Upper Biddy Mine (Upper Biddy McCarthy Mine; Big Biddy Mine), Biddy McCarthy Mines, Ryan, Furnace Creek Mining District (Furnace Creek Borate Mining District), Inyo County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
36° 19' 2'' North , 116° 40' 8'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tecopa | 150 (2011) | 65.5km |
Mindat Locality ID:
29612
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:29612:3
GUID (UUID V4):
f3cc6477-37ae-4e6c-ac29-14b5b8aa6d2d
A former borate mine located in sec. 8, T25N, R3E, SBM, 0.6 km (0.4 mile) SSE of Ryan. Owned by the U.S. Borax and Chemical Co. (1976). First operated in 1915. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 100 meters; however, that value is presented in the MRDS file which probably has an inaccurate T&R value and geographic coordinates.
NOTE: The Upper and Lower Biddy McCarthy Mines are near each other (0.7 km [0.4 mile]), but not connected. USGS MRDS file #10187759 presents geographic coordinates (116.68058W, 36.30828N) which place this mine in sec. 17, T25N, R3E, SBM, a considerable distance from the Lower Biddy McCarthy Mine. There are no mining symbols reflected on the topo map at/near those coordinates. The data presented in MRDS file #10023427 are considered correct and are reflected in this Mindat file.
Mineralization is a Miocene borate deposit (Mineral occurrence model information: Model code 260; USGS model code: 35b.3; Deposit model name: Lacustrine borates), hosted in rocks of the Furnace Creek Formation (shale, conglomerate, limestone). Calcite-colemanite-ulexite appears to replace limestone breccia that is interstratified in limy pebble conglomerate in places. Thin shale beds are interstratified throughout the deposit. Local rocks include Tertiary nonmarine rocks, undivided.
Workings include underground openings comprised of drifts and stopes (topo map reflects a adit symbol near the coordinates provided). The room and pillar method of mining was employed.
Reserve-Resource data are found in: Evans, James R., G.C. Taylor, and J.S. Rapp (1976).
Reserves and resources: Type: In-situ; Estimate year: 1976: B2O3: 18 weight per cent.
The Upper & Lower Biddy McCarthy mines were the original names. The confusion probably began when the 'McCarthy' part was commonly dropped. The Upper Biddy McCarthy mine became known as the Big Biddy Mine and the Lower Biddy McCarthy mine became known as the Little Biddy Mine.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| β Colemanite Formula: Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| β Probertite Formula: NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O Description: Occurs as translucent, satiny needles (fine-bladed crystals). |
| β Sassolite Formula: H3BO3 References: |
| β Ulexite Formula: NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 6 - Borates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| β | Sassolite | 6.AA.05 | H3BO3 |
| β | Colemanite | 6.CB.10 | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] Β· H2O |
| β | Ulexite | 6.EA.25 | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] Β· 5H2O |
| β | Probertite | 6.EB.15 | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] Β· 3H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | β Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| H | β Probertite | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O |
| H | β Sassolite | H3BO3 |
| H | β Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| B | Boron | |
| B | β Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| B | β Probertite | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O |
| B | β Sassolite | H3BO3 |
| B | β Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | β Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| O | β Probertite | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O |
| O | β Sassolite | H3BO3 |
| O | β Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | β Probertite | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O |
| Na | β Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | β Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| Ca | β Probertite | NaCa[B5O7(OH)4] · 3H2O |
| Ca | β Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10023427 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mojave DomainDomain
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References
