Barnett Opal Mine, Silica Gem claims, Last Chance Canyon, El Paso Mountains District, El Paso Mountains, Kern County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
35° 25' 4'' North , 117° 56' 39'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Inyokern | 1,099 (2018) | 28.1km |
| Johannesburg | 172 (2011) | 28.5km |
| China Lake Acres | 1,876 (2011) | 29.6km |
| California City | 13,277 (2017) | 32.7km |
| Ridgecrest | 28,780 (2017) | 33.6km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Wells Valley Gem & Mineral Society | Ridgecrest, California | 34km |
Mindat Locality ID:
230954
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:230954:8
GUID (UUID V4):
069ed97e-ccb4-416c-a92e-63fd2aaafcd1
A former precious opal occurrence/claims/mine, located in the W canyon wall complex of Last Chance Canyon, on state park land. NOTE: This locality is not listed in the USGS MRDS database.
The opals are found as amygdales in basalt. The lower half of the Silica Gem Claims (upper half known as the Nowak Mine while the lower half known as the Barnett Mine) previously owned by Richard and Shirley Barnett of Bakersfield, California; For many years operated as a site for fee digging at $2.00 per person per day through about the mid to late 1990s. The abandoned claim is now part of Red Rock Canyon State Park.
The opal sometimes fills vesicles in hard basalt which had to be broken down to find & remove the gems. Precious opal varied from the size of a pinhead (averaging 5 to 10 mm) to several inches (rare). Many fine opals had been produced from this and the neighboring Nowak mine.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O References: |
| ⓘ Opal var. Fire Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O References: |
| ⓘ Opal var. Precious Fire Opal References: |
| ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal Formula: SiO2 · nH2O References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Precious Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Fire Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
| ⓘ | var. Precious Fire Opal | 4.DA.10 | SiO2 · nH2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| H | ⓘ Opal var. Fire Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| O | ⓘ Opal var. Fire Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal var. Precious Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
| Si | ⓘ Opal var. Fire Opal | SiO2 · nH2O |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mojave DomainDomain
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References
