taconite

taconite

taconite low-grade iron ore, a flintlike rock usually containing less than 30% iron. Resistant to drilling and to the extraction of its contained metal, the rock was long considered worthless. Experiments begun in 1912 by the American scientist Edward W. Davis and continued by him for nearly 40 years produced the pelletizing method for upgrading the ore. The development of the jet piercer (a high-temperature flame thrower) provided penetration speeds of up to 40 ft (12 m) an hour for blasting holes in the rock. In 1956 exploitation of the vast reserves of taconite in the Mesabi range of Minnesota was begun by some of the largest steel companies in the United States.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"taconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"taconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-taconite.html

"taconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-taconite.html

Learn more about citation styles

taconite

taconite The name given in the Lake Superior region of N. America to banded iron formations.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "taconite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "taconite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-taconite.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "taconite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-taconite.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Using recycled taconite as alternative aggregate in asphalt pavements.(Sound...
Magazine article from: Construction and Building Materials; 9/1/2009
TACONITE is back; Trimmed-down industry recovers from lean years After a...
Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 1/8/1996
Silver Bay wrestles over taconite; An innovative plant expansion could help...
Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 1/29/2000

Facts and information from other sites

taconite images
taconite. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)