Arizona republican., 1914-03-22
The Mines of Arizona
(Continued from Page Three)

schist and related rocks, it is in de- tached masses and in veins; phlid- sopite amber mica" nearly free from ! iron. occurs mostly in crystalline, limestone, biotite black mica high l ivy coiored with oxide of iron, Is not sc abundant anl is of least impor- l tance comme, cialiy. Other varieties, '. ith the except CT of lepidolItc. are 1 cnlv of minerJiogical interest. Lc- | pidolite. or lithium mica, which is mined in the United Stl5es ir Cali i forna and in the Black Hills, south | Dakota. is employed In the manu- facture of lithla tablets f1r m'dlcinal purposes. There are other forms 1 having !i.:Iia as a constituent, such as triplN lite ana lithiop;fEte. phos- phate of ron, manganese and lithinm, encryptite. containing lithium and aluminium There is also llthia mica from Greenland called polylith- onite. There is also castOrite com | posed of silica. aumina and lithia, err ophylite 5lme composii n as the afore- going only double the amount 1 of Hthia Then there is ZimerWal- dite, a lithium iron. But as prev iously stated the principal produc- tion of lithia is from the mica and on account of it's easier extraction. Mica is mined a great deal now all over the United states in Caro- lima, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Virginia, New Mexico, Idaho, Maine, Connecticut, Wyoming and Nevada and of late years extensively in Cali forna. Although We have mica in Arizona. there is no production to our knowledge Considerable mica is now being mined in Canada and British Columbia and an excellent grade is obtained from both these countries India is known for it's mica all over the world and is prob ably the oldest source of supply The mines are in Bombay and Tn the Welfare district of Madras. This mica is marketed in four varieties Clear ruby which is hard and tough: ruby stained" discolored and smoked: soft white" a transparent white and -'splttings" black and flawed These varieties are graded and shipped from Calcutta to Lon :, don Numerous other countries have large deposits of mica but owing to the lack of railroad facilities have not produced any large quantities. Sheet mica varies widely as regards quality: the most valuable being uni form in shape and nearly transpar- ent white in color, free from spots CT other stains and flaws. For some purposes flexibility. softness and toughness are also considered.
 The commercial or standard sizes of sheets Vaty from F. inches by inches up to inches by 10 inches.
 Sheet mica is used extensively as substitute for glass in stoves, fur
 mace doors. lamp protectors, sky
 lights spectacles, for workmen in stone and in quarres. compass GOV l CTS, etc.
 Mica is used in many ways fol electrical insulation, covering of arm 1 ature wires. etc. for covering of boilers. engine packing mica cotton
 and cloth materials. for many pur-
 poses including roofing. Ground mi
 ca is used for frosting and spang
 ling of wall paper and for creating
 
 1 are as grease for lubricating journals and axle bearings of machinery, point l facing composition, pigments and an absorbent of nitro -Slycerine. It is also used for mods for sharp metal
 castings and probably other uses moi ! here enumerated. Last years pro-
 duction and it's value was given
 previously.
 According to a pamphlet by J
 McLeish. noticed in the Canadian . Engineer Canada and Ceylon arc
 the only countries in which phlogo-
 pite, or amber mica is known in de-
 posits that can be worked commer-
 cially Muscovite or white mica is
 produced in India and the United
 States, but amber mica is secured
 almost wholly from Canada