The Kusko times., 1929-03-30

toned 2" inquired Jack.
 Platinum is contained in certain nickel deposits. as at. Sudbury, On tario; in copper veins, assat Butte, Montana, and elsewhere; also in cer- tain veins in which gold is' associated with copper and other base metals. In these the platinum minerals occur only in minute quantities unrecogniz- able in assays of the ores and detect ed only and recovered in the final re- fining of copper and nicke, or of gold bullion. Platinum contributed scarce ly at all to the commercial value of such ores, and no deposit of this type has ever been worked for the plat mum alone. It is erratically and dis continuously distributed in some dikes. High asays from specimens are obtainabe from some of these dikes, and for that reason these oc- currences have repeatedly created temporary excitement at different times, but platinum has never been found in commercial quantities in them. No, as I said before, if you want. platinum you must find it con- centrated ip placers if you want it in commercial quantities.T
 "1s there not platinum being mined
 
 from dikes in South. Africa Jack continued to inquire of his talkative partner.
 "A few years ago, "tanswered Larry, after a moments reflection and after lighting his pipe for, ithe tenth, time, "a few years ago platinum was found in South Africa, as you state. The occurrence of this comparatively rare metal is in the Transvaal Years be- fore, its presence was detected in the heavy residue from the stamp mills that crushed gold ore. Some of the ore assays at the rate of ounces per ton, but the distribution of the metal is extremely irregular. ..Aecore of granite is surrounded by a band of norite, variety of gahhre, ,.and in this norite, platinum is found in in three types of eposits-namely, CD pipes or lenses of dunite or olivine rock, (2) : in an extensive band of nOrite, and (3) in alluvium derived from the ero- sion of the primary deposits just men, toned The occurrence of the meta in part of the district is unusual in so far as it is associated directly not with an ultra-basic eruptiye but with quartz in fault-fissure trayersing sandstone and felsite. How rich some of the impregnations are is indicated by the fact that, for example, one mine of dunite, A by 75 feet, assayed two ounces per ton at depth of 72 feet. Particles of crystalline platinum as big as the head of match have been found in this ore. Yes, indeed, Jack, these lode deposits are being worked as we'll as the placers.
 "Russia and Columbia are the main producers-comes from placers, too. In the United States there is small production in California and Oregon and a couple of other states. Alaska has produced some platinum. On Dime creek, in the Seward Peninsula coun- i try, it has been found, but the larger part of metals was palladium recov- cred from a copper lode on..Kassan Peninsula, in the Ketchikann district. Recently some platinum was recovered from Goodnews bay, at the mouth of ! the Kuskokwim.
 "In the gold pan, platinum. appears like grains of native silver. In color ; it varies from silver white to dark or even black. It is heavier than sil- yer or gold and it is.as soft as copper. ] In diamond drilling or churn drilling, Eve seen the banners get excited.and ! Al fy,f