OCR Text |
Show FLUORSPAR IN UTAH Wtih the advent of the steel industry in-dustry in Utah fluorspar min-1 ing has become suddenly important. impor-tant. The mineral fluorite is necessary as a flux for the manufacture manu-facture of basic open-hearth steel. Fluxes are the "expediters" of metallurgical processes. Not much is needed but that little bit is very important. The present pres-ent steel processing calls for about 8 pounds of fluorite for each ton of steel processed. In addition to its use in the manufacture manu-facture of steel there are other modern uses in the manufacture of DDT and high octane gasoline, etc. As a pure mineral fluorite contains con-tains 48.9 percent fluorine and I 51.1 per cent calcium. Commercial Commer-cial deposits always carry a cer tain amount of silica, barium and other impurities. Fluorite is usually us-ually transparent to translucent, but dark-colored varieties may be nearly opaque. Its color may j be blue, green, yellow, brown, j I rose, claret, purple or white. It j i fades upon long exposure to j 1 light and outcrop material is j ' i usually colorless or white. In j ' hardness it is harder than cal- i ! cite but can easily be scratched 1 1 with a knife. I The market price of f luor-' luor-' spar in Utah are the Topaz Moun-' Moun-' i tain district in Juab County, the E Wildcat Mountains of Toole ' County and the Indian Peak and Wah Wah Range areas of west- ern Beaver County. There are ; several other counties where the mineral has been found in vary-' vary-' ing grades and quantities but the first districts named in or - have sustained commercial pro- - duction. The demand and the pro- duction are steadily increasing to the extent that Utah may be-i be-i come one of the important fluor- - ite producing states of the Na-5 Na-5 tion. |