Blue Bell Mine, Baker, Soda Lake Mts, San Bernardino Co., California, USA

Hello, all! Just noticed the recent change in this locality's name from Blue Bell claims to Blue Bell Mine. Not sure after being there in January 2012 that this is a single mine. Any other opinions? Also, there is another Blue Bell Mine in the same area, as noted by the comment in Mindat not to get them confused. Much easier to do now!

Anyway, my main reason for opening this talk page is to get some thoughts and opinions on material I collected during the January 2012 PMA field trip to the mine, mines or claims called the Blue Bell. The images below come from the same hand-sized rock that I broke down into micro- and thumbnail-sized specimens for examination under the microscope. First off, the rock was very hard! Sparks flew while using hammer and chisel to break it up. Numerous pockets and vesicles lined with drusy quartz. Exposed surface appears multicoated with chalcedony and/or opal. Some green fluorescence seen. My first inquiry is about the clear bladed crystals shown in the images below. My best guess is barite, but there are no images in Mindat for comparison with mine. Any thoughts?

How about hemimorphite?

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

More familiar with hemimorphite in a limonite type matrix. I had considered it, but thought the environment was wrong. But, I could be wrong too!

The name "Blue Bell Mine" was added due to its presence as the locality name in the MRDS file. The locality data for this favorite collecting site was very lean. The data which were added came from the MRDS file. The "mine" was the lower operation which was productive. The upper workings in the complex were apparently mostly prospects although there was at least one old wooden ore shoot and quite a bit of material missing which may have been mined as ore (workings at the parking area).

Chet

Steve, we've found hemimorphite on many different matrices - from quartz through willemite to limonite and then back by a different path - looks like hemimorphite to me, too.

While at the Blue Bell locality in January, I obtained the following GPS coordinates:

Adit A1 and parking lot- 35 degrees 14 minutes 31.14 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 16.86 seconds
Adit A2- 35 degrees 14 minutes 30.18 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 16.74 seconds
Adit C- 35 degrees 14 minutes 26.88 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 15.30 seconds

Chet, I converted the decimal minutes into minutes plus decimal seconds.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2012 05:48PM by Steve Stuart.

While at the Blue Bell locality in January, I obtained the following GPS coordinates:

Adit A1 and parking lot- 35 degrees 14.519 minutes, -116 degrees 12.281 minutes
Adit A2- 35 degrees 14.503 minutes, -116 degrees 12.279 minutes
Adit C- 35 degrees 14.448 minutes, -116 degrees 12.255 minutes

Here is a Google Earth image image of the above coordinates, showing their relationship to where the MRDS puts the Blue Bell Mine. MRDS is about 2.5 miles off to the NW from the actual site.



The MRDS is not a reliable source of precise locality coordinates.

Also, I'm beginning to lean towards hemimorphite. I posted an image in 2011 of hemimorphite in limonite that has a blade looking exactly like some of the ones in these images.

Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2012 02:58AM by Steve Stuart.

Steve, I agree that the MRDS is a terribly unreliable database, but it usually gets you within an hour's hike of where you need to go ...better than nothing.

That really does look like some really nice little Hemimorphite crystals. I have found it on - and in - quartz, locally, at the Memphis Mine here in southern NM, USA.

Darren

Steve,

If you can give me those coordinates with the seconds converted from decimal I'll replace the existing ones with the ones for the parking area. Thanks! We collect coordinates when we collect out there each year and correct them in Mindat with a notification of the reference point and who took the coordinates. Thanks!

Chet

Chet, I edited the incomplete posting above to d m s units as you requested:

Adit A1 and parking lot- 35 degrees 14 minutes 31.14 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 16.86 seconds
Adit A2- 35 degrees 14 minutes 30.18 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 16.74 seconds
Adit C- 35 degrees 14 minutes 26.88 seconds, -116 degrees 12 minutes 15.30 seconds

Staying with the hemimorphite theme, I broke up another rock from the January PMA field trip and found these treasures. The clear sprays are very probably hemimorphite based on visuals. But, what are the blue spheres? Rosasite or chrysocolla come to mind. FOVs are 3 mm in length.

Hello Steve,

The blue ball could be aurichalcite, but is more likely chrysocolla. Rosasite is quite rare from the Blue Bell claims.

Brent Thorne