A Study of Montana Bentonite

Research has been undertaken both under Government and private auspices in an endeavor to develop uses for bentonite. Perhaps, the work done to date has had only in consideration the possible industrial importance of bentonite. No simple, quick methods for the determination of the properties or qualities of any particular bentonite have been developed. In an attempt to establish whether or not there is a means of making rapid simple determinations of the quality of Montana bentonitic clays, and in particular, with regard to the uses to which the clays may be suited. The problem also involves a study of Montana bentonite, and a comparison of it with the standard accepted bentonites and fullers earth on the market today.

Investigations Concerning Bentonite Deposits Near Ramsay, Montana

The purpose of Part I of this report is to determine the origin of the bentonite deposits, also to locate them with reference to section corners in the vicinity and to determine their extent. The field work for this report was done in the fall of 1933 and during the spring of 1934. The roads, geologic contacts, and culture in general were mapped with the use of an open sight alidade and plane table. Distances were determined on the roads by the speedometer on the automo­bile; the detailed survey in the immediate vicinity of the deposits was done with use of the Brunton compass and pac­ing. The purpose of Part II in this report is to determine if the bentonite deposits immediately west of Butte, Montana are of com­mercial importance and also to determine the use to which they are best suited.

Healthcare Costs: How Much Could a Hospital Make on Outlier Patients in Montana?

This poster illustrates hospital cost for outlier patients in Montana.

Conodonts from the Quadrant Shales of Montana

Conodonts have not been known to exist in Montana prior to the discovery of the specimens discussed and described in this paper. With this fact in mind, the author has endeavored to correlate the species of seven genera found in the Quadrant formation of Montana with similar micro-organisms from other North American areas.

Auriferous Tertiary Gravels Near Rocker, in Silver Bow County, Montana

Between the villages of Rocker and Silver Bow, in south­western Montana, are found an interesting group of placers. Gold occurs in Tertiary gravel beds that are interstratified with beds of rhyolitic volcanic ash. With the aid of a plane table and open-sight alidade, a small portion of the lake-bed area near Rocker was mapped; all distances were paced, but numerous checks assure a fairly accurate map.

Supergene Enrichment of Silver Ores with Special Reference to those from Neihart, Montana.

In the development of a technique it was necessary to learn the fundamentals of ore microscopy as applied to the various minerals of silver, which included the use of reflected polarized light, etch reactions, micro­chemical analysis, and sight recognition of mineral. In addition it was necessary to become familiar with the accepted criteria of sequence, replacement, and other textural phenomena.

Preliminary Floatation Tests on the Beneficiation of a Low-Grade Montana Bituminous Coal.

Coal is an aggregation of vegetal matter with varying small amounts of mineral and animal matter which have been so changed by the processes of sedimentation, decay and metamorphism that it has become a dense, dark, combustible substance. It occurs in beds varying in thickness from one foot or less to over 300 feet. The horizontal extent of a bed is sometimes continuous over an area as large as the State of Montana.

Occurrence and Origin of Placer Gold in Montana

From time immemorial man has used gold as a medium of exchange, a mea­sure of value, as jewelry and for ornamentation. Placer gold has led dir­ectly or indirectly to the settlement of lands, California and Alaska being the two best known examples. It has led the way to the discovery of other important mineral wealth, the discovery of the copper and silver deposits at Butte, Montana and the discovery of the silver deposits at Cripple Creek, Colorado being two good examples.

Microscopic Study of Montana Silver Ores.

A microscopic investigation of the Montana silver minerals was conducted. This study consisted mainly of identifying the silver and silver-bearing minerals and of determining their paragenetic rela­tionships. The increasing amount of research in which the reflecting microscope is employed is evidence of the great value of this method of approach in the solution of problems of paragenesis of the opaque minerals.

A Preliminary Study of the Micro-Fauna of Certain Paleozoic Formations of Montana

The study of the micro-fauna of Montana formations has been almost entirely neglected. Because the petroleum industry of this state has not felt the necessity for using micro-paleontology in its sub-surface correlations, the science has been but little used. The Montana Power Company has had an examination made of some of its well cuttings by a competent micro-paleontologist who found some foraminifera in Mesozoic sediments. However, no investiga­tions have been made to determine the presence and character of the micro-fauna of the Paleozoic formations of Montana.

A Preliminary Study of the Ostracoda of the Big Snowy Group, Mississippian, of Montana.

In the field, samples were taken vertically and horizon­tally along the various outcrops in different sections of central and south-central Montana. At important localities the samples were taken about every half-foot verti­cally; in other sections they were taken every few feet.

Siliceous Sponge Spicules of the Quadrant Formation from Montana.

A sponge spicule is a siliceous or calcareous individual or group of rays which form a framework for the sponge. Sponge spicules are very delicate and easily broken. The methods used in obtaining micro-fossils vary considerably with the type of material from which they are to be recovered and the frailness of the fossil obtained.

Geology of some Gold Deposits of Montana

Gold is one of the rarer metals in nature, and chemically it is one of the most inactive. Gold forms stable, natural compounds with few other elements, and only with metals.

Geology and Ore Deposits of the Golden Era and Goldfinch Mines, Argenta Mining District, Montana.

This report includes the results of geological investigation of a small area in the northern part of the Argenta mining district. Approximately two square miles were mapped. The underground working of the three mines only were accessible: the Goldfinch. Golden Era, and Mayday mines.

A Preliminary Study of Montana Copper - Nickel Ore

Deposits of sulfides, containing nickel and copper with associated platineferous minerals occur in the Stillwater Igneous Complex. This is a group of unusual igneous rocks situated in Stillwater and Sweetgrass counties in Montana.