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Taconite is an iron bearing mineral. However, its iron concentration is generally low. In the late 19th and early 20th century, iron ore was of such high quality (often having such high concentrations of iron that it could be welded to directly) that taconite was considered an uneconomic waste product. After World War II, most of the high grade ore in the United States had been mined out, and so taconite was turned to as a new source of iron. To process taconite, the low-grade ore is ground up, the iron separated from the contaminants, and then the remainder rolled into balls or pellets. This process of ore separation was originally developed by Thomas Edison.The Mesabi Iron Range region of the American state of Minnesota is a major production area. The taconite is shipped through Two Harbors and the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, both on Lake Superior. The ore is generally shipped to other locations on the Great Lakes; many steelmaking centers are near Lake Erie. Originally the ore was unloaded by hand; from about 1900 through 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi, great machines called HulettPRR ore docks at Cleveland. The near Hulett is discharging into the hopper, while the next is lowering its bucket into the hold. The Hulett automatic ore unloader was invented by George Hulett of Ohio in the late 1800s; he received a patent for his invent ore unloaders performed the task. Self-unloading ships made the Huletts obsolete.
References
Minnesota DNR
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Economic geologyEconomic geology is concerned with earth materials that can be utilized for economic and/or industrial purposes. These materials include precious and base metals, nonmetallic minerals, construction-grade stone, petroleum minerals, coal, and water. The ter
