Document JBMqaeq6BzYQg9VbG2Mo185X

FILE NAME: Johnson & Johnson (JAJ) DATE: 1961 June 6 DOC#: JAJ037 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from Battele Memorial Institute to J&J with final Comment that Tremolite is "a decidedly objectionable needle-like particle." / 1 Baitelle Memorial Inslitute SOS KI NO AVENUE C O L U M B U S I , 0 H I June 6 , 1961 Mr. W. H . Ashton Research Department Johnson and Johnson New Brunswick, New Jersey Dear Hr* Ashtons . This le tte r b r ie fly summarizes ay observations made during May at the N ight Mine, Gouverneurj N . Y ,j th e Hamsondsville, V t , deposit) and subsequent petrographic examinations of the ores and b e n eficiatio n products* The follow ing covers only such inforaation as I believe i s of immediate consequence to you* A detailed geolo gical and m ineralogical _______ re p o rt-w ill-fo llo w if-y o u -so -re q u e st*-------- --.......-- ---------------------------------- THE f if lP W P H Ja -X et-P B P QSg T alc deposits in the Gouvemsur b e lt con stitute the largest in the western Hemisphere. In most o f the Gouvemeor deposits t a lc is . subordinate* The ore is trem olitenanthophyllite sch ist which has been sexpentlnized and steatized* The core contains tr e o o lite , an th op h yllite, t a le , serpentine, hexagonite, quartz, carbonates, m icas, pyroxenes, and opaques. The ta lc b e lt i s some s ix m iles lo n g, extends down dip oyer 2000 fe e t , and has widths over 400 fe e t. The p a rticu la r ta le o f in terest to Johnson & Johnson i s a tr a o o litic p la ty ta lo in the Wight Mine* This fa cia s i s objectionable in the International Talc Coupany product and is avoided in mining* The body i s 12..to 14 foot th ic k , extends from near surface through the 6th Xdvel and i s presumed' continuous along the strik e o f the ore* Although no attempt has bssn mads to block out the p la ty ore, I was able to see a probable 100,000 to n s, 300,00.0 tons can bs estimated from d r illin g data and in tersection s o f the present workings. Based on inform ation provided by the In tern ational Talc C o *, the reserves may be in excess o f 1/2 m illion tons* Xhe tonnage figu res are only rough estim ates* The ore reserves and the uniform ity o f the ore would have to be proven by d r illin g . M o ta tia n Conce n tr e t a from Gm ivam aur T a le The ore contains both trem olite and p la ty ta lc as major components. The flo ta tio n concentrates you submitted contained d e d i c a t e d to the ADVANCCMCN Protected Document-Subject to Protective Order JNJMXS8_Q00e0074t B a tte lle M em orial Institute Mr. Ashton 2-- June 6 , 1961 Total tale Platy talc Nonplaty t a lc Free trem olite, others 96*97% (by count) 93 3 3*4 However, the t a lc p la te le ts contain abundant fin e trem olite which i s liberated on successive fin e grinding. Although the beneficiated t a lc i s of high q u a lity , i t would appear that 4 or 5 per cent trem olite i s the minimum which would be p r a c tic a lly obtainable without extensive changes in the proposed b e n eficia tio n procedure. THE HAMMDNDSVILLE. V T .. DEPOSIT The ore previously mined at the Hammondsville deposit was o ff c o lo r, h igh ly contaminated, and unsuitable fo r producing high-grade talcum . When the old t a l c body was exhausted, mining proceeded underground and struck a white p laty ta l& , so fa r unique in Vermont. The character of the new ore was reportedly not recognized u n til sane two months ago. The ore i s enclosed in quartz-mice s c h is t, consists of some 70-75 per cent p la ty t a lc with inclusions of coarse carbonate g r it (about 25 per cent) and accessory m inerals. - * The white, p la ty ore has not been blocked o u t, however, about 100,000 tons can be v isu a lize d from the present workings. I f the t a lc body i s as la rge ats v isu alize d by the Eastern Magnesia Talo Cow, there may be as much as l/2 m illion tons or more. The tonnage figures are only rough estim ates. TTw ore reserves and the uniform ity of the ore would have to be proven by d r illin g . f i o W a D C p u f i f H a m e n d i v i U t f op Samples of the Hammondsville ore were processed by flo ta tio n by the Eastern Magnesia Talo Co. The flo ta tio n concentrate contained Total talc Platy talc Nonplaty ta lc Carbonates Rutile (liberated) Altered anphiboles Opaques Others 97-98% (by count) 96 <2 <1 <1 trace trace <1 Examination of several specimens from d iffe re n t parts of the mine shows most of the ore to be fre e of r u t il e . Some specimens show 4-5 per cent r u t i l e . On in s u ffic ie n t evidence the r u t ile appears to be tra ce ab le , fo r the most p a r t, to a s p e c ific stope on the fo o tw a ll. Protected Docum ent-Subject to Protective Order B alleile M em orial Institute Mr* Ashton June 6y 1961 mumm There are how two known domestic sources of t a lc ore which may be ben efciated to high-grade talcum add which appear to have adequate reserves. The flo ta tio n concentrates produced from the p la ty Gouverneur ore and the new Hammondsville ore have very good s li p , co lo r, and are prim arily conposed of sin g le cry sta llin e sheets. Before a fin a l conclusion i s reached, the following should be considered (1) Theoreserves of either mine should be blocked out and core d rilled to establish uniform ity. (2) I t should be established whether or not the trem olite content of the Gouverneur concentrate, i f p ro h ib itiv e , can be removed economically by further b n fici tio n . (3) I t should be established how the r u t ile i s distributed throughout the Hammondsville d ep osit. (4) The Chester, Vermont, area should be surface-explored to determine i f other sim ilar deposits occur. The Carleton Quarry and the Vermont T alc Conpany quarry should be examined. including the matters of reserves and economics, the Hammondsville deposit appears preferable m ineralogically inasmuch as the t a l c p la te le ts are f la t t e r and more equidimensional, and r u t ile and carbonate are known to be removable by b e n e fie ia tio n . Trem olite, which i s prssent in the Gouverneur.product, is a decidedly objectionable needle like particle. ... Very tru ly yours, MLScw T rip lic a te cci D r. W. H. Lycan Ur* J . N. Masci U r. C . V . Swank William Lee Smith Principal Geologist Protected Docum ent-Subject to Protective Order JNJMX68_0Q0000748