Out of the Earth

OUT of the Canadian earth come treasures right and rare--gold, silver, uranium. Out of the earth come the raw materials of the industry--iron,copper, nickel, and the like. From deep in the earth flows the petroleum that keeps the wheels moving in our modern economy. Coal for our fires lies under the soil of Canadian prairies, mountains, and coastal seas. From the earth comes the building materials for towns and cities, roads, and bridges. From the earth come the glass and dishes for our homes, the salt for our tables, and the nylons we wear. Every Canadian uses the products of our mines. Many persons are employed in the mining industry, or in the multitude of industries dependent on its products. Many Canadians are investors in the industry, buying shares in mining companies, or processing industries, or the enterprises that sell mineral products to the public. This book is the direct result of the desire expressed by Canadians in many walks ofl ife to know "more about mining." It takes the interested layman on a short trip through the complex mining industry. It describes, very clearly and readably, how the minerals were formed int he earth, how they are found, how they are taken out of the earth, and how the ores are processed and the petroleum transformed to high grade gasoline. It goes farther, telling how a mine is financed, how the prospector, the engineer, the government, the mine operator, financier, and investor combine to make the great Canadian mineral industry what it is. It tells, too, about the "jobs" in the industry--about the opportunities for geologists, geophysicists, engineers, production and physical metallurgists, and many other professions that young Canadians find both challenging and rewarding. This book gives the clue to the "language" of the mining industry--"conglomerate," "stope," "spudding in," "repressuring," "working option," "reorganization," "speculative risk"--to name only a few terms that are read on the financial page every day, and which the intelligent investory wants to understand clearly. Out of the Earth tells about mining as it is today. We meet not just the propector carrying his pick, but the airborne magenetometer, which detects mineral deposits from the sky. Most readers have heard of the use of Geiger counters in locating radioactive substances, but here we read also, for example, about the seismic methods of mineral exploration, by which dynamite is fired in the earth and the shock-wave patterns calculated on instruments. Helping to make important points of the story clear are simple tables and 40 excellent line-drawings and charts. A group of photographs, chosen for informational value as well as pictorial interest, is included.