California, USA Welcome to the California talk forum! This page is created to provide a forum for Mindat contributors/users with an interest in improving the California state and sub-locality files. All with such an interest are welcome to use it. All manner of issues dealing with the California project are permitted and interaction is encouraged. I envision this utility as a means of exchanging information and coordinating efforts to avoid conflicts such as two people starting work on the same area without each others knowledge. Chet Lemanski http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,180774#msg-180774 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:17:39 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,282444#msg-282444 Re: Kramer District http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,282444#msg-282444 [minerals.usgs.gov]]]> David Von Bargen Localities Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:59:53 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,276969#msg-276969 Re: Kramer District http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,276969#msg-276969 I don't understand your question. The Kramer district in California does not have much industrial use for Borax. The big open pit mine at Boron is mined primarily for borax, which occurs naturally in the deposit. It is the preferred ore because they can refine it easily by simply dissolving it in hot water and recrystallizing it. The refinery adjacent to the mine produces a number of different borate products, mostly sodium borates using the recrystallized borax as a feed stock which they then sell and distribute to many customers.]]> Rock Currier Localities Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:48:52 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,276865#msg-276865 Kramer District http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,276865#msg-276865 what is Kramer District's industrial use of Borax?]]> Anonymous User Localities Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:20:00 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,272398#msg-272398 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,272398#msg-272398
[opticalmineralogy.blogspot.com]

Thank you,
David]]> David Zakharov Localities Fri, 28 Sep 2012 22:46:55 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,266458#msg-266458 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,266458#msg-266458
Thank you very much. I printed them out and they will be added to my California library. They will be of significant help when I get to Kern County. Right now I am working up in Sasquach land - Trinity County.

Chet Lemanski]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:53:06 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,266435#msg-266435 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,266435#msg-266435
Kramer District Borate deposit minerals part 1

Kramer District Borate deposit minerals part 2]]> Ron Layton Localities Fri, 20 Jul 2012 19:05:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,264005#msg-264005 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,264005#msg-264005 Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:46:13 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,258197#msg-258197 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,258197#msg-258197 Rock Currier Localities Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:39:02 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,258178#msg-258178 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,258178#msg-258178 Ron Layton Localities Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:26:48 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,255535#msg-255535 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,255535#msg-255535 I have been in Mt Diablo State Park.
So I found only one place with th blue schists.

David.
]]> David Zakharov Localities Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:00:54 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,252349#msg-252349 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,252349#msg-252349 On a map of ophiolite outcrops I've seen in the book "California Geology" by Deborah Harden, there was an ophiolite patch at Mt Diablo, that would be Contra Costa Co. It is also a state park, so collecting might be prohibited. I remember a vvery small exhibition of local mineral and rock specimen in the Mt Diablo visitor center (many years ago), might be worth to check this out.

There are small ophiolite outcrops in the southern part of the Bay Area, and to the northwest in Marin County, even in San Francisco (but you wouldn't want to start digging on Union Square).

I've never checked these outcrops out myself, though.]]> Amir C. Akhavan Localities Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:50:56 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,251825#msg-251825 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,251825#msg-251825 Thank you,
David.]]> David Zakharov Localities Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:08:16 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,245323#msg-245323 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,245323#msg-245323
The mine shaft is one issue, but perhaps the bigger one is the intermitttent stream, now of continuous flow! You mention the "spring" near a dam. I would certainly fear that the dam may be compromised either due to the mine workings in the area or simply an inadequate foundation which is now being undermined by the water pressure. That is what the authorities should be looking into. Remember the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood. That dam also started leaking around the bottom before giving way.]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:35:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,245285#msg-245285 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,245285#msg-245285 My folks have owned a parcel [2.6 acres] of land on Grannite Ave. in Orangevale Calif. since 1976. The parcel is divided into two sections by a natural creek, Linda Creek. Linda Creek used to dry up in the summers until the late 1980s. This property is literally right at the base of the Sierra Mountain foothills as the hill that rises right behind my folks property is the last such rise from there to the western edge of the Sacramento Valley. Along Cherry Ave that intersects with Granite some 90 or 100 feet from my folks place is a section of fenced pasture to which said hill abuts and that picec of land along Cherry Ave goes back and then behind the private homes and rural property , of which all are no further back than a hundred feet or so along Cherry Ave is a State owned preserve known as 'Indian Stone Corral. It is a huge maze of swollen finger like or oblong and stretched fat egg shaped granite boulders that boil up out of the ground at the base of the hill that abut one another so tightly as to be impenetrable and they form a maze around sections of flat grassy areas and some dead end ...hence the term 'Stone Corral' as they were probably used as such at one time...and it apparently was a favorite location for the local tribes people in the past as you could easily get lost in this maze and or hide as to which you could only be found by knowing the ins and outs or by happenstance. The entire area between Cherry Ave, in Sacramento Co. on the south to Douglas Blvd. on the north in Placer Co. bordered by hazel Ave/Sierra College Blvd on the west and Barton Dam Rd. on the east was still wild and undeveloped until recently. In the late 80s, Linda Creek which cuts across my folks property quit drying up in the summer months and as the folks had had trouble with the creek flooding very damagingly and surprisingly so as to the extent of amt. of water [between 3 and 4 ft deep and some 30 to 30 yards wide for a day or two] 4 times between 1976 and the early 1990s my folks and the neighbor on Cerry Ave that borders Linda Creek complained to the County gov't and got no answer or explanation as to why it was now running year round which caused much concern as any future flooding could expect to be even more damaging [a long story of development and politics involving both Sacramento and Placer Co. Supervisors which I'll skip]. My father, our neighbor on Cherry Ave, and I, we all put on waders and decided to follow Linda Creek upstream, to hopefully find the fount as no maps were ever accurate made of the immediate area it turned out. [The actual head or fount is an area about an eighth to a quarter mile west of Folsom Lake Dam at a point [that can now be found on maps]known as Barton Dam...apparently it is a spring that comes out of the ground and then runs south and west in a general very snakelike manner eventually finding its way into the Sacramento River somehow ...to the west.
We probably got about an eighth of a mile, give or take, up stream from the granite corral area and it started to get narrower, deeper and too much overgrown to continue and I seem to recall that it was skirting along the base of the hill i mention at the beginning of this post and at that point I noticed on the banks of the creek on the north side was a mine shaft that was cut into a small rise of the skirt of the hill and which appeared to go in and down at an angle into the earth or side of the hill which had granite columns and a granite lintel framing the entrance.
I contacted a gov't agency a month or two later [I believe it was the Bureau of Mines..but don't recall exactly] about this as a 'Curiosity and something of much possible historical significance..and as it was in an area to which one had to be most determined to get to [waders upstream!] and is, for a fact, a rather slow, arduous and frustrating hike I doubted it would be accidentally discovered by kids... and the lack of development in the area pretty much assured that...till now. The agency requested that I get a topo map of the immediate area and pinpoint its location and My efforts at obtaining any such map was met with total frustration [apparently none are to be had or there never were any actually produced of the are up till that time.] and when i contacted them again and requested someone to come out and see for themselves I was met with a rather sarcastic reply that due to some voter initiative or something like that they didn't have the manpower or even that much time as I had already had them commit by talking to me on the telephone....[In fact I got the impression that he believed my story to be nothing more than just that...A Story...or something I thought to be a mine but in fact was something else...as he scoffed at my description of granite columns and lintels.] All the area north of Cherry Ave and also on the Placer Co. side of the county line has been developed and the buffer area between placer Co. and Sacramento Co. that the High Power transmission lines run through and which we were under the impression was also a 'green area' which wouldn't be developed has apparently been okay-ed for some sort of development [don't ask me how or why?] and thus I am now concerned that ..as Murphys' Law will not be denied...and I'm sure most of you will agree...some kid or bunch of foolish kids {or even adults} will stumble upon this in little due time and ....!?!?!?..
As I did do some panning on my folks property in the alluvial like deposits left by the flooding from that winter around the large oak that grows partially in the creek bed in the 90s and found to my delight a small but large enough to be identifiable piece of flat ribbon barbed wire [about the size of two typewriter keys across and one wide] I know the area to have been inhabited by settlers from at least the 1880s. and has remained relatively unchanged in the area till the present this mine could be from around then. Or possibly older as it is about 2 miles or less west of the American River and slightly Northwest of the old town site of 'Nigger Bar' or present day historical Folsom...and I understand Oak Ave. to the south of the folks a half mile was an old stage coach route with a stop at a site just a few yards west of the intersection at present day Oak Ave. and Hazel Ave.
There is also a local legend that one or more of the notorious bandits of the 1800s in Calif used Indian Stone Corral as a hideout...and that possibly one of the still missing hauls from a stage robbery that is alleged to have been rather large is possibly buried in the area.
..all in all ..Who knows...
Anyone interested in checking this out for themselves or wishes more info on this can contact me at. piercethevale@yahoo.com ...please title the subject of your e-mail as 'Indian Stone Corral' as I get a tremendous amount of spam at this e-mail address which I use for all correspondence other than personal...anything not identifiable as other than spam from the subject title is deleted as I do not open unsolicited and or questionable e-mail.
Thanks,]]> David Mastry Localities Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:10:08 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,244136#msg-244136 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,244136#msg-244136 Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:59:35 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,241070#msg-241070 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,241070#msg-241070 Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:21:54 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240332#msg-240332 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240332#msg-240332 Rock Currier Localities Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:39:57 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240293#msg-240293 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240293#msg-240293
Thanks! I obviously wasn't aware of the Ferry Building issue. Too bad! It is a continuing trend in many places. Arizona just did the equivalent with their state display and the Philadelphia Academy de-accessed a chunk of the Vaux collection a few years back.

Chet]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:09:46 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240240#msg-240240 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240240#msg-240240
Once on this thread, I noticed earlier references to the mineral collection at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that was moved and the display collection was drastically downsized in 1983 when the powers that be decided to move it to a new California State Mining and Mineral Museum housed in Mariposa and part of the State Parks. Well, it is now scheduled to close in 2012 as part of the California State Park closures aimed at reducing costs. These moves, together with the demise of the California Academy of Sciences display, have literally pulled thouisands of displays specimens away from view, opened up the collections for pilfering and back-door deals (none sanctioned, of course), and relegated great specimens to the dark abyss of rolling lock-boxes and storage units. Bummer!

Just wanted to set the record straight on the Ferry Building, but got on a bit of a soap box there, didn't I?]]> John Magnasco Localities Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:10:06 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240223#msg-240223 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,240223#msg-240223
Chet]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:44:24 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,229027#msg-229027 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,229027#msg-229027
I just started working on Del Norte County yesterday. This file will be scrutinized in turn.

Chet]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:02:01 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,229022#msg-229022 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,229022#msg-229022
Please check the grid reference of the following locality:
[www.mindat.org]]]> Peter Haas Localities Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:29:12 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221636#msg-221636 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221636#msg-221636
There is also a list of references under the county level file (Contra Costa County). Many are duplicated in individual files. The county file list makes it easier to see all of the county-wide references in one list.]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:51:37 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221617#msg-221617 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221617#msg-221617 excuse me but i missunderstand about individual files and referens. I know that i can see list of referens in almost each locality.

Thank you,
David.]]> David Zakharov Localities Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:14:15 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221600#msg-221600 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221600#msg-221600
Thanks you a lot. You give me good information about what locality i should see on mindat =) I sure i have to go to Ferry Building in San Francisco
soon...

Thanks,
David.]]> David Zakharov Localities Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:05:38 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221170#msg-221170 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221170#msg-221170
Walnut Creek is a nice place to visit. You can educate yourself on Mindat by searching on "Contra Costa Co., California." This will give you all locations in the county, including those nearest to Walnut Creek. If you go into the individual files, you will have all of the information we have on each location and its geology. You will also have all of the references for those localities (listed under the county file). Since you will be close to San Francisco, you can stop in at the Division of Mines and Geology in the famous Ferry Building. They have a large collection of California minerals and an extensive library with the references. Please remember that California is a project in progress and more information will be added in the future.

Chet Lemanski]]> Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:49:41 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221155#msg-221155 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,221155#msg-221155 I'm russian student-mineralogist and going to USA California this summer.
I'll live in Walnut Creek. Please help me with nearest locality for collecting. May be some geological info.
Thanks for all.
David.]]> David Zakharov Localities Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:49:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,214836#msg-214836 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,214836#msg-214836
Today, I updated the description of the Chance Mine, Mono Co., California locality ( [www.mindat.org] ). I added site photos and a mineral photo, and added lat/long and township/range. I am still researching for references and developing a more complete mineral list.

As part of this effort, I ran across the mincat locality reference for Long Chance & Vanelmart Mine (Chance Mine; Long Chance Mine; Chance No. 4 claim), Chidago District, Benton Range Rare II Area, Mono Co., California ( [www.mindat.org] ). It has a mineral list that I believe is the same as what I have seen from the Chance Mine. The mineral photo attached to this locality definitely belongs to the Chance Mine.

It is suspicious that the township/range in the Long Chance Mine mindat listing ( sec. 2, T4S, R32E, MDM ) is so similar to that of the Chance Mine ( sec. 2, T4S, R31E, MDM ), which I know because I relocated the claims in 1997. I reviewed the reference Copper in California, California Division of Mines Bulletin 144 (1948): p. 274, and it lists the Long Chance & Vanelmart Mine at sec. 35, T3S, R31E?, MDM and a claim owner of H.A. Van Loon, Bishop, CA (1935).

The reference in Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California on p. 90 is for Chalcopyrite at the Long Chance Mine (Sec. 33, T3S, R31E, MDM), and on p. 338 for Stolzite "in altered galena from the Chance No. 4 claim in the Chidago District (sec. 2, T4S, R32E, MDM). These are clearly two different mines. The Chance Mine consisted of several workings on several different contiguous claims and a mill site. The mineralogy is consistent with the altered galena reference. I believe that Pemberton contains a typo listing the range as R32E rather than the correct R31E.

I still need to confirm the data in the other references to the Long Chance & Vanelmart Mine listed in Mindat, but don't have them in my library. These are:

Rinehart, Charles Dean & Donald C. Ross (1956), Economic geology of the Casa Diablo Mountain quadrangle, California: California Division Mines Special Report: 48, 17 pp.: 8-9.

California Journal of Mines and Geology (1957): 53: 562.

If anyone has reliable specimens from the Long Chance & Vanelmart Mine, it would be nice to confirm its specimen production. Also, any assistance with the missing references for this locality should clarify what happened to these two localities.]]> Bob Griffis Localities Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:40:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,212480#msg-212480 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,212480#msg-212480 Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:42:48 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,211823#msg-211823 Re: California, USA http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,105,180774,211823#msg-211823 Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. Localities Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:46:59 +0000