Bulletin of the
Mineralogical Society
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San Andreas Fault Field TripCome join MSSC and Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society members on a day of exploring the San Andreas fault from Palmdale to Wrightwood. Beginning with the famous Avenue S and Highway 14 road cut, we will explore how the fault controls the southern California landscape. Examine how it disrupts the normal flow of surface and ground water and creates springs, off-set streams, sag ponds, and other lakes. Examine evidence of the great 1857 earthquake and learn how the prehistoric average recurrence interval for large quakes in this area has been determined to be about 160 years. Visit the scenic Devil’s Punchbowl for a view of the complexities of the plate boundary. See first hand how living on the fault impacts the city of Wrightwood. Collect large specimens of actinolite and sparkly hexagonal graphite micros as souvenirs of the day’s outing. The trip will be led by Dr. Janet Gordon, Professor Emeritus of Geology, Pasadena City College. Over the years she has introduced hundreds of students to the San Andreas fault and its role as a plate boundary.
Driving instructions to and marked campus maps for PCC are on the MSSC web page: www.mineralsocal.org. Click on the “meetings” link. Logistics: Be prepared for hot to cool weather. Bring a picnic lunch, plenty of water, hat, sunscreen plus a rock hammer, safety glasses, and hand lens. Please have enough fuel in all vehicles to make it to Wrightwood. MSSC will have a supply of $5 Forest Service Adventure Passes for purchase and use as needed. Expect to walk a few hundred yards now and then for the best view of the geology. Mark your CalendarMSSC are invited to annual picnic by Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society. The picnic to be held on Saturday, August 18, 10:00 AM, potluck at 12:30 followed by tailgate style sale. More information will be announced in the future issue.The Goodsprings DistrictPart III Mines by Walt Margerum History of MiningThe first mine in the district was the Potosi discovered by the Mormons in 1856. A small amount of lead was shipped to Salt Lake City, but it contained too much zinc, and the effort was abandoned. In 1882 the Yellow Pine district was formed. The major mines were the Yellow Pine, Keystone, Boss, and Doubleup. By 1892 the U.S. (part of the Alice group), Empire, Golden Chariot, My, Commercial, South Side and Hoosier were added to the list. From 1893 to 1898 most interest was in gold, mainly from the Keystone, Boss, and Clementina. The Anchor, Sultan, Hilo, Ninety-Nine, Azurite, Bullion, Bill Nye, Bybee, Prairie Flower, Accident, and Red Cloud were also active during this period. The completion of the railroad from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City in 1905 reduced freight costs spurred production, and the narrow gauge line from Jean to Goodsprings completed in 1905 further reduced freight costs. The finding of platinum at the Boss in 1914 resulted in a burst of interest, until the values proved to be small. The town of Platina appeared near the Boss Mine, and disappeared almost as fast as it appeared. As could be expected WWI caused an increase in production, which as expected subsided after the war. There was a small boom during the 1924 to 1928 period driven by the roaring twenties economy, followed by a bust due to the depression. WWII again caused an increase in production, which was sustained by the post war Strategic Stockpile Program. When this was terminated in 1957 the district went idle, and remains so today. The production figures for the district from 1857 through 1962 are: gold 90,508 oz.; silver 2,102,325 oz; Copper 4,926,377 lb.; lead 94,125,809 lb.; zinc 217,846,867 lb.; Platinum 506 oz; palladium 762 oz; cobalt 11,055 lb.; Vanadium 8,248 lb. The value of all the ores is listed at $31,660,221. Table II Mines of Interest
The MinesWhile there is no master plan for visiting the mines, we are trying to visit those of mineralogical interest first. While doing this other mines in the vicinity are surveyed. I doubt if we will ever visit them all, as there are more than 104 mines and prospects in the district. Table II provides a list of the major mines from both a production basis and collectors interest. The mines listed in bold have been visited on our trips. The numbers in the Table correspond to the numbers on the map, Figure 2. created with TOPO™©1996Wildflower Productions, wwww.topo.com Figure 2 Mine Locations
References Hewett, D. F. (1931) “Geology and Ore Deposits of the Goodsprings Quadrangle, Nevada”; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 162, pp. 172 Knopf, Adolph (1915) “A Gold-Platinum-Palladium Lode in Southern Nevada”; United States Geological Survey Bulletin 620-A, pp. 18 Longwell, C. R. et al (1965) “Geology and Mineral Deposits of Clark County, Nevada”; Nevada Bureau of Mines Bulletin 62, pp. 218 Margerum, Walter (2006) “Mines and Minerals of the Southwest”; digital database |
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Show and Tell:Subject: Satin Sheen Opal from Utah
The iridescent bubbly inclusion in this stone caught my eyes when I was as Palomar show early this month. After the vendor told me that it is a satin sheen opal from Utha, I just have to have it. First of all, I don’t have opal from utah, and this is really different. What can I said, I am a hopeless opalholic. From the side, one can observe that the top layers are clear with white crisscross, and the bottom is beige color. The layer which gives the bubbly appearance is very thin and resembles the film of soap bubbles. On close up, one can see that unlike soap bubble the bubble layer consists of many tiny angular shapes which reflect rainbow colors. As I proudly showing off my new find to Fred Elsnau, Fred told me that he knew this as bubble opal or bacon opal because the rough resemble a piece of bacon especially those which had layers of red. According to Fred, he got his at southern Utah near Zion National Park. Anyone who has the rough of this opal please sent me a picture of the rough. |
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2007 Calendar of Events
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She then introduced the speakers of the evening, Dr. Mary L. Johnson and Mark Parisi, who gave a presentation entitled: “Adventures in Iceland and Greenland.” Dr. Johnson, a former President of the MSSC and Manager of Research and Development at the GIA, is now the owner of a natural history consulting firm. Mr. Parisi, who graduated from Caltech in Electronic Engineering, is the Senior Director of Technology at Qualcomm in San Diego.
When: Saturday, May 12, 2007. Meet between 8:00 and 8:45 in the Pasadena City College Geology Dept., Building E, room 210 to fill out release forms, pick up field guides (including driving instructions), and organize car pools. The mineral museum will be open during this time. The trip will depart from PCC promptly at 9:00 and head for Palmdale. The trip will end in Wrightwood about 5:00 p.m.
By Shou-Lin Lee
