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~ Selected Annotated 

= i Bibliography of Thorium ~ 

I and Rare-Earth Deposits J 1 in the United States 

] Including Alaska 

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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1019-F 

This compilation was done on behalf of 

the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission 

and is published with the permission of 

the Commission 
Selected Annotated 

Bibliography of Thorium 

and Rare-Earth Deposits 

in the United States 

Including Alaska 

By KATHARINE L. BUCK 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1019-F 

Including references to Septe·mber 1954. 

This compilation was done on behalf of 

the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission 

and is published with the permission of 

the Commission 

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

FRED A. SEATON, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Thomas B. Nolan, Director 

:For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office 

Washin~ton 25, D, C, ~ Price 40 cents (paper cover) 
CONTENTS 

l'agc 

Introduction______________________________________________________ 517 

Uses--------------------------------------------------------- 517 

The industry and its problems__________________________________ 518 

Ore deposits___________________________________________________ 519 

Explanation of selected annotated bibliography, index, and index map_ 521 

Selected n,nnotatcd bibliography_____________________________________ 523 

Index____________________________________________________________ 537 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PrJA'l'1~ :3. Index map of thorium and rare-earth deposits in the United 

States ______________________________________________ In pocket 

Page 

FIG unE 1. Index map of thorium and rare-earth deposits in Alaska ___ ~__ 522 

III 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

SELECTED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THORIUM 

AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 

INCLUDING ALASKA 

By KA'l'HARINE L. BucK 

INTRODUCTION 

Thorium and rare-earth metals have come into strategic importance 

in this country in the last few years with. the potential use of thorium 

in the production of atomic power and the development of new uses 

for the rare earths in the aircraft industry. The United States was 

thought to be dependent upon foreign sources of these elements because 

its entire supply from uno to 1950 was imported, principally from 

India and Brazil. By 1951 the foreign supplies of monazite, the 

main ore of thorium and the rare earths, were seriously curtailed 

because of restrictions imposed by the producing countries on the 

exportation of fissionable 1naterials and their ores. In order to develop 

sources of these elements within the United States, a search has been 

n1ade which has resulted in a significant increase in the known reserves 

(U. S. Congress Documents, 1953, p. 211-219). 

The rare-earth metals are the elements ranging in atomic number 

from 57 to 71; they include lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethiurn, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, 

dysprosium, holmium, erbiun1, thulium, ytterbium, and lutecium. 

Yttrium, atomic no. 39, and scandium, no. 21, occur almost inseparably 

with the rare earths proper and are usually included in the group. 

Thorium, no. 90, also occurs with the rare earths in nature. 

USES 

The principal early use of rare earths and thorimn was in the manu· 

facture of incandescent gas mantles. Monazite was mined in the 

United States for this purpose from the 18VO's until 1911, when the 

tungsten lamp largely replaced the gas mantle. The manufacture of 

517 
518 CONTRIBU'.riONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

gas mantles is, however, still the main use o:£ thorium, although the 

amount consumed in such manufacture is decreasing. Thorium is 

now used in the filaments o:£ tlmgsten lamps, in radio tubes, in refractories, and in the chemical and medical industries. Pure thorium has 

recently been produced for experimental purposes and would probably 

have industrial use if it were in sufficient supply (U. S. Congress 

Documents, 1952, p. 112-113). The use of thorium in the manufacture of atomic energy is now in the planning stage (U.S. Atomic 

Energy Commission, 1954, p. 25), and it takes precedence over the 

development o:£ other new uses. 

The rare earths are more widely used than thorium in industry. 

Cerium compounds are used in the carbon-arc electrode cores of searchlights and motion-picture projectors. Mischmetal, a mixture of rare 

earths, is used in the sparking elements of cigarette lighters and, 

alloyed with copper, nickel, zinc, aluminum, and magnesium, in aircraft parts, gas turbines, and jet engines. Some of the rare earths are 

used in waterproofing, mothproofing, and n1ildew-proofing fabrics, 

in printing and dyeing, in the glass industry as coloring agents, polishing agents, and in the manufacture of certain special-purpose glasses. 

THE INDUSTRY AND ITS PROBLEMS 

The main ore mineral of thorium and the rare earths, monazite, 

occurs primarily in beach and river placer concentrations. In this 

country domestic placers have been mined for their monazite content 

alone only in the last 5 years and in the period 1893-1911. The monazite produced between these two periods has been a byproduct of the 

mining of other minerals, such as ilmenite or gold, and even now the 

economics of producjng monazite are complicated by the problen1 of 

marketing the byproduct minerals in order to reduce the overall cost 

of mining. 

Large deposits of bastnaesite, which have recently been discovered 

and may become the main source of rare earths in this country, interject another factor into the economics of production and use of rare 

earths and thorium. Bastnaesite contains an amount of thorium that 

is insignificant at current prices so that, if bastnaesite, instead of 

monazite, were to dominate as the rare-earth ore, byproduct production of thorium would drop considerably. 

There is a ready market for rare earths in this country, but domestic 

mining operations are insecure because of the threat of the return 

of foreign imports which would place the price below the domestic cost 

of mining. The profitable mining of monazite is dependent on the 

market for byproduct heavy minerals. This factor is especially important in the Idaho field. The market for thorium as such is limited. 
THORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 519 

Thorium is purchased in the mineral monazite, which is sold for arid 

graded on its combined rare-earth and thorium content. 

ORE DEPOSITS 

Monazite is the principal ore mineral of both thorium and the rare 

earths. In this country, thorite is an important potential ore mineral 

of thorium, and bastnaesite is an important ore mineral of the rare 

earths. Monazite is essentially a phosphate of cerium and lanthanum 

and contains small variable quantities of the other rare earths, thorium, 

silicon, uranium, and other elements. It commonly contains from a 

few percent to 10.6 percent thorium. Minable monazite deposits are 

found generally in placers, but monazite also occurs as an accessory 

mineral in many granitic rocks, which are the ultimate source of the 

placer concentrations. Commercial monazite contains from 55 to 65 

percent total rare-earth oxides plus thoria. 

Thorite is a silicate of thorium and contains from 25.2 to 62.7 percent thorium and as much as 9.0 percent uranium. Thorite or a hydrated thoritelike mineral is the main ore mineral of some of the vein 

deposits recently discovered in this country, notably those in the 

Westcliffe and Powderhorn districts of Colorado and the Lemhi Pass 

district of Idaho. It also occurs along with bastnaesite in similar 

deposits in the Mountain Pass district of California. 

Bastnaesite was a mineralogic curiosity until early in this decade 

when a large bastnaesite-barite deposit was discovered at M9untain 

Pass, Calif., and production began from a bastnaesite-fluorite deposit 

in the Gallinas Mountains of New J\iexico. Bastnaesite is a .fluocarbonate of the rare earths, primarily cerium and lanthanum, and <;!Ontains less than 1 percent uranium and thorium. 

Monazite is now being produced in the United States from the 

placers of the central Idaho region (Anonymous, 1949a, 1950a, 1952b, 

1954a, 1954e) and from the placer deposit of the National Lead Co., 

Jacksonville, Fla. (Mertie, 1953, p. 15), where it is produced as a byproduct of ilmenite mining. Monazite was mined from stream placers 

in western North and South Carolina in the late nineteenth a.nd early 

twentieth centuries for use in gas mantles. It has also been produced 

from a beach placer near Mineral City, Fla. (Santmyers, 1930, p. 11), 

and as a byproduct of the Climax molybdenum deposit of the Tenmile district, Colo. (Carlson and others, 1953, p. 11). Potential regions of monazite production are the drainage areas of the Idaho 

batholith in Idaho and Montana, the drainage areas of the western 

n.nd eastern monazite belts of the southeastern States as outlined by 

Mertie ( 1953, p. 15, 24-30) , and the drainage areas of the Tuscaloosa 

formation of the southeastern States (Mertie, 1953). Other districts 
522 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Type of depostt 

Productton category Vetn Modern 

placer 

Potential producer of thorium 

and (or) rare earths as the ~ 

principal product 

Potential producer of thorium 

and (or) rare earths as a () 

byproduct 

Abbreviations bestde the map symbols 

indicate the commo<lities as follows. 

Th Thorium and rare earths, 

RE thorium predominating 

Th Thorium only 

FIGURE 1.-Index map of thorium and rare-earth deposits in Alaska. 
THORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 523 

SELECTED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Abbott, A. •r., 1954, Monazite deposits in calcareous rocks, northern Lemhi 

County, Idaho: Idaho Bur. Mines and Geology Pamph. 99, 24 p. 

Between North Fork and Shoup, Idaho, immediately north of the Salmon 

River, several thin beds of marble are interbedded with the paragneisses and 

schists that belong to the vast assemblage of metamorphic rocks derived from 

the pre-Cambrian Belt series. Crystalline aggregates and disseminated crystals 

of the radioactive phosphate mineral monazite occur sporadically within the 

beds of marble. Other minerals .commonly associated with the monazite are 

actinolite, barite, siderite, apatite, ilmenite and magnetite. A genetic interpretation involves the migration of rare earth. elements during metamorphism of 

sandy, argillaceous sediments of the Belt series to a more compatible environment of phosphatic limestone in which porphyroblasts of monazite were formed. 

Although relatively little is known at the present time concerning the value of 

these deposits, results of this investigation should encourage further exploration and development:-A.utho·r's abstract · 

Argall, G. 0., Jr., 1954, New dredging techniques recover Idaho monazite: Min. 

VVorld,v.16,no.2,p.26-30. 

Dredging operations for monazite begun in Idaho in 1950 and now carried 

on by Baumhoff-Marshall, Inc., Idaho-Canadian Dredging Co., and the Warren 

Dredging Corp. are described in detail and are contrasted with dredging 

operations for gold. 

The main recovery problem in dredging for monazite is caused by the irregularity and wide variation in heavy-mineral content of the sand which 

do not allow the jigs· to be set for a uniform feed. Test drilling and sampling 

are used to block out areas for dredging, and churn drilling is operated directly 

ahead of the dredges. 

This newly created mining industry has made the United States independent 

of imports of monazite. 

Atkinson, A. S., 1010, Mining for the rare minerals: Min. Sci.,· v. 61, 

p. 76-77. 

Gadolinite from Llano County, Tex., and from Henderson County, N. C., has 

been mined and used for gaslight mantle~. Gadolinite used in the Nernst lamp 

contains 40 to 45 percent yttria. 

Bates, R. G., and VVedow, Helmuth, Jr., 1953, Preliminary summary 

review of thorium-bearing mineral occurences in Alaska: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Circ. 202, 13 p. 

Of the forty-seven known thorium-bearing mineral localities in Alaska, only 

u very few may have commercial possibilities. These are the Salmon Bay area, 

Prince of 'Vales Island; the Tofty tin belt in the Manley Hot Springs district, 

central Alaska ; the Long area in the Ruby-Poorman district, central Alaska ; 

the Nixon Fork area, central Alaska; the Buckland-Kiwalik district, eastern 

Seward Peninsula; the Cape Mountain area, western Seward Peninsula ; and 

the Chandalar district, northeastern Alaska. 

The thorium-bearing minerals at each locality are listed in the text and 

indicated on a mnp. Published and unpublished references are cited. 
526 CONTRIBU'riONS '1'0 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

literature· bas. been reviewed through 1949 and a few standard publications 

through early 1952. 

Day, D. T., and Hichards, R. H., 1906, Useful minerals in the hlack sands of the 

Pacific slope: Min: l-ies. U.S., 1905, p. 117~1258. · 

:Heavy-mineral analyses of. various black sands obtained. from placer mines 

throughout the western States are presented in tabular form by locality. Descriptions of the methods by which the sands were concentrated, methods of 

testing and examining the· sands, results of concentration, and a bibliography 

are included. 

Frondel, J. W., and Fleischer, Michael, 1952, A glossary of uranium- and thoriumbearings minerals: U. S. Geol. Survey Circ. 194, 25 p. 

This glossary contains a compilation of (1) minerals containing uranium and 

thorium as major constituents, (2) minerals containing uranium and thorium 

as minor constituents; (3) minerals that might show uranium or thorium content, and ( 4) minerals that often contain uranium, thorium, or the rare earths 

·as impurities or intergrowths. Formulas but not properties are given for most 

of the minerals, and their relations to other minerals are indicated. The uranium 

and thorium content of each mineral is listed by percent. 

Gillson, J. L., 1949, 1.'itanium, in Industrial minerals and rocks: New York, Am. 

Inst. Min. Metall. Eng., 2d ed., p. 1042-1073. 

The geologic history common to most commercial beach-sand deposits includes 

a sourre area of crystalline rocks, a period of deep-soil formation and the decomposition of magnetite, a period of uplift and rapid erosion of the soil zone, 

heavy-mineral deposition in coastal-plain sediments, subsidence and straightening of the coast, and, finally, elevation and erosion of the coast. 

Glass, J. J., and Smalley, R. G., 1945, Bastnasite: Am. Mineralogist, v. 30, 

p. 601-615. 

Bastnaesite, a fluocarbonate of cerium metals, occurs in the fluorspar deposits 

of the Gallinas Mountains, N.Mex., where the two minerals are associated with 

barite, barytocelestite, calcite, goethite, hematite, orthoclase, pyrite, quartz, and 

limonitic material along fissures and faults near the contacts of intrusive 

porphyritic quartz-monzonites, rhyolites, and syenites with Permian sediments 

that overlie Precambrian granites. The physical, optical, and chemical properties of bastnaesite specimens from this locality are described and compared 

with the properties of bastnaesite from five other localities. This comparison 

suggests that bastnaesite bas a constant chemical composition. The comparison 

also indicates that most of the known occurrences of bastnaesite are in contact 

with metamorphic rocks. A bibliography is included:. 

Hess, F. L., 1908, Minerals of the rare-earth metals at Baringer Hill, Llano 

County, Tex.: U.S. (}eol. Survey Bull. 340, p. 286-294. 

A few hundred pounds per year of rare earths, mainly yttrium, and zirconium 

have been produced: from .this area for use in the Nernst lamp. The principal 

rare-earth mi~erals of the deposit are gadolinite, alanite, cyrtolite, fergusonite, 

and polycrase containing the elements yttrium, beryllium, cerium, praseodymium, 

neodymium, lanthanum, zirconium, niobium, and uranium. The minerals occur 

in a pegmatite that has been intruded into Precambrian granite. 

Houk, L. G., 1943, Monazite sand: U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 7233, 19 p. 

This report includes analyses of foreign and domestic monazite sands, worldproduction figures for the period 1893-1938, a review of tariff history, domestic 
THORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 527 

production and imports figures, a description of the uses of monazite, and a list 

of importers and consumers of monazite sands. 

Kithil, K. I.J., 1915, Monazite, thorium, and mesothorium: U. S. Bur. Mines Tech. 

Paper 110, 32 p. 

This paper presents the history of world production of monazite, including the 

German thorium conventions; descriptions of domestic and Brazilian deposits; 

methods of mining and milling monazite; a description of the separation, determination, and uses of mesothorium; and a selected bibliography on monazite, 

thorium, and mesothorium. 

Kremers, H. E., 1949, The rare earth industry: Jour. of the Electrochem. Soc., 

v.96,no.3,p.152-157. 

The industrial treatment of monazite sand for the extraction of cerium and 

other rare earths and the uses of the rare earths are described briefly. A bibliography is included. 

Levy, S. I., 1915, The rare earths, their occurrence, chemistry anLl technology: 

London, Edward Arnold, 345 p. 

This well-documented older book includes descriptions of the minerals, the 

mode of occurrence, chemistry, and technology of the rare earths. 'l'he incandescent mantle industry, the chemical treatment of monazite, artificial silk and its 

application to the mantle industry, and other early technological and industrial 

uses of the rare earths are described. 

Lindgren, Waldemar, 1898, The mining districts of the Idaho Basin and the Boise 

Ridge, Idaho: U. S. Geol. Survey 18th Ann. Rept., pt. 3, p. 677-679. 

The heavy minerals derived from the granites of the Idaho Basin are found 

in the sand of the gravels and lake beds of the region. Throughout the basin, 

monazite forms a large percentage of the heavy minerals. Samples of monazite 

from 3 miles east of Idaho City and from Wolf Creek near Placerville are 

described. This is the first report of monazite placers in Idaho. 

Mertle, J. B., Jr., 1949, Monazite, in Industrial minerals and rocks: New York, Am. 

Inst. Min. Metall. Eng., 2d ed., p. 629-636. 

The characteristics, occurrence, production, economic control, and uses of 

monazite, the rare earths, and thorium are described. A bibliography is included. 

--- 1953, Monazite deposits of the southeastern Atlantic States: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Circ. 237, 31 p. 

Monazite, the principal o·re mineral of thorium and the rare earths, was 

mined from fluviatile placers in the Piedmont province of the Carolinas from 

1887 to 1917 with some interruptions. From 1917 to 1946 monazite was imported from India and Brazil; since 1946 the embargoes on exportation of foreign 

monazite have made it a scar<:e commodity in this country. Monazite is now 

being produced in Idaho as well as in Florida, where it is a b~'product of the 

ilmenite mining near Jacksonville. 

New deposits of monazite have been discovered in the southeastern Piedmont, 

and the placers which were formerly mined have been re-evaluated. Th.e latter 

were not exhausted by mining and many of the deposits have been rejuvenated. 

Mining in the area is complicated by the predominance of farming and by the 

uncertainty of the future value of monazite. These deposits are, however, a 

reserve which could be invaluable in a time of emergency. 

Monazite in the southeastern Piedmont province of complex metamorphic and 

igneous rocks occurs in two belts, a western belt that is traced from east-central 
528 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Virginia southwestward into Alabama and an eastern belt from near Fredericksburg, Va., south-southwestward into North Carolina. These monazite belts may 

have been the sites of Precambrian valleys where detrital monazite was concentrated and later reconstituted into gneisses or remelted into intrusives. 

The western monazite belt includes the area of placers formerly mined in 

the Carolinas. Results of sampling of the early headwater placers show as 

much as 8.4 pounds of monazite per cubic yard and a mean content of 5.7 percent 

thorium oxide. 1.'hese placers do not contain enough yardage to be mined by 

large-scale methods. 

The principal source rocks in the monazite belts are certain granitic intrusives, 

granitized and pegmatized country rock, and certain granitic phases of the 

Carolina gneiss. There is a mean tenor of 0.006 percent monazite in the bedrock. 

Moxham, R. M., 1954, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the Manley Hot 

Springs-Rampart district, east-central Alaska, 1948: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Circ. 317, 6 p. 

The radioactive minerals eschynite, ellsworthite, columbite, monazite, and 

zircon have been found in the gold-tin placer deposits of the Tofty area, eastcentral Alaska. The bedrock source of these minerals was not found, although 

monazite is present in the granite country rock; geologic data suggest a common 

local bedrock source for both the cassiterite an<l the radioactive minerals of the 

Tofty tin placers. 

Under present conditions the radioactive minerals of the Tofty placers are 

probably not sufficiently concentrated to be recovered as a byproduct of the gold 

and tin mining. 

Murata, K. J., Rose, H. J., Jr., and Carron, 1\I. K., 1953, Systematic variation of 

rare earths in monazite: Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, v. 4, p. 292-300. 

Ten monazite samples from scattered localities have been analyzed for the 

individual rare-earth elements by a combined cliemical and emission spectrographic method. Rules are given for the variation in the proportions of the 

rare-earth elements. Variation trends arc explained by fractional precipitation 

and deviations from the trends by abnormally high or low temperatures. 

Nininger, H.. D., 1954, Minerals for atomic energy: New York, Toronto, London, 

D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 367 p. (See especially p. 16, 17, 87, 89, 91-100, 116, 

128-131,133-139,142,172-176,213,218,219,228, 229,242,243.) 

Uranium, thorium, and beryllium minerals are discussed in this useful book 

according to their mineralogy and deposits, to the possibility of their occurrence 

in various broad geographic and geologic settings, and according to the equipment used in prospecting. Also discussed in detail are regulations pertinent to 

prospecting for these metals, along with the evaluation of discoveries, and a 

review of services available to the prospector by governmental and private agencies for sample examination and assay, property examination, and financial aid. 

Generalized maps of the United States and of the world show occurrence of these 

elements and their relation to various geologic features. Selected references 

are listed. 

Marketing of the minerals is discussed, and a list of companies that may be 

interested in the purchase of monazite and rare-earth ores is found on page 309. 

The mineralogy of thorium is described in some detail, and tables of the 

characteristics and tests for the identification of the various minerals are included. '.rhe productive deposits of monazite and significant deposits of other 

thorium minerals in Brazil, India, Ceylon, Indonesia, Malaya, Australia, the 

Union of South Africa, and the United States are briefly described. 
'l'HORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 529 

The edges of the Precambrian shield areas of the world have produced the 

important primary deposits of uranium, but thorium minerals occur only as 

minor disseminated constituents of these old masses. The concentration of 

thorium minerals into placer deposits is aided by the mechanical and chemical 

breakdown of the parent rocks which is carried on most rapidly and to the greatest degree in those shields found in warm climates, such as the Brazilian and 

Indian shields. 

Massifs or roughly equadimensional mountainous areas, seem to be favorable 

for primary uranium deposits but less so for thorium and beryllium. Examples 

of massifs which are source areas for placer deposits of monazite are the midAfrican Highlands which contribute to the beach placers of Sierra Leone, to the 

river placers of the Gold Coast, and to the tin placers of central and southern 

Nigeria which also contain monazite and thorite, and the Korean Highlands 

which are a source of commercial monazite deposits. 

The great linear mountain systems of the world with their large areas of 

crystalline rocks and their associated basins and plateaus of sedimentary rocks 

have produced great amounts of metals and offer many possibilities for primary 

and secondary deposits of uranium and thorium. The principal mountain chains 

of North and South America, the Alpine-Himalayan system, and the EastAustralian Cordillera, are described in detail. 

The broad plains areas of sedimentary rocks offer little possibility for primary 

deposits of uranium and thorium but may contain some secondary deposits of 

these metals. Local areas of igneous and metamorphic rocks within the plains 

may contain primary deposits of thorium minerals, and there may be secondary 

deposits near these source rocks. 

Coastal lowlands near granitic source rocks may contain placers of monazite 

or of other minerals from which monazite may be obtained as a byproduct. 

Such deposits occur in the southeastern United States. 

Nitze, H. B. C., 1895a, Monazite and monazite deposits in North Carolina: N. C. 

Geol. Survey Bull. 9, 47 p. 

Monazite is briefly descrihcd and its history, nomenclature, and crystallography 

are reviewed. Chemical analyses of monazite ft·om various localities are given. 

The geologic and geographic occurrence of monazite is described. Also covered 

are the uses, methods of extraction and concentration, and the production and 

value of monazite. .A. bibliography is included. 

---1895b, Monazite: U. S. Geol. SurYey 16th Ann. Rept., pt. 4, p. 667-693. 

The mineralogical and chemical nature of monazite is described and a brief 

sketch is given on the history and nomenclature of the mineral. The methods 

of analysis are presented. Geologic and geographic occurrence of monazite is 

presented in tabular form. The uses, methods of extraction and concentration, 

production and value are described. A good early bibliography is included. 

Olson, J. c., Shawe, D. R., Pray, L. C., and Sharp, W. N., 1954, Rare-earth mineral 

deposits of the Mountain Pass district, San Bernardino County, Calif: U. S. 

Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 261, 75 p. 

Bastnaesite, a rare-earth fluocarbonate, was discovered in the Mountain Pass 

district in April 1949. Geologic mapping has shown that rare-earth mineral 

deposits occur in a belt about 6 miles long and 1lh miles wide. One deposit, the 

Sulphide Queen carbonate body, is the greatest concentration of rare-earth min-

. erals now known in the world. The report describes the district, the history of 
530 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

the discovery, the rare-earth and thorium deposits, and the alkalic igneous rocks 

with which the deposits are associated. Geologic maps of the district and of 

selected mineral deposits accompany the report. 

The radioactive minerals occur in mineralized shear zones characterized by 

abundant hematite and goethite and in the carbonate rocks. The radioactivity 

is due almost entirely to thorium and its decay products. The uranium content 

of vein samples, determined chemically, is low, the highest value being 0.020 

percent uranium. Thorium oxide, however, is more than 2 percent of some 

selected samples. The strongest radioactivity is attributable chiefly to thorite 

and thorogummite and, to a lesser extent, to monazite which occurs in and near 

the Sulphide Queen carbonate body. 

Parks, R. D., 1949, Source materials for nuclear power, in Goodman, Clark, ed., 

The science and engineering of nuclear power; Cambridge, Mass., AddisonWesley Press, Inc., v. 2, p. 1-18. 

Thorium is not a particularly scarce element in the earth's crust; it is found 

in about the same quantity as tin, cobalt, zinc, or lead. Economically workable 

concentrations of thorium' are, or have been, less common than those of tin, 

cobalt, zinc, or lead. 

Monazite, for all practical purpo~es, has been the only commercial source of 

thorium, and it is generally considered to have been derived from pegmatite 

~ources. Economic deposits have been concentrated into placers by the weathering of such pegmatites. 

The monazite mining capacity of India is about 7,000 tons per year, which 

could be increased by shifting operations from low-monazite high-ilmenite sands 

to sands richer in monazite. The monazite mining capacity of Brazil is about 

1,500 tons per year, which could be increased by adding equipment or going on 

two shifts. Australia's capacity is about 100 tons per year. 

The monazite reserves of India were estimated 25 years ago to be over 2 million 

tons on a basis of beds 2 feet thick containing 10 percent monazite. They have 

not been seriously depleted. Brazilian deposits are thought to be of similar 

magnitude. Ceylon deposits are stated to be very rich but not extensive. 

Petar, A. V., 1935, The rare earths: U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. Circ. 6847, 46 p. 

This is a general paper, with a good bibliography, on the rare earths. A 

description and list of properties of the individual elements by family are 

included, and the history of their discovery is reviewed. Tables are presented 

of the abundances of rare earths in the earth and of rare-earth-bearing minerals 

and their occurrence. The chemical separation of these elements and the 

rare-earth industry, both foreign and domestic, are described. Tables of imports and exports, a discussion of tariff regulations, markets and prices, and a 

list of producers, dealers, and possible buyers of rare earths are included. 

Pratt, J. H., 1916, Zircon, monazite, and other minerals used in the production 

of chemical compounds employed in the manufacture of lighting apparatus : 

N. C. Geol. and Econ. Survey Bull. 25, p. 19-69. 

This is an excellent report on monazite and the rare earths. A description 

of the yttrium minerals is given with special attention to gadolinite. Thoriumbearing minerals are also described. Monazite is described as a source of 

thorium and cerium for use in incandescent lamp mantles, and its occurrence is 

·covered thoroughly by a table of foreign and domestic localities, which lists 

the country rock and minerals associated with each locality. The uses of 
THORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 531 

lanthanum are reviewed. The Carolina and Idaho areas are desc~ibed in 

more detail. Production in North Carolina from 1893 to 1915 is reviewed. A 

full description is given of the mining and cleaning of the Carolina monazite 

sands, including an attempt at mining saprolite. A description of the Brazilian deposits, the history of foreign trade in monazite, and import and export 

data on monazite and thoria are included. 

Pratt, J. H., 1917, Monazite in the United States: Mineral Foote-Notes, v. 1, no. 10, 

p. 3-15. 

A table of occurrences of monazite lists for each locality the country rock and 

associated minerals. The Carolina and Idaho deposits and the types of rock in 

which they occur are discussed. A. description of monazite and a brief discussion of its uses are included. 

Pratt, J. H., and Sterrett, D. B., 1910, Monazite and monazite-mining in the 

· Carolinas: Am. Inst. Min. Eng. Trans., v. 40, p. 313-340. 

Monazite and its occurrences in the United States are described along with 

the geology and deposits of the Carolina monazite region. A description of the 

separation and uses of monazite is included. 

Roots, E. F., 1946, Cerium and thorium: ·western Miner, v. 19, no. 8, p. 50-56. 

Minerals carrying cerium and thorium (particularly monazite, thorite, 

auerlite, thorianlte, and xenotime) are described, and placer and lode deposits 

of cerium- and thorium-bearing minerals, both foreign and domestic, are reviewed. Other items covered are the production and consumption of cerium 

and thorium ; mining and milling; marketing, shipping, and duties; extraction 

of cerium and thorium compounds from monazites; byproducts and utilization; 

and grades, prices, and buyers of cerium and thorium products and ores. 

Santmyers, R. M., 1930, Monazite, thorium, and cerium: U. S. Bur. Mines Inf. 

Circ. 6321, 43 p. 

Thorium- and cerium-bearing minerals and ores, especially monazite, are reviewed, and tests for their identification, history of their discovery, and brief 

descriptions of their mode of occurrence and geographical distribution are 

given. Other topics especially well covered are domestic and world production, 

imports, exports, trade, and the tariff history of monazite, thorium, and cerium. 

The incandescent gas-mantle industry is described and other uses of thorium 

and cerium are discussed. Mesothorium is described and imports listed. A 

good bibliography is included. 

At Mineral City, Fla., 4 miles south of Jacksonville Beach, monazite, along 

with zircon and rutile, was recovered as a byproduct of ilmenite mining (see 

p. 11). In 1925 there was a reported production of 2,000 pounds of monazite 

from this deposit. 

Schaller, W. T., 1922, Thorium, zirconium, and rare-earth minerals: Min. Res. 

u. s., 1919, pt. 2, p. 1-32. 

This report includes a review of the thorium and rare-earth industry with 

production and import data, both foreign and domestic; foreign and domestic 

producing localities; uses; and a review of the sources of ore. Monazite, thorite, 

nuerlite, and thorinnlte are described; analyses of foreign and domestic monazites with percentage of thoria are given. A good selected general bibliography 

covering foreign and domestic occurrences is included. 
532 CON'l'RIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Schrader, F. C., 1910, An occurrence of monazite in northern Idaho: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Bull. 430, p.184-191. 

Occurrences of monazite are reported in Idaho on Mussel Shell Creek, Nez 

Perce (now Clearwater) County, near Dent, and in the Pierce district, Idaho. 

The Mussel Shell Creek deposit is described, and analyses of the monazite from 

this locality are given. 

The origin and distribution of monazite in Idaho are discussed and related to 

the Idaho batholith. A bibliography is included. 

Sharp, W. N., and Pray, L. C., 1952, Geologic map of bastnaesite deposits of the 

Birthday claims, San Bernardino County, Calif.: U. S. Geol. Survey Min. 

Inv. Field Studies Map MF 4. 

The Precambrian metamorphic complex, country rock in the Birthday claims 

area, is intruded at the Birthday claims by a body of shonkinite which contains 

most of the bastnaesite veins in the area. The shonkinite and enclosing gneiss 

are cut in turn by fine-grained granite bodies and other intrusives. 

The barite-rich bastnaesite-bearing carbonate veins follow a west- to northwest-trending fracture system which cuts the Precambrian metamorphic complex as well as the intrusive sequence. The veins have been divided into six 

types on the basis of mineral content. 

The main minerals of the veins are bastnaesite, calcite and other carbonates, barite, quartz, and fluorite. The paragenesis of the minerals, at least 

locally, is bastnaesite, barite, and the carbonates. Quartz and fluorite may have 

been deposited later. 

Thorium is the main radioactive element in the veins and in the shonkinite, 

which is more radioactive than the country rock. The largest concentrations 

of thorium and uranium are in limonitic alteration products found in the 

weathered veins. Small amounts of these elements occur in the bastnaesite. 

Sloan, Earle, 1908, Catalogue of the mineral localities of South Carolina: S. C. 

Geol. Survey, 4th ser., Bull. 2, p.129-142. 

The geographic limits of monazite zones in South Carolina are described, 

and detailed locations of monazite gravels in the State are given. 

Soule, J. H., 1946, Exploration of Gallinas fluorspar deposits, Lincoln County, 

N.Mex.: U. S. Bur. Mines Rept. Inv. 3854, 25 p. 

Bastnaesite was discovered in the Gallinas deposits during the Bureau of 

Mines drilling program in 1943-44. Methods for separating the bastnnesite are 

discussed. Analyses of bastnaesite are included. 

Staley, ,V. W., 1948, Distribution of heavy alluvial minerals in Idaho: Idaho 

Bur. Mines and Geology Min. Res. Rept. 5,12 p. 

The mineralogical and chemical composition of black sands, their commercial 

use, and the distribution of such sands in Idaho are described. Assay results 

on Idaho heavy sands are given by localities along with chemical and spectrographic analyses. The estimated tonnages of monazite, zircon, and ilmenite 

available in Idaho are listed; the amount of monazite is 181,500 tons. 

Staley, W. ,V., and Browning, J. S., 1949, Preliminary investigation of concentrating certain minerals in Idaho placer sn nd : Idaho Bur. Mines and 

Geology Pamph. 87, 23 p. 

Increasing interest in certain heavy minerals accumulated in placer deposits 

led to this study on the methods of concentrating monazite, zircon, ilmenite, 

and magnetite in material obtained primarily from dredging operations in the 
'fHORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 533 

Boise Basin, Idaho. The experimental method found successful in separating 

these minerals is a combination of screening, flotation, and magnetic separation. 

Sterrett, D. B., 1907, Monazite and zircon: Min. Res. U. S., 1906, p. 1195-1209. 

The monazite industry as a whole is reviewed, and the geology of monazite 

deposits and the mining and cleaning of the monazite sand in North Carolina, 

South Carolina, and Georgia are described. The deposits in Idaho and in foreign countries are reviewed. Figures are given on price, production, imports 

and exports of monazite. 

--- 1911, Monazite and zircon: Min. Res. U. S., 1909, pt. 2, p. 897-905. 

The monazite deposits near Centerville, Idaho, the operation of the Centerville Mining and Milling Co. along Grimes and Quartz Creeks, Idaho, and the 

methods of mining and concentrating are described. Estimates of the monazite and thoria content of the deposits are given. 

Trites, A. F., aud •.rooker, E. ,V., 1953, Uranium and thorium ueposits in eastcentral Idaho and southwestern Montana: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 988-H, 

p. 157-200. 

Monazite occurs in Precambrian pegmatites of the Deer Creek district, Montana (p. 184-191), at the Divide nos. 1 and 2 claims and at the Gray Goose 

claims where allanite also occ·urs in the pegmatite. The Lookout no. 3 claim in 

the same district contains an hydrothermal carbonate vein, a sample of which 

contained 0.24 vercent thorium oxide and 2.71 percent rare earths, cutting 

Precamhrian ( 'l) gneissic hornblende diorite. 

'l'hc 11 deposits examined in the Lemhi Pass district (p. 191-208) contain 

thorium. Thorite is the main thorium-hearing mineral and occurs in quartzhematite veins which fill fractures in the Precambrian Belt series and which 

measure from less than 1 foot to 50 feet in width aud from 10 to more than 700 

feet in length. Other minerals in the veins are goethite, chalcedony, and barite. 

Samples from the veins contain as much as 6.6 percent calculated thorium oxide, 

and spectrographic analysis indicates the presence of yttrium, cerium, samarium, 

neodymium, gadolinium, and lanthanum. 

Copper veins also occur as fracture fillings in the Belt series in the Lemhi Pass 

district. The radioactivity of these veins is similar to that of the quartzhematite veins, and it is thought to be C"fiused by thorium. 

The clnims and mines checked in the Lemhi Pass district are the Wonder Lode 

mine, the Buffalo nos. 1 and 2 claims, the Wonder Lode no. 18 claim, the Lucky 

Strike nos. 1 and 2 claims, the Trapper nos. 1 and 4 claims, the Radio claim, the 

Brown Bear claim, the Last Chance claim, and the Shady Tree claim. 

United States Atomic Energy Commission, 1954, Sixteenth semiannual report 

of t'he Atomic Energy Commission: 'Vashington, D. C., U. S. Govt. Printing 

Office, p. 25. 

'l'be Atomic Energy Commission now has an homogeneous thorium reactor in 

the vlanning stage. This reactor will use thorium as a blanket from whieh 

uranium 233 will be produced. Construction of the reactor is planned to begin 

in the fiscnl year 1957 und to be completed in the fiscal year 1959. 

United States Congress Documents, 1952, 82d Cong., 2d sess., H. Doc. 527, v. 4, 

p. 22,23,112-114. 

The current need to increase domestic supplies of thorium and the rare earths 

has led to the tlisco\'ery of deposits of monazite in Idaho and bastnaesite in New 

1\Iexico and California. New techniques for separut'ing the rare earths will 
534 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

make it possible to develop new individual uses for these elements, which are 

now often used in the mixture known as mischmetal. 

Embargoes on the exportation of monazite from Brazil and India have raised 

the price of domestic monazite. The development of new uses for the rare 

earths has been discouraged because the supply has been considered limited and 

the price, even of foreign ore, has been unstable. The recent bastnaesite discoveries could supply all the current requirements for rare earths for many 

years, and monazite mining could be abandoned if bastnaesite had a higher 

thorium content. Hence the thorium content of monazite continues to make it a 

mineral essential to our nation, and it is estimated that the probable production 

of monazite from Idaho will be from ~.000 to 5,000 tons a year for the years 

1952 to 1955. 

Experiments with pure thorium are being carried on, and they indicate that 

the properties of the metal are such that there will be a continuing demand 

for thorium, even outside thE' field of atomic energy. 

United States Congress Documents, 1903, 83d Cong., lst-2d sess., Hearings on 

s. R. 143, pt. 1, p. 211-219. 

The United States is now becoming self-sufficient in rare-earth metals, largely 

through the intense search made for rare-earth-bearing minerals since 1950. 

Promising deposits and adequate reserves of monazite have been found hi South 

Carolina and in Idaho, and a large deposit of bastnaesite has been found at 

Mountain Pass, Calif. Foreign supplies have been seriously curtailed since 

January 1951, although there is a possiblity that these sources might be reopened 

to the United States. Shipments of monazite have been contracted for from 

Africa for a 3-year period. 

Substitutes are available for the rare earths in certain of their uses, such as 

in carbon-arc electrodes and in flints for lighters. 

Recommendations made to assure adequate supplies of rare earths are : 

1. A stockpile sufficient for a 5-year emergency. 

2. Continued exploration for new placer deposits of monazite and byproduct 

minerals. 

3. Development of markets for the byproduct minerals of monazite placer 

mining. 

4. Continued studies to improve recovery of monazite and heavy minerals from 

placers and to improve extraction of rare earths from the ore. 

5. Extensive study of the treatment of bastnaesite and its separation from 

gangue minerals. 

6. Studies of the separation of individual rare-earth elements from their ores. 

7. Research in metallurgy on the value and uses of the individual rare-earth 

metals. 

West, W. S., and Matzko, J. J., 1953, Buckl:md-Kiwalik district, 1947, in Gault, 

H. R., and others, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in the northeastern 

part of the Seward Peninsula, Alas1m, 1945--47 and 1951: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Circ. 250, p. 21-27. 

Uranothorianite and thorite are the most important of the radioactive minerals 

found widely distributed in the Buckland-Kiwalik district. These minerals occur 

mainly in well-defined placer zones within areas of granitic rock and are thought 

to be concentrated accessory minerals from the differentiate phases of certain 

of the granitic rocks. It is possible, however, because of the presence of 

metallic sulfides. that some of the uranium was introduced during a period of 

hydrothermal alteration of the granitic rocks. Concentrations of uranothorianite 

are found in the headwaters of the Peace River and Quartz and Sweepstakes 
THORIUM AND RARE-EARTir DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 535 

Creeks on Granite Mountain; in the Hunter Creek-Connolly Creek area; and on 

Clem Mountain. The Peace River placer locality may be a lead to a high-grade 

uranium lode. 

'Vhite, M. G., and Stevens, J. M., 1953, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits 

in the Ruby-Poorman and Nixon Fork districts, west-central Alaska, 1949: 

U.S. Geol. Survey Circ. 279, 19 p. 

In the Long area of the Ruby-Poorman district are two small granite bodies 

with an average equivalent uranium content of 0.005 percent. This radioactivity is due largely to uranothorite ( ?) disseminated throughout the granite. 

No high concentrations of the mineral were found. 

In the Nixon Fork district uraniferous thorianite, allanite and other radioactive 

minerals whose radioactivity is principally due to thorium, were found in the 

placers of Hidden, Ruby, and Eagle Creeks. Bedrock occurrences are found 

at the Whalen mine where the rare-earth mineral parisite is found along with 

allanite, radioactive hematite and sphene, and zircon; in the monzonite of the 

Ruby Creek area which contains zircon and sphene; and the Nixon Fork mine. 

Anonymous, 1949a, Monazite production: Min. Cong. Jour., v. 35, no. 7, p. 71. 

Rare Earths Mineral Co., McCall, Idaho, is extracting monazite from Idaho 

sands and is contracting to ship 16,000 tons of concentrated sand during the 

next 10 years. 

---l949b, Monazite research: Min. Cong. Jour., v. 35, no. 9, p. 82. 

University of Idaho School of Mines is conducting a research program on the 

rare earths recovered as byproducts in the milling of monazite sand. 

Idaho placer gravels are being treated for monazite content at a plant at 

McCall, Idaho. 

--- 1950a, Idaho-Operation of a bucket-line dredge on Big Creek: Eng. 

Min. Jour., v.151, no.ll, p.130. 

A bucket-line dredge on Big Creek, Idaho, is producing monazite and gold 

and is handling 5,000 to 6,000 yards of gravel daily. 

---1950b, Wyoming-Atomic energy representatives investigating the uranium 

deposits reported at Sundance: Eng. Min. Jour., v. 151, no. 6, p.126. 

The uranium deposits at Sundance, Wyo., contain low-grade uranium and rareearth oxides. 

---1952a, Companies join with Heim to develop bastnasite: Eng. Min. Jour., v. 

153, no. 1, p. 108. 

The Gallinas district, Lincoln County, N. Mex., produces each month several 

carloads of rare-earth ore which is shipped to Lindsay Light & Chemical Co. 

--- 1952b, Fred Baumhoff, Centerville, Idaho: Eng. Min. Jour., v. 153, no. 2, 

p.168-169. 

Fred Baumhoff, operating near Cascade, Idaho, has shipped 1,000 tons of monazite to Lindsay J .... ight & Chemical Co. 

---1952c, Southern California's rare-earth bonanza: Eng. Min. Jour., v. 153, 

no. 1, p. 100-102. 

The massive bastnaesite-barite veins of the Mountain Pass district are described, and an estimate of their size and grode is given. The ore-dressing problem is discussed. A history of the discovery and development of the district is 

presented. 
536 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Anonymous, 1954a, Atlantic beaches radioactive: Min Cong. Jour., v. 40, no. 1, 

p. 63. 

'.rhe U. S. Geological Survey has released maps showing the location of radioactivity anomalies detected along parts of the Atlantic Ocean beach from Cape 

Henry, Va., to Cape Fear, N.C., and from Savannah Beach, Ga., to Miami Beach, 

Fla. These anomalies may or may not indicate the presence of uranium or 

thorium. 

--- 1954b, Dredges work Idaho sand: Eng. Min. Jour., v. 155, no. 3, p. 190. 

Dredges operating in the Long Valley, Idaho, area are recovering monazite from 

gravels which contain about 15¥2 pounds per cubic yard of black sand which in 

turn contains about 7¥2 percent monazite. The black sand is separated at Boise 

in the Baumhoff-Marshall, Inc. plant. Half of the monazite, which contains 

about 60 percent rare-earth metals, is purchased by Lindsay Light & Chemical Co. 

and half by the Government for stockpiling. 

Bear Valley, Idaho, is reported to be a new source of radioactive elements, including thorium and rare earths. Production in Bear Valley is scheduled 

to begin by September 1954. 

---1954c, Idaho dredge plans: Min. Cong. Jour., v. 40, no. 8, p.127. 

Preparations are being made for large-scale dredging in Bear Valley, Idaho, 

where a plant for processing the dredge products is to begin operations by 

September 1954. Monazite, thorium, tantalum, columbium, and uranium are to 

be recovered. 

---1954d, Survey eastern coast: Min Cong. Jour., v. 40, no. 6, p. 98. 

The U. S. Geological Survey has released maps showing the location of radioactivity anomalies detected along parts of the Atlantic Ocean beach between Cape 

l!.,ear, N.C., and Edisto Island, S.C., and along the Gulf of Mexico between Sanibel and Caladesi Islands, Fla. ~'hese anomalies may or may not indicate the 

presence of uranium or thorium. 

--- 1954e, Three of central Idaho's placer deposits are currently producing 

radioactive minerals: Eng. Min. Jour., v.155, no. 5, p. 93. 

The Bureau of Mines announces the production of rare-earth mineralsthorium, uranium, columbium, and tantalum-from the Big Creek, Boise Basin, 

and Ruby Meadows placers in Idaho. The Bureau lists as potential producers 

Bear Valley, Secesh Meadows, Scott Valley, Horsethief Basin, Pearsol and Corral 

C1·eeks. 
Alabama: 1\:Iertic, 1958 

Alaska: 

INDEX 

Bucklnnd-Kiwnlik district: Hales and Wetlow, 195R; WeRt :ttHl i\Iatzko, 195R 

Cape Mountain area: Bates and Wedow, 1953 

Chandnlar district: Bates and Wedow, 1953 

Long area : Bates and Wedow, 1953 ; White and Stevens, 1953 

Manley Hot Springs district: Bates anll Wedow, 1953; Moxham, 1954 

Nixon Fork district: Bates and Wedow, 1953; White anu Stevens, 1953 

Ruby-Poorman district: Bates and Wedow, 1953; Wltlte and Stevens, 1953 

Salmon Bay area: Bates and Wedow, 1953 

Seward Peninsula : Bates and Wedow, 1953 ; West and :L\Iatzlw, 1953 

Tofty tin belt: Bates and WPdow, 1953: Moxham, 1954 

Allanite: Hess, 1908; Tl'ites and Tool.:er, 1953; White and Stevens, 105::1 

Analyses: Cannon, 1950; Christman and others, 1053; Day and Richards, 1906; GlasR 

and Smalley, 1945; Honk, 1943; Mertle, 1953; Murata and others, 1053; 

Nitze, 1895a; Olson and others, 1054 ; Pratt, 1016 ; Schaller, 1022 ; Schrader, 

1910; Soule, 104G; Stnley, 1948; Sterrett, 1911 ; Trites and Tooker, 1053 

Anomalies, rndionctlve: Anonymous, 1954n,d 

Argentina: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1053 

Atlantic Ocean benches: Cannon, 1950; l\'lertie, 1053; Anonymous, 1954a,d 

Aucrlite: Roots, 1946 : Schaller, 1922 

Australia: Nininger, 1954; Parl,;s, 1940; Petnr, 1935 

Rastnnesite : Nininger, 1954 

analyses: Glass and Smalley. 1945; Olson and others, 1954; Soule, 194G 

economics: Olson and others, 1954; Sharp and Pray, 1952; U. S. Congress Docu· 

ments, 1952, 195::1 

geochemistry: Sharp and Pray, 1952 

mineralogy: Glass b.nd Smaller, 1945; Olson nnd othcrR, 19i:i4 

occmrences: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Glass and Smaller, 1945; Nininger, 

1954; Olson and others, 1954; Sharp and Pray, 1952; Soule, 1946; U. S. 

Congress Documents, 1952, 1953; Anonymous, 1952a.c 

processors: Carlson, KeiRer, and Sargent, 1953 

production: U. S. Congress Documents, 19i:i2, 1953; Anonymous, 1952a 

treatment: Soule, 1946; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953: Anonymous, 1952c 

Bench sand deposits: Cannon, 1950; Gillson, 1949; Mertle, Hl53; Nininger, 1954; Parks, 

1!)49; Snntmyers, 1930; Anonymous, 1954a,d 

Bibliography : Bates and Wedow, 1953 ; Cooper, 1953, 1954 ; Day and Richartls, 1906 ; 

Glass and Smalley, 1945; Kithil, 1915; Kremers, 1949; Mertic, 1949; 

Nininger, 1954; Nitzl', 1895a,b; Petar, 1935; Santmyers, 1030; Schaller, 

1922; Schrade~ 1910 

Black sands, analyses: Day and Richards, 1906; Gillson, 1949; Staley, 1948; Staley 

and Browning, 1940 

Brazil : Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Kitltil, 1915 ; Nininger, 1954 ; Parks, 1949 ; 

Pratt, 1916; U. S. Congress Documents, 1053 

California : Cooper, 1953, 1954 ; Day and Richards, 1906 ; Nininger, 1954 

San Bernardino County : 

Birthday claims: Sharp and Pray, 1952 

Mountain Pass district: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Nininger, 1954 ; 

Olson and others, 1054; Sharp and Pray, 1952; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1!}52, 1953; Anonymous, 1952c 

Cerium: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Hess, 1908; Kremers, 1949; Petar, 1935: 

Pratt, 1916; Roots, 1946; Snntmyers, 1930 

Ceylon : Nininger, 1054 ; Parks, 1949 ; Petar, 1935 

Climax molybdenum deposit : Carlson and others, 1953 ; Cooley, 1953 

537 
538 CONTRIBUTIONS TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Colorado: Cooper, 1953, 1954; Nininger, 1954 

Ouster County : 

Hardscrabble district. ,Seo Westcliffe district. 

Westcliffe district : Christman and others, 1953 

Fremont County : 

Hardscrabble district. See Westcliffe district. 

Westcliffe district: Christman and others, 1953 

Gunnison County : 

Cebolla district. See Powderhorn district. 

Powderhorn district: Burbank and Pierson, 1953; Nininger, 1954 

Lake County : 

Climax molybdenum deposit: Carlson and others, 1953; Cooley, 1953 

San Juan Mountains: Burbank and Pierson, 1953; Nininger, 1954 

Wet Mountains: Christman and others, 1953; Nininger, 1954 

Cyrtolite: Hess, 1908 

Dredging: Argall, 1954; Anonymous, 1950a, 1954c 

Fergusonlte: Hess, 1908. 

Florida: Cannon, 1950 ; Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Nininger, 1954 ; Anonymous. 

1954a,d 

Duval County : 

Jacksonville placer: Cannon, 1950; Carlson, Keiser. and Sargent, 1953; Mertle, 

1953; Nininger, 1954 

Mineral City : Santmyers, 1930 

National Lead Co.: Cannon, 1950; Mertle, 1953 

Pablo Beach: Cannon, 1950; Santmyers, 1930 

Fluorspar: Glass and Smalley, 1945; Olson and others, 1954; Sharp and Pray, 1952; 

Soul~, 1946 

Foreign deposits: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Klthil, 1915; Nininger, 1954; Roots, 

1946; Schaller, 1922; Sterrett, 1907; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

Foreign trade: Kithll, 1915; Petar, 1935; Schaller, 1922; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953. 

Gadolinite: Atkinson, 1910; Hess, 1908; Pratt, 1916 

General: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Carlson and others, 1953; Cooper, 1953, 

1954; Day and Richards, 1906; Gillson, 1949; Kithll, 1915; Levy, 1915; 

Mertle, 1949 ; Nininger, 1954; Nitze, 1895b; Petar, 1935 ; Pratt, 1916; 

Santmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953 

Geochemistry: Sharp and Pray, 1952 

Georgia: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Mertle, 1953; Sterrett, 1907; Anonymous, 

1954a 

German thorium conventions : Klthil, 1915 

Gulf of Mexico beaches: Cannon, 1950; Anonymous, 1954d 

Heavy minerals : Cannon, 1950 ; Day and Uichards, 1906 ; Gillson, 1949 ; Lindgren, 1898 ; 

Mertle, 1953; Staley, 1948; Staley and Browning, 1949 

Idaho: Argall, 1954 ; Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Carlson and others, 1953·; 

Cooper, 1953, 1954; Day and Richards, 1906; Nininger, 1954; Pratt, 1916, 

1917; Staley, 1948; Staley and Browning, 1949; Sterrett, 1907, 1911; 

Trites and Tooker, 1953 ; U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953 ; Anonymous, 

1949a,b 

Boise County: 

Centerville: Sterrett, 1911 

Boise Basin: Nininger, 1954; Staley and Browning, 1949; Anonymous, 1954e 

Boise Ridge : Lindgren, 1898 

Clearwater County: 

Dent: Schrader, 1910 

Mussel Shell Creek : Schrader, 1910 

Pierce district: Schrader, 1910 

Idaho Basin : Lindgren, 1898 

Idaho County : 

Ruby Meadows : Anonymous, 1954e 

Secesh Meadows: Anonymous, 1954e 

Lemhi County: 

Lemhi Pass district : Trites and Tooker, 1953 

Mineral Hlll district: Abbott, 1954 

Nez Perce County. See Clearwater County. 
'rHORIUM AND RARE-EARTH DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES 539 

Idaho-Continued 

Valley County: Anonymous. 1952b 

Bear Valley : Anonymous, 1954b,c,c 

Big Creek: Argall, 1954; U. S. Congress Document, 1953; Anonymous, 1950a, 

1954e 

Corral Creek : Anonymous, 1954e 

Horsethief Basin : Anonymous, 1054c 

r~ong Vnlley: Anonymous, 1954b 

Pcarsol Creek : Anonymous, 1954e 

Scott Valley : Anonymous, 1954e 

Illaho batholith: Lindgren, 1898; Nininger, 1954; Schrader, 1910 

Ilmenite : Abbott, 1954; Cannon, 1950; Gillson, 1949 ; Mertle, 1953 ; Santmyers, 1930 ; 

Staley and Browning, 1949 

Incandescent gas-mantle industry: Atkinson, HllO; Levy, 1915; Pratt, 1916; Santmyers 

1930 

India: Nininger, 1954; Parks, 1949; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

Lanthanum: Hess, 1908; Petar, Hl35; Pratt, 1916 

Madagascar : Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 

l\Iesothorium : Kithil, 1915; Santmyers, 1930 

Mischmetal. Sec Monazite, uses. 

l\Ionazite: Cooper, 1953, 1954; Kithil, 191G; Kremers, 1949; Mertie, Hl49; Nininger, 

1954; Staley and Browning, 1949; Sterrett, 1907 ; U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953; Anonymous, 1949b 

analyses: Honk, 1943; Mertle, 1953; Murata and others, 1953; Nitze, 189ua; Schaller, 

1922 ; Sterrett, 1911 

byproducts: Roots, 1946; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

chemistry : Murata and others, 1953 ; Nltze, 1895b 

economics: Mertle, 1949, Hl53; Roots, 1946; U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953. 

foreign trade : Honk, 1943; KithU, 1915 ; Mertle, 1953 ; Pratt, 1916 ; Santmyers, 

1930; Schaller, 1922; Sterrett, 1907, 1911; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1952, 1953 

history: Kithil, 1915; Mertle, 1953; Nitze, 1895a, 1895h; Santmyers, 1930 

mineralogy: Nininger, 1954; Nitze, 1895a,b; Pratt and Stel'l'ett, 1910 

nomenclature : Nitze, 1895a,h 

occurrences : Abbott, 1954 ; Cooley, 1953 ; Day and Richards, 1906; Kithil, 1915 ; 

Lindgren, 1898; Mertle, 1949, 1953; Moxham, 1954; Nininger, 1954; Nftze, 

1895a,b; Olson and others, 1954; Parks, 1949 ; Pratt, 1916, 1917 ; Pratt 

and Sterrett, 1910: Santmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; Schrader, 1910; 

Sloan, 1908; Staley, 1948; Staley and Browning, 1949; Sterrett, 1907, 1911; 

Trites and Tooker, 1953; U.S. Congress Documents, 1953; Anonymous, 1954b 

origin : Mertle, 1953 ; Nininger, 1954 ; Parks, 1949; Schrader, 1910 

price: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Carlson and others, 1953 ; Roots, 194G; 

U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953 

production : Cooley, 1953; Houk, 1943; Kithll, 1915; l\Iertie, 1949, 1953; Nitze, 

1895a,b; Parks, 1949; Pratt, 1916; Santmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; 

Sterrett, 1907, 1911 ; Anonymous, 1949a,b, 1950a, 1952b, 1954b,c 

purchasers : Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1053 ; Carlson and others, 1053 ; Honk, 

1043; Nininger, 1954; Roots, 1946 

resources: Kithil, 1915; Parks, 1949; Staley, 1948; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

source areas; Mertle, 1953; Nininger, 1954; Sloan, 1008 

tt·eotment: Argall, 1954; Kithil, 1915; Kremers, 1940; Levy, 1915; Nitze, 1805a, 

1895h; Parks, 1940; Pratt, 1916; Pratt and Sterrett, 1910; Roots, 1946; 

Staley and Browning, 1949; Sterrett, 1907, 1911; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1953; Anonymous, 1049b 

uses : Argall, 1054; Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Carlson and others, 1953 ; 

Houk, 1943; Mertle, 1949; Nitze, 1895a,b; Pratt, 1917; Pratt and Sterrett, 

1910; Staley, 1948; Roots, 1946; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

world review: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Carlson and others, 1953 

Montana: Carlson, Keiser, ond Sargent, 1953,; Carlson and others, 1953; Cooper, 1953, 

1954 

Beaverhead County: 

Lemhi Pass district: Trites and Tooker, 1953 

Deer Creek district: Trites and Tooker, 1953 

Neodymium: Hess, 1908, Petar, 1935 
540 CONTRIBUTIONS '1'0 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MINERAL RESOURCES 

Nernst lamp: Atkinson, 1910; Hess, 1908 

New Mexico : Cooper, 1953, 1954 

Lincoln County: 

Gallinas district: Glass and Smalley, 1945; Nininger, 1954; Soule, 1946; U. S. 

Congress Documents, 1952; Anonymous, 1952a 

North Carolina: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Carlson and others, 1953; Mertle, 

1953 ; Nininger, 1954 ; Nitze, 1895a ; Pratt, 1916, 1917; Pratt and Sterrett, 

1910 ; Sterrett, 1909 ; Anonymous, 1954a,d 

Henderson County: Atkinson, 1910 

Oregon: Cooper, 1953, 1954; Day and Richards, 1906 

Pegmatite: Hess, 1908; Trites anu Tooker, 1953 

Placers: Cannon, 1950; Gillson, 1949 ; Mertle, 1953 ; Nininger, 1!H:i4 

mining anu milling: Argall, 1954; Staley and Browning, 1949; Sterrett, 1907, 1911; 

Anonymous, 1949, 1954b,c 

occurrences: Bates and Wedow, 1953; Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Cooper, 

1953, 1954; Day and Richards, 1906; Lindgren, 1898; Mertle, 1953; Moxham, 

1U54; Nitzc, 1895a,b; Pratt, 1916, 1917; Pratt and Sterrett, 1910 ;: Roots, 

1946; Santmyers, 1930; Schrader, 1910; Sloan, 1908; Staley, 1!)48; Sterrett, 

1911 ; West and Matzko, 1953 ; White and Stevens, 1953 ; Anonymous, 1954b,c 

production : Anonymous, 1949a, 1950a, 1952b 

Polycrase : Hess, 1908 

Praseodymium: Hess, 1908; Petar, 1935 

Rare earths: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1053; Cooper, 1953, 1954; Levy, 1915; 

Nininger, 1954; Petar, 1935; Pratt, 1916; Roots, 1946; Schaller, 1922 

analyses : Murata and others, 1953 ; Pratt, 1916 

chemistry: Levy, 1915; Murata and others, 1953; Petar, 1935; Pratt, 19Hi 

consumption : Roots, 1946 

economics: Mertle, 1949; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

foreign trade: Petar, 1935; Santmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

history: Petar, 1935 

industry: Kremers, 1949; Petar, 1935; Schaller, 1922; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1953· 

mineralogy: Fronde! and Fleischer, 1952; Levy, 1915; Petar, 1935 

occurrence: Abbott, 1954; Bates and Wedow, 1953; Cooley, 1953; Cooper, 1953, 1954; 

Glass and Smalley, 1945; Hess, 1908; Levy, 1915; Mertle, 1949; Olson and 

others, 1954 ; Petar, 1935 ; Pratt, 1916; Santmyers, 1930 ; Schaller, 1922 ; 

Sharp and Pray, 1952; Soule, 1946; Trites and Tooker, 1953; U. S. Congress 

Documents, 1952, 1953; Anonymous, 1950b, 1952a,c 

prices: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Petar, 1935; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1953 

producers: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Petar, 1935 

production : Atkinson, 1910 ; Cooley, 1953; Hess, 1908; Mertic, 194!) ; Roots, 1946; 

Santmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; U. S. Congress Documents, 1952; Anonymous, 1949, 1952a, 1954b,e 

purchasers: Nininger, 1954; Petar, 1935; Roots, 1946 

resources : U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

substitutes: U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

technology: Kremers, 1949; Levy, 1915; Roots, 1946; U. S. Congress Documents, 

1953 ; Anonymous, 1949b 

uses: Atkinson, 1910; Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Kremers, 1949; Levy, 

1915; Mertle, 1949; Petar, 1935; Roots, 1946; Sharp and Pray, 1952; 

U. S. Congress Documents, 1952, 1953 

Saprolite: Mertle, 1953; Pratt, 1916 ; Sterrett, 1907 

South Carolina : Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953 ; Carlson and others, 1953 ; Mertle, 

1953; Ninfngcr, 1954; Pratt, 1916, 1!)17; Pratt and Sterrett, 1910; Sloan, 

1908; Sterrett, 1907; Anonymous, 1954d 

Texas, Llano County, Baringer Hill: Atkinson, 1910; Hess, 1908 

Thorianite: Nininger, 1954; Roots, 1946 ; Schaller, 1922 ; White and Stevens, 1953 

Thorite : Christman and others, 1953 ; Nininger, 1954 ; Olson and others, 1954 ; Roots, 

1946 ; Schaller, 1922 ; West and Matzko, 1953 
'l'HORIUM AND RARE-EAR'l'H DEPOSI'l'S IN THE UNITED STATES 541 

1-'horium: Coover, 1953, 1054 ; Kithil, 1015 ; 1\Iertie, 1053 ; Nininger, 1054 ; Pratt, 1916 ; 

Uoots, l!l46; Snntmyers, 10::!0; Schaller, 1922 

consumption : Root.s, 1!>46 

distribution: Nininger, 1054; Parks, 1949; Santmyers, 1930 

economics : 1\lertic, 194!) 

foreign trade : Suntmyers, lOBO ; Schaller, 1922 

murlccting: Nininger, 1954; Roots, 1046 

milling: Roots, 1940. 

mineralogy: Bates and Wetlow, 105::!; Froutlel and Fleischer, 1U52; Nininger, 1954; 

Parks, 1949 

mining: Uoots, 11.146 

occurrences: Abbott, 1954; Bates antl Wetlow, 1951:1; Burbank and Pierson, 1953; 

Christman and others, 1953 ; Cooper, 1953, 1954 ; Mertic, 1 !)49 ; l\Ioxhnm, 

1054; Nininger, 1954 ; Olson and others, 1954; Parks, l 049 ; Snutmyers, 

1930; Schuller, 1022; Sharp and Pray, 1052; Sterrett, 1011 ; ~L'rites antl 

1-'ookcr, 1953; U. S. Congress Documents, 1!)52; Wl1ite and Stevens, 1 !J53; 

Anonymous, 1952c, 1954u,d 

tn·otluction: 1\Iertie, 1949; Roots, 1H46; Suntmyers, 1930; Schaller, 1922; U. S. 

Congress Documents, 1952 ; Anonymous, 1954b,c,e 

purchasers : Nininger, 1954 ; Roots, 1946 

resources: Parks, 1949; U. S. Congress Documents, 1953 

uses : Mertie, 1!)40 ; Parks, 1949 ; U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1954 ; U. S. 

Congress Documents, 1052, 1953 

1'iu : Bates antl \Vetlow, 1!)53; Moxham, 1054 

1-'itauium. Sec llmeuite. 

~L'uscnloosa formation : l\£ertic, 1953 

Uganda: Cnrlt>OII, 1\:eiscr, and Sargent, 1953 

Union of South Africa: Carlson, Keiser, and Sargent, 1953; Nininger, 1054 

Unftctl Stutes Hureau of Mines: Carlson, Keiser, anu Sargent, 1953; Carlson and others, 

1953 ; U. ~. Congres:; Documents, 1953 ; Anonymous, 1954e l!J 

lJt'llllinm: l\iet·tie, 1953; Nininger, 1954; Trites and Tooker, 1953 ; Anonymous, 1950b, 

1954c,e 

Umnothoriuuite: Hates and \Vedow, 1953; Niuinger, 1954; West and 1\Iatzko, 1953 

Uranothorite: Nininger, 1954; White and Stevens, 1953 

Vt!ln lleposits : Ninfnger, 1954 

occurrences: AO\inson, 1910; Hates and Wetlow, 1053 ; Burbank and Pierson, 1953; 

Carl:;on, Keiser, and Sargent, 1053; Christman and others, 1953; Cooley, 

l!)GU; Gla:;s and Smalley. 1045; Hess, 1008; Nininger, 1954; Olson and 

othet·:;, 1!Hi4; Hoots, 1D4li; Sharp and l'ray, 1052; SouM, 1046; Trites and 

Tool,t!l', 1953; White :uul Stevens, Hl53; Anonymous, 1952a,c 

Virginia : l\icrtle, l!l5:~ ; Anonymous, 1U54n 

\Vyomiug: Carlson, Keiser, aml Sargent, 1 !)53; Co•)ller, 1953, 1954 

Crook County: 

Bear Lo1lge Mountain:; district: Ninh•ger, 1954; Anonymous, 1950b 

Sundance : Nininger, 1954 ; Anonymous, 1950b 

Xenotime: Nininger, 1954; Hoots, 1946 

Yttrium: Atkinson, 1910; Hess, 1908; Pratt, 1916 

l'.irconium: Hes::;, 1908; l\Ioxham, 1954: Ninlnger, 1954; Pratt, l9Hi: Santmyers, 1!lHO; 

Schaller, 10:!2 ; Staley, 1948 ; Staley and B•·owning, 1940; Stet·rett, 1911 

0