Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-02-15
Lithium Ores In tho Black Hills.
CA. T. Roos in Mining World.)

| "A. /. hOOS IN Mining world.
The four lithium ores found in the
southern Black Hills of South Dakota
are amblygonite, lepidolite, spodumene
and triphylene. The highest grade ore
containing between 8 and II per cent
| lithium oxide, is triphylene, which oc-
ours in pockets on the property of the
Peerless Mining company, near Key
stone. Spodumene occurs in the mica
schists at the Eta mine belonging to the
Harvey Peak Tin Mining company of
Hill City. About 200 tons of spodu-
meme are shipped annually to May
wood, n. j., and the lithiam extracted
and sold on the market as lithium car
Donate. BY far the largest amount of
| lithium used in the United States is de-
rived from this spodumene.
Lepidolite, containing to per cent
lithium oxide, occurs as a pink colored
ore at the Ingersol mine belonging TO
the Harvey Peak Tin Mining company,
near Keystone. A lower grade of yell
low lepidoite is found on various prop
critics near Keystone, and frequently
contains peculiar combination Of cas-
siterite and columbite.
The most interesting finds in lithium
ores made in the last two years are two
large deposits of ambygonite containing
tin oxide and coumbite, near Keystone.
One deposit that can be traced for 800
feet shows vast open cuts of pure am
blygonite, and is on the ground of the
Peerless Mining company near Key
stone. This property has the dstinc.
ton of showing lepidolite, amblygonite
and triphyene, besides mica that is be-
ing shipped to the Standard Oil COM
pany in Chicago Several carloads of
amblygonite have been on the dumps
ready for shipment for the last months
and may have been shipped by this
time. The grade of the amblygonite is
good and shows from to 9 per cent
lithia.
pure grade of white beryl has also
been found on the same property and
SAL has been offered (. o. b. Keystone.
The beryl is shipped to Germany where
combination of beryllium oxide and
thorium oxide is used for making in
Candescent gas mantles.
The second property showing large
deposits of amblygonite ready for ship
ment practically adjoins the Peerless
and is called the Christiernsson, former.
ly belonging to the Harney Peak Tin
Mining company. There are several
open cuts 10 to 10 feet wide, showing a
very pure grade of amblygonite and
spodumene.
Cassiterite is found in the mica schists
and also in the amblygonite in combin-
alton with columbite on the same prop
erty The formation of both properties
is made up of mica schists and gran
ite.
The contention up to the present time
has been ihat lithium is harder to ex-
tract from amblygonite than from spod-
umene. Camille Poulenc of Paris, took |
out patent (U. 5. No. S36,78l, Nov. Z, !
19O6) by which he claims to get a high |
recovery of lithium and also a phos- |
phate of aumina. He applies the pro-
cess of treatment of the finely pulyerized |
ore with acid sulphate of sodium. He |
declares that what he claims is the pro- |
cess of obtaining lithium carbonate from
its ores this consists of pulverizing acid |
sodium suIphate and the ore, and then |
mixing the said su!phate and the ore in |
exactly predetermined proportions (by |
analysis progressively heating the mix
ture to red heat, lixiviating the roasted
mass to obtain a solution of lithium sui.
plate and after purifcation precipitat-
ing the lithium as lthium carbonate.
The demand for lithium is limited, but
obtaining the phosphate of alumina as
byproduct enhances the intrinsic value
OF amblygonite for which $25 to $50, t. |
o. b. Keystone, Black Hills is offered.
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