Evening star., 1950-07-28
Rure Metal Is Found
In Shadow Of Capitol
Lode Here Is Second Richest
In (5ermunium Known to Exist
By Thomas R. Henry

The worlds second richest known con.
centration of one Of the rarest of metals
has just been discovered almost in the
shadow Of the Capitol.
This metal is germanium. During the
last war it was strategic material Of
the utmost Importance due to unique
property its crystals have: they pass an
electric current in one direction only. 1t
was invaluable in detecting ultra-high
frequency radio and radar signals.
1t also is essential in various types of
optical glass and has been used In ths
treatment of perniciouS anemia. The ele-
ment generally is distributed through
the crust Of the earth but constitutes
an average Of only few hundredths of
per cent.
Taisia Stadnichenko, < j. Murata
and j. M. Axelrod Of the United States
Geological Survey were testing rocks Of
the District Of Columbia and nearby
Maryland for traces Of rare elements.
The evidence Of germanium, presence
Of which had not hitherto been sus-
pected. appeared exceptionally strong In
certain deposits Of Ignite, which is about
halfway between wood and coal. These
deposits were the remains Of an ancient
cypress forest that covered a great
stretch Of Southern Maryland and North
ern Virginia about $50 million years ago,
in the days Of the dinosaurs.
Averaged to S Per Cent.
Analysis showed the germanium con-
tent OF these lignites ran as high as
6 per cent and averaged between and
5 per cent. The highest content of the
element hitherto reported is in a rock
known as germanite from Southwest
Africa and the Belgian Congo, where
also are found the richest deposits Of
uranium. There the richness sometimes
runs to 8 per cent and these rocks have
supplied most Of the worlds needs.
The Ignite apparently underlies much
Of the Southern Maryland-District Of
Columbia area, starting with the Patux-
ent River. Unfortunately it crops out
only in few spots. notably in Soldiers
Home park and thence westward to
Sixteenth street. Because Of the scat
tered nature of the deposits. profitable
recovery would be quite doubtful.
Germanium has been found in appre-
ciable quantities in few other parts Of
the United States. Small amounts are
recovered in the processing Of silver,
copper and tin ores. 1t seems to have
natural affinity for these.
Presumably the particular type Of
cypress trees from which the Ignite was
formed had special affinity for the rare
element and their roots concentrated it
from the soil.
Discovered in 1886.
Germanium was first discovered in
Germany in 1886, but only in the elec-
tronic age has it been found Of much
practical value. 1t is a hard brittle.
greyish-white metal, belonging to the
same general family as silicon, carbon.
tin and lead. 1t shares with silicon and
carbon the property of being able to
combine primarily with hydrogen, and
secondarily with other elements, to form
complex molecules; and it would be
possible to picture germanium world.
in which the rare element replaced car
bon in the bodies of living things
The Ignite also shows traces of the
rare elements galliun, vanadium and
chromium; and some samples show a
heavy concentration Of copper. Tho
richness Of the germanium, however, is
more than 10,000-fold what would be
expected from rocks in this part of the
world.
The ability to concentrate germanium
apparently was speciality of one type
of tree. Rock deposits from the next
geological period in the same locality
show very low germanium concentra-
ti0nS