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Pala Chief Mine (Chief mine; MS 6452; Salmons mine), Chief Mountain, Pala, Pala Mining District, San Diego County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Pala Chief Mine (Chief mine; MS 6452; Salmons mine)Mine
Chief MountainMountain
PalaTown
Pala Mining DistrictMining District
San Diego CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° 23' 15'' North , 117° 3' 5'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Rainbow1,832 (2011)9.3km
Temecula112,011 (2017)14.8km
Aguanga1,128 (2011)18.3km
Fallbrook30,534 (2011)18.6km
Valley Center9,277 (2011)18.9km
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
ClubLocationDistance
Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society, Inc.Fallbrook, California19km
Vista Gem & Mineral SocietyVista, California27km
Palomar Gem & Mineral ClubEscondido, California30km
Mindat Locality ID:
3520
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:3520:3
GUID (UUID V4):
ed9172c8-472d-49ef-a16a-6fb05e736af2


Summary:
A gemstone and specimen mine in pegmatite located near the village of Pala, San Diego County, California. The Pala Chief mine has been the source of some of the finest kunzite crystals ever found in southern California. The deposit was first discovered in May of 1903, and developed by several open cuts and minor underground works until mining ceased sometime around 1914. Occasional finds of spodumene and elbaite were made again in the mid 1960's, and notable finds still occur as a result of ongoing surface and underground mining operations.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

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

19 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

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

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

β“˜ Albite
Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)
β“˜ Albite var. Cleavelandite
Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)
β“˜ Almandine
Formula: Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3
β“˜ Andalusite
Formula: Al2(SiO4)O
Description: Occurs as masses to 3 inches (7.5 cm) diameter in the northern parts of the mine.
β“˜ Beryl
Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18)
β“˜ Beryl var. Aquamarine
Formula: Be3Al2Si6O18
β“˜ Beryl var. Morganite
Formula: Be3Al2(Si6O18)
β“˜ Bismuth
Formula: Bi
β“˜ Bismuthinite
Formula: Bi2S3
β“˜ Cookeite
Formula: (LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Colour: White, buff-colored and very pale pink.
Description: Cookeite is a rather widespread pocket species, and ordinarily forms a coating on crystals and crystal aggregates of quartz, lepidolite, spodumene, albite, and orthoclase. It forms white, buff-colored and very pale pink aggregates of small plates and flakes.
β“˜ Elbaite
Formula: Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
β“˜ 'Feldspar Group'
β“˜ Foitite ?
Formula: ◻(Fe2+2Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Habit: Felted masses and transparent crystals.
Colour: Dark blue to purplish blue
Description: Occurs as felted masses on quartz, and small needle-like inclusions within quartz.
β“˜ Gahnite
Formula: ZnAl2O4
β“˜ 'Garnet Group'
Formula: X3Z2(SiO4)3
β“˜ 'Lepidolite'
β“˜ Microcline
Formula: K(AlSi3O8)
β“˜ Montmorillonite
Formula: (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
β“˜ Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜ Orthoclase
Formula: K(AlSi3O8)
Description: Orthoclase and microcline are widespread constituents of the pocket zones in the pegmatites where they generally form large, equant crystals with well-developed faces. The orthoclase is intimately associated with perthite, and is more abundant than the perthite in the pocket pegmatite of some dikes. In general, however, the orthoclase constitutes only a small fraction of the total potash feldspar within the dikes as a whole.
β“˜ Phosphosiderite
Formula: FePO4 · 2H2O
β“˜ 'Plagioclase'
Formula: (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
β“˜ Pucherite
Formula: Bi(VO4)
β“˜ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
β“˜ Quartz var. Smoky Quartz
Formula: SiO2
β“˜ Schorl
Formula: NaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
β“˜ Spodumene
Formula: LiAlSi2O6
β“˜ Spodumene var. Kunzite
Formula: LiAlSi2O6
β“˜ 'Tourmaline'
Formula: AD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
β“˜ 'Zinnwaldite'
Habit: Stubby prisms
Colour: Dark-gray to deep reddish brown; bronze-like luster.
Description: Zinnwaldite occurs very sparingly in several pegmatites as dark-gray to deep reddish brown crystals and flakes, and has a bronze-like luster. Most crystals are stubby prisms 1/4 inch in maximum length. They are only in the pocket-bearing parts of the pegmatites, where they are most commonly associated with quartz, cleavelandite, and beryl.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
β“˜Bismuth1.CA.05Bi
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
β“˜Bismuthinite2.DB.05Bi2S3
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
β“˜Gahnite4.BB.05ZnAl2O4
β“˜Quartz
var. Smoky Quartz
4.DA.05SiO2
β“˜4.DA.05SiO2
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
β“˜Pucherite8.AD.40Bi(VO4)
β“˜Phosphosiderite8.CD.05FePO4 Β· 2H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
β“˜Almandine9.AD.25Fe2+3Al2(SiO4)3
β“˜Andalusite9.AF.10Al2(SiO4)O
β“˜Beryl
var. Morganite
9.CJ.05Be3Al2(Si6O18)
β“˜9.CJ.05Be3Al2(Si6O18)
β“˜var. Aquamarine9.CJ.05Be3Al2Si6O18
β“˜Foitite ?9.CK.05β—»(Fe2+2Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
β“˜Elbaite9.CK.05Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
β“˜Schorl9.CK.05NaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
β“˜Spodumene
var. Kunzite
9.DA.30LiAlSi2O6
β“˜9.DA.30LiAlSi2O6
β“˜Muscovite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
β“˜Montmorillonite9.EC.40(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 Β· nH2O
β“˜Cookeite9.EC.55(LiAl4β—»)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
β“˜Microcline9.FA.30K(AlSi3O8)
β“˜Orthoclase9.FA.30K(AlSi3O8)
β“˜Albite
var. Cleavelandite
9.FA.35Na(AlSi3O8)
β“˜9.FA.35Na(AlSi3O8)
Unclassified
β“˜'Lepidolite'-
β“˜'Tourmaline'-AD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
β“˜'Zinnwaldite'-
β“˜'Feldspar Group'-
β“˜'Plagioclase'-(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
β“˜'Garnet Group'-X3Z2(SiO4)3

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hβ“˜ Cookeite(LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Hβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Hβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Hβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Hβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Hβ“˜ PhosphosideriteFePO4 · 2H2O
Hβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
LiLithium
Liβ“˜ Cookeite(LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Liβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Liβ“˜ Spodumene var. KunziteLiAlSi2O6
Liβ“˜ SpodumeneLiAlSi2O6
BeBeryllium
Beβ“˜ Beryl var. AquamarineBe3Al2Si6O18
Beβ“˜ BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Beβ“˜ Beryl var. MorganiteBe3Al2(Si6O18)
BBoron
Bβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Bβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Bβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Bβ“˜ TourmalineAD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
OOxygen
Oβ“˜ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Oβ“˜ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Oβ“˜ Beryl var. AquamarineBe3Al2Si6O18
Oβ“˜ AlmandineFe32+Al2(SiO4)3
Oβ“˜ BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Oβ“˜ Cookeite(LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Oβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Oβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Oβ“˜ GahniteZnAl2O4
Oβ“˜ Spodumene var. KunziteLiAlSi2O6
Oβ“˜ MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Oβ“˜ Beryl var. MorganiteBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Oβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Oβ“˜ OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
Oβ“˜ PhosphosideriteFePO4 · 2H2O
Oβ“˜ PucheriteBi(VO4)
Oβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Oβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Oβ“˜ Quartz var. Smoky QuartzSiO2
Oβ“˜ SpodumeneLiAlSi2O6
Oβ“˜ TourmalineAD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
Oβ“˜ Albite var. CleavelanditeNa(AlSi3O8)
Oβ“˜ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
Oβ“˜ Garnet GroupX3Z2(SiO4)3
NaSodium
Naβ“˜ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Naβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Naβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Naβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Naβ“˜ Albite var. CleavelanditeNa(AlSi3O8)
Naβ“˜ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
MgMagnesium
Mgβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
AlAluminium
Alβ“˜ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Alβ“˜ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Alβ“˜ Beryl var. AquamarineBe3Al2Si6O18
Alβ“˜ AlmandineFe32+Al2(SiO4)3
Alβ“˜ BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Alβ“˜ Cookeite(LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Alβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Alβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Alβ“˜ GahniteZnAl2O4
Alβ“˜ Spodumene var. KunziteLiAlSi2O6
Alβ“˜ MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Alβ“˜ Beryl var. MorganiteBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Alβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Alβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Alβ“˜ OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
Alβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Alβ“˜ SpodumeneLiAlSi2O6
Alβ“˜ Albite var. CleavelanditeNa(AlSi3O8)
Alβ“˜ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
SiSilicon
Siβ“˜ AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Siβ“˜ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Siβ“˜ Beryl var. AquamarineBe3Al2Si6O18
Siβ“˜ AlmandineFe32+Al2(SiO4)3
Siβ“˜ BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Siβ“˜ Cookeite(LiAl4◻)[AlSi3O10](OH)8
Siβ“˜ ElbaiteNa(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Siβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Siβ“˜ Spodumene var. KunziteLiAlSi2O6
Siβ“˜ MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Siβ“˜ Beryl var. MorganiteBe3Al2(Si6O18)
Siβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Siβ“˜ OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
Siβ“˜ QuartzSiO2
Siβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Siβ“˜ Quartz var. Smoky QuartzSiO2
Siβ“˜ SpodumeneLiAlSi2O6
Siβ“˜ Albite var. CleavelanditeNa(AlSi3O8)
Siβ“˜ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
Siβ“˜ Garnet GroupX3Z2(SiO4)3
PPhosphorus
Pβ“˜ PhosphosideriteFePO4 · 2H2O
SSulfur
Sβ“˜ BismuthiniteBi2S3
KPotassium
Kβ“˜ MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Kβ“˜ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Kβ“˜ OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
CaCalcium
Caβ“˜ Montmorillonite(Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O
Caβ“˜ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
VVanadium
Vβ“˜ PucheriteBi(VO4)
FeIron
Feβ“˜ AlmandineFe32+Al2(SiO4)3
Feβ“˜ Foitite◻(Fe22+Al)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
Feβ“˜ PhosphosideriteFePO4 · 2H2O
Feβ“˜ SchorlNaFe32+Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)
ZnZinc
Znβ“˜ GahniteZnAl2O4
BiBismuth
Biβ“˜ BismuthBi
Biβ“˜ BismuthiniteBi2S3
Biβ“˜ PucheriteBi(VO4)

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North America Plate
Pacific PlateTectonic Plate

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References

 
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