THE 786th
MEETING
OF
THE
MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY
OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Saturday,
August 9, 2003
Annual
Picnic
at
Rock Currier’s House
COME TO THE MSSC AUGUST PICNIC!
 |
When:
August 9, 2003 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Where: Rock Currier's home |
What's happening: Mineral Swap, White Elephant Mineral Contest, Kid Rock Preparation, Pot Luck Lunch, and Lots of Fun!
What to bring:
-
FOOD of your choice for the pot luck. (Refrigeration is available.)
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Minerals that you wish to swap or sell.
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Your MOST OUTRAGEOUS mineral white elephant to swap and enter in the contest to win a more or less valuable prize.
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A lawn chair, if you have one.
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Friends and family.
The MSSC will provide cold drinks, paper plates, cups, and etc.; shade under the trees; tables for working and swapping; and ... lots of Kid Rock to glue and cut.
The Paymaster Mine
by Walt Margerum
Several years ago I visited the Paymaster Mine just west of Midway Well in Imperial County. Although the mineralogy was interesting, there was nothing unusual about the mineral assemblage. At least not until I discovered some very small, less than 1 mm, colorless hexagonal prisms. For several years I tentatively classified them as pyromorphite, based on the fact that the ores listed were galena, argentite (acanthite), chlorargyrite, sphalerite, hemimorphite, and cerussite. Those in bold were found by me on my two expeditions to the mine. I recently gave several specimens of the hexagonal mineral to Bob Housley for identification. Much to my surprise he identified them as willemite, see photo. This to my knowledge is the first report of this mineral from Imperial County. It has been reported from Cerro Gordo and two locations in San Bernardino County.
Willemite
from Paymaster mine. SEM
Photo by Bob Housley
Sampson and Tucker give the following description of the mine. The Paymaster Mine comprises 12 claims situated on the eastern slope of the Chocolate Mountains, in the Paymaster Mining District, in Sec. 19 and 30, T. 11 S., R. 20 E. and in Sec. 24 and 25, T. 11 S., R. 19 E., S. B. M., 25 miles by road northeast of Glamis and 3 miles west of Midway Well; elevation 800 ft.; owners, L. W. Jackson, Harold Jackson, Pasadena, Calif., and M. E. Stark, Beverly Hills, Calif.
The Paymaster vein strikes NW.-SE. and dips 60° to 70° NW. Width of vein varies from 15 ft. to 30 ft. The hanging wall of the vein is diorite, with granite as the footwall. Three ore shoots were developed along the vein which outcrop for a distance of 4000 ft. The ore shoots are known as Paymaster, President and Hazel. The Paymaster shaft was sunk to a depth of 385 ft. on a 70° incline, and ore stoped from 200-ft. level to the surface for a distance of 250 ft. in length. Width of ore mined was from 8 ft. to 15 ft. Two veins were worked known as Footwall and hanging Wall. Levels were driven every 100 ft., with crosscuts run to the Footwall vein on each level. On the 300-ft. level, a winze was sunk to a depth of 85 ft. northeast of the shaft. About 1500 ft. east of the Paymaster workings is the President shaft and underground workings. The shaft was sunk on the footwall side of the vein to a depth of 452 ft. Drifts were driven on the vein on the following levels: 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400-ft. The ore shoot was 250 ft. in length and 15 ft. to 35 ft. between walls. The footwall section of the vein was stoped from the 200-ft. level to the surface, while the hanging wall section of the vein was worked on the 300 and 400-ft. levels. The principal stopes are east of the shaft. The vein worked had a maximum width of 35 ft. The ore mined was silver chloride associated with lead carbonate and galena. Estimated tonnage of ore in the President Mine workings is about 80,000 tons, with an assay value of 8.2 oz. in silver; .015 oz. in gold; and 3.5% lead. Estimated tonnage between 100 and 400-ft. levels, is 35,000 tons, with an assay value of 12.09 oz. in silver; .01 oz. in gold; and 2.9% lead.
About 1800 ft. east of the President workings are the Hazel workings. Two shafts have been sunk on the vein to depths of 50 ft. and 100 ft. The vein exposed in these workings is 15 ft. wide. The ore is lead carbonate and galena, with values in silver. The ore mined is reported to assay 10% lead, with 6 oz. in silver. A new shaft has been sunk to a depth of 92 ft. between the Hazel and President shafts, developing a new ore shoot. This shaft is located 600 ft. west of the Hazel shaft and about 1100 ft. east of the President shaft. The vein strikes NE.-SW. and dips 70° NW. Width is 15 ft., with calcite filling between diorite and granite. On the footwall, there is 4 ft. of ore developed, reported to assay 10 oz. in silver; 10% lead; and .06 oz. in gold. The ore is lead carbonate and galena. Selected ore shipped ran 36% lead, with 40 oz. in silver. At the 45-ft. level a crosscut has been driven 15 ft. to the hanging wail of the vein. The owner of the property also own 40 acres of patented land located in Sec. is, T. 11 S., R. 20 E., S. B. M., on which is located a well and pumping plant.
References
Goodwin, J. Grant (1957); Lead and Zinc in California; California Journal of Mines and geology Volume 53 Numbers 3 and 4; p 488
Morton, Paul K. (1971); Geology and Mineral Resources of Imperial County, California; California Division of Mines and Geology County Report 7; pp 92-93
Sampson, R. J. & Tucker, W. B. (1942); Mineral Resources of Imperial County; California Journal of Mines and Geology Volume 34, Number 2, pp 127-128.
Minutes of the July Meeting
The 785th meeting of the MSSC was called to order by Vice President Jim Kusely at 7:35 on July 11, 2003. The door prize drawing was held first to allow anticipated late arrivals some time before the talk began. Jim announced that the August meeting will be a mineral swap, kid rock workshop, and potluck lunch on Saturday the 9th at Rock Currier's home.
Jim then introduced our speaker, Roy Foerster who spoke about his mineral collecting adventures and philosophy. His talk emphasized collecting in China, Brazil, and Mexico with additional comments on England, Canada, and the southwestern USA. His choice of specimens includes a bias toward pieces with "personality" and a history attached.
Roy has made two trips to Brazil where he was regaled by "stonies" who persistently follow mineral buyers with their wares and became acquainted with mine owners. One highlight was specimens from the "Jonas pocket" which included rubelllite of gigantic proportions. He was also able to do a small amount of self collecting, but noted that in Brazil, the miners need the work and are pleased to sell what they have found to collectors.
On a trip to China, mineral shopping in Changsha consumed six days. Searching through disorganized flats of material in people's apartments yielded 41 specimens. With some cleaning and trimming, a display of these won the "Best of Show, Master Class" at Tucson last year.
The talk also included glimpses of numerous localities in Mexico. For example, at San Martin, the miners are encouraged to take the native silver specimens home from the mine. Hence good specimens are often available. There the silver tends to occur in sheets which form mats in the ball mill that interfere with ore processing. There was also a glimpse of the Cave of Swords at Naica.
Roy commented that becoming a certified miner has made access to mining properties in the United States easier. Also, he brought a number of fine specimens, including his coveted azurite, for us to examine before and after the talk.
Visitors at the meeting, Ilia Lyles, John Woodward, and Becky Nelson all joined the Society. We welcome them as new members.
Respectfully submitted for the Secretary by Janet Gordon
Minutes of the July 13, 2003 MSSC Board Meeting
The meeting was called to order at 1:15 by Vice President Jim Kusely at the home of Carolyn Seitz. Board members Larry Bruce, Charles Freed, Janet Gordon, Bob Griffis, Jim Kusely, and Dave Smith were present. Carolyn Seitz attended as show chair.
In the absence of the secretary, Jim appointed Janet Gordon to take minutes. The treasurer's report was accepted as filed. The society is in good financial health.
Plans for the August 9 picnic were finalized. The activity at Rock Currier's house will begin at 9 a.m. In addition to the Kid Rock preparation, it will include a mineral swap and mineral white elephant contest complete with appropriate prize. A potluck lunch will begin at 11:30, and the society will provide paper or plastic plates, cups, utensils, and table cloths (to be purchased by Janet), as well as cold drinks (to be purchased by Jim). Jim will bring one large ice chest; Janet will bring two. Rock will be asked to supply additional tables, as offered. Board members will bring some chairs, but members will be asked to bring their own also.
The board discussed how to handle the coincidence of our show dates that of the regular December 2003 monthly meeting. Because of proximity to the holidays and the extended period over which we will be working on the show this year, it was generally conceded that a December meeting separate from the show was impractical. Larry Bruce volunteered to investigate how to legally handle the society's annual elections without a normal December meeting. A final decision on the December meeting was delayed until Larry can provide the necessary information.
Carolyn Seitz reported on show progress. To date 27 dealers have paid their fees, and 5 are in progress. Dealers on the waiting list will soon be contacted about remaining spaces. The decision to use the upstairs mammal hall as additional dealer space is still pending. The museum can supply electricity to only a few dealers in this room, hence additional electricity would need to by provided by the society. The museum has agreed to pay all this year's advertising and security costs, a large portion of the show cost. The board agreed to provide free T-shirts to museum and society show volunteers at the society's expense. The easy recognition of show workers wearing the shirts and the goodwill they have generated makes their nominal cost a reasonable expense.
Assignment of show committee tasks included Larry Bruce to organize volunteers and Jim Kusely to arrange for the vinyl, tow truck, and signage. Bob Griffis will revise the display agreement and assist Ron Thacker with displays. The show chair will contact several other members about specific tasks. The meeting was adjourned at 3 p.m.
Respectfully submitted for the Secretary, by Janet Gordon
Calendar of Events
August
2-3
San Francisco, CA San Francisco Gem & Mineral Society
S.F.
County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way
Hours:
Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5
Ellen
Nott / ellen_mptt@yahoo.com
8-10
Nipomo, CA Orcutt
Mineral Society
Saint
Joseph's Church, 298 S. Thompson Avenue
Hours:
10 - 5 all three days
Wayne
Mills (805) 481-3495
29
- September 1 Fort Bragg, CA Mendocino
Coast Gem & Mineral Society
Town
Hall; Main and Laurel
Hours:
Fri./Sun. 10- 6; Mon. 10-4
Don
McDonell (707) 964-3116
