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132
MINERAL RESOURCES.
there chiefly to the Tintic and Park City districts; the output increased to 59,371 ounces from 38,771 ounces in 1905.
Practically no gold is derived from oxidized lead or zinc ores.
DISTRIBUTION OF SILVER PRODUCT IN 1906.
The following table shows the source of silver in the United States in 1906, by kinds of ore and by States:
Source of silver in 1906 in States and Territories, as reported from themines to the. United States Geological Survey, by kinds of ore and by States, in fine ounces.
General statement.—The total silver product for 1906 was, as usual, about evenly divided between siliceous ores, copper ores, and lead ores. In percentages of the total the division is as follows: Siliceous ores, 29.3 per cent; copper ores, 27.7 per cent; lead ores, 26.7 per cent; copper-lead ores, 11.8 per cent; lead-zinc ores, 4 per cent; zinc ores, 0.2 per cent; placers, 0.3 per cent. Compared with 1905 there was a small loss from siliceous ores, a larger loss from lead ores, a small gain from copper ores, and a rather heavy increase from the mixed ores. The States rank as follows: Colorado, Montana, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and California.
Placers.—The placers yielded 171,058 ounces as a by-product; corresponding to the greater yield of placer gold, the gain in silver over 1905 was large.
Dry and siliceous ores.—The total quantity from this source was 16,792,799 ounces, compared with 17,187,889 ounces in 1905. The important States rank as follows: Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, California.
Although the total is large, the proportion of silver from ores in which that metal predominates is small. This emphasizes the fact that silver is practically a by-product of smelting ores and gold-