Moorehouse Mine (Ibex Mine), Ibex Hills, San Bernardino County, California, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Moorehouse Mine (Ibex Mine) | Mine |
| Ibex Hills | Group of Hills |
| San Bernardino County | County |
| California | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
35° 46' 48'' North , 116° 24' 47'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Mindat Locality ID:
88759
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:88759:0
GUID (UUID V4):
c6088eb2-e781-4d46-bda7-856e344b6405
A former talc mine located in sec. 35, T20N, R5E, SBM, the southern end of the Ibex Hills, on National Park Service land (Death Valley National Park). MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 10 meters.
Local rocks include Precambrian rocks, undivided, unit 1 (Death Valley).
The last stage of mining activities in south Death Valley opened in the mid-1930's, when John Moorehouse located 16 talc claims a short distance northwest of Ibex Springs. By 1941, Moorehouse had managed to extract 1100 tons of talc. After a short period of idleness, Moorehouse then leased his claims to the Sierra Talc Company in the mind-1940s. Sierra Talc developed the ore bodies extensively, and produced almost 62,000 tons of ore by 1959. By then the talc seams were largely depleted, and the mine was operated only sporadically until about 1968. Site examination leads to the conclusion that no more than assessment work, and very little of that, has been done since the latter date.
Due to the recent nature of these mining activities, extensive structural remains are present in the area. At the Moorehouse, which consists of three distinct levels, the progressions of mining activities can clearly be seen through the development of mining structures. The lower and middle levels, reflecting the lode mining activities of the earlier years, contain extensive complexes of adits, ore bins, ore chutes and tramway networks. These wooden structures are rather picturesque, are in relatively good condition, but are not of historic significance due to their lack of age. A policy of benign neglect can best be suggested for this complex, for the lack of historic significance does not warrant any preservation funds being spent at this time. Conversely, the mine structures certainly should not be destroyed or carted away, as the value of the complex will obviously grow with age.
The upper level of the Moorehouse reflects the latest period of development and assessment work, being nothing more than an extremely unsightly complex of scars, pits, and heaps left over from stripping operations.Latschar, 1981
Workings include unspecified underground openings.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsGallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Talc | 9.EC.05 | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10262083 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mojave DomainDomain
USA
- Death Valley National ParkNational Park
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References
