Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala Mtn; Queen Mtn), Pala, Pala District, San Diego Co., California, USA

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Summary:
Tourmaline Queen Mountain rises 1922 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), and overlooks the Pacific Ocean and San Diego City towards the distant southwest.

The mountain has been erroneously referred to as "Pala" mountain in early mineralogical literature. As of 1904, the mountain was still an unnamed feature, and not until several years later was the summit named by locals in honor of the Tourmaline Queen mine. The name "Tourmaline Queen" has appeared on most official maps produced since the late 1940's.

In much of the popular mineralogical literature, the name is shortened to "Queen Mountain", presumably to avoid confusion as to the relation between the individual mines and prospects.

The mountain geology is primarily gabbroic country rock which hosts several gem-and-rare earth element (REE)-bearing pegmatite veins or dikes.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Albite var: Cleavelandite var: Oligoclase 'Albite-Anorthite Series' Almandine 'Almandine-Spessartine Series' Amblygonite 'Amblygonite-Montebrasite Series' Andalusite Andradite 'Apatite' Arsenopyrite Bermanite Beryl var: Aquamarine var: Goshenite var: Heliodor var: Morganite Beyerite 'Biotite' Bismite Bismuth Bismuthinite Bismutite Bismutotantalite Bornite Chalcocite Chrysocolla 'Clay' Clinozoisite 'Columbite'

Columbite-(Mn) 'Columbite-Tantalite' Cookeite Digenite Elbaite 'Elbaite-Schorl Series' Epidote 'Feldspar Group' Fluorapatite Gahnite 'Garnet' Goethite Grossular var: Magnesian Grossular 'Halloysite' Halloysite-10Å Helvine Hematite Hercynite Heterosite 'Heulandite' Hureaulite Jahnsite-(MnMnMn) (TL) Kaolinite Laumontite Lepidolite Leucophosphite Lithiophilite Löllingite Magnetite Malachite

'Manganese Oxides' Manganite Marcasite 'Mica Group' Microcline Microlite Group 'Monazite' Montmorillonite Muscovite var: Sericite Namibite Opal Orthoclase 'Perthite' Petalite Phosphosiderite Pollucite Pseudomalachite 'Psilomelane' Pucherite Purpurite Pyrite 'Pyroxene Group' Quartz var: Chalcedony var: Citrine var: Smoky Quartz 'Salmonsite' Schorl Sicklerite (TL) Siderite

Spessartine Spinel var: Pleonaste Spodumene var: Hiddenite var: Kunzite Stewartite (TL) Stibiotantalite 'Stilbite' Strengite Strunzite Swinefordite 'Tantalite' Tantalite-(Mn) Tosudite var: Lithium Tosudite 'Tourmalinated Quartz' 'Tourmaline' 'var: Achroite' 'var: Indicolite' 'var: Rubellite' 'var: Verdelite' 'var: Watermelon Tourmaline' Triphylite Triplite Vivianite Wardite 'Zinnwaldite' Zircon

144 entries listed. 76 valid minerals. 3 type localities (valid minerals).

Localities in this Region

USA California San Diego Co. Pala District Pala Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala Mtn; Queen Mtn) Douglass Extension prospect Douglass Mine Ed Fletcher Jr. Mine (Ed Fletcher mine; MS 4886) Gem Star Mine (Gem Lepidolite mine; Labaugh mine; Loughbaugh mine) Green Cabin Mine (F. A. Salmons claim; Frank A. Salmons mine; Tourmaline Queen group) North Star mine Happy Hooligan prospect Homestake prospect (Home Stake prospect; Tourmaline Queen group) Maud prospects Mission Mine North Douglass prospect Pala Douglass Mine Pala King prospect (Spring Bank prospect; Tourmaline Queen group; Wedge prospect)

USA California San Diego Co. Pala District Pala Tourmaline Queen Mountain (Pala Mtn; Queen Mtn) Pala View Mine (Sholder-Trotter mine) Pasture prospect Stewart Extension prospect Stewart Mine (MS 6162; Stewart Lithia mine) Alvarado mine (Alvarado prospect) Little Joe adit Little Joe No. 2 adit (Joe 2 adit; Little Joe II adit) Tourmaline King Mine (Gem claim; King mine; MS 4500; MS 4926; Schuyler mine; Wilke mine) Emerald prospects (Upper Queen prospects) Tourmaline Queen Mine (MS 6458; Queen mine; Toumaline Queen group; Tourmaline Queen No. 1 claim; Tourmaline Queen No. 2 claim; Tourmaline Queen No. 3 claim) Queen Extension prospects West Canyon prospect (Freak prospect) White Cloud Mine (Buster Brown mine)

References