Political and commercial geology and the world's mineral resources

by Unknown

DEVELOPMENTS AND CHANGES IN KNOWN GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE NEAR FUTURE

So far as information is available no marked change in the rate of production in the countries of Europe and northern Africa seems probable. Most of the districts in those countries have been exploited over a long period and have passed their zenith of production; many are approaching exhaustion. The decrease in most of them will, however, be gradual. The most important change in Europe probably will be the transfer to Polish jurisdiction of the whole of the Silesian field, making the new state of Poland, if established as proposed, the largest single source of zinc ore in Europe.

In the United States, which will continue to be the largest producer of zinc in the world, the greatest increase in relative importance may be expected from the western metallographic province, particularly in the northwest, in the Butte and Coeur d’Alene districts. The Leadville district has already passed the zenith of production and has dropped to second place after Butte, which is capable of still further increase.

In Australia the Broken Hill district may be expected to yield about 450,000 tons of concentrates annually for some three years, after which the output should drop to about 300,000 tons. The increase of production from Tasmania will largely depend upon the construction of electrolytic zinc plants, but the island will be a factor in production in the immediate future.

The greatest new factor in the world’s output of zinc will be the Bawdwin mines, in Burma, which within a short time will be equipped to produce about 300,000 tons of ore annually or about 75,000 tons of high-grade zinc concentrates and 100,000 tons of low-grade concentrates or middlings for treatment by the Ganlin process. The extent to which the zinc concentrates from this ore will be treated in India will be determined by the development of the local market for sulphuric acid. The remainder of the concentrates will be treated in England.

Recent developments in the Altai Mountains of southwestern Siberia have proved immense bodies of complex zinc-lead ores. The extent of their exploitation will, however, be determined largely by the extent of the Russian market as affected by social and political conditions. Removal of the stringent tariff on importations from abroad to the manufacturing centers of Warsaw, Petrograd and Moscow might greatly restrict the market for the output of these mines. Their extreme geographic isolation will prevent the deposits from becoming an important factor in the world market for a long period, notwithstanding their large size and excellent grade.

The utilization of the Rhodesia Broken Hill deposit in South Africa will be delayed by the difficulty of separating the oxidized lead and zinc minerals, the lack of fuel, and geographic and commercial isolation.