"Stellite," which is used to a
limited extent in non-rusting tools of various sorts, and in
considerable quantity to replace high-speed tool steels, is an alloy of
cobalt, chromium, and small quantities of other metals. Considerable
experimental work has been done on the properties and uses of cobalt
alloys, and their consumption is rapidly on the increase.

Cobalt is an item of commerce of insignificant tonnage. There are only
two countries, Canada (Ontario) and the Belgian Congo, which produce
noteworthy amounts. The Katanga district in the Congo produces blister
copper that contains as much as 4 per cent of cobalt, though usually
less than 2 per cent. This product formerly went to Germany, and now
goes entirely to Great Britain. Just how much cobalt is saved is
unknown, but probably several hundred tons annually. It is probable that
most of the cobalt in these ores will be lost on the installation of a
leaching process for recovery of the copper. Canada exports most of its
product to the United States, though the amount is small. Domestic
production in this country has been too small to record. The United
States has been dependent on imports from Canada.

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

The principal cobalt minerals are smaltite (cobalt arsenide), cobaltite
(cobalt-arsenic sulphide), and linnaeite (cobalt-nickel sulphide). Under
weathering conditions these minerals oxidize readily to form asbolite, a
mixture of cobalt and manganese oxides, and the pink arsenate, erythrite
or "cobalt bloom."

Cobalt minerals are found principally in small quantities disseminated
through ores of silver, nickel, and copper. The production of Canada is
obtained mainly as a by-product of the silver ores of the Cobalt
district (described on pp. 234-235), and smaller amounts are recovered
from the Sudbury nickel ores (pp. 180-182). The cobalt of Belgian Congo
is obtained from rich oxidized copper ores which impregnate folded
sediments (p. 205).

MERCURY (QUICKSILVER) ORES

ECONOMIC FEATURES

Uses of mercury are characterized by their wide variety and their
application to very many different phases of modern industry; they will
be named here in general order of decreasing importance. About one-third
of the mercury consumed in this country goes into the manufacture of
drugs and chemicals, such as corrosive sublimate, calomel, and glacial
acetic acid. Mercury fulminate is used as a detonator for high
explosives and to some extent for small-a