. To the north of these, two outcrops of olivine appear on the Kosvinsky Kamen, near the limits of the Rastessky and Nikolai- Pavdinsk estates ; and in this region platinum is obtained along the Rivers Sosnovsky, Kytlym and Malaya Kosva. Farther to the north, along the western borders of the Bogoslovsky district, olivine is met with in three mountains, and platinum is produced with gold on the left-bank tributaries of the River Vagran. Platinum in subsidiary quantities is found in the auriferous sands in the systems of the Lobva, Niasma and other rivers in the Vagransk, Znamensky and Nizhni-Turinsky estates. There is an outcrop of olivine in the central part of Denejkin Kamen mountain, and platinum is produced in the River Malaya Sosva. In the extreme north of the Urals olivine- outcrops in two mountains, and platinum is obtained along the Rivers Posemia, Long Sos and Petropavlovka, which have their rise in those mountains.- To the south of the Issovsky district, olivine forms the so-called Blue Mountains, and platinum is found in their neighbourhood in tributaries of the River Tagil. Platiniferous areas are known along the rivers Imennaya and Tura and the tributaries of the Salda. On the western slopes of the Urals, olivine occurs continuously in three mountains in the Nizhni-Tagilsk estate , and rich platini- ferous areas are known in the valleys of the Vissim, Martyan, Sissim, Chaush, Chernaya and other rivers; but, farther to the south, the continuous stretch of olivine ceases, and platinum is met with only in subsidiary ajnounts in auriferous sands. In many of the auriferous sands of the Southern Urals, platinum is largely replaced by other metals of the group, notably osmiridium. The Issovsky district (Asiatic slopes) is subdivided into the Bissersky and Goroblagodatsky (or Blagodat) areas. The former is owned by the family of Count Shuvalov, while the latter belongs to the State and has been worked under lease. There are numerous platinum enterprises of medium and small size in the lower Issovsky region. * P. A. Ivanoff, loc. cit. 62 The Bissersky area includes the Krestovoz-dvijensky gold and .platinum workings,'. Production of platinum began in this area.in 1831,, but the output for many years was small. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, however, the price of the metal increased so considerably that dredging was adopted, with the result that the annual production rose to more than 50,000 oz. The Blagodat deposits are situated mainly along the river Iss and its tributaries, below the Bissersky area, but also along the Eiver Tura with its tributary the Vyia (Wyja) and other affluents. These placers were discovered in 1825. In the Nizhni-Tagilsk district. (European slopes), platinum was first discovered in 1823, along the Eiver Soukhoy Vissim. Only a small production of platinum was recorded in 1825, but the output soon exceeded that of all the other districts. The year of maximum production was 1843, for which an output of 110,860 oz. was recorded. Complete statistics are not available, but those compiled by Duparc and Tikonowitch (op. cit.) show great irregularity to the end of 1892. For the period 1893-1906 the annual production of platinum in the district fluctuated, with a general downward tendency, between 27,910 oz. and 46,610 oz., averaging about 35,650 oz. The output for 1907 was approxi- mately 28,700 oz. In 1908 two dredges were installed, the number being gradually increased to six in 1912. The production rose from about 21,330 oz. in 1908 to 46,873 oz. in 1911, but fell to .46,346 oz. in 1912, and has since declined more seriously, amounting tO' only 28,966 oz. in 1915, this being largely obtained by dredging. There has been a considerable further decrease in the produc- tion of the Nizhni-Tagilsk placers, as well as in that of the Nizhni- Turinsk placers in the same region (South Verkhotur). This dechne, which has been general throughout the various producing districts, is attributed to scarcity and increased cost of labour and to the requisitioning of the crude platinum and delay in payment ; and it is suggested that the general conditions tended to an increase in the quantity of platinum stolen and consequently not recorded. Since the establishment of Soviet rule, the production of platinum from the Tagilsk placers appears to have been entirely obtained by hand-labour. The principal platiniferous areas were owned by the family of Prince Demidov. In 1913 platinum deposits were discovered 38 miles from •-G-lagow (Viatka), Nikolai-Pavdinsk district, in the northern part of the Ural region. Investigations by Duparc indicated that these placers contained large reserves, and dredges were subse- quently installed on the Niasma river. In the order of their productivity in 1913, the regions contri- buting to the Eussian output of platinum in that year were as follows, all of them being in the Perm goverrmaent :^South Yerkhotur (chiefly the Tagilsk and Turinsk placers, owned by 53 the Demidov laraily) ; Perm, which includes the Lysva or Ijysvensk jilact^rs, owned by the ShuvaJov family; North Verkhotur, which includes the Nikolai-Pavdinsk placers; Chei'dinsk ; and Ekaterinburg. According to K. de Hautpick,* while platinum dredging has undoubtedly a great future in the Urals, neither in the Blagodat nor in the Tagilsk field can the discovery of new placers be expected, since, during the long period in which they have been worked, these fields have been thoroughly investigated. He predicted in 1914 that within 30 or 40 years these platiniferous districts would be entirely exhausted. Fresh ground might, how- ever, be hoped for in the north of the Urals, where the ohvine rocks are often found and Uttle prospecting has been done, as, for instance, on the river loutyn. Early in 1916, L. Duparct gave an even shorter life to these placers, estimating that the known Kussian deposits, if mined at pre-war rate, could last only 12 years. Platinum and iridium are said to have been found in appreciable quantities in auriferous places near the Russo-Mongolian frontier, but no production of platinum metals appears to have been recorded from that region. In 1919 it was reported that platinum deposits, said to have been discovered by German prisoners of war, were being worked in the Alai Mountains, in Ferghana, Turkestan. Some platinum was also reported to have been found in the gold placers of the Mariinsk district, Tomsk G-overnment, in the Vozdvchensk, a tributary of Chumia River, and in the Bolehich-Chelnloff, a tributary of the Kiu. In the Bisk Government, platinum was reported from the gold placers of Tzarevo- Alpxandrovsk and Kochina Rivers. Production of Platinum in Russia The exploitation of the Ural platiniferous placers commenced in 1824. ' The production of crude platinum from 1825 to the end of 1912 ajnounted, according the official statistics, + to 7,202,790 oz. troy,§ but this is believed to be considerably below the actual production, it being estimated that from a third to a fourth of the output is annually stolen by miners or sinreptitiously removed from the country by certain of the smaller producers to avoid payment of Government registration charges and taxes. The year of maximum production was 1901, for which approxi- mately 200,100 oz. was recorded. During the decade 1904-1913, the total production of platinum was 1,705,717 oz., or 86,611 oz. less than for the previous ten * Mill. Journ., London, Mar. 14, 1914. + Le Platine et les GHes Platinifhres de I'Ourdl; Bull. Sec. Ing. Oivils de France, January — March 1916, 88-134. I L. Duparc and M. N. Tikonowitch ; op. cit., 633. § Poods converted at the rate of 1 pood = 526.6632 oz. troy. 54 years, a decline regarded as indicating a substantial exhaustiott of the Ural placers. The output of platinum in the Urals, by districts, for the period 1913-1916 has been officially reported as follows :— Quantities (oz. troy). District. 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916. South Verkhotur North Verkhotur Pertn ■ Cherdinsk South Ekaterinburg ... 102,554 11,376 36,880 6,109 816 106,531 7,426 38,051 4,753 421 80,985 12,288 22,996 3,518 2(a) 52,353 9,968 14,818 1,542 1(a) Total 157,735 157,182 119,789 78,682 (a) From North Ekaterinburg. J. M. Hill* has roughly estimated the actual Eussian pro- duction of crude platinum from placers in these and later years as follows, the figures being understood to allow for metal stolen or smuggled : — Year Quantity (oz. troy) 1913 250,000 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 241,200 124,000 63 ,900 (a) 50,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 (a) Another estimate (Min. Ind., New York, 1917, 26, 547) is 90,000 oz. According to Eussian official statistics, the total production of platinum in Eussia for the years 1909-1912 was approximately 704,150 oz., while during the same period 975,900 oz. was. recorded as having been exported. In 1913, a production of 157,736 oz. was officially registered, and 200,660 oz. recorded as exported. For 1914, the production is given as 157,183 oz., the exports being recorded as 82,686 oz. From these figures it would appear thai in each year of the period covered, excepting 1914, more platinum was exported than was actually produced. Commenting on this, F. A. Ivanofft remarks that up to the year 1913 the registration of platinum produced in Eussia was not * Platinum and Allied Metals; U.S. Geol. Surv., Min. Res. Annual. t The Production of Precious Metals in Russia ; The Russian Economist, (Journ. of the Russian Econ. Assoc), London, No. 1, Sept.— Oct., 1920^ 29-33. 55 •effected with Bufficient care, while the export figures were recorded with comparative accuracy. In that year, legislative measures for the improvement of registration led to its more effective organization, which resulted in the disappearance of this striking discrepancy in 1914. Actually, according to the authority quoted, 82 per cent, of the whole output of platinum for the six years 1909-1914 was exported, the balance of 18 per cent, being used in Eussia. It has been officially stated,* however, that, during the period of 25 years, 1889-1913, only about 18 per cent, of the output was retained for domestic use, the remainder being distributed as follows : — To France, 70 per cent. ; to Germany, 29 per cent. ; to the United Kingdom, 1 per cent. , The bulk of the total crude Eussian platinum coming to the (■nited Kingdom was exported through France. Early in 1914, the Imperial Government imposed a 30 per •cent, ad valorem export duty on crude platinum, the value of thie metal to be fixed by the council of Ministers. The tax was apparently imposed with the expectation that it would lead to a greatly increased amount of platinum being refined in Eussia, where in 1912 only three platinum refineries existed, namely, the Zentclieff Chemical Works and that of Kolbe and Lindfors, at St. Petersburg, and the Outiakoff Works at Ekaterinburg, these handling only about 2 per cent, of the entire dotnestic pro- duction of crude platinum. The tax appears to have failed of its purpose and only to have stimulated the production of platinum in Colombia and other' countries. Soon after the commencement of the war an embargo was placed on the exportation of crude platinum in quantities valued above 500 rubles,! but even this did no*- result in the establishment of refineries, its only effect^ being to embarrass foreign purchasing companies and firms who were under contracts to customers, and to cause an accumulation ■of stocks in Eussia. In 1915, however, it was reported that the Nikolai-Pavdinsk •Company had completed a platinum refinery at Ekaterinburg, which would be under Government control. In March, 1916, this refinery commenced the treatment of crude platinum. The establishment of this works is a matter of considerable import- ance ; for, not only does it enable Eussian platinum to be ■exported pure, as also other metals of the group, especially iridium, but it may be expected to lead to the manufacture in Eussia of all kinds of platiimm utensils. In 1909, the SociSU Anonyme d' Industrie du Platine, an •organization already owning a number of platiniferous areas in the Urals and possessing a refinery in Paris, contracted with the owners of the important Shuvalov and Demidov placers for the purchase of the whole of their output of unrefined platinum metals at a price arranged on a sliding scale, thus acquiring * Special Supplement to the Budget Estimate of the Russian Mining Department for 1916 : Petrograd, 1915. + Equivalent to £53 13s. at the rate of 2s. Ifd. per ruble then ruling. 56 control of the greater portion of the Euseian platinum export business. British platinum buyers thus became largely dependent on Paris for their supplies, at an enhanced price. The French contrficts have now expired; and, having regard to the export duty and the embargo on exports of crude platinum imposed in Eussia during the period under veview, it would appear unlikely that- they will be renewed, or that Eussian producers will be permitted to enter into similar agreements in the future. The refining of practically the whole of the crude platinum exported from Eussia has been in the hands of three firms, namely : — Johnson, Matthey & Co., of London; Heraeus & Co., of Hanau, Germany; and Quenn^ssen & Co. (formerly Des Montis & Co.), of Paris. The great decrease shown in the production of platinum in Eussia for 1916 was attributed to scarcity of labour and the diffi- culty in obtaining parts for the dredges, by means of which most of the Output for a number of yeiars had been produced. In 1917 it was reported that no dredges were working, and that it would take a considerable time to put them into condition for future operation. All the platinum produced in Eussia in that year was recovered by crude hand methods. By an order which beoame effective on February 1, 1917, the importation of drawn and spun platinum into Eussia was prohibited. Apparently no dredging was done in 1918, many of the plants being reported to have been destroyed. For 1919 and 1920, no authentic information appears to be available concerning platinum production in Eussia. In the former year it was reported that, with a view to purchases in foreign countries, the Soviet government was proposing to issue a new type of credit note secured by reserves of platinum valued at more than £7,000,000, which suggests that large stocks of the crude metal must then have been held by that government. It is known that the Soviet government controls the sale of platinum in occupied territory, and that it has for some time past been anxious to secure the largest obtainable production of the metal, for use as a medium of exchange vsrith foreign countries. It would nevertheless appear that the production for 1920 amounted to only about one-sixth of the quantity which had been hoped for in that year. During the first half of 1921 the total production of platinum appears to have been only a little more than 3,000 oz.* Spain t Platinum was discovered in 1915 in the Eonda Mountains, province of Malaga, southern Spain, by D. de Orueta, who has published detailed descriptions of the deposits. * Izvistia, No. 183, 19th August, 1921 : Moscow. t Revista Minera- Metalurgica y de Ingenieria, Madrid, November 8, 1915. The Platinum of the Sierra de Ronda; Min. Journ., London, 1915 112, 41. 57 'i'lir Koiida Mountains (SieiTa de Eonda) are a continuation of the Sierra Nevada, which, on entering the province of Malaga, changes its trend from westerly to south-westerly, forming an abrupt slope between Malaga and Gibraltar. The platinum locality described appears to be near the town of Konda, 50 miles N.N.E. of Gibraltar and 35 miles W.N.W. of Malaga. The Sierra de Eonda contains several range.-; of igneous rocks of the peridotite type, the most extensive iaid important covering an area of about 45 by 1-2 miles. The rock svstem had been previously studied and its analogy with that of the Urals recog- nized, and this led Oiueta to investigate the peridotites of the Eonda mountains in the hope, which proved well-founded, that they also might contain platinum. These peridotites vary according to the proportion of basic and acid elements which they contain. The central nia.s.s is formed by the most basic dunite, and this was the main object studied. It is composed of olivine and chromite, the platinum being always iis.sociated with the latter, through which it occurs dissemi^ate(l. In the course of the investigations, alluvial and other detrital deposits were located, and drilling disclosed a platinum zone lying at a depth of about 40 feet and having a thickness of about 5 feet Of tli(> samples obtained by drilling, one-third were rejected as too high, the drill having brought up gmins of pure metal ; of the remainder, one- third yielded from about 1\ to nearly '2 dwt. of platinum per i'ubic yard, another third from about 4 grains to IJ dwt., the remainder being regarded as too poor for profitable working. It was understood that the whole field was to be systematically tested by drilling, and that concessions to exploit the mines would be granted by the Government to foreigners as well as Spanish subjects. Eecent work has indicated that some of the deposits will be found of workable grade. r)u|iaic arid Grossett* have pointed out certain important differences between the dunitic and pyroxenitic ])rimary deposits of the Urals and the peridotitic type found in the Eonda mountains. The former are essentially of magmatic origin and show a gradation from felspathic rocks to the very basic chromite-olivine rock dunite, whereas the Spanish primary deposits are in rocks composed of rhombic pyroxene chai'acterized by spinel with some gradations into dunitic phases. The secondary (placer) deposits are also considered very different. The Eussian platiniferous gfavels are in large part old, and have been re-distributed by the present streams ; the topography is subdued, the region being nearly a peneplain ; and in practically all the deposits the platinum is found in the bed- rock gravels, which are distinct from the two overlying beds. The Spanish platiniferous gravels occupy steep-walled* young valleys ; there is a gradation from coarser to finer gravels from surface to * L. Duparc and A. Grossett; J&tude comparee des gites platiniferes de la Sierra de Bonda et de I'Oural; Soc. phys. et hist. nat. Geneve Mem., 1916, 38, No. 5. .T. :\r. Hill; Platinum and Allied Metals in 1916; he. cit., 16. 58 bedrock (the pebbles varying in size up to 12 inches to a depth of about 4 feet, and being considerably smaller below to bedrock) ; and, while there is slightly more platinum near bedrock than in the upper part of the gravels, there is no sharply-marked pay-bed. A considerable proportion of the platinum recovered by drilling was coated with chromite. The grains are generally small, the largest examined by Duparc weighing less than 4 grains, but a nugget weighing IJ oz. is stated to have been found by Orueta. Analyses have shown the- crude platinum to contain osmium, palladium, copper, iron, and nickel. Platinum occurs in the gold and tin-bearing alluvials of numerous river systems in northern Spain, and indications point to the metal being ultimately found in payable quantities in that region. Madagascar* Platinum has for some years been recovered in very small quantities from the beds of several rivers on the east coast of Madagascar. It occurs, associated with gold, in small rounded grains, sometimes coated with oxide of iron. No peridotite has- yet been discovered in the localities where occunrences of the metal are known. The deposits reported occur as follows : — (1) To the north-east of Fenerive : in the Manantsatrana and its right-bank tributaries between the Tsaralazana and the Sasalaza, notably near Maherivaratra ; alsO' on the right bank of the Bikera, especially to the south-east of its confluence with the Marosampana. (2) To the south-south-west of Vatomandry, to the west of Marosiky : in the River Sahanimoro, a tributary of the Vatana, notably neai- Ambia, and in the Vatana itself at its junction with the Sahanimoro. The platinum of the alluvials of this region is reported to occLu- with gold in the proportion of 1 to 5. Near Ampasimpotsy, on the FaraJfara, a tributary of the Manampotsy, platinum occm's in coarser grains than in the region just mentioned. (3) In the Isonjo, an affluent of the Manambiha, a left-bank tributary of the Mananara. It was in the neighbour- hood of Bemalaha, in this region, that platinum was first found in Madagascar, in 1904. An analysis of a sample from the south-west of Vatomandry showed 82'06 p^r cent, of platinum, 1'85 iridium, 0'3 palladiuni, 0-7 rhodium, S'l gold, 7 iron, 1 copper, I'S iridosmine, 2-3 sand. The gold which accompanies this platinum is of high quality, containing only 3'75 per cent, of silver. fr * A. Lacroix, Le platine a Madagascar; Society Frangaiae de Minera- logie. Bull. No. 6, 1918, 98-99. 59 Ofiadal returns show the following insignificant production of platinum for 1909-1911 :— Quantity Year (oz. troy) 1909 ] 1910 9 1911 ... 5 Since 1911 prospecting for the metal appears to have been abandoned. United States* Most of the small annual production of crude placer platinmn in the United States has been obtained in California by dredges at the west base of the Sierra Nevada, which are working gravels ■derived from the famous " Mother Lode." Pla<'ers in south- western Oregon have also contributed a considei-able percentage, and in recent years there have been small recoveries from placers in Alaska. Some platinum has also been obtained from a gold- platinum-palladium lode in Nevada, from a copper mine in Wyoming, and from a palladium-copper lode in Alaska. The greater production from the gravels of the " Mother Lode " region than from north-western CaUfornia, south- western Oregon, and elsewhere in the Western States, is attributed to the larger operations in that field rather than to 1;he more widespread or richer distribution of platinum. The metal appears to be derived from areas containing ohromiferous serpentine. Alaska. — The occurrence of placer platinum in this territory was known prior to 1916, but no production was reported from the mines until that year, when about 12 oz. of the crude metal was shipped. In the same year it was reported that traces of platinum and palladium had been found in association with the bornite ore of the Goodro (now known as the Salt Chuck) mine, in the Ketdiikan district, at the head of Kasaan Bay, Prince of Wales Island. In 1917 the estimated output of placer platinum in Alaska was about 81 crude oz. During 1918 rich copper concentrates containing substantial amounts of gold, silver, and palladium, with some platinum, were shipped from the Salt Chuck mine. The total output of metals of the platinum group in Alaska for that year was estimated at 284 fine oz. In 1919 and 1920 the Salt Chuck mine continued to ship rich * J. M. Hill, Platinum and Allied Metals: U.S. Geol. Surv. Min. Resources (Annual)-, and Our Mineral Supplies — Platinum : U.S. Geol. .Siirv. Bull. No. 666-D. Commercial Minerals of California; Calif. State Min. Bur. Bull. No. 87 : San Francisco, January, 1920. California Mineral Production for 1919; Calif. State Min. Bur. Bull. No. 88, July, 1920. Mineral Resources of Alaska, Ann. Repts. on Progress of Investiga- tions; Bulls. U.S. Geol. Surv. (A. H. Brooks, G. C. Martin, and others). 60 palladium-bearing concentrates, and a little platinum was recovered from placers. The deposit worked in tlie Salt Chuck mine appears to be the only lode in Alaska in which platinum has been found. Mining at this locality was begun about the year 1907, on what was regarded as a low-grade copper deposit, but some years later it was discovered that the ore contained a considerable amount of palladium and traces of platinum, which rendered it of more value for platinum metals than for copper. Accordmg to J. B. Mertie, Jr.,* the zone within which the discovery of ore- shoots may be expected at this locahty is behaved to be at least 250 feet in width. The country rock is mainly pyroxemte, which has intruded the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of Kasaan Peninsula. The ore-bodies he irregularly along or near a well- defined shear zone. The ore minerals consist of copper sulphides, distributed in grains and small patches as ore-shoots m the pyroxenite. The chief copper mineral is bomite. The average ore carries 1"43 per cent, of copper, with 1'26 dwt. of gold, 0-22 oz. of silver, and 0-2-53 oz. of platinum metals (chiefly palladium) to the short ton. The ratio of palladium to platinum appears to vary considerably, but is believed to average about 50 to 1. The flotation concentrates, shipped have averaged 40 per cent, of copper, with 24-3 dwt. of gold, 5'3 oz. of silver, and 3'147 oz. of platinum metals to the short ton. The platinum metals and silver are believed to be closely associated with the copper minerals, while the gold is more widely disseminated in the country rock. California. — The characteristic occurrence of platinum in this State is in metallic grains associated with the gold-bearing black sands of stream beds, placers, and beach sands. It is found at numerous localities, the major portion being recovered as a by- product in placer-dredging operations for gold, principally in Yuba, Sacramento, Butte and Calaveras counties. Hydraulic and surface sluicing mines in Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou and Trinity counties have also yielded considerable amounts of platinum, while dredges in Merced and Stanislaus counties have contributed small quantities to the production. Nevada and Shasta counties are smaller producers of the metal. Blister copper from Iron mountains, Shasta county, also yields some platinum. There have been occasional reports of discoveries of the metal in vein material, but these lack authoritative confirmation. So far none of the stream placers in the serpentine belt that feeds the gold-dredging ground in the " Mother Lode " counties has been found to carry platinum in economically important quantities. In addition to the production in California from the sources mentioned, there is usually a small annual recovery of platinum * The Salt Chuck Palladium-Copper Mine; Eng. Min. Journ., 1920, HO, 17-20. 61 in the State as a by-product in the gold refinery of the San Fran- cisco Mint, which, however, cannot be accurately assigned to the territory of its origin. The Mint is stated to have recovered as much as 100 oz. of platinum in a single year from this source, some of it unquestionably coming from mines in California. As given in the annual reports of the California State Mining Bureau, the known yearly production of platinum in the State from 1887 to 1912 inclusive averaged 275 crude oz., the output ranging from a minimum of 39 oz. in 1902 to a maximum of 706 oz. in 1908. The production during the period under review is stated as follows : — Quantity Value* Year (crude oz.) £ 1913 368 3,695 1914 ... 463 3,087 1915 667 4,406 1916 886 8,884 1917 610 9,108 1918 571 8,914 1919 418t 12,627 * Dollars converted to £ sterling at the rate of $1 = 4«. 2d. t Fine oz., including platinum, iridium and palladium. Nevada. — In 1914, platinum and palladium were discovered in certain copper-gold ores of Yellow Pine district, Clark county, Nevada. The first and by far the most important discovery was made at the Boss mine, 10 miles west of Good Springs, and later in the year platinum metals were found also in the ore of the Oro Amigo- mine, about Ih mile to the north-east of the Boss mine. The gold-platinum-palladium deposit at the Boss mine has been described by A. Knopf (loc. cit.). The deposit was discovered more than 30 years ago, and was for a long time unsuccessfully worked for copper, the presence of gold and platinum rnetals in the ore not having been recognized. The deposit consists of a fine-grained quartz mass, which in the main replaces irregularly the Carboniferous dolomites along a series of nearly vertical fractures. A small mass or dyke of granite-porphyry intrudes the dolomite about 600 feet north of the mine, but no basic intrusives occur. The ore-bodies developed at the date of Knopf's ^iccount weie described briefly as oxidized copper shoots and gold- platinum-palladium shoots. The former contain only minor quantities of the precious metals, while the latter contain a small quantitv of a bismuth-bearing variety of plumbojarosite (a hydrous sulphate of iron and lead), with which the precious metals are especially associated. The Boss lode is one of the few primary deposits in which platinum metals occur in more than traces,' and with the exception of the Salt Chuck mine in Alaska and the Kanibler mine in Wyoming, probably the only primary deposit that has been worked in \\hich these metals are the constituents of predominant value. At the surface, the zone of fracturing occupied by the ore-bodies of the Boss mine is about 62 30 feet in width, but the precious-metal shoots are confined to a width of about 12 feet on the footwall. The ore of the Oro Amigo mine consists essentially of limonite, and carries no bismuth br admixed plumbojarosite. Numerous shipments of copper-gold-platinum ore were made from the Boss mine during the period under review. In 1917, 443 tons of such ore, treated in New Jersey and in California, contained an average of 0'24 oz. platinum and 0'9 oz. of palladium per short ton. In 1920, no palladium-bearing ores were shipped from the mine. Platinum-bearing peridotite dykes occurring about 100 miles north-east of the Boss mine have been described by H. Bancroft. These dykes contain pyrrhotite (probably nickeiif erous) , chalco- pyrite, and magnetite. A shipment of 45 short tons from one of the dykes showed a content of 2-3 per cent, of copper, 1'8 per cent, of nickel, and 0'13 oz. of platinum metals to the ton. Oregon. — Certain of the stream placer deposits in Josephine, Curry, and Coos counties in south-western Oregon have long been known to carry platinum, and the metal has been produced from the beach placers in the two latter counties. The placers of Illinois river, a tributary of Rogue River, particularly those near Kerby and Waldo in Josephine county, have also yielded platinum. The metal occurs also in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The annual production of crude platinum in Oregon averaged only about 50 oz. during the period under review. Washington. — In 1916, samples of placer concentrates contain- ing platinum in considerable proportion were received by the U.S. G-eological Survey from a deposit near Riverside, Okanogan county, in this State. This platinum is believed to have been derived from a broad belt of chromite-bearing serpentine that lies west of Okanogan river and extends from near Oroville into British Columbia. Platinum and gold have been found in placers on the south fork of Lewis river, an affluent of the Columbia river, in Clarke county, south-western Washington. In 1917 and 1918, refiners reported purchases) of small quajiti- ties of platinum produced in Washington. Wyoming. — In 1911, a first shipment of copper-platinum- palladium ore and concentrates was made from the Rambler mine, in Albany county, and shipments of such material have' since been made annually to eastern refiners. Th^ shipment made in 1911 is stated to have averaged about 0*5 oz. of platinum and 1 oz. of palladium per short ton, while some of the con- centrates assayed 14' 7 oz. of platinum and 2'8 oz. of gold, with a considerable amount of palladium, a small quantity of iridium, and some silver. Low-grade ore from the mine was found to contain 0'25 oz. of platinum and 0'03 oz. of gold per ton, with a trace of palladium. * Platinum in South-eastern Nevada; U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. No. 430, 1910, 192-199. The ore-bodies, wliith mainly contain oxidized copper ores and secondary covellite, occur in lensed in a crushed altered dioritic rock of pre-Cambrian age,* which is associated with peridotite. According to J. F. Kemp.t the dioritic rock is evidently an intrusive bodies in the granite-gneiss country rock. Sperrjiite (arsenide of platinum) occurs in the ore in association with covellite and pyrite.J -Enrichment by downward-moving waters is shown. In 1914, httle new ore was raised at this mine, but the. old 50-stamp mill was rebuilt and a concentrator erected. In 1915 and 1916, several hundred tons of copper concentrates carrying platinum were shipped to eastern refiners. During 1917, about 350 tons of concentrates were refined, which contained a con- siderable amount of palladium and about one-third as much platinum ; and it was reported that work at greater depth has disclosed a new ore-body carrying both of these metals in work- able amounts. In August, 1918, the surface equipment was destroyed by fire, but in the following year shipments of palladium- and platinum-bearing copper ore were again reported. In 1920, the mine (now known as the Electrolytic) was acquired with other properties by another company, and was reported to have been under development. Production of Platinum Metah in the United States^ Most of the refined platinum and allied metals produced in the United States is obtained in the electrolytic refining of gold bullion and blister copper. The placer deposits in California and Oregon aj-e worked mainly for the gold which they contain, and the saving devices ernployed are designed chiefly with this object in view. In general, the crude platinum of these placers is found in relatively small scales or flakes, some larger than one-eighth inch in diameter, but the majority less than one-sixteenth. These flakes, like those of gold, have a tendency to be lost in ordinary sluicing ; and a large number of the placer mines which contain platinum are neither so situated nor so extensive as to warrant the installation of elaborate saving devices. Much of the crude platinum produced in the United States is recovered by dredges, and there must be a considerable loss of " flom- " gold and platinum in the operation of the plants. * Platinum in Copper Ores in Wyoming; U.S. Greol. Surv. Bull. No. 213, 1903, 94-97. + Platinum in the Rambler Mine, Wyoming; U.S. Geol. Surv. Min. Res., 1902, 244-250 (1904). J H. L. Wells and S. L. Penfield, Amer. Journ. Sci., 4th series, 1902, 13, 95. § J. M. Hill, Platinum and Allied Metals : U.S. Geol. Surv Min. Res. : Washington, D.C. (Annual). 64 Production of Crude Platinum from Placers in the United States According to J. M. Hill {loc. di.), the production of crude platinum from placers in the United States during the period under review was as follows : — Quantity Year (crude oz. troy) 1913 ... "... 483 1914 570 1915 742 1916 750 1917 605 1918 ... 647 1919 •. 824 1920 613 Ordinarily, the valuable metaUic content of the California crude platinum concentrates, or " sands," is about 80 per cent, by weight, but some carrying as much as 85 per cent, have been produced. The Oregon sands are estimated to be 70 per cent, fine. In 1914 the proportion of the platinum metals recovered from crude domestic sands was about 51 per cent, platinum, 8 per cent, iridium, and 30 per cent, iridosmine or osmiridium. The fine platinum and aJhed metals produced from these crude dondestic sands is included in the reports received annually from refiners of domestic and imported crude platinum, gold bullion, nickel, and copper in the United States, although such refining was not necessarily done in the year in which the material was received at the refineries. Production of Refined Platinum in the United States The United States supply of refined platinum has normally been obtained chiefly from unmanufactured and manufactured platinum imported indirectly from Eussia. In addition, large quantities of crude platinum " sands " (concentrates), usually estimated to contain 80 per cent, of fine metal, have been imported from Colombia and elsewhere for treatment in United States refineries. Another considerable source of platinum supply in that country has been the refining of imported and domestic gold bullion and copper. Much of the platinum obtained from copper was derived from the mines at Sudbury, Ontario. A portion of the output of platinum made annually in the United States originates in old scrap, sweepings, etc., sold by jewellers and dentists. In 1913 crude platinum sand was imported to the amount of 48,942 oz., and, assuming, as usual, that its content of fine platinum was 80 per cent., the approximate production there- from in United States refineries was 39,154 fine oz. In the same year, about 650 oz. of refined platinum was derived in the United States as new metal from gold bullion and copper from domestic mines. 65 No output of platinum concentrates was reported in that year from platiaiferous lodes of the United States. The total production of refined platinum in that coimtry from doine.stic souires in 1913 wat^ 1,034 oz., valued at S46,.530 (at 4.S-. 2d. to |l^,i9,694). Since 1913 the total production in the United States of new refined platinum and allied metals from domestic and foreign material (including recoveries from Sudbury nickel mattes, but not recoveries made by the International Xickel Co. at its works at Bayonne, New Jejsey) has been as follows* : — Quantity (fine oz.). Year. Iridos- Quantity Plati- num. Iridium mine (osmiri- Palla- Rho- dium, dium. Total. believed to be of domes- dium). tic origin. 1914 3,430 64 195 2,63.> 6,324 2,500 1915 6,495 274 355 1,541 — 8,665 l,o87 1916 24,518 370 315 2,885 — 28,088 3.179 1917 33,009 210 8,33 4,779 — 38,831 7,.384 1918 54,399 465 539 4,024 326 59,753 10,693 1919 40,220 401 402 3,807 i 279 4.'>,10'.l 11,7.V,) 1920 36,015 418 409 4,309 393t 41,;'.44 13,243 f Probably includes some platinum metals recovered fronl scrap materials. In addition, a large quantity of secondary platinum and allied metals, derived from the refining of scrap and sweeps, was sold, as tabulated below. These figures, when taken in conjunction with the figures of production of new metals and imports, appear to show the total quantity of platinum and allied metals necessary to supply the domestic market. It must be realized, however, that figures of sales of scrap metal contain some duplications ; for scrap, especially from jewellery and dental works, may be refined and sold several times during the year. The quantity of secondary platinum and allied metals recovered and sold was as follows : — Year. Quantity (fine oz.). Platinum. Iridium. Iridosmine. Palladium. 1914 40,098 129 i 18 1,500 igir. 42,149 863 i — 958 iok; 45,156 1,535 1 - 1,284 1917 49,007 9,832 i — 3,347 1918 40,378 3,410 — 1,795 1919 54,545 3,504 — .^,4t',7 l'J2U .".1,255 3,365 - 3.100 * Comuiled from fi Kures given by J. M. H ill: Platiuun 1 and Allied Mctalti, U.S. Geol. Surv. Jlin. Res. (Annual). ;(J648 66 Imports of Platinum and Allied Metals into the United States The embargo placed upon the exportation of platinum from Eussia at the outbreak of the war resulted in a great decrease in the quantity of refined and manufactured platinum shipped to the United States from France and England in 1914, while the shipments from Germany apparently ceased altogether when war was declared. In 1914 the decrease in the imports of crude platinum ore and unmanufactured products, such as ingots, bars, sheets and wires, amounted to slightly more than 39 per cent, by weight as compared with the imports for 1913, while the value of the imports of manufactured platinum products (vases, retorts, etc.) decreased by more than 49 per cent., in spite of the fact that the average price of platinum per oz. in the New York market was considerably higher than that for 1913 (see p. 15). In September, 1915, an embargo placed upon the exportation of platinum by eiH the aUied Governments became effective; but the total imports of platinum and allied metals into the. United States for that year \\ere only 10 per cent, below those in 1914. After September, 1915, however, the American platinum market became most uncertain, and the receipt of practically the whole output of Colombian platinum in the United States does not appear to have materially eased the situation. There was a great demand for the metal from the sulphuric-acid industry, and from makers of other war munitions who used platinum. In 1916 the imports of platinum and allied metals were nearly 5,000 oz. below those for 1915, but the value of the diminished quantity increased by more than 34 per cent. A comparison of the imports by countries for 1915 and 1916 shows a decline of supplies from Europe and an increase of crude platinum from Colombia. Exclusive of about 21,000 oz. of Russian platinum received in the United States in December, 1917, which does not appear in the reports of the United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce for that year, the imports of platinum and allied metals in 1917 were about 43 per cent, less than the imports in 1916, and about 75 per cent, less than the pre-war imports, which averaged about 110,000 oz. per annum.. The imports from Europe continued to decline, and the great bulk came from Colombia. The imports of platinum and allied metals in 1918, as given by the United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- merce, were considerably larger than those for 1917, but this was due to the fact that the figures include the 21,000 oz. of platinum received from Russia late in 1917. Excluding this Russian metal, the great bulk of the platinum supply came from South America, principally Colombia, fro'm which country 22,974 oz. of the unmanufactured metal, 7,569 oz. in ingots, bars, etc., and manufactured products to the value of £146 was received. The platinum imported from Panama (1,343 fine oz.) was presumably 67 of Colombian origin, while that imported from (.'liiiia {i'l'd fine oz.) and Japan (340 fine oz.) is believed to have been Russian. Europe supplied only 771 oz. (unmanufactured and ingots, bars, etc.), and manufactured products to the value of about £-J,477 during 1918, as compared with 5,511 oz. and £70 respectively in the previous year. In 1919 the imports of platinum and alhed metals into the Lnited States increased, amounting approximately to 20 per cent, more than those in 1918, and being practically as large as in 1915, and more than half as large as the pre-war imports. Colombia continued to be the chief souix-e of supply for crude platinum, but England and Fiaiuc together contributed 26,408 oz. (unmanufactured and manufactured), most of which was presumably fine metal, and certain ui)N[)eiified platinum to the value of £3,01'2. In 1920 the iiM|K)rts of platinum and allied metals were appioximately 48 per cent, lar^fer tlian during 1919, 77 per cent, larger than in 1918, and approached the pre-war average. In- cluding crude platinum, in;^()ts, bars, sheets, wire, and manu- factured products such as vases and retorls, the combined imports of platinum-melals amounted to 100,510 oz. Colombia still supplied the I'nited States with most of its re(iuirements of crude platinum, while Kngland sent :V.\,iy.) oz. of unmanu- factured and manufactured platinum (as against •2(1,995 oz. in 1919) vpith other ]>latinum to the value of t'1,132, and France 12,486 oz. (as ajjainst 5,413 oz. in 1919) witii other platinum valued at i'2,097. Presumably a large part of the metal imported from these two countries was refined. All the foregoing imports are described as being for consumption in the United States. Imports The following table summarizes the imports of platinum and allied metals for consumption in the United States received during the period under review ; — 68 CO 3 ??- o O s S 1-1 CO 5*1 «•<** CO Oi 00 ■<— C t-- CS -^ lO CM (M OO '^ Oi CTJ W CM O [>- CO CO G^ GO^CO^CO^t^CM o'l-Tijq'co" CD CD tr* O (M (M ''J* —.1-1 ■'tH cm 3- t f I r^ o IM .— ^y5(M '^ 5<1 O ^«r -T CO (M ^— 1 O ^-\co -^ m Am" ^' -S- 00 OS0 CJ CO lO OO »0 CD CO QO (M lO (M O CD 1— <- 1^ O lO Ci CX> CC» i-H CM '^ -=i^ »0^ i-H^'i^ kO_ CM^ CO_ CO"co"co"l>rcM<:D" 0(M • t^CO^cD^ CD_ (M ' 1— ( 1— I CO CD lO CO CJS OCO i-H (M oo_cf:i^co ■'^ co^o"-*'"'^'" t* (M !. fc CO r>o CM iO CO OS ■'^'"cm'co'" t CO t^ CO Oi CD CO -^ CO lO o t> 03 G^ r^ 00 Oi CM rH tH lO 00 CO CO l> -"^ CICO I>- -^ 00 CO 30 CO -* as Gi !>■ 3 ii a 01 3 > 13 ^ ~ H g -£S t3 .^ O 3 to g : ; r ; * " .g-s p< • . • • . ►4 p. b H M-g O 13 1« i H s-a^ . . . r< - 3 "^3 ' • t, o !3 s gia a q a^a 3 2== '-0 a. 3 a 3 'a 3 o 3 t-t 3 T3 r-l C(3 t3 ja i-^^l i i^^ 3 Ph Ph ,±i O O P4 Ph P3 i I : ; : ; : : ; t4 (^ ^ T3 O £ « : ; - . . . . 3 ,i- • 1 ^ 3 -S : 3 fci • a s 3 2 3 ^ : " ' I ; ; i and ire), cts ( a^^ : ; : : : • r : 3 of P .is 0! ft .5'^'S - . . • - ft n • H m'S O -SJS^ H 3-P«H ■ • r • • u M g • PH O rf o.^a g a a^a : 3 0.3 3 13 f!.3 §l§l 'tH ^s§ P^ PhA a 03 °'-2 g a^-= 3 OOPLnrtP^ S 2 o o ■OH 3 'a a c8 3 3 >•> be bo 4S .4^ a 3 >,>> 3.3 3 3 o-o* s 35 g r^CC o 3 £^ o Sj^ 3 -tiCO .^ r-t a =8=1! "3 =i-i'" _ bo 3 ^33 s Hi ^ ^ o O U O IB 3 fc( — ^ jd V. r; » -t^ « > o>gO OB 3 OJ P P k ^ © 0) -P . 43 r^ ft) 3 X ^ _3 3 TS t> " "u "o 43 „ bo 3 3 rt r3 .S O qj 'S * O !S "S ft . . o - a fl"= S 5 2: S !a 13 =4? © _- -i-i -^ rrt fg bObO^ I^ O O gg;a3'g © o 3 '43 g ftg s s a a 3 S d -M a-2 dfS ■-' i-J P ' -SCO- 69 The following table shows the sources of the principal imports of platinum into the United States, as given by the United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce : — Quantities : Fine oz. troy. Colombia. Russia. Year. Wholly unmanu- factured. Ingots, bare, etc. Wholly unmanu- factured. Ingots, bars, etc. 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 15,818 24,774 23,445 22,974 23,585 26,343 480 438 7,569» 2,461 3,510 21,000 400 833 — In addition, manufactured platinum products to the value of about £146 weio received in 1918. Exports Unmanufactured and Manufactured Platinum Exported from the United States No exports of platinum from the United States were reported for 1912. According to the United States IBureau of Foreign and Domestic Ccimmerce, the exports during ihe period under review were as follows : — Yt-a r. Domestic Prodnoe. Unmanufactured. Quantity (oz. troy) Value (£).» Manufac- tured. Value Foreign Produce. Manufactured, Unmanufactured . I- Quantity Value (oz.troy). {£).* Ingots, bars, etc. Quantity (oz.troy) Value (£).* Vases, re- torts, etc. Value (£).* 1913... . t 1914... • -• 1915... ■ •• 1916... 1,145 20,414 1917... 3,445 48,840 1918... 119 2,815 1919... 522 15,639 1920... 1,302 36,900 t t t 17,472 13,628 4,909 11,360 23,128 926 6,148 265 143 9 11 2,185 1,367 87 1 250 2,083 22 * Values converted to £ sterling at the rate of $1 = 4s. 2d. t Not separately claesified prior to 1916. 36648 U. 70 In 1920 the destiniations pi the exported unmanufactured platinum were CanEuda, which received 200 oz., and Japan, which received 1,102 oz. All the manufactured platinum exported in that year went to Japan. Consumption of Platinutn-Metals in the United States I'rior to the war, when the annual average consumption of "platinum-metals in the United States was from 150,000 to 165,000 oz., it was estimated that about 75 per cent, was used in the jewellery and dental industries (chiefly the former), 20 per cent, in the electrical industry, and 5 per cent, for chemical purposes. The platinum resources of the United States have supplied only about 8 per cent, of the domestic requirements. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quantities of platinum, palladium and iridium consumed annually in the United States during the period 1918-1920, and the percentage distribution of consumption, were as follows : — 1918. 1919. 1920. Metal consumed : Platinum Palladium Iridium oz. 100,810 9,053 5,302 oz. 133,680 13,562 7,501 oz. 123,054 11,933 6,054 Total 115,165 154,743 141,041 Industry : Chemical Electrical .., Dental •Jewellery Miscellaneous per cent. 41 25 17 12 5 per cent. 7 19 14 56 4 per cent. 10 19 11 57 3 Total 100 100 100 The high percentage of the consumption in the chemical industry in 1918 was due chiefly to war requirements of sulphuric acid made by the contact process, in which platinum is used as a ca,talyzing agent. War demands accounted also for the large consumption of platinum for electrical purposes in that year- The war having ended in November, 1918, the use of platinum in jewellery soon increased greatly, the percentage so consumed in "the United States in that and the following year exceeding the •combined consumption of all the other industries using the metal. It will be noticed that the consumption of platinum, palladium and iridium in the United States in 1920 decreased by approxi- mately 9 per cent, from the consumption in 1919, although showing an increase of 20' 4 per cent, as compared with 1918. The use of palladium-gold alloys for jewellery diminished in 1920, this industry consuming in that year only about one-third the qu'antity of palladium used in 1919. 71 Stocks of Platinum Metals in the United States* The foUowing table shows the stocks of platinum metals held in the United States at 31st December of each year of the period 1918-1920, as reported by refiners and dealers in those metals. The increase of more than 55 per cent, shown at the end of 1920, as compared with 1919, was due not only to lessened consump- tion, but also to increased imports. Quantity : Oz. troy Y*ear. Metal. Unmanufac- , tured. Manufac- tured articles. Total. 1918 Platinum Iridium Palladium Total Platinum Iridium Palladium Other Total Platinum Iridium Palladium Total 17,740 2,259 7,141 33,764 965 2,945 51,504 3,224 10,086 27,140 37,674 64,814 1919 21,720 2,970 8,540 42 7,508 389 1,695 568 29,228 3,359 10,235 610 33,272 10,160 43,432 1920 40,467 3,988 14,907 6,280 208 1,658 46,747 4,196 16,565 59,362 8,146 67,508 Chile Beach deposits containing gold and platinum occurring on the island of Chiloe, off the coast of Chile, have recently been described, t This island is about 100 miles in length from north to south, and has an average width of about 30 miles, its northern end being only a short distance from the mainland. Gold-bearing gravels appear to have been worked by the Spajiiard^ on the Rio Gajnboa, near Castro, on the east coast of the island, more than a century ago, but the gold- and platinum- bearing black saoid beaches on the west coast did not attract attention until 1890. Most of the work done on these beaches has been on a small scale. The auriferous and platiniferous black sands consist of quartz, olivine, zircon, garnet, and other silicates, with magnetite, ilmenite, and haematite as the heavier constituents. The deposits are considered to have resulted from the erosion of the basic • J. M. Hill, loc. cit. f F. Mella, Black-sand Deposits of the Island of Chiloe; Eng. Mm. Journ., New York, 1921, 111, 497-501. 36648 D 2 72 igneous rocks of the higher Cordilleras of the South American continent, from which they were transported to the sea by streams when the island was still part of the mainland. The proportion of black sands on the various beaches varies from a trace to as high as 50 per cent, of the deposit. Platinum is only found in appreciable quantities from Tablaruca beach southwards, the richest samples coming from Lavaderos beach, situated near the extreme south-western point of the island. The gold, which occurs in thin scales, is about 950 fine, pieces weighing up to IJ milligram being not uncommon on the southern beaches,' although the gold is much more finely divided in the northern deposits. Samples of the richest streak of sand at Lavaderos be«ch indi- cate a value of from 20 to 30 grains of platinum per cubic yard, the clean metal containing about 10 per cent, of iridium. An attempt is now being made to exploit the Lavaderos beach with a steam-operated drag-line scraper, but no information as to results is as yet available.. Colombia Colombia is the second largest producer of platinum in the world, Eussia ranking first. Gold was first discovered in this country by Europeans in 1537, in placers occurring in gulches and rivers draining areas contain- ing primary gold deposits ; and for many years the occurrence of gold and platinum in the same placer deposits has been known. The actual working of the deposits for platinum dates from 1778. The economically important occurrences of the metal are prac- tically restricted to the south-central part of the intendencia of Choco, a long strip of territory to the west of the departments of Antioquia and Caldas. The productive platinum districts have most recently been described by J. Ovalle.* Platinum is found in the Choco region, near the western frontier of the republic, at altitudes varying from 1,500 feet upwards. The platinum region extends all along the Atrato river and its head-waters, and along the valley of the Cauca river as far south as ihe Colombia-Ecuador frontier. The richest districts lie at the head-waters of the Atrato ^ver and along the Saji Juan river and its tributary, the Condoto, most of the Colombian production coming from the Quibdo (Atrato) district. Much of the platinum credited in the past, however, to the Atrato river is believed to have been actually recovered from the Condoto. In the Condoto river district, which has been an important producer, platinum predominates over gold in the alluvial ground, the percentage of the former being about 96 per cent, that of the combined metals. In the Quibdo deposits, gold 'predominates, * Platinum in Colombia, Eng. Min. Journ., New York, 1920, 110 907-908. ' 73 '•he platinum content being only from 10 to 15 per cent, of the combined metals. On account of the broken nature of the ground and the dense covering of jungle in the Condoto river district, the extent and possible future production of this platinum- bearing section of the country cannot be at all closely estimated. Near the head-waters of the Quito river, in the Choco-Quibdo district, another producing section is now being actively exploited with promise of increased production. The Atrato river is about 300 miles in length, and is navigable by steamers for about two-thirds of its course. It empties into the gulf of Uraba (or Darien) through numerous mouths, and, for its drainage area (24,000 square miles), is stated to have a larger discharge than any other river in the world, this being due to very heavy rainfall. The bars at its principal mouths are covered by only 5 or 6 feet of water, but the main channel for about 100 miles inland has a depth of from 40 to 70 feet, and a width ranging from 750 to 1,000 feet. At Quibdo, 220 miles inland, it has a depth of from 8 to 20 feet, and a width of 850 feet. The Atrato is navigable by steamers as far as the confluence of the San Pablo and Certigui rivers, a distance of about 30 miles above Quibdo. The San Juan Eiver has a length of 245 miles, but, with its numerous affluents, some 300 miles of navigable waters. The main river, which empties into the Pacific Ocean through several mouths, is navigable for 140 miles by small steamers, although navigation is gi-eatly hindered by bars at the mouths covered by only 6 or 7 feet of water. The width of the main chaainel varies from 300 to 1,200 feet, and the system has a larger discharge than any other South American river flowing into the Pacific. The platinum recovered in Colombia has generally been recovered from the sand and substratum of present small stream channels, Careful investigation in recent years has proved the existence of platinum-gold alluvial deposits covering a total area of more than 5,000 square miles, many of those in the Chocd district being suitable for dredging and others for hydraulicing. In 1915 it was estimated that the reserves of gravel in the pro- ductive areas held by British and American companies amounted to 336 million cubic yards, of which 68 million cubic yards could be considered as proved ground capable of being worked at a profit under the existing conditions. According to T. Ospina, director of the School of Mines, Colombia,* the platinum, although found most abundantly in the beds of present streams, occurs also in a conglomerate of Tertiary age, which appears to have been laid down in a basin whose upper surface is now about 1,600 feet above sea-level. Platinum is found in the streams only where this conglomerate has been eroded, their beds being barren above the areas under- lain h\ that formation. The stream deposits are re-concentra- 2nd Pan-American Sci. Congress, Washington, D.C., January 3, 1916. 74 tions from the older gravels. The Tertiary conglomerate is cx>mposed of boulders of basic rocks, aanong which dolerite, " melaphyre," peridotite, and dunite have been recognized. These boulders were derived from the breaking down of a series of rocks of Jurassic and Triassic age, which are of widespread occurrence on the western side of the central range of the Colombian Andes. Production of Platinum from Placers in Colombia The total production of platinum in Colombia since 1778 has been estimated at more than 700,000 oz. Most of the platinum recovery has been obtained irregularly by crude native methods (ground-sluicing and panning), but in recent years British and Ainerican capital has been attracted to the platinum region, and dredging-plants operated by steam-power or (as in the case of the No. 2 dredge of the South American Grold and Platinum Corporation) bj' internal combustion engines have been installed in such locaJities as aa'e suitable for exploitation by that method. It is to the adoption of dredging that the Colombian platinum industry owes its recent progress and its promising outlook. The Choco district has shown a steadily increasing output of platiniun in recent years, rising from about 10,000 crude oz. in 1910, and 12,000 crude oz. in 1911 and 1912, to about 35,000 crude oz. in 1920. The prevalence of fever in the district has somewhat handicapped operations, especially as regards white labour, but, with proper sanitary precautions, this condition should become a less serious factor in large-scale undertakings. The production of platinum in Colombia during the period under review was as follows* : — Quantity Year (crude oz.) 1913 15,000 1914 17,500 1915 18,000 1916 25,000 1917 32,000 1918 35,000 1919 35,000 1920 35,000 Colombian crude platinum is estimated to have a fineness of from 84 to 85 per cent. Under the present mining laws of Colombia, concessions for the working of platiniferous deposits are limited to 3'86 square miles and are granted for 26 years. They are apparently granted only to Colombians, but can be transferred to aliens with the consent of the Government. Active mining must be commenced within two years of the grant. The Government * Estimates by J. M. Hill, loc. cit. 75 has the right to 15 per cent, of the gross receipts. In July 1919 an export duty on platinum at the rate of 5 per cent ad valorem w;u=i imposed. Exports of Platinum from Colo)nbia* The following table shows how the exports of placer platiniun Irom Colombia, have more or lesfi regularly increased during recent years, and how the price of the metal appreciated during tt\6 years of the war period covered :— (-Quantity Average value Year. (f>z. troy) per oz. 1906 6,791 3-75 1907 9,343 3-92 1908 8,605 2-78 1909 8,773 3-67 1910 13,664 3-97 1911 15,513 3-30 1912 28,140 4-40 1913 18,332 6-64 1914 16,917 6-62 1915 19,490 587 1916 26,603 12-80 The qua,.ntities of platinum received annually from Colombia by the United States, the chief market for the product for maay years past, are shovm in the table on p. 69. ASIA. Japan Platinum is produced in this country only in the island of Hokkaido, the principal producing districts being situated along the rivers Yubari and Uriu. The metal occurs with gold and iron in alluvial sands, and is usually accompanied by a large pro- portion of osmiridium. The osmiridium found in the sands of the Yubari river is stated to be of good grain-size and quaJity. According to determinations made by the Japanese Imperial Geological Survey, the specific gravity of the osmiridium of the Pechan river, in the Esashi mining district of Hokkaido, is 22"276, while that of the platinum of Usotanni, in the same district, is 21-509. The quantity of platinum found in the Pechan is said to be only from 2 to 3 per cent- of the osmiridium-content of the sands. The metal occurs in flattened grains, the largest of which weighs less than J dwt. * i'vmcrcio Exterior de la Bepublica de lolumbia: Bogota. 1916. The weights are conversions from kilograms, and the values from U.S. dollars at the rate of $1 = 4«. 2d. 76 The parent rock from which the platinum metals found in: Hokkaido have been derived has not yet been definitely ascer,-^ tained, but olivine rooks and serpentine are stated to exist in the upper parts of the rivers in which alluvial platinum is found. It is believed that more careful investigation would lead to the discovery of richer platinum deposits in Hokkaido. Platinum deposits, in association with gold and iron sand, are known also in Nishi-Mikawa, island of Sado, the platinum oc(?urring in very minute grains. Production of Platinum Metals in Japan The production of platinum metals in Japan has never been large, and no statistics are available showing the output prior to 1916. The production during and since that year has been ofi&ciaJly reported as follows* : — Quantity Value Year (oz. trov) (.£) 1916 69 ' 461 1917 126 1,087 1918 51 949 1919 154 4,765 Imports of Platinufn into Japan The following quantities of platinum in various forms have been imported into Japan during recent years : — Quantity Year (oz. troy) 1917 2,034 1918 '282 1919 817 Netherlands-India (Dutch East Indies) Borneo. — Platinum was first discovered in Borneo in 1831,- and metals of the group appear to be rather widely distributedi throughout the island, although rarely formd in importajit: quantities. The rare mineral laurite (a sulphide of ruthenium containing about 65 per cent, of that metal and 3 per cent, of Qsmium) was first found in the platinuin sand of Borneo. The best-known platinum occurrences are in the gold- and diamond-bearing gravels of certain streams in the Tanah-Laut and Martapura regions of South-Bastern Borneo, where; platinum, osmiridium, and ruthenium have been found in the alluvials. The richest deposits occur at Gunong-Lawak, near the boundary of the two regions, where the gold concentrates- obtained by washing contain about IG per cent, of platinum., In the deposits worked chiefly for diamonds, the platinum occurs in nearly the same proportion as the gold. * Agricultural and Oommercial Statistics, Tokyo. 77 Cry8t;il8 and grains of the metal are seldom met with in \Vcsiorii or South-Eiistern Borneo, tlie platinum being generally found in thin scales, ranging in length from 01 to 1"0 millimetre. These scales are stated to contain, amongst other usual metals, copper varying up to 4^ per cent., evidently as an alloy. The streams in which the gold-j)latinum gravels occur u\ South-Eastem Borneo have their origin in the rocks of the Bobarifi mountains, which consist of crystaUine schists and gneiss intnided and serpentinized by basic dykes (ohvine-gabbro, diorite, etc.), the gravels derived from these rocks containing olivine and <'hroinite. Java. — Platinum has been found in minute quantities in auri- ferous black sands along the seashore neai- Tjilatjaj) (Biinjaema-s), but the economic value of these deposits has not yet been determined. SuiiKitra. — An occurrence of ])latinum in vvollastonite (a silicate tJ' calcium formed by the alteration of limestone by igneous in- trusions) in Western Suuuitra has iieen described by Ij. Hundeshagen.* The deposit, which contains gold as well a^ small quantities of platinum, is situated near the high roiul, at Singenggoe river, west of the village of Moeara Sipongi (Tapanoeli), about :i5 miles from the coast. It is coniposetl chiefly of grossularite, a lime-alumina garnet. In former times it was mined for gold by the natives. The ore-deposit is considered to have been originally a layer, or a big lens, of Carboniferous limestone imbedded in the old schists of the region and altered by ^ranodioritic intrusions into garnet and wollastonite , the mineralization being due to hot solutions carrying copper, gold, platinum, etc. The almost horizontal but undulating zone of contact between the granodiorites and the limestone has been disclosed by ancient and recent workings, which have also exposed some long branche-- of diorite and wollastonite. The more recent auriferous garnet and wollastonite contact deposits occurring mostly at a distance of 5 to 9 miles from the Singenggoe ore-deposit ai)[)ear never to carry platinum metals, although they frequently contain copper, and sometiiaes traces of nickel and cobalt. A sample of slightly decomposed wollastonite, with only minute traces of copper, proved to be the richest in platinum, the assav showing about 35 dwt. of platinum, 2-1 dwt. of gold, and 11 dwt. of silver per short ton, whereas selected samples with from -2 to 10 per cent, of bornite and malachite contained much higher gold and silver values, but only traces of platinum. Auriferous garnet i^oor in wollastonite appears to contam nc. platinum At a few yards from the outcrop, the concentrated river siind shows small particles of whitish cnstalhne gold and rounded grains of white platinum, the latter varymg m size from 0-1 to 0'3 milhmetre. Trans. Inst. Min. !Mct., London, 1904, 13, 550-552. 78 Production of Platinum in Netherlands -India The combined production of crude platinum in Borneo and Sumatra for 1909 has been estimated at 500 oz. troy, and for 1910 at 200 oz. No output appears to have been pubUshed for 1911, but there was an estimated production of about 200 oz. in 1912. For 1913 a production of 57 kilograms (183 oz.), and for 1917 of- 20 kilograms (64 oz.), has been reported.* No output appears to have been recorded for the period 1914-1916. Later inforaiation is not available. REFERENCES TO TECHNICAL LITERATURE GENERAL Search for platinum, by G. S. Scott; Min. Sci. Press, 1915, Aug. 21, pp. 270-272. Le platine et la guerre, by J. Vichniak; La Nature, 1916, September 9. Platinum aepoeits of the world, by J. M. Hill; U.S. Commerce Repts., Wa-shington, D.C., 1917, April 23. Recovery of platinum in gold dredging, by J. W. Neill; Min. Sci. Press, 1917, 115, 825-827. Platinum; U.S. Bur. Mines, Monthly Repts. of Investigations, 1919, October, 5 pp. The platinum situation, by J. M. Hill; Eng. Min. Journ., 1919, 108, 131-137. Bibliography of the metals of the platinum group, by J. L. Howe and H. C. Holtz; U.S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 694, 1919, 454 pp. Concentration of platinum in placer mining, by K. C. Laylander; Min. Sci. Press, 1919, 119, 883-884. Geology of platinum deposits, by W. L. Uglow; Eng. Min. Journ., 1919, 108, 352-355, 390-393. Le Platine et les Gites Platiniferes de I'Oural et du Monde, T>y L. Duparc and M. N. Tikonowitch; Goneva, 1920, 542 pp. with bibliography. Neue Mitteilungen und Arbeiten iiber das Platin, by S. Halen; Edel-Erden, 1921, 2, 57-59. OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION AND MINING BRITISH EMPIRE Rhodesia The occurrence of platinum in Southern Rhodesia, by A. E. V. Zealley; Geol. Surv., Salisbury, S. Rhodesia, Short Rept. 3, 1918, 6 pp. The mineral resources of Rhodesia, by F. P. Mennell; S. Afr. Journ. Ind., 1918, 1, 1308. Platinum metals in the Somabula diamondiferous gravels, by H. B. Maufe; Geol. Surv. S. Rhodesia, Short Rept. 5, 1919, 1 p. The geology of the diamond-bearing gravels of the -Somabula Forest, by A. M. Macgregor, with notes by A. E. V. Zealley; Geol. Surv. S. Rhodesia, Bull. 8, 1921, pp. 35-36. * ZeiU. f. prakt. Geol., April 15, 1920, 36. 79 Union op South Afric\ Plat^um occurrencea in the Uniin; S. Afr. Min. Eng. Journ., 1920 Canada An investigation of certain Canadian platinum and manganese resources, by G. C. Mgckenzie; Trans. Can. Min. Inst., 1919, 22, 305-319 ,nirP°''* °^ *'^® Munition Resources Commission; Toronto, Canada 1920, pp. 134-147. ' Possibilities for platinum in Western Canada, by W. L T'glow Bull Can Min. Inst., No. 95, 1920, pp. 207-220. Investigations in Western Nova Scotia, by E. R. Faribault: G«ol. Surv Canada, Summ. Rept., 1918, Pt. F, pp. 1-4. Platinum in Nova Scotia; Ann. Rept. on Mines, Nova Scotia, 1918, p. 50. Report of the Ontario Bureau of Mines; Toronto, Canada, 1913 1914 1920. ) . . Report of the Royal Ontario Nickel Commission ; Toronto, 1917, pp. 481- 486. Occurrence of palladium and platinum in Sudbury nickeliferous ores, by Q. P. Kunz; Trans. Amer. Inst. Min. Eng., 1918, 59, 57-58. Douglas gqjd-platinum gravels, North Saskatchewan River, Alberta, by W. L. Uglow; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 185-193. Report of the Minister of Mines; Victoria, B.C. (Annual). Geology and mineral deposits of the Tulameen district, B.C., by C. Cam- sell; Geol. Surv. Canada, Memoir 26, 1913, pp. 131-146, 153-155. Investigation of alleged platinum discoveries in the \icinity of Nelson, B.C., by A. W. G. Wilson; Mines Branch Canada, Summ. Rept. for 1913, pp. 26-27. Platinum investigations in British Columbia, by C. Camsell; Geol. Surv. Canada, Summ. Rept., 1918, Pt. B, pp. 38-30. Platinum at Mt. Ida, near Salmon Arm, Eamloops mining division, British Columbia, by W. F. Ferrier; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 183-185. Platinum resources of the Tulameen district, British (Columbia, by G. C. Mackenzie; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 147-154. The sampling of some platinum-bearing lodes and placers in British Columbia, by W. Thomlinson ; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 161-182. Amalgamation tests by a new method on platinum-gold concentrates from the Bullion mine, Cariboo district, British Columbia, by W. B. Timm ; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 155-156. An investigation of an alleged occurrence of platinum on the Peace River, B.C., by W. L. Uglow; Final Rept. Munition Resources Commission, Toronto, Canada, 1920, pp. 156-160. 80 India Records of the Geological Survey of India; Calcutta, India (Annual and' Quinquennial). Note on the mineral production of Burma; Office of Superintendent, Government Printing, Rangoon, Burma (1916-1919). Australia Report of the Department of Mines; Sydney, New South Wales (Annual). An occurrence of platinum, palladium and iridium in copper ore, by J. C. H. Mingaye; Rec. Geol. Surv. New South Wales, 1916, 9, 127.' Rich platinum find near Fifield, by M. Morrison; Dept. Mines New South Wales, Ann. Rept. for 1918, p. 161. The East Walhalla copper and platinum mine, by A. M. Howitt; Rec. Geol. Surv. Victoria, 1917, 4, Pt. 1, 74-77. Queensland industrial minerals: platinum group metals, by B. Dunstan; Queens. Govt. Min. Journ., 1921, 22, 17-20, 51-55, 95-100 with_ bibliography. Osmiridium "in Papua, by E. R. Stanley; Govt, of the Commonwealth of Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Ann. Rept. of Dept. of Lands, Mines and Agriculture, Papua, for 1920-1921, pp. 91-84! ^he Bald Hill osmiridium field, by W. H. Twelvetrees; Dept. Mines, 'V Hobart, Tasmania, Geol. Surv. Bull. 17, 1914, 41 pp. The Stanley River tin field, by L. L. Waterhouse; Dept. Mines Tasmania, Geol. Surv. Bull. 15, 1914, pp. 118-120. review of the osmiridium mining industry of Tasmania, by C. Brown; Ann. Rept. of the Secretary for Mines, Hobart, Tasmania, for 1918, pp. 133-144. Jsmiridium in Tasmania, by A. M. Reid; Dept. Mines Tasmania, G«ol. Surv. Bull. 32, 1921, 123 pp. New Zeal.4Nd Statement by the Minister of Mines ; Wellington, New Zealand, 1917, Appendix A, p. 22. The geology and mineral resources of the Buller-Mokihinui sjib-division, Westport division, by P. G. Morgan and J. A. Bartrum; Dept. Mines New Zealand, Geol. Surv. Branch, Bull. 17 (New Series), 1915, p. 122. FOREIGN COUNTRIES Germany Die platinverdachtigen Lagerstatten im deutschen Paleozoicum,- by P. Krusch; Metall u. Erz, 1914, 11, 545-553. See also translation by F. S. Schmidt; Min. Sci. Press, 1914, 109, 879-881. Deutschen Platinfunden, interview with Beyschlag; abstr. Metall u! Erz, 1919, 16, 577-578. Platinum deposits in Germany; Weltwirtechafts-Zeit., 1919, June 3. Gold and platinum in Germany; Schweiz. Chem.-Zeit., 1920, April 17. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1920, 39, 238R. Mikroskopischer Nachweis von Platin und Gold in den Si^erlander Grauwaoken, by Schneiderhohn ; Metall u. Erz, 1920, 17, pp. 511-514. Russia The occurrence of platinum in the Urals, by E. de Hautpick; Min. Journ., 1913, September 20. Sur I'origine du platine contenu dans les alluvions de certains affluents lateraux de la Koswa, by L. Duparc; Comptes-Rendus de I'Acad. des Sciences, 1913, 156, 411. ' Alluvial mining in the Urals, by J. P. Hutchins; Mining Mag., 1914, 10, 52-62. / 81 The Russian platinum industry ; Special supplement to the budget estimate of the Mining Dept. of Russia for 1916, Petrograd, 1915. Dredging for platinum in the Kytlim Valley, Russia, by R. S, tiotsford; Min. Sii. Press, 1915, February 27, pp. 327-329. Sur I'analyse de quelques platines de I'Oural, hy J. Koifmann; Archives des Sciences Phys. Nat., 1915 (iv), 40, 22-38. Lr' platine et les gites platiniferes de I'Oural, by L. Duparc; Bull. Hoc. Ing. Civils de France, 1916, Jan. -March, pp. 88-134. Platinum production of Russia, by A. R. Merz; Journ. Ind. Eng. Chem., 1918, 10, 920-925. New method of analysing platinum ores ; composition of native platinums from the Urals, hy L. Duparc; Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1919, 2, 324-337. Short ahstr. Journ. S(x. Chem. Ind., 1919, 38, 822A. Mining conditions in Russia, hy R. 8. Botsford; Eng. Min. Journ., 1920, 109, 70-74. The production of precious metals in Russia, hy P. A. Ivanotf; Russian Economist, No. 1, 1920, pp. 29-32. Spain Resultado practice del estudio petrografico de la Serrania de Ronda, by D. de Orueta ; Inst. Ing. Civiles, Madrid, 1915. Platinum in Spain, hy T. C. Earl; Min. Journ., 1915, 111, 860. Etude comparee des gites platiniferes de la Sierra de Ronda et de I'Oural, by L. Duparc and A. Grosset ; Mem. de la Soc. de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve, 1916, 38, No. 5. Platinum in Spain, by P. Gillman ; Trans. Inst. Mm. Mpt., 1916-1917, 26, 194-195. Le platine espagnol, by L. de Launay; La Nature, 1916, June 10, pp. 374-376. Sur la presence du platine en Espagne, hy D. de Orueta and S. Pina de Rubies; Comptes Rendus de I'Acad. des Sciences, 1916, 162, 45-46. Estudio geologico y petrografico de la Serrania de Ronda, by D. de Orueta; Memorias del Inst. Geol. de Esparia, 1917. Platinvorkommen in Spanien; Edel-Erden u. -Erze, 1, No. 3. Informe sohre el reconocimiento de la Serrania de Ronda, by D. de Orueta; Bol. Inst. Geol. de Espaiia, Madrid, 1919, 20, Second Series, 201-331. Madagascar Sur les sables noirs de Madagascar et leur pretendue richesse en platine, hy L. Duparc; Archives des Sciences Phys. Nat., 1914, 37, 37. See also 38, 401. Le platine k Madagascar, hy A. Lacroix; Bull, de la Soc. Fran^aise de Mineralogie, 1918, 41, 98-99. United States The mineral resources of the United States; U.S. Geol. Surv., Washington, D.C. (Annual). Notes on the hlack sand deposits of southern Oregon and northern California; U.S. Bur. Mines, Techn. Paper 196, 1918, 37 pp. and hibliography. Our mineral supplies: platinum, by J. M. Hill; U.S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 666, 1919, pp. 35-38 and bihliography. Mineral resources of Alaska; U.S. Geol. Sui-v., Bulls. 662, 692, 712, 1918-1920. ^. „ , ^ Placer mining on Seward Peninsula, by J. B. Mertie; I .^. Geol. !>urv., Bull. 662, 1918, p. 458. Palladium in Alaskan lode deposits, by D. G. Campbell; Mm. ^ » . Separation of palladium from platinum, by A. M. Smoot; Osterr. Zoits. f. Berg- u. Hiittenwesen, 1914, 62, 578. Short abstr. Journ. Inst. Metals, 1915, 14, 258. Separation of gold and platinum from other metak, by A. Christensen; Zeits. f. anal. Chemie, 1915, 54, 158-159. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1915, 34, 1274. Process for the commercial recovery of platinum from black sands, by T. W. Gruetter; Min. Sci. Press, 1915, 111, 698-699; 1916, 113, 20-21. Determination of platinum, palladium and gold in ores, by A. M. Smoot; Eng. Min. Journ., 1915, 99, 700-701. Volatilization of platinum, by G. K. Burgess and R. G. Waltenberg; U.S. Bur. Standards, Sci. Paper 280, 1916, 9 pp. See also Journ. Ind. Eng. Chem., 1916, 8, 487-490. American methods of melting and welding platinum, by C. M. Hoke ; Metal Industry, 1916, Sept. 29, pp. 373-374; Dec. 1, pp. 613-615. New method of precipitating platinum sulphide and analysis of platinised asbestos, by V. N. Ivanov; Journ. Russian Phys.-Chem. Soc., 1916, 48, 627-529. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1917, 36, 290. A rapid method of converting scrap platinum into chloroplatinic acid, by J. B. Tingle and A. Tingle; Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1916, 35, 77. Solubility of ammonium chloroplatinate, bromoplatinate, and chloroiridate and the separation of platinum and iridium, by E. H. Archibald and J. W. Kern ; Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, 1917-1918 (iii), 11, 7-16. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1919, 38, 40A. A method for improving the extraction of platinum from low-grade con- centrate, by V. J. Zachert; Min. Sci. Press, 1918, 117, 489-490. Process of recovering platinum, by C. A. Logan; Min. Sci. Press, 1918, December 21, pp. 819-820. Obtention du platine pur, ses propri^tes. Oonductibilite electrique des alliages du platine avec des m^taux appartenant au groupe de platine. Materiaux relatifs a I'^tude des richesses naturelles de Russie, by S. F. Jemtchoujny; Edition de la Commission de I'Acad. dee Sciences, chargee de I'etude des richesses naturelles de la Russie. Abstr. Revue de Metallurgies 1920, 17, No. 4, extraits, 142-143. The estimation of small quantities of gold, silver and the platinum metals in material high in copper, by C. W. Davis; U.S. Bur. Mines, Repts. of Investigations, Serial No. 2228, March, 1921, 5 pp. Die Elektrometallurgie und Elektrochemie der seltenern Metalle in den letzten Jahren, bv F. Peters; Gliickauf, 1921, 57, 56-57. ALLOYS AND USES Osmium as catalyst in the technical preparation of ammonia from its elements, by F. Haber and R. Le Rossignol; Zeits. f. Elektrochemie, 1913, 19, 53-72. Abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1913, 32, 134-138. The alloys of palladium and nickel, by F. Heinrich; Zeits. f. anorg. Chemie, 1913, 83, 322-327. Action of aqueous hypophosphite solutions on platinum salts; a contribu- tion to the knowledge of colloidal platinum, by A. Sieverts; Zeit. Chem. Ind. Kolloide, 1913, 12, 263-268. Abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1913, 32, 599. „ ^- u Suitable apparatus for reduction with colloidal platinum or palladium, by O Stark; Bericht, 1913, 46, 2335-2336. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1913, 32, 840. 84 Osmium-platinum, a new alloy, by P. Zimmermannj Amer. Electrocheml- Soc. ; Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1913, 32, 1072. Determ-ination of iridium in platinum-iridium alloys, by C. O. Bannister and E. A. Du Vergier; Analyst, 1914, 39, 340-346. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1914, 33, 922. Platinum plating, by G. Nikolaus; Elektrochem. Zeits., 1914, 21, 193-195, Methods for testing the purity of platinum ware, by G. K. Burgess and P. D. Sale; U.S. Bur. Standards, Sci. Paper 254, 1915, 28 pp. Activation of hydrogen and oxygen by platinum, by J. Eggert; Zeits.' f. Elektrochemie, 1915, 21, 349-352. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1915, 34, 1090. Sur les alliages d'argent et de platine et sur I'analyse des dite, by J, Koifmann; Archives des Sciences Phys., 1915, 40, 509-513. Catalytic actions of colloidal metals of the platinum group, by C. Paal and others; Bericht, 1915, 48. Catalytic activity of palladium, by A. Sieverts and E. Peteirs; Zeits. f. physik. Chemie, 1916, 91, 199. Abstr. Journ. Inst. Metals, 1916, 16, 224. Palladium-gold crucibles as platinum substitutes; Met. Chem. Eng., 1917, 16, 533. Abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1917, 36, 670. New alloys to replace platinum : Rhotanium, by P. A. Fahrenwald ; Journ. Ind-. Eng. Chem., 1917, 9, 590-597. Platinum substitute (platinum-gold alloy), by I. L. B. van der Marck; Pharm. Weekblad, 1918, 55, 149-151." Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1918, 37, 244a. Precipitation of colloidal gold and platinum on metallic surfaces, by E. B. Spear and K. D. Kahn ; Journ. Amer. Chem. Soc, 1918, 40,. 181-184. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1918, 37, 127a. War-time substitutes for platinum in France, by A. Breton ; La Nature, Paris, 1919, Pt. 1, pp. 366-367. Data on platinum gauze used as catalyst for the oxidation of ammonia,., by A. A. Campbell; Journ. Ind. Eng. Chem., 1919, 11, 468-469. The effect of cooling burner gases on the catalytic action of platinum in sulphuric acid contact plants, by S. T. T. Geary; Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1919, 38, 133T-136T. Comparative tests of Palau and Rhotanium ware as substitutes for platinum laboratory utensils, by L. J. Gurevich and E. Wichers; Journ. Ind. Eng. Chem., 1919, 11, 570-573. Catalysis of hydrogen and oxygen mixtures at the ordinary temperature by moistened contact substances ; II, Platinum metals as hydrogen carriers, by K. A. Hofmann and L. Zipfel; Bericht, 1920, 35, 296-314. Short abstr. Journ. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1920, 39, 265A-266A. The influence of lead on the catalytic activity of platinum, by E. B. Maxted; Journ. Chem. Soc, 1920, 117 and 118, 1501-1506. The influence of mercury, sulphur, arsenic and zinc on the catalytic activity of platinum, by E. B. Maxted; Journ. Chem. Soc, 1921, 119 and 120, 225-233. Use of gold-palladium alloy for crucibles, by H. S. Washington; Journ Washington Acad. Science, 1921, 11, 9-13. Abstr. Journ Chem Soc, 1921, 119 and 120, ii, 194-195. (35648) Wt. 28402-94/1158 1250 3/22 H.St. (T.S. Ps. 662) Q, 36. IMPERIAL MINERAL RESOURCES BUREAU. ' Tlie following is a list of the Official Publications (all prices are net, and tb^ose in parentheses include postage) :— ^ RbPoets on the Mineral Industby of the Beitish Empibb and Foreign Countries. (Wab Period, 1913-19.) Aluminium and Bauxite . (1921) Price 9d. (lOJd.) Antimony ;.. . (1921) Is. (Is. lid.) Arsenic ... ..; . (1920) 6d. (7d.) , Asbestos . (1921) Is. (Is. l^d;) Barium Minerals . 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