Old Mines of Southern California: Desert-Mountain-Coastal Areas Including the Calico-Salton Sea Colorado River Districts and Southern CountiesFairbanks, Harold W. (Harold Wellman)
History
Old Mines of Southern California: Desert-Mountain-Coastal Areas Including the Calico-Salton Sea Colorado River Districts and Southern Counties
Fairbanks, Harold W. (Harold Wellman)
Geology -- California, Southern; Mines and mineral resources -- California, Southern
A large stope commences on the northeast side of the shaft at a depth of
30 feet from the top and extends down to the 114-foot level.
Considerable ore was standing in sight in the mine at the time of my
visit, but nothing was being done. The company have had to stop work, as
the owners of the lime quarry claim to have this property included in
their patent.
OTHER CLAIMS.
There are scores of other claims in this interesting district, but
little development has been done on them. Here and there are encouraging
prospects, where carbonate of lead and oxide of iron have been found;
but on the most promising of these only 10-foot holes have been sunk.
The mineral zones are not well defined, and the prospectors have not the
capital necessary to systematically prospect the hills.
THE SILVER MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Is 5 miles south of Oro Grande. There are a number of claims, the
principal one being the Amazon. The formation is similar to that about
Oro Grande. In a large dike of diorite occur the ore bodies of the
Amazon Mine, which produces copper ores of a fair grade. Several holes
were sunk to various depths, ranging from 15 to 30 feet, by the Mormons
who settled on the Mojave River years ago. Recently a shaft has been
sunk to the depth of 61 feet, and a drift run north 40 feet. The ore is
principally copper-iron sulphide (chalcopyrite).
The ore in this mine occurs along slips or fault planes. This peculiar
class of deposits has been described under the head of the Tiptop Mine,
Lava Beds District, in this county, and as the essential features of
this mine are similar to those of the Tiptop, repetition here will be
unnecessary. I found a greater mineralization of the limestone in this
district than about the Oro Grande, though no prospecting has been done
here for lead ores.
GEM MARBLE QUARRIES.
Twelve miles northeast from Victor are the Gem quarries, that produce
variegated marbles of great beauty. Shades of yellow, chocolate, black,
pale blue, crimson and gray, cream-colored, rose, and white. The
markings are such as to produce beautiful effects. The croppings are
strong, and the surface material is apparently not at all injured by the
exposure of centuries to the elements in a region where nearly all rocks
decay and disintegrate rapidly. The outcrop stands boldly above the
adjacent country rock from 10 to 20 feet. The entire ledge or belt is
made up of bands or beds ranging from 3 to 6 feet in thickness. These
strata are separated by thin seams or fractures, but it is reasonable to
presume that this separating line or joint will disappear as depth is
attained. The rock is all susceptible of a high polish, and it
withstands a tremendous crushing force. It was said by the owners that
this had been determined at 28,000 pounds per square inch.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account