Political and commercial geology and the world's mineral resources
Science
Political and commercial geology and the world's mineral resources
Geology, Economic; Mines and mineral resources
The deposits of Morocco and Algeria are nearly all near the north
coast, and the ores are shipped from various small ports, such as
Melilla, Benisaf, Arzeu, Algiers, Bougie, and Bona. The deposits of
Tunisia are 180 to 200 kilometers southwest of Tunis, the shipping
port, with which they are connected by rail.
The principal mines of El Riff, Morocco, are owned by the Sociedad
Española de Minas de Riff. German interests, the “Netta Company,” held
a large concession, but since the war these interests are controlled by
the Company of Bilbao.
The North African deposits are important as a source of high-grade
low-phosphorus ore for European blast furnaces. All of the ore produced
is exported, the annual shipments amounting to about 1,500,000 tons.
=Cuba.=--There are two principal groups of iron-ore deposits in
Cuba--the magnetite and hematite ore on the south coast, and the brown
ore, or limonite, on the north coast. All are near the eastern end of
the island. The ores of Firmeza and Daiquiri, on the south coast, are
mixed magnetite and hematite, averaging about 58 per cent. iron and
0.03 per cent. phosphorus. They are associated with igneous rocks.
A determination of tonnage is difficult because of the irregularity
of the ore bodies, and estimates of reserves range from 5 million to
9 million tons. The brown ore of the north shore is hydrated brown
hematite, a laterization product of serpentine. The dried ore averages
about 46 per cent. iron, 0.01 per cent. phosphorus, and 1.7 per cent.
chromium. The reserve tonnage, estimated as high as 3,000 million tons,
is mainly contained in the three large deposits of Camaguey, Mayari,
and Moa.
The principal deposits of Cuba are owned and operated by the Bethlehem
Steel Co. Important undeveloped deposits are owned by the Buena
Vista Iron Co. (Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co.), United States Steel
Corporation, Guantanamo Exploration Co., and Eastern Steel Co.
=Newfoundland.=--The principal iron ores of Newfoundland are bedded
oolitic hematites, which average 50 per cent. to 52 per cent. in
metallic iron. The ore reserves of Newfoundland have been estimated as
between 3,250 million and 3,500 million tons, making them among the
largest and by far the most compact iron-ore reserves in the world. The
output of ore has been 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 tons annually, except
during the war, when the production decreased. These deposits are
important on account of both their size and their situation. Ore can
be placed readily in American or European ports at a cost far lower
per unit of iron than any competitive ore, so that the market is
practically unlimited.
The ores have been mainly exported to Sydney, Nova Scotia, and to
Philadelphia, while about 10 per cent. has gone to Holland (Germany).
The phosphorus content is too high for normal economic basic
open-hearth practice if the ores are used alone, but not too high for
foundry use or for the basic Bessemer process developed in Europe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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