Show REPORT ON BRIGHAM GRAPHITE U S geological survey reported deposits of graphite near brigham utah have recently been the subject of considerable interest in a more or less local way prospects situated on thre ahr e mile creek between the settlements of brigham and petry perry boxelder Box elder county utah were visited by the author hoyt S gale in october 1909 and several samples representative of the material that had then been exposed were collected these samples representative of the material that had then been exposed were collected these theae samples have been ana by dr chase palmer in the survey laboratory the deposits near brigham form a part of a series of metamorphosed sediments presumably of precambrian pre cambrian age the associated socia ted rocks consist of states and gray conglomerates and quart all more or less sheared and contorted some beds of black somewhat foliated schist are included in this series and these beds are apparently derived through metamorphism from strata containing carbon probably originally in the form of organic remains if organic material may be assumed to have existed in rocks of precambrian age the carbonaceous outcrop near the channel of three mile creek having a general east west strike and showing at intervals for at least three fourths of a mile the carbonaceous beds exposed in the shallow prospects appear to be at least 15 or 20 feet in thickness z and as they evidently represent an original stratum of the sedimentary series seres I 1 it is quite probable that they may prove fairly persistent L both horizontal y and in depth throughout the area in which the outcrops occur the carbonaceous schist shows a black clu polish resembling that of graphite especially in joints or on the foliation of the rock when pulverized however the substance lacks the smooth greasy feeling of pure graphite but much of the material selected as most promising for commercial use appears to be free from coarse sand or grit an average sample representing 7 feet 4 inches of the beds exposed in the main prospect was ana giving the following results moisture and volatile matter fixed carbon by difference ash another sample collected at random from a more foliated or br schistose bed associated with a large vein of quartz about three fourths of a mile farther up the canyon gave the following test moisture I 1 volatile matter fixed carbon by difference ash v As these analyses ran unexpectedly low test was made of a selected piece of the richest looking material the result of this test is essentially similar to the others moisture and volatile matter fixed carbon by difference ash in all these tests the carbon burned off in the flame of an ordinary bunsen lamp without the use of the blast apparently indicating di that the substance is more of the nature of an impure coal than of graphite the ash derived from the combustion of these samples is essentially clay of a light z gray color showing it to be free from whatever carbon it originally held material resembling the deposits near brigham in appearance is used in the manufacture of paint and also for foundry facings this usually contains however over 20 per cent carbon in the form of true graphite the brigham material although containing little or no graphite may possibly prove of value as a paint pigment its value for fire resisting purposes is ques tio e |