In This Issue

CAUFORNIA
GEOLOGY
A....-...cATlON OF 1lfE
DO'ARTIISIT OF CONSERYATlON
DMIION OF.-u AND QEOlOGY
__ III e-:w-
U.S. HYDROGRAPHIC CONFERENCE '92 , 218
8TH ANNUAL Me KElVEY FORUM
THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA IN 1990
218
219
GEOlOGY AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE
GARLOCK AND DEATH VALLEY FAULT ZONES,
NORTHERN AVAWATZ MOUNTAINS .",." , , 222
RETIREMENTS 232
PETE WIlSON OFFICIAL MAPS OF NEW OR REVISED

The ~ AgiIncy
"""'"""
DOUGLAS P. WHEELER
ALQUIST-PRIOLO SPECIAL STUDIES ZONES
A PAGE FOR TEACHERS-A MINING TERMS CROSSWORD
234
235
&la9tary lor RfISOCHCeS DMG RELEASES
SPECIAL PUBLICATION 106 - CONTRIBUTIONS AND
00IpInrnerIl 01 e-v- EDWARD G HEIOlG PUBLICATIONS OF THE APPLIED GEOPHYSICS PROJECT 236
O<rector
SPECIAL PUBLICATION 111
~"'''''''''GeoIogy JAMESF DAVIS MINERAL COMMODITY REPORT -DIATOMITE 236
SIaN GeoIogI!'O/ ANNOUNCEMENTS "., ,,,.. , 237
CAliFORNIA GEOLOOY MAIL ORDER FORM . 237
BOOK REVIEWS " ,....................... . 238

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The NOAA. """'"" <han SeM<.. "" _ p h . < S<x>.Iy of _ . """ ""
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110 8IrCUI 0.-.
_Ls.:r-. Col i5IIl441Jl
Inlema"""'" F.maoon of ~ m'" hoot "" u.s. _ p h . < Ca>f""""" '92
al February 25-28. 1992, The fifth biemiaI NaIiOnal Ocean Serva IntemabOnall-¥lro'

,,-
P1lIIIc ...... .,~S11.

L.- #ltIgIIII a-c:. 107 SIalIl ~ ..... 1015

gJap-ue Conference \4;1 be hcl:i at the Ormi mer Harbor Hotel in Baltimore. MarY-v'd-
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related Slb;ects. This conference prc:M:Ies opJX;lItLIlities for a wde Vdriety of presentatiOnS
BlrAl-. ........ e:-e. 1145 . . . . . . . . from a mmber of scientific disciplines connected with the I¥irograp-ue. ocean industry. and
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---
~_IIlCilIIIllIlI
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8th Annual McKelvey Forum
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is holding its 8th Annual V.E. McKelvey
Forum on Energy and Mineral Resources at the \Vyndham Greenspoint Hotel in
Houston. Texas. February 18-20. 1992. The Forum will feature 2 days of technical
oral presentations and posIer sessions focusing on ~related research conducted
domesticaDy and internationally by USGS scientists.
TopK::s include Gulf Coast reservoirs. basic evolution. applications of fractal
geometry. oil Held growth, sequence stratigraphy, source rocks. computer app6ca-
lions. fractured reservoirs. diagenetic studies. and coal and coabed methane.
The thIrd day of the Forum will be devoted to a short course entitled ~Recent
Advances in Plate Tect:orUcs and Continental Crustal Evolution. ~ For more informa'
tion contact
Christine Turner
U.S. Geological Survey
October 1991No!ume 44INumber 10 Box 25046, MS 939
Denver,CO 80225
CGEOA 44 (10) 217-241 (1991) (303) 236-1561 .~

CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY OCTOBER 1991

'"
 The Mineral Industry
of California in 1990
By

Mineral Resources Analysis Project Slaff

Division of Mines and Geology

INTRODUCTION Stanford Ranch near Rocklin. R.C. Conet Slover Mountain quarry in Colton, San
is a medium-sized crushed stone aggre- Bernardino County.

California was the nation's leading

producer of asbestos. borates.
gate prooucer in the Sacramento region.
The Ventura County Board of SupelVi- Potential health risks associated with
portland cement. diatomite. calcined sors approved a new sand and gravel asbestos have virtually eliminated mining
gypsum. construction sand and gravel. operation north of Moorpark and industrial use of asbestos in California.
rare earth concentrates. and tungsten in For many years. asbestos was widely used
1990. The State was also the secorxl Calaveras Cement Company. a for insulation. brake linings. asphaltic
largest producer of non-fuel minerals. The subsidiary of Belgium's CBR Cement shingles, and reinforced concrete pipe.
U.S. Bureau of Mines reports California's Corporation, continued construction of Now there are market opportunities for
1990 non-fuel mineral production 10 be facilities at its Monolith cement plant in other minerals that occur in California.
2.7 billion dollars. a decrease of 4 Kern County. l1le Monolith plant Wollastonite. a calc-silicate mineral. is
percent from the previous year (Burnett. received a ~stacker-reclaimerM storage used to manufacture brake and clutch lin-
19911. dome and a rotary kiln. CBR acquired ings, and as a mineral filler in automobile
Standard Concrete Products, a ready-mix body panels and other molded plastic com-
The California Division of Mines and concrete company with several California posite materials (Photo 1). Wollastonite is
Geology (DMG) released MMineral Land operations. Japan's Onoda Cement also used in molded ceramic bathroom
Oassification" maps for Nevada County. Company acquired the CaIMat Company fixtures. It is suitable for energy-efficient.
The new maps delineate areas of Nevada Califomia Portland Cement Plant and the cost-effective "fast firing" techniques.
County thai have significant mineral
resource potentiaL Lode gold and
construction aggregate materials are the
most important mineral resources in
Nevada County. The DilJision continued
its mineral land classification work in the
Mojave Desert and completed a two-year
cooperative mine database pro}ect with
the U.S. Bureau of Mines. A new
statewide Mineral Commooity Report on
bentonite was released late in the year.

INDUSTRIAL MINERALS AND

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

According to the Bureau of Mines,

proouction of construction aggregate
materials increased 3 percent (U.S.
Bureau of Mines. 1991). Mining permits
were issued for several sand and gravel
operations. Azusa Rock Company
renewed its permit to mine the Ash
Canyon Road quarry in Los Angeles
County. The Placer County Board of
Supervisors approved a use permit for with Ulida Flat
R.c. Collet, Inc. to begin mining at the

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1991

'"
 Exploration activities were also
reported throughout the Mojave Desert
region, including the Kelso Dunes area
of San Bernardino County. The U.S.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
revie\.ved a proposal to develop mineral
deposits within a BLM WUcIemess Study
Area near the Kelso Dunes area.
Homestake Mining Company poured
its one-millionth ounce of gold at the
McLaughlin mine in Napa County. Gold
FJekis Operating Company opened the
RainbovJ pit at the Mesquite mine in
Imperial County. U.S. Gold Corlxntion
and AMAX Gold. Inc. continued de\IeIop-
ment al the ~ Hill gold project in
Lassen County. Hayden HiD wiD have a
conventional ore processing miD and
cyankJe heap leach facility.
Photo 2. These two cones contain $184,308 in gold and $4,381 '" silver. RECYCLING

Recycling broken concrete debris into

PRECIOUS METALS with Silliton Minerals U.S.A.. conducted constnJctoo aggregate material has
an exploration-development program at become routine practice in California. In
California was the second largest gold
the Sixteen-to-One mine in Sierra County 1989, the California Legislature enacted
producer in the United States during
1990 (Photo 2). Increased prOOuction
(Photo 3). Brush Creek Mining Company AB939, the nation's first integrated
from large open-pit gold mines in the undertook an aggressive land acquisition waste-management law. 1be neu.rlaw
program and eYeI'1tual/y gained control of requires local governments to recycle
California desert region and northem
most of the once-prooucing mines of 25 percent of the saiKI waste in !heir
California compensated for the closure of
the Allegheny Mining District. Sierra jurisdictions by 1995, and 50 percent by
5e'Jerai small·production metal mines.
Precious metal annual average prices de- County. Other promising properties in the year 2000. Aggregate base materials.
the Allegheny Distlict are the famous asphaltic concrete, and foundry slags
clined in 1990. continuing the downward
Ruby, Bonanza, and Gardner Point (v.aste products from meta! production)
trend evident since 1988.
mines. v.lere addressed.
Considerable mineral exploration and
development drilling took place in Impe-
rial County in 1990. Eastmaque Gold
Mines drilled the Oro Cruz Joint-Venture
project. Exploration learns for
Homestake Mining Company, Gold
Relds Operating Company, and Bema
Gold Corporation 'JJere also active in the
Colorado desert region. Glamis Gold.
Ltd. purchased Echo Bay mine's gold
properties near Randsburg. Kem County.
The purchase included the Baltic and
Lamont deposits. G1amis Gold also con-
ducted further drilling at the YellovJ Aster
mine, Kern County.

Gold exp!oratoo and development

took place throughout the Siena Mother
Lode. Pegasus Gokl Corporation drilled
the Virginia mine $lte in Mariposa
Comty. Sonora Mining Corporatoo
explored the Dutch·ApP'"N~n area
near Quartz Mountain in Tuolumne Photo 3. The ongmal SIxteen-to-One mine at Allegheny, Sierra County. Ores from lode
County. Royal Gold. Inc.. in partnership mines in this distrICt are some 01 the nchestln ca~lornia_

220 CAUfORNlA GEOlOGY OCTOBER 1991

 Several Califomia waste management
companies have purchased rock plants or
have modified existing facilities to crush.
screen. and clean broken asphaltic
concrete, brick, and other construction
aggregate materials. Recycled construc-
tion aggregate materials are sold to
construction companies. Steel reinforcing
bars recovered in the recycling process
are sold for scrap.
Santa Barbara County. stricken with
several years of drought. offered rebates
to its residents who replaced their
standard toilets with new low-now
models. Used toilets generated by the
replacement campaign posed a disposal
problem. The solution was to crush the
toilets and recycle them as asphaltic
concrete aggregate. The ceramic
aggregate material performed quite \wll.
MINERAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF
MATHER AIR FORCE BASE
The Department of Defense is
scheduled to relinquish Mather Air Force
Base (AFB) to the public in 1993. The
base is located south and west of the
historic Folsom-Sacramento dredge field.
where Natomas Gold Mining Company
operated large bucket-ladder dredges
from the late 1800s to 1959. Commer-
cial aggregate prooucers have mined
much of the area west of Mather AFB,
where alluvial terraces of the American
River have been Sacramento's principal
source of construction aggregate since
Work! War II. Military facilities and
thousands of people have occupied
Mather AFB for several decades. thereby
precluding any mining at:livity.
Placer miners familiar with the region
have been intrigued by the prospect of
opening Mather AFB land to mining for
the first time. Natomas dredges stopped
al the nonhem ooundary of the base.
Informal DMG resource estimates based
on old Natomas drill holes and assay
data. materials-testing results. and local
geology. suggest that a significant
amount of construction aggregate
malerials and placer gok! underlie Mather
AFB. The estimates assumed a 30-foot
mining depth. 25 percent waste. current
commodity prices. and 0.002 troy
ounces of gold per cubic yard.
Photo 4. Tailings Irom the Sulfur Bank mine, Lake County. block metal·rich water on
the right lrom Clear Lake. The workings 01 this mine contain a hydrothermal system
that is active today.
MERCURY POLLUTION
The Slale Water Resources Control
Board mel in March 1990 to discuss the
cleanup of the Sulphur Bank mine near
the town of Clear Lake. Lake County
(photo 4). The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) included the
mine site on its Superfund list in August
1990. clearing the way for the EPA to
oversee the cleanup. The Sulfur Bank
mine is thought to be a major source of
the mercury that is poisoning the fish in
Clear Lake. Mercury pollution mitigation
in the area will be a formidable task for
the EPA. Although no mercury has been
proouced for more than 20 years. the
Napa-Sonoma-Lake County region has
hundreds of small, idle. and abandoned
mercury deposits.
LEGISLATION
Califomia's Surface Mining and
Reclamation Act (SMARA) was amended
effective January 1. 1991. The statute.
which requires all mining operations to
have approved reclamation plans. now
requires annual inspections and financial
assurances to guarantee compliance with
reclamation plans. Penalties. including
fines of up to $5,000 per day for non-
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1991
compliance, were also added 10 the
statute. The State Mining and Geology
Board. the policy setting body for
5MARA. is reqUired to adopt minimum.
verifiable statewide reclamation standards
byJanuary 1. 1992.
The Public Resources Code was also
amended to require mining operations to
file an annual report with the State. With
these annual reports. the Slate will be
better informed on mining activity and
the effectiveness of SMARA. Mine
operators are also required to pay an
annual reporting fee. The monies will be
used to fund State implementation of
the new statutory mandates.
Senator Cranston withdrev.r his
California Desert Protection Act 5.11
and scheduled its resubmission for next
year. The proposed Federal1egislation
would have converted 8 million acres of
southem Califomla desen into wildemess
and national parks.
REFERENCES
Burnen. J.L. 1991. State Activities 1990,
California: Mining Engineering. May 1991.
v. 43. No.5. p. 495·496
U.S. Bureau 01 Mines. 1991, Mineral
Commodity Summaries. 1991. 196 p.X
'"
 Geology at the Intersection of the
Garlock and Death Valley Fault Zones,
Northern Avawatz Mountains
Mojave Desert Quaternary Research Center
Field Trip Road Log
By
ROLAND H. BRADY III
California Stale University. Fresno
- (MEXICO)
BAJA CAUFORNIA
Figure 1. Location altha northern Avawalz Mountains in relation
to major faults and tectonic provinces. SAFZ-San Andreas taufl
zone: SJFZ-San Jacinto fault zone: GFZ-Garlock faull zone:
NOV-FeF2-northern Death Valley-Furnace Creek fault zone;
SOVFZ-sauthern Death Valley fault zone; WLFZ-Walker Lake
faull zone: lVVSZ-Las Vegas Valley shear zone; LMFZ-lake
Meade fault zone.
CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY
This field trip guide is from a publication
01 the San Bernardino County Museum
Association prepared in conjunction with
the 1990 Mojave Desert Quaternary
Research Center Symposium (see p. 238
tor a review). The guide covers the
second day of a two-day field trip and is
reprinted here with the permission of both
the author and the San Bernardino
County Museum Association .... editor.
INTRODUCTION
ome of the most interesting, if not perplexing,
S structural and stratigraphic aspects of the Garlock-
Death Valley fault intersection are spectacularly
exposed in the Noble Hills of the northern Avawatz
Mountains (Agure 1). This excursion will concentrate
on the main structural and stratigraphic features of
the Noble Hills: the southem Death Valley fault lone.
crystalline basement rocks, Cenozoic stratigraphic
units, and the Mule Spring fault that defines the
eastem limit of the Garlock fault zone. For a more
complete discussion of these topics, see Brady (1990)
and Troxel (1990).
Access to the area is via Interstate 15 to Baker,
bel\.veen Las Vegas and Barstow, and north from
Baker on State Highway 127 (Rgure 2), Drive 28
miles north from Baker to the historical marker
commemorating Harry Wade's escape from Death
Valley.
OCTOBER 1991
I
 VALJEAN
OWLSHEAD ", HILLS
MTS •

QUAIL "
MTS

AVAWATZ
MTS SILURIAN
" .." HILLS
'"
~,
L\III111

HALLORAN
• HILL

LAS
VEGAS
15

BAKER
o,
f
F"lQUf9 2. Locatton 01 the AvawalZ MountainS and saTOUndlng ranges.

MILEAGE LOG V!ClW of the GarklCk fault zone and exposures of

MIleage Inlerval
00.0 00.0 From the Harry Wade monumenl. turn lett
(weSI) onto the dirt road. Pass lIle turnofl to
saratoga Spring, enter Dealh VaDey National
Monument. and proceed to the first map- lor1l..
whdl is to.4 miles north of the Hilfry Wade
monument.
01.6 01.6 InlersectJOn of the Harry Wade road (also
called saratoga Spnogs road) and the road to
Sheep Creek camp. Continue 00 the Wade
road (01' tum left onto the Wade road if coming
from the Sheep Creek road).
10.4 08.8 Bear lett at the fOfil. which is just north of a
SIgn lhal warns. Driving 0" roads is prohibited.
Proceed 0.3 miles through a depreSSIOn in !he
northern end of the Noble Hils.
10.7 0.3 Stop 1: Northern Noble Hills.
Par1l. and walk north 10 the nearest hiI north 01
the toad (PhoIO 1). Ths Slop attords a distant
'TermS in boldf_ a,e Ixplaltl8d in me glMsary on page 231
upper·level deformation along !he southern
Death Valley 'aull zone.
The prominent ridge on the southwestern skyline
is the bedrock mass oj the Avawatz Mountains.
Dtonte composes the eastern (left) hall: the
western t\aIf is metavotcal"llC rock. In the left
foreground are the Celestite HiIs-a told S11TM1ar
structura/ly and strabgraphicaJIy 10 the northern
Noble Hills.
The isolated, wedge-Shaped mound on the wesl·
ern skyline between the Avawatz and Owlshead
mountains is the southern limb 01 a syncline
having a SOtJth-dipping ex18' surface', The old-
est strata exposed in the 'old are lacu,trlne
evaporite and carbonale rocks 01 the the Owl
Hole $pring Formation (new name), These
rocks, radiometneally dated at a malumum
8.'9:*:24 Ma (Brady, 1990). are stratigraphically
and petrologICally srmiIar 10 those of the eastern
bell of the Noble Hills assemblage, and are
probably conelatJve.
OverlyIng the lac;u$trine strata at the "wedge:
are 650 teet (200 m) 0' alluvial 'an deposits

CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY OCTOBER 1991 223

 ~ • ·u".
".='j\-; ~
Photo 1 VertICal ilI·,Lpho~lO~ol"""'-'-"tC_'-"'''oOt"t'''~Go<tod<;!''''
eXCUfllOfl as numbered. OVFZ.Death Valley laullzone. MSF.MuIe Spring branch 01 the Garicldl; laJIt zone, DSW.Dennll'lg Spnng
Wash. CCW.Canadlilll Club Wash; AW_Amphltheatel Wasil.
denved from the OwIshead and Avawatz moun-
tain, The top of thls fang!omel"ato coquctf'lCG
was at the level of aggradation at the lime the
uppormost sediment WII$ dcpo$tod. but now
that !he baSe is exposed. I'le "'wedge" muSl
reflftcl at lea$1 GSO leet (200 m) 01 <Aoatemer.ry
uplift The axIS 01 the fold that uphlled the strata
is iodined HI deg..-s 10 the stri.e of the
GarlOck fault. This SUQgests thai the bid was
caused by (trag alol'lllttle Garlock laull ancl
consequent compression between the relalvely
rigid Avawalz and Owlshead mounlams.
CALFORNIA GEOlOGY
'"
and Death Valley fault zOnes. northern AvawalZ Mountains. Stops in this
Numerous subpasalel branches of tI'Ie Garlock
zona extend 3.5 milos (6 kmjfrom the
fQu~
southern lIank of the Ow5head Mountains 10
Leach lake on the south SIde of the _,!em
skyline ndge. The irregular topography 01 the
a ......... f¥l SUIlaces on the 00fth flank ollhe
AvawalZ Mo!Jntams was !ormed by movement
along the various branches ollhe Garloct laull
zone. Along these faults, Quaternary Ian depos-
itS 01 dlflerent ages are Juxtaposed With Slrata or
the Owl Hole Spring Formatlon_ In Ihls area the
fan deposits .e over 650 feet (200 m) ltlck.
OCTOBER 1991
Photo 2. Oblique air photo view to southeast along the Noble Hills and Death Valley fault zone. Avawatz Mountains in backgrour"ld.
Garlock fault zone enters photo righl center.

CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY OCTOBER 1991 225

Mileage Interval
Because the Owl Hole Spring Formallon has
been uplilted and exposed along these fault
branches, there must have been at least 650
feet (200 m) of Quaternary dip slip on these
faults.
The Mule Spring !aul1, the main branch of the
Garlock fault zone. extends across the north-
ern margin of the skyline bedrock ridge. sepa-
rating it from strata of the Mititary Canyon
Formation and Quaternary fans (Photo 2). The
fault continues eastward "above" the level of
the Noble Hills in the foreground where it be-
comes a reverse faulttha! places diorite east·
ward over strata of the Noble Hills and
branches of the right-lateral Death Valley
fault zone.
The Noble Hills. upon which we are standing,
formed when Quaternary alluvial fan deposits
as well as underlying Tertiary and older rocks
were uplifted by movement along the southern
Death Valley fault zone. The youngest
branches of the tault zone are on the east side
of the Noble Hills. About a quarter of a mile
(half a kilometer) north o! here these branches
deform playa and lacustrine sediments along
the Amargosa River (Troxel. 1990).
The overall external structure of the Noble Hills
is anticlinal. but the internal structure is highly
complex. Here. on the northern end, tightly
folded lacustrine and playa claystone of the
eastern belt of the Noble Hills assemblage
forms the core of the anticline. These strata
are significantly more deformed than the over·
lying fanglomerate. which is broadly !olded.
The extent of deformation appears to increase
southward along the Noble Hills. It is not clear
whether this is due merely to the fact that
deeper structural levels are exposed in the
south, or if deformation actually increases in
that direction. Geophysical studies have been
recently undertaken to compare the deforma-
tion in the subsurface on the northern end o!
the Noble Hilts with that along Denning Spring
Wash (Stop #2) farther south (Brady and
Negrini. in progress).
RETURN to the fork. taking the right turn back
to the Wade road. then head southeast, the
way you came.
16.2 05.5 TURN RIGHT just past the National Monument
boundary sign onto a lesser gravel road that
ascends Denning Spring Wash. There may be
a large road·grader tire at the turnoff. If you
reach the turnoU to Saratoga Spring, you have
gone 0.6 miles too tar. Drive up to the mouth ot
Denning Spring Wash.
17.4 01.2 Stop 2: Denning Spring Wash.
Exposed along Denning Spring Wash at this
stop are: 1) the Plio· Pleistocene tanglomerate:
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY
Mileage Interval
2) the eastern and central belts ot the Noble
Hills assemblage, 3) an uplifted body of crystal·
line basement rock, herein referred to as the
"axial crystalline ridge:" and 4)ltour major
branches of the Death Valley fault zone.
On the north side of Denning Spring Wash. the
capping Plio-Pleistocene fanglomerates are
broadly folded and faulted. The structure in the
underlying eastern belt strata is more complex:
numerous smaller. parasitic folds and minor
faults are superimposed on major folds in the
pale·colored lacustrine beds that have wave-
lengths of 300 to 350 feet (100 m to 150 ml.
Gypsum has migrated from adjacent beds into
the axial zones 01 many of the folds due to the
pressures of folding.
At the mouth of Denning Spring Wash, on the
north side, is a gray, wedge'shaped exposure of
well-bedded conglomerate: a Plio-Pleistocene
(1) distal alluvial fan deposit. II lies on the north·
east side of a young branch of the Death Valley
fault zone along which the Noble Hills have
been uplilled. The conglomerate clasts are com-
posed almost exclusively of pink, coarse·grained
granite with accessory vesicular basal\, and
quartz crystals up to 1.5 inches (4 cm) long.
This distinctive detritus was undoubtedly derived
from the Owlshead Mountains to the northwest.
where identical sediment lies in the modern
washes. Based on the distribution 01 deposits on
the modern fans on the east side of the
Owlshead Mountains, these strata have been
displaced a minimum of 5 miles (8 km) right-
laterally along a single branch of the Death
Valley fault zone since latest Pliocene time. The
offset on this single branch is equal to the
amount of offset proposed by earlier workers
(Wright and Troxel, 1967; Davis. 1977) for fhe
entire fault zone. Since there are at least six
major branches of the fault zone, it is likely that
Ihe lotal strike separation is at least three Of four
times thaI of any single branch-values that
would agree with the estimates of tens of kilo·
meters.
Upstream. on both sides of the wash. is bright-
red landslide breccia that stratigraphically
underlies the eastern belt. The rocks in the
mass are derived entirely from bedrock of the
Avawafz Mountains. As can be seen here. east-
ern belt deposits lie on both the 'upstream" and
"downstream" sides of the breccia. But soufh-
ward along the Noble Hills, the "downstream"
portion of the eastern belt is progressively trun-
cated by the Death Valley fault branch thaI here
is situated between the "Owlshead conglomer·
ate" and the eastern bell. This relationship
leaves the landslide breccia as the easternmost
unit in the Noble Hills.
17.8 00.4 CQNTINUE up the wash.
The lacustrine strata 01 the eastern belt of the
Noble Hills assemblage are laulted against Pre·
cambrian gneissic and Mesozoic (1) granitic
OCTOBER 1991
Mileage Interval
rocks 01 the "a)(lal crystalline" ridge which forms
the core of Ihe Noble Hills anticline. Although
they are barely emergent on the nonh side of
the wash. southeastward the crystalline rocks
form the prominent feature dominating the sky-
line. The uplift is due to southward-increasing.
venical displacement between branches of the
Death Valley fault zone.
17.9 00.1 CONTINUE up the wash.
E)(posed on the west side of the a)(ial crystal-
line ridge is the central belt 01 the Noble Hills
assemblage. These strata were deposited on
crySlalline bedrock that was later uplifted to
lorm the axial crystalline ridge. The lowermost
beds 0' the central bell dip venically. 'acing
west: upper members are faulted out against
Plio-Pleistocene Ian deposits along a branch 0'
the southern Death Valley faull zone. The cen·
tral belt will be e)(amined more closely at
Stop #6.
On the far upstream end of Denning Spring
Wash. Quaternary 'anglomerate forms a promI-
nent scarp 10 'eet (3 m) high along the
westernmost branch of the Death Valley 'ault
zone. Southward. the same branch ju)(taposes
the central bell and the Military Canyon Forma-
tion. This relationship points out the progressive
de<:rease in slip through time along the western
branch-the Teniary rocks are displaced more
than the younger Ian deposits.
18.5 00.6 HEAD BACK down Denning Spring Wash.
TURN RIGHT (southeast) onto a gravel road
belore leaving the wash. The road is quite
prominent and ascends an old fan surface.
Drive onlo the fan surface.
19.3 008 Stop 3: Pediment Surface.
Remnants of the pediment surface that once
covered much of the Noble Hills are e)(posed
on either side 01 the road. Abrupt linear scarps
can be seen cutting the pediment surface in
several places. One of the best e)(amples is
about 65 feet (20 m) east of the road above
Salt Basin. There. the soil cut by the scarp has
features similar to soils in the Soda Lake area
that are estimated to be early Holocene
(8-10.000 years) (Wells and others, 1984).
As seen on air photos or maps, stream chan-
nels emanating lrom the nonheastern Avawatz
Mountains make sharp, clockwise bends. and
drain through the Noble Hills. The lour main
channels that cut through the Noble Hills also
had to have cut through the a)(ial crystalline
rldge. The narrowness 01 the channels through
the crystalline rock indicates that the ridge was
uplifted gradually. II uplift of the resistant crys-
talline rocks had been rapid, the drainage would
most likely have been blocked, and streams
would have Ilowed parallel to the Noble Hills
rather than across as they do here. Because
the channels are nol oHset laterally. the amount
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY
Mileage Interval
of right-lateral slip on branches 01 the Death
Valley laull zone in the Noble Hills that
occurred since the drainage pattern was estab-
lished is constrained to the width 01 the chan-
nels that cut through the ridge-a lew tens 0'
meters. Therefore. recent fault oHset has been
mostly dip slip rather than stnke slip on inner
branches of the Death Valley fault zone.
CONTINUE on the road descending into Salt
Basin.
19.7 00.4 TURN RIGHT at the first right turn and STOP in
front of the cabin.
Stop 4: Salt Basin.
This is the best place to e)(amine the complexly
deformed eastern belt strata thai are laulled
downward relative to the aXial crystalline ridge
(to the southwest) and the Tertiary landslide
complex (to the northeast).
The basal conglomerate of the eastern belt has
been almost completely 'aulted out against the
slide mass. Halite and halite-rich claystone
overlying the conglomerate have dissolved.
torming the channel that the road follows. Mas-
sive gypsum and gypsiferous shale overlying
the halile crop out 10 the west. The evaporite
lacies coarsens upward into a claslic sequence
containing sediment derived pl"imarily from
metasedimentary rocks of the Precambrian
Cryslal Spring and Kingston Peak formations.
These units once formed pendants in the axial
crystalline ridge. but have been almost entirely
eroded. Granitic rocks. which compose the bulk
of the ridge, are scarce as clasts in the eastern
belt conglomerates. This indicates that the east-
ern belt was deposited adjacent to the ridge, but
it was much less emergent than it is now. Sub·
sequently. the crystalline rocks were upfaulted
through the eastern belt.
The strata in Salt Basin are complexly folded by
drag along the southern Death Valley faull
zone. and by uplitt 01 the present basin margins.
Folding is most complex and tight in the evapor-
ite-rich members. For the best view of the
stratigraphy and spectacular deformation of the
eastern belt. walk up the narrow canyon directly
behind the cabin. The round trip takes about 15
minutes.
CONTINUE southeast on the gravel road
through Salt Basin and up to Pipeline Wash.
TUAN LEFT upon entering the wash and SfOp.
20.0 00.3 Slop 5: Pipeline Wash.
The channel into Salt Basin through which
you just drove represents a relatively young
stream capture trom Pipeline Wash. Seen in
map view, the piracy appears to be a lett (down-
stream) offset such as occurs along lett·lateral
faults-opposite that which would be expected
tor drainages crossing the Death Valley fault.
OCTOBeR 1991
s
A
-
D<lM' ~
..
~
'"
NOelE i1IlLSASSEM3
CENTRAl. BEL

-
3
l:

..
..:>...
Dli_
lI,.,p
}

~
AXIAl. CRYSTAlUNE PIOGE -r:"

.I; ,

~,I
--
".,1
......
I
NOBLE HillS ASSEIJ8t.A(

j
EASTERN BEtT

,
'~:fi5!i~~-::-;.:-~:'~'",",",-:"':J~~~;"'~-;-
,\ ~ 11
•
o
-• - . , 0 11'1,',.
" " . -',
I" 1,1,.
,\'"
ur'
,
\ ld ,', f ' , \ •• - I t ~\' •
• -~I '." ',",
FIgure 2 SW-NE cross sectIOn through the southwestern Noble Hils In Aml1l1lheater Wash Sl'loWlng majOr Iltholoqtc U111ts and faults
Cross sectJOn ellter:ds from SlOP 6c (SW) 10 6a (PhoIO 1).

Rather than being tectOnically caused ~8f. The stnJCtllral and strallO,att!1C relallOOshlps
thIS capture IXCU'led when the halile·beanro seen at Pipelne Wash arc! Salt Basin pOIfII to a
sedi~l IOfInrlg !he north wan 01 Pl>8"ne recurrer'lCe 01 local dp slip olong di'fo'onl
Wath disso~od and eroded, allov.,ng wtllCr to branches cllhe Death Vi!IIley IalAl zone. The
pour ,nlO the topograptucaly owe. Sah BaY"!. axial crystalline rklge was uplifted QJf,ng depo-
5 bon 01 the eaSiern be'!, exposmg melaSedi·
The channel walls at !he moul/l or P>peline mentary rool oondatts. FolJow.ng deposition ol
WaSh expose more ot tile I8ndSl!de tleposIl lhe easlern bah. the ~e was uplifted again.
seen In DemIng Spnng WaSh. Here. it lies on tlVncatlng and folcling the ea510m belt. The
!he ouler margin 01 the IkJbIe Hills-the eastern ea3:em bel WIIS !tIen eroded b e pediment
bet slrala seen outboard of the slide mass n
Denring Spring Wooh have tJo(:n faulted away,
surface 'Iat was lauled again, lorrning tle
parallel ridges.
QJnong diagonally IlIcross facies lines.

On the northem wall 01 P.peh Wash 1651eet

(50 ml upstream of the road into sal Basin, the
.....
DRIVE down pipttine Wash lolloWing the ma.n

eastern belt is ccmplexly folded (Photo 3). 20.7 00.7 Pass canadian Club Wash. marl\ed by a
These Iolds, and Slmi\at·appeal'ng folds 1ar1her 6·loot-!ong (2·m·long) gypsum bou'der, and
upstream in the same formaton. ate oonsis· proceed up lhe road direclly altead that COOI,n-
lenlly Olo'.rtlS~ to thlt nofth9a,l. PIio-PltIGlo· ues mto ",. next napr wnh, Amptuthealer
cene ItIf'IgIometate tt\lIllotms the lerge -gravel W(l$h.
pile- on l/18 skyline has been etown·lau:le<t PARK in Amphitheater Wash where tlte wash
21S 008
lhrot.lJh these ~oll1s lorrrutg a graben. The
n:mows. or.....non dnvlI'Ig Deeo'1"les too ordvous.
!oIds proba.bIy formed in response to obIiQut WALK up me wash.
compress.on aIoog lhe Dealh Valley faull ZMe
dunng upift ollht Dial Cf)'"tal~ne ridge. In
QuoIO!"l\{Iry time, me lolds
were cut by IlOfmallaults
thai cleYelopec:l In a Wedge-
shaped, tensile doman
be'Ween !he lett·lateral
Mule Sprlflg f;tU1t whll;h ies
'behllld"" the grablm. anc
the v.e,temmost brench
01 the nghHaterai Dealh
Valley taull zone wtlK:h les
'in lronf 01 it.

Quaternary lefTace gravels

unco'lformab/y' owertie the
de'ormed e;ast,rn bell on
the walls 01 Plpetne Wash
fPhoto 3)_ These gravels
ha'ie been lau:ted Inlo a
senas 01 parallel ndges
along a bfanch of the Deatl
Valley taUt lone lhat Il'llta
~ tho G;LSktrn boll and
!he &lt181 crystan,ne ridge.
The vertical dispfitC8ment
along the taulls IS SOIAh-
SIde-up -COOSIsttnt WIth Photo 3 Con'plell fokts In g)o-pM9rOIIS Simla of lhe easlern belt cllhe Noble Hills
\tie slip Chat uplilted the assemblaoe Uncorlormably ~ng f1ese beds are Oua,,",ary ao~ Ian depo$ t$
ax.al cryslalline rOge derMld from clontS of the Arawall Mounlao",s

12. CAlIFOR>llA GEOlOGY OCTOBER 199'

 NOBLE HIllS ASSEMBLAGE
- / ' _ .-----BASAllANOSlIDE DEPOSITS----l N
'J (w/bedrock?)
fj I,
A'
Carbona\(l brecc,a
I CONTINUE up the main wash past the axial
, SOm
Stop 6a: Amphitheater Wash.
This stop involves a round-trip hike of about
2 miles (3 km). Allow '-112 hours and be sure
to cafry water, especially in hOI weather.
This Slop affords the best exposures 01: 1) the
central bell of the noble hills assemblage; 2) the
Military Canyon Formalion; and 3) the Mule
Spring faull emplacing Mesozoic diorite easl-
ward over Tertiary and Quaternary strata.
These relationships are illustrated in the cross
section A-A' (Figure 2) which extends from Stop
6c to 6a (Photo 1).
The brecciated mass on either side 01 the wash
is the Teniary landslide deposit. About 650 feel
(200 m) up the wash. nearly vertical, reddish-
brown. well-bedded conglomerate and sand-
stone of the basal eastern bell crop out.
The diorite-derived langlomerate e~posed in the
walls 01 the wash belongs to one of several
generations of Plio-Pleistocene Ian comple~es.
These strata unconformably overlie the de-
formed eastern belt and the landslide deposits
just seen. The fan deposits are mildly to highly
deformed and channelized. and contain angular
discordances ranging from 5 to greater than 40
degrees.
Continue several hundred meters up-channel to
where the main wash intersects a smaller chan-
nel on the lelt (southeast)_ Here, deformed pink
halitic siltstone. halite. limestone, and silty gyp-
sum within the upper part of the eastern belt
emerge trom beneath the cover 01 Quaternary
gravel. These rocks are part of the same sec-
tion e~posed in Salt Basin. but here they con-
tain less halite and more clastic material. The
sequence is interpreted to represent deposition
on a playa margin with Salt Basin being near
the playa's center.
The northwest-trending depression crossing
Amphitheater Wash lies atong a branch of
the southern Death Valley tault zone that sepa-
rates the eastern assemblage from the axial
crystalline ridge. fOrming the ragged e~posures
crossing the wash ahead. The rock of the a~ial
crystalline ridge is highly-sheared and hydro-
thermally altered lIaser gneiss, shot through
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY
with barite veins containing selvages 01 manga-
nese-rich iron o~ides. This rock is quite unlike
the migmatitic gneiss occurring as clasts in
the Military Canyon Formation exposed at the
head of the wash.
ridge, keeping to the left of the wash.
Stop 6b_
On the south side of the channel and in the low
outcrops ahead of you in the center of the wash
are exposures of purple andesite agglomerate
at the base of the central belt of the Noble Hills
assemblage. The agglomerate depositionatly
overlies rock 01 the axial crystalline ridge and
has been dated radiometricaJly at 11.25± 0.59 Ma.
Overlying the agglomerate on the left side of
the wash is a lacustrine sequence containing
airfaU tuff. green. lavender. and mustard-colOred
gypsiferous shale. and siltstone.
In the massive exposure on the right side of
the wash is a !Iuvial sandstone and siltstone
redbed sequence containing interbedded bodies
01 monolithologic granitic megabreccia. Indi-
vidual clasts within the breccia are up to 65feet
(20 m) long: the sense of asymmetry in folds
beneath the breccia bodies indicates that the
masses slid in from the east. Clasts in the
sandstones and megabreccia are composition-
ally indentical to the axial crystalline ridge upon
which the central belt is deposited. If the rocks
of the axial crystalline ridge were the source of
the sediment. the central belt depocenter must
have been bounded by tectonically active bed-
rock escarpments that were uplifted along the
Death Valley lault zone.
Lavender and green gypsiferous shale overlies
the redbedS. These strata are faulted against
vertically-dipping conglomerates of the Military
Canyon Formation along the westernmost
branch of the Death Valley lautt zone. The
sense 01 stratigraphic "facing" changes across
the fault. In the central belt, upsection
(younging) is to the south: in the Military
Canyon Formation, upseClion is to the nonh.
Continue up the left (easternmost) side of the
wash toward the range to lake a closer look at
the Military Canyon Formation, a fluvial-domi-
nated. mid-fan deposit that contains hornblende
andesite clasts dated at 13.7 Ma (Brady.
unpublished data) that constrains its maximum
age. Note the abundant boulderS of granite and
migmatitic gneiss: diOrite composes only about
20% of the Clasts. Three miles (5 km) west of
here, granite gneiss, marble. quartzite, and
varying amounts of Teniary volcanic clasts
account for nearly all the detritus. Diorite is very
rare and metavolcanic clasts are absent.
OCTOBER 1991 229
 The clast composition 01 the Military Canyon
Formation is dissimilar to the bedrock types of
the modern Avawall Mountains and the axial
crystalline ridge. Therefore it IS unlikely that ll'le
sediment in the Military Canyon FOfrnalJon was
derived Irom these sources. The naser gneiss
in the axial CTystalline ridge and the migmatlhc
gneiss in the Military Canyon Formation are
also dissimilar. Furthermore. the Military Can-
yon Formation contains marble and quartZIte,
which do not occur In the axial crystalline
ridge. Clasts from the Kingston Peak or Crystal
Spring Formation. which are exposed on tne aJUal
crystal~ne ridge. are absent in the Military canyon
Formation.
Although the Avawall Mountains' diorite core is
now adjacent to three sides of the Mil~ary Canyon
Formation. the lack of diorite and metavolCanic
detritus indicates that the Mil~ary canyon Forma-
tion was not deposited in its present geographic:
setting. 'Nhen the Military Canyon Formation was
deposited during tOOdle Miocene (?) time. the
diorile and metaVOlcanic core of the Avawatz
Mountains was not SIgnificantly emergent. There-
lore. the site of !he present Avawatz Mountains
was a MIClO&I'l8 basin InlO which !he ftuviaI con-
glomerates of the Mi~tary canyon Formation
were deposited The Haloran Hills. now situated
12 mileS (20 kin) south oflhe AVirNatz. Mountains
on !he opposlte side of the Death Valley fault
zone. may have been !he source of !he Mi~taJy
Canyon Formation detritus. as Brady (1990) dis-
cussed. Alternatively. the source may have been a
bIoc::k derived from the Haban Hils terrane that
was faulted over !he Avawatz bedrock and subse-
QUently eroded.
The pronounced angular unc:ontormity between
the Neogene units and the diorite-deoved P\ir).
Pleistocene fan strata records a rnarited tectonIC
change. The Tertiary units are mainly aHlMal Ian.
braided river. and playa strata deposited In
syntectonic basins that existed at the site of !he
present Avawatz Mountains befOfe the range was
uplifted. The deposition of the Avawatz-deriYed
fans over the Neogene deposits oontaining exotic
clasts may have been caused by structural inter-
ference between the Garlock and southern Death
Valley faults. which uplifted the range through its
sedimentary cover during Pliocene time and
caused !he onset oflocally-deriYed alluYiai fan
sedimentation. Since the diorite now stands
8.200 leet (2.500 m) above the valley floor, it
must have been uplifted at Ieasl that amount.
CONTINUE up !he southernmost (left) side of the
wash to its termination against the mountain front.
Slop 6C.
The brighl blue rock at !he head of the wash is
chloritic gouge along !he Mule Spring fault where
230 CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY
the diorite is faulted eastward over the Military
Canyon Fonnalion. The Mule Spring fault zone
here in Amphitheater Wash is a single plane,
but about a mile (2 km) to the south, the zone
broadens and contains numerous imbricated west·
dipping branches. At the zone's southern eod, the
diorite of the Avawatz Mountains is faulted east-
ward over young (Holocene?) alluYiallans, the
belting of wtlich has been tectonically steepened
to 60 degrees east.
5eYeraI ~nes of evideo::e support the hypotheSIS
that the Garlock fault terminates here in the
Avawatz Mountarns aJong the east·vel'"genl secoon
of the Mule Spong fault zone. West of the Death
Valley fault rona, there are abundant OJaternary,
fault·related features haYll'lQ "Garlock" trends. but
none are 8YJdent east of it. Tertiary rocks of the
Noble H~1s assemblage extend across the easlern
prOf8ChOll 01 !he Garlodt fault zone. but are rot
ollset by it as would be eXpeeled if !he Garlock
conlJnued eastward. furthermore, graVIty data
collected across the Mule Spring fault ~st south of
there suggest that the dionte pluton is a thin
(1 mile Of 1.5 kin) slab havmg a nearty flat, hori·
zontal lower boundary. ThIs geometry indicates
that the dl()(lte has been truncated from ItS root by
the Mule Spring fault that Ilanens beneath the
range (see Brady, 1990). This westward lIanenlng
of the Mule Spring fault may be !he mechanism
that tenninates !he Garlock fault here. Because 01
this llanenlng. Ieft·lateral strike·slip motion on the
verlJcal weslern part oflhe Mule Spring fault is
transformed on the east side into east·vergent
reverse rTlOYemetl!. The lotal amount of eaSl·
directed offset is estimated to be between 3 and 5
mites (5 and 8 km).
As seen on this excursion. o..,atemary lateral 011·
set along the western branches of the Death
Valley fault zone in the Noble Hills is no more than
0.3 mile (0.5 kin). although the eastern branch in
the Noble Hils has transpOrted the granite·beanng
conglomerate alleast 5 miles (8 kin). This trend
of increa5lflg ollset from wes1 to east indicates that
any large movements that might have occurred on
Ihe Death Valley fault zone did so on branches
east of the Noble Hills. II indeed there have been
tens of kilometers of Cenozoic offset along !he
fault zone (see Brady, 1990), it is highly unlikely
that the Death Valley fault terminates in the
Avawatz Mountains. Rathel". it probably continues
tens of kilometers. if not farther. iflto the southeast·
ern Mojave Desert.
RETURN to the mouth of Canadian Club Wash
the same way you arrived.
TURN RIGHT (north) and drive down the well-
graded gravel road 10 the Wade road. and
TURN RIGHT to Highway 127.
OCTOBER t991
 Glossary

.'luYiaItan: A gently skIpIng fan-shaped mass of landslide brecc:1a: A roctl. made of malenaJ fragmented
loose rock deposIled by a Siream where II flows Irom and deposited as a result of a roc:tlslide or other gravlty-
a narrow valley Into a relatively wide and flal area. Induced mass movement 01 rock.

axil' surface: The surface Ihal most nearly sepa-
rates two limbs of a fold. An axial plane is a planar
axial surface (see illustrahon below).
HQrpment: A line of dlffs made by faUlting 0(
e<0SK>n.
fangkHnerate: A sedimentary rock formed by
cemenlation of sand and gravel deposited in an
alluvial fan.
migmatltlc gneiss: A banded metamorphic rock
composed of igneous-like materials.
parasitic fold: A fold on a limb of a larger foki.
pediment A broad gently-skIpIng erosional surface at
the base 01 a mountain front. It is typiCally bedrock
ovel1aln by a thin deposit of alluvium.
scarp: Short lor escarpment (see above).

ftner gneiss; A metamorphic rock with unaltered
granular mlOElrals surrounded by highly sheared and
crushed matenal.
fluvill: Refers to river fealures and processes.
lacustrine: Refers to lake fealures and processes.
syntectonic: Refers to something that formed or
occurred dumg tectonIC aetMty.
vergent: Refers 10 a direction a fealure faces or moves.
vesicular: A texture term used to describe an abun-
dance of cavities formed usually by the entrapment 01
gases as lava solidifies.

REFERENCES ax181 plane

Brady. R.H. m. 1990. SlratJgraphy and structure at !he
tnlefSeCbOfl 01 !he Gal10ck and Death Valley fault
zones, northern Avawall Mount.aJns. Ga/JlornJa 11'1
Reynolds, RE., editor, At !he end of !he Mojave:
Quaternary sludies in the easlern Mo,ave Desert:
San Bernardino Counly Museum Special Publica·
tion.p.119-128.
DaVIS. G.A., 19n, LImitations on dlsplacemenl and
soultlward extenl 01 the Dealh Valley laullzonct.
GaIil()ll"ll,a Ca:.trtoma DrvtsIon 01 MInes and
Geology SpeoaI Report 129, p. 12-33.
Troxel, 8 W 1990. PleIstocene and Holocene
delonnabon on a segment of !he SOIJlhern Death
Vaney laullzone, CalifornIa 1ft Reynolds. R.E..
editor. Al the end althe Mojave: Ouaternary
studies in the eastern Mojave Desert: San
Bernardino County Museum Special Publicabon,
p. 129·133
Wells. S.G, McFadden, LD" Dotvenwend. JC ..
Bullard, T F. Feilberg, B F., Ford, R_L, Gnmm.
Parts of a fold
J P., Miller. J.R., Ortlock. S.M., and P1ckIe. J.D.,
1984, Lale Quaternary geomorphic: htstory ot Soda
Mountains pediment and Silver Lake playa area
Geological Society 01 America Annual MeelJng
Guidebook 4, p. 69·87.
Wnght, LA. and Troxel, B.W" 1967,lJn'w\alJOns on
nghI·!alerai slJike-sJip dispIacemenc, Death Valley
and Furnace Creek tault zones. ca10rnla
Geo6ogIcaI Sooety of Amenca BulletIn 78,
p.933·95O,"><

CAliFORNIA GEOlOGY OCT08E.R 1991 ,,,

( Retirements
Rodger H. Chapman
Rodge< H. O>apman. Son... Gool<>gN om _
of the Division of Mines and Geology's (DMG) Applied
Geophysics Program. retired on July I, 1991. Rodger
began his DMG career In 1%1 al the San Francisco
District office where he organized and directed the
Division's geophysical research program. Rodger
established the original objectives of the program: I) 10
pnxIuce geophysical anomaly maps of California; and
2) to evaluate the applK:atlon of geophysicallec:hniques
few mineral resource bwestigations throughout the
State. Rodger directed thema..oe of the geophysical
prtJgT'amto DMG's Sacramento offICe in 1971 where.
under his management. It grew to a staff of five in the
1980s.
Rodger Q\apman was hom in Highland Park.
Michigan in 1925 He served in Wortd War 0 in the
U.S. Army Infantry from 1943 to 1946 in Europe
om the Phllippones. He hoId>. as. dog<ee" geoIog\-
cal engineemg and an M.S, degree in geophysics from
the M<h;gan CoIoge of M_ .".., lJnNenity of
WISCOf'lSin awarded him a Ph.D, in geophysics in 1956.
In 1948 Rodger conducted geologic field mappmg
for the Newfoundland Geological Survey in areas not
then covered by lopographk maps. Rodger's expertise
became apparent in the application of geophysical
techniques for mining exploration lA.-hile employed al
Plckands-Matner (an iron-ore mining company) in
Minnesota (1949-1951) and at the U.S. Steel Corpora-
tion based in Provo, Utah (1956-1961). He married the
former Hildur Oliver in Minnesota in 1951
Upon his anival at DMG in San Francisco in 1961.
Rodger began to help organize the Bay Area Ge0physi-
cal Sodety (BAGS) as.1ocaI section of the Sodety of
Exploration Geophysicists. He became BAGS' frrst
peesidellt'" 1962 Rodger's other professional
affiliations have ird.ded the American Geophysk.aI
Union. the Euopean Association of Exploration
Geophysicists, the Society f(K Mining, Metabgy. and
Exploration/American Institute of Mining. MetWrgical,
and Petroleum Engineers (AlME). He was president of
the AIME Sacramento chapter in 1990,
232 C....lIFORNI.... GEOLOGY
DMG AppUed Geophysics
Employees Retire
J
,
Rodge< has ~ """" than 130 """"""'"
reportS and maps of
Cabfomia. a morunental
contrbrtion that has broughl him, as wei as DMG,
naOOnal prominence in the field of geophysics. His
geophysical investigations of The Geysers. kloe
day/lignite deposits, Bodte mining district, and the
San Bernardino Iow-Iemperature geothermal
resources (among others) have proven to be of
economic value to California. Rodger supervised
DMG's publication of the Bouguer Gravity Atlas of
California and the accompanying 10 )( 2° compiled
aeromagnetic map sheets of Califomia. These
popuIa.r regional geophysical maps are a great aid in
blterpreling California's complex geologic structures.
Rodger made thousands of gravity measurements
throughout California and established DMG's Gravity
Base Station Network.
Rodger's dedication to and expertise in the use of
~ pmc;pIo5 Iowan! the goal of urodomand-
ing the geoIoqy of California is wei knol.vn. His
enthusiasm and ~ 111 sharing this knolMedge Is
Iegerd<uy. He continues 10 have a keen interest in the
future of DMG and its role in pn::Mding earth sdence
tnformation 10 the peop&e of CaJjfOf'Tlia.
Rodger and his family are enjoying his lememenl
in Davis. California. by LG Yoongs·....
OCTOBER 1991
 Gordon W Chase
Gordon W. Cl\ase. Associate GeopI"Jysicist in the
DMoon 01 Mine><>nd GooIog;'slDMGI Applied
~_,_onJul;I,l991,Goolon
joined DMG's Sacramento office in 1970 arxi his
_ in """'-<ting geophy.;ioaJ """"¥ bocame the
bod<bone 01 the Applied
next 21 years.
Goo""""'" Prog""" fo< the

Gordon W. 00se was born in Concord, New

Hampshire in 1919. He received a B.S. degree in
~ in 1941 ITem the University of New Hamp-
shire at Durham. In Work! War Dhe served as an
aviation radar engineer for the U.S. Navy fran 1943 to
1946. He saw ~arduous·' duty in I-faI.v.:ili ard the
continental U.S.

Gordon continued his career in geology UJhen he

joined the geophysical exploration staff of the Shell Oil
Company (1946-1961). Hecondocted extensive f\eId
surveys using seismic arrl gravimetric techniq..ies
throughc:ut Oklahoma, Mootana. Washington, aM
California. In 1948 he married Leah who was also
employed by SheD Oil Company in Tulsa. IJJhen they
lllO'.e:llo Sacramento, Gordon became an instn.Jnent
engineer at Aero;et General monitoring static lest firings
of rocket rrdors for the first IT"ICXXl rockets. He later
established a Sacramento office for Geo-Rec:a1. Inc., a
geOOg;caI oonsuItir<I fum bosEd in SeattI<, W"""""""
and was an engineering geologist for the U.S. Arrr'J
Co<ps 01 Er<linEm. in 1965 Goolon _ the
geophy.;ioaJ gro.q> of the T_ SeMoos DMoon 01
the California Department of Water Resources. VJhDe
!hem he _ ard>ct """""'" geophy.;ioaJ
~ticJns in support of the building of the California
........... s"stem.
Gordon's professional affiliations haw incWed
~ in the SoOOty 01 Expbation ~
_ , the _ """"'tion 01 Expbation Goo-
I3ol.qJer Qao..;ty Atlas or California as well as the
Aeromagnetic Map Sheets of California series. In
recent years he 00carne interested in COOlp.Jter-aKtro
geophy.;ioaJ m<><1<ling <>nd _ " " " ' . . -
ilterpretalions for DMG geophysIc:aI projects.
His expertise in the fieki of ~ is far·
reachng. but he is at his WIY best in aganizing arv::I
"""'-<ting geop/>ysio> fi<ld """"¥. I.IIh;\o .. DMG
he perlonned ounerous _ , gro.r<l
magnetic, seismic. and electrical resistivity surveys
throughout California 11 support of mineral aM
geothennal ~
geoIog;< """""" _tions,
_tions,"-
<>nd """"'"
geophysical map COO1pi1ations. Gordon's technX:al
backgro.nd made him the ideal person to maintain
and repair the DMG's geophysical EqJipnenl. arsenal.
His ..!:hoestring~ repairs of eq..dpment in the fiek:l have
" " - ' ""'" geophy.;ioaJ """"¥'
Gordon is \l..OeI-known for his ready New England

....
ply.;idsIs, "" the """"'tion 01 Eng;neering GeQo.
'

Gordon has contribuled 10 nearly all of the ge0physi-

cal p.bIicaticns of DMGsince 1970 ard is the lead
author of rTlaI"P/. He was instnmental in canpiIing the
v..;l and totall.l'lSelf\shnes in heIpin;} and encooraging
others to IJ'der.;tand the geophysics of California.
Gordon is ~doing some gardeningM and pur9Jing
IT'lrll-negiected robbes in CannichaeI, California.
by L.G. Youn~

CALIfORNIA GEOlOOY OCTOBER 1991

 Official Maps of New or Revised
ALQUIST - PRIOLO SPECIAL STUDIES ZONES
OfRdal Maps - N;"ember 1.-1991
,r

~
i (Map numbers keyed to index map)
-, ,
...,
\

~r-~----~
,

!
1. F"Jekls Landing
2. Fortuna
3 Hydesville'
19. Eagleville
20. Snake Lake
37. Swains Hole
38. Standish
39. Stony Ridge ~.
!- 21. Porcupine Butte
4. Sams Neck 22. Indian Spring Min 40. Milford
, , . 5. Dorris 23. East of Pondosa 41. Herlong

~---~"--'
6 Macdoel 24. TlfTlbeTed Craler 42. CaIneYa Lake

..••)
7. Sheep MOllrItain 25. Day 43. McKesick Peak
~--...--- 'I 8. Red Rock u.ke 26. Burney Falls 44. Doyle'
1 ...... .J ....,.
V 9 Bray
10. Sharp MIn.
27. Dana
28. Fall River Milk
45. Constanli<l
46. Los GaIOS'
I!. Tennant 29. Pittville 47. Laurel'
12. Gamer Mtn 30. Burney 48. Piti'S Point'
13. Rambow MIn. 31. Cassel 49. F"1!lmore'
14. FOI"l 8KtweD 32. Hogbac:k Ridge SO. Moorpark
IS. Lake CIty 33. Coble MCM.lfltain 51. EI Monte'
16. Ce&.M8e 34. Murken Bench 52. La Habra'
17. Warren Peak 35. JeUic:o 53. La JoI<l
18. Eagle Peak 36. Old Statkln 54. Point l..oma

• Revised woe map

"""
.1:.;:.
, '."......
. "",
I'
""--", - ,- ..·1·..~r·
• >I-.
'-r------ ""
.f ., '.
Cities and cCM.lflties affected \ \.. ....... ~
.• ~ by new or revised Special ,,....... '......( .""~" ~-.. r.'
r/' l ""'"
... -
..-.......
51udies Zones shown on Offi-
cial
1991 Maps of November L
:
>-'3..,"'"'~_~'

"'~
...... ~',
:""--cC'~:"" _ _.L_~_--r-__--'"

'''.~~r--
-"
_t-_·,~~
, ", .,..
~.

Fortuna
ClUes "'"
.,."". , ......::,,~"
,
".~
.....
'-"\
,
'.''''''
...
- La Habra Heights ".
,
1 Rosemead _.~- ._,.- ~--

San DIego ,,
San Marino
Whittier
,.. Counties
Humboldt Santa Clara
Lassen Santa CfUl
Los Angeles Shasta
Modoc Siskiyou
Orange Ventura
j" San Diego •
New or Revised Official Maps of Special Studies Zones r ' ,i
are available at the foUowing DMG Publk: Information Offices.

SACRAMENTO AREA SAN FRANCISCO AREA lOS ANGElES AREA

~ Publicalklns & Information 1145 Market Street 1075 Broadway.
660 Bercul Driw San FranciKo. CA 94103-1513 Room 1065 ~
Sacramento. CA 95814 (415) 557-1500 Los Angeles. CA 900 12 _.. _ .. _.. - .. _ .. -. '-'~'
(916 445-5716 (213)620-3560 ..!=-._..-.-_.
ffltial"""ps of I'leIN and ~ Specia1 Stuiies Zones. indexed hereon. are issued pursuant to the Alquist·PrioIo Special Studies Zones Act
O and are effectIVe on November 1. 1991. Revised maps supersede e.vIier Ollkial Maps.
Copies of these ~ps may be examined at the offices of affected CIties and COU'lties. and at the dislrict offICeS of the California DMsion of
Mines and Geology. Copies; ITIOIY be purchased from Blue Print SeMce Company. 1147 MISSkln Street. 5M Francisco. California 94103. {4151
49a-B700. ext. 550.
For infOfTT'l<ltion on 0llkiaI Maps of Spedal Studies Zones previously issued. and for provisions of the AIquisl:·PrioIo Special Studies Zones Act.
consult the 1990 edition of Special Public:ation 42. This reference. titled ~FauIt·roptUre HMmt Zones in California: is fme from the Calilorrua
DMsion of Mines lind Geology. P.O. Box 2980. Sacramento. California 95814, or from the olfic:a listed abcM!.X

CAUFORNIA GeOlOGY OCTOBER t991

A Page for Teachers

MINING CROSSWORD PUZZLE

The solution 10 Ihis cross-
word puzzle conlains terms
from many phases of mining
, , , ,-- from exploration to mined

.--- I I I land rectamation, As with

• I PI
other crossword puzzles, a
clue may lead to more lhan
f- ,
I I -
.- , one correct answer, Common

f- .. P I
usages of terms olten diller
from technical definitions
and even the technical
f-
"
- definitions vary from region

f-
I I r,:;-
to region and from gener"
ation 10 generation. The
" "
" X I I I "
- challenge otlhis puzzle is
not only in its completion,
- - but in its use as a vocabulary
builder, The puttle's solution
"I I and a mine drawing appear
f- ~

,
" " I on page 240. Puzzle by Elise
Mattison and Ross Martin
n
n I
- ,,--
" " ~

~
"V
~ - ~ DOWN
I. Excavating with a high-
- f- D pressure jet of water
" - ~
" 2, Cylindrical drill sample

"
- T
L
A
0 - 3. Waler-worn lump of native
go"
4. Mineral-filled fissure (miners'
~ ~

I " I lenn, as in Mother __ I

5. Inclined trough with riffles
"F
~

I
'-
"p
I I
ACROSS
L Chemical removal of gokl
from are piles {2 words)
6. Step-shaped underground
excavation
7. Horizontal passage open to
the atmosphere alone end
9. Barge U5ed to elevate and
wash alluvial deposits
10. The part of a vein nearest the
surface
11. Washed or milled ore
12, Evidence of a deposit at
the surface
15 The search for economic
deposits
17. Walls of a passageway
- .. I
(2 words)
8 __way (passageway for
miners only)
-
to. Primitive type of circular
., - ~ grinding wheel (Spanish term.
I I often called "raster")
13. Placer deposit rich enough to
mine al a profit
14. Ore__ (continuous mass of
are)
16. Metalliferous rock. usually
18. _ ~'CI (abbr., a unit of are 35. Ceiling of an underground 22. Passage driven doo.vnward
volume measuremenl) cavity 25. TImbers framed in a
rectangle (2 words)
19. Document of Ii1le to a claim 36. Ore enriched by removal of
20. Buikling where miners waste 26. Self-dumping bucket lhat
change clothes 38. Underground water accumula· carries are in a shaft
21. 15 in Roman numerals lion area 27. Mineral-filled fissure
(geologists' tenn)
23. Environmental Impact 39, Payment
Report 40. Gold·bearing 28. Ore stored at the surface
24. Lung disease from silica 41. Rock containing carbonaceous 30. A level between main levels
inhalation material 31. Sand or gravel ore deposit
29. Leg joints 42. Explosives 32. Horizontal passage, usually
31. Crude casting of iron or 43 Weight system for precious between a shaft and a vein
lead (hint: "oink") metals and stones 36. Channel through which ore
33. Abbreviation for "number" 44. Long __ (long trough for falls
34. Rod for pushing explosives washing auriferous materials) 37. Chemical test for delennining
into sholholes (2 words) (man's name) the value of a sample
x

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1991 235

[~ D_M_G_R_e_'_ea_se_s
SPECIAL PUBLICATION 106
CONffiIBlJTIONS AND PUBUCATIONS OF THE
APPUED GEOPHYSICS PROJECf: Division of Mines
and Geology. 1965-1989. Compiled by Leslie G. Youngs.
1990.49 p. $6.00.
Applied geophysics is the branch of earth science thaI
uses lhe melhOOs of physics and engineering to study
those parts of the Earth that are hidden from direct view.
Perhaps as much as 50 percent of the Slate of Califomia is
covered by alluvium and marine deposits. Applied ge0-
physical methods prOVide the means to delennine the
Earth's structure and composition beneath those extensive
sedimentary deposits. Applied geophysical studies can be
used to define fault zones. discern subsurface geology and
geologic structure. delennine bedrock depths and varia-
lions in the thickness of subsurface strata. aid in oil and gas
exploration. locate certain typeS of rocks. explore and
assess mineral and geothermal resources, measure rock
velocities. locate some buried hazardous waste prOOuc1S.
aid hydrological studies, record volcanic activity. and show
the regional effects of the Earth·s tectonic processes.
For more than 25 years. the Division of Mines and
Geology lOMG) has supported an active applied geophysi-
cal program for the State 01 California through its Applied
Geophysics Project. HO\.O.Ie\Ier. the project was terminated
in July 1991 due to a reduction in the DMG budget.
The Applied Geophysics Project provided geophysical
support services for all DMG projects where needed. In
addition. the Applied Geophysics Project carried out
independen! studies including compilation of regional and
local geophysical maps. miscellaneous geoscientific
contributions. and mineral resource studies. The stafl had
state-of·the·art equipment and computer capabilities to
measure the Earth's magnetic and gravity fields. electrical
properties of the Earth. seismic refraction. magnetic
susceplibility of rocks. lithologic densities. and subsurface
temperatures. Basic geophysical data IAlE!re collected.
reduced. and modeled. and interpretive correlations were
made. Data and interpretations were presented as
published contour maps. graphs. cross sections. graphic
models, diagrams. and reports. The Division of Mines and
GeoIogy's Applied Geophysics Pro)ect was the only unit in
California government that provided these combined
services. As such, the staff provided advice and interpretive
services to other state agencies. as well as local govern-
ments. the public, geo-c:onsultants. and academia.
236 CALIfORNIA GEOLOGY
J
This report documents the publications and contributions of
the Applied Geophysics Project from 1965 to 1989. The report
lists all publications in reverse chronological order. Under each
year of publication. the references are listed alphabetically by
aUlhor. The report also indexes the publications by topic.
including regional geophysical anomaly maps. miscellaneous
geoscienlific contributions. mineral resource contributions.
geothennal resource contributions. and applied geophYSICal
contributions by county.
SPECIAL PUBliCATION 111
MINERAL COMMODnY REPORT-Diatomile. By John L
Burnett. 1991. 26 p. $5.00
The United States' sales of processed diatomite decreased
slightly in 1989 to 617.000 metric Ions, with a value of more
than $137 million. according to the Bureau of Mines. U.S.
Department of the Interior. Seven companies process diatomite
at 11 plants in live states. California continued to be the leading
state followed by Nevada, Washington, Oregon. and Arizona,
Ma}or domestic producers are located in Lompoc and Burney,
California: Mina. Sparks. and Lovelock. Nevada: Vale. Oregon:
and Quincy, Washington.
Apparent domestic consumption of processed diatomite in
1989 decreased slightly to 481.000 metric tons. The mapr use
of diatomite is in filtration to separate suspended solids in
liquids. In 1989, domestic and export sales of fiher'9rade
diatomite totaled 441.000 tons. slightly more than in 1988.
Diatomite sok:! as a filler (the second largest use) totaled 90.000
tons, about 15 percent less than in 1988.
The average unit value 01 sales for processed diatomite in
1989 was $222.00 per ton. This was slightly less than in 1988.
U.S. exports of processed diatomite amounted to 137.000
tons. about 7 percenl less than in 1988. Average unit value was
$302.00 per ton. compared with $268.00 per ton in 1988.
Diatomite was exported to 67 countries. The fol1ouJing coun-
tries combined received 37 percent 01 the total diatomite
exported: Japan. 16.600 tons: Australia. 12.600 tons: the
Federal Republic of Germany, 11,100 tons: and the United
Kingdom. 10.100 tons. U.S. exports representee! 22 percent of
domestic production. Diatomite imports totaled 838 tons. 84
percent 01 which was supplied by Mexico.
World production was estimated to be 1.8 million tons in
1989. The United States remained the \AIOrkl's leading producer
followed by Romania. the USSR. and France. 1llese four
countries accounted lor 75 percent 01 VJOrId production. '.
OCTOBER 1991
('-- A_"_"_o_u_"_c_e_m_e_"_t_s
Nominations Sought for
AlFRED E. ALQUIST AWARD
Nominations are now being sought by
the California Earthquake Safety Founda-
tion for the 1992 Alfred E. Alquist Award
fOT Achievements in Earthquake Safety.
This annual award recognizes individuals
who have made outstanding contributions
10 or have had a major impact, past or
present, on seismic safety in California.
Awards are given in such areas as basic
and applied research, public policy
advancement. education, volunteer
service. and program management.
Past awards have been made 10 elected
leaders, engineers, government advisors,
disaster specialists, and architects. One to
three awards are given each year. and
names of nominees can only be consid-
ered in the year in which they are nomi-
nated. Posthumous awards are not made.
The awards are presented in April,
Earthquake Preparedness Month. of each
year. A candidate may be nominated by
another individual. a firm. or an agency.
Letters describing the nominee's back-
ground and accomplishments should be
sent to:
California Earlhquake Safety
Foundation
clo VSP Associates, Inc.
455 University Avenue, Suite 340
Sacramento. CA 95825
These letters of nomination must
be postmarked no later than Febru-
ary 28, 1992 to be considered.
The Earthquake Safety Foundation.
founded as a California nonprofit corpora-
tion in 1985. manages the Alquist Award
process. It also publishes technical and
public information materials. sponsors
special events. supports special studies
and research. and provides financial assis-
tance to groups to promote the cause of
earthquake safety. It relies on tax deduct-
ible donations to support its activities. and
the Board of Directors is made up of vol-
unteers.
J
Chrysalis Scholarships to be Awarded
Three Chrysalis Scholarships VJilI be awarded by the AWG (Association for Women
Geoscientists) Foundation on March 31, 1992. The $500 awards VJilI be given to geoscience
Masters or Ph.D. cardidates to c~ expenses associated with finishing their theses. The
Otrysalis Scholarship is for cardidales UJho have returned 10 school after an interruption in
their e:lucalion of a year or longer. The support can be used for typing or drafting expenses.
chil:! care. or anything necessary to aIIow a degree candidate to finish her thesis and enter a
geoscierre profession. Applications should be made by February 28. 1991. For
information contact:
Chrysalis Scholarship
Association for WorTI€f1 Geoscientists Foundation
MacAlester College Geok:lgy DepartrnerJI
1600 Grand Avenue,
St. Paul, MN 55105-1899
,----------------------------
I MAIL ORDER FDRM
Indicate number Complele add.ess 10.m on nexl page. Price includes
I of copies poslage and sales lax.
I BULLETINS
I Bt83 F.anciscan and related rocks and lheil significance in the Q{l"OIogy 01
western Calilornia.t964 $8.00
I __ Bt95 Geology of the San And.eas [151 quadrangle. Calaveras County, California
(scale: 1:62.500). 1970................ . $5.00
I B2Q6 Geology and ole deposits ollhe Bodie mining district. Mona Counly,
I Calilornia. 1987 ................•.. . $18.00
I SPECIAL REPORTS
I __ SR106 Geologic teatu.es 01 Death Valley Ilnyo and San Bemardino counlles].
Cahlornia. 1976 '....... . $5 .00.
I __ SRtI3 Geologic haza.ds in southweste.n San Berna/dina Counly,
I SR143 fp~i~0~7;ac~~~icatlor;~i"~~·~~·g~~~~i·;~~~;;;;;·~;~~~:·ci~;~~~;:up~·~····$17.00
I p.oduct;on-eonsumplion 'eglon ILos Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
I __ SRt43 ~~i~o~~:~hl~~~~~tiOn01 sand a~·g;~~~i·;~~ur~~·~;~~~:·S~·~··~~~;;;ii~· $14.00
I production·consumption regIon ISan Bernardl110 County. Calito.nial 1988 $10.00
I SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
_ _SP50 Colemanite depoSils near Kramer JUnc1ion, San Bernardino County.
I Calitornia. 1976 ................•.............. $5.00
I SP72 Mineral commodity report - gypsum. 1984 . $5.00
SP74 Minerai commodIty report - sulphur. 1984 $5.00
I __ SP76 Mlne.al commod,ty report - bante. 1985.. .. $5.00
I $1'106 Contributions and pubhcations ot the Applied GeophysICS P,oJe<:t:
DMG 1965·1989. 1m (NEW) ..... ........................•................ $6.00
I SPtl1 Mlne.alcommod,tyreport-dialomlte, 1991 (NEW) , , $5.00
I GEOLOGIC MAPS Of CALIfORNIA - REPRINTS
I ==~~~~ ~:;~v:~t~heel ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.::::::::::::::::::::::::.::::::::::::::::::.:::~~:~
I __ GAM8 Los Angeles sheet . $5.00
_ _ GAM9 Mariposa sheet , ,........................ . $S.OO
I CALIfORNIA GEOLOGY
I __ 1 yea. (12 issues) ..•, , . ...........$10.00
I __ 2 years (24 Issues) , . . $21l-OO
Each bacll. Issue . . , , $1.25
I SpElClty volume and month
I __
=.::..=:.::.::.:=.:=..=.=:..=:,::.::.=...
LIst ot Available Publication ,..............................................................•................F.ee
LTOTA~~U:~C~S~ ::$ _
PAYMENT MUST BE INCLUDED WITH ORDER
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER t991 ,,,
 [~ B_o_o_k_R_e_V_ie_w_s ~J
Quaternary Studies MIl'llng Patents

AT THE END OF TI-lE MOJAVE: CAUFORNIA GEOLOGY. Another road PAITNIlNG MINING UAlMS AND
QUAlffiNARY S1UD1ES IN ll-lE log focuses on Quatematy landscape MILL sntS IN CAUFORNlA. 2nd edi-
EASTERN MOJAVE. Edited by Jennifer evolution in !he eastern Mojave Desen. tion. Edited by J.R. Evans. 1991. U.S.
Reynolds. 1990. San Bernardino County Articles address topics pertaining to the Department or the Inlerior. Bureau or
Museum Association. 2024 Orange T Tee Quaternary study area: floods and lakes; Land Management. 2800 Cottage Way.
Lane. Redlands. CA 92374. 133 p. alluvial fan deposition and age estimation; Sacramento. CA 95825. 102 p. $4.00
$7.50 plus 7.75% sales tax and $2.00 pluvial (resulting from rain) basin histories: including lax and shipping. soft cover.
shipping. soft cover. polycyclic strombolian eruptions;
C1arendonian faunas: Rancholabrean age Mining patents are documents that con-
The San Bernardino County Museum vertebrates: the response of alluvial fan vey fee Utles- titles that usually pertain to
Association prepared this special systems to climatic and local base-level the surface as VJeIi as to the minerals. This
publication in conjunction with the 1990 changes: defannalion on a segment of book explains the patenting process and
Mojave Desert Quaternary Research the southern Death Valley fault zone: and provides a sequential approach for prepar·
Center Symposium held May 18-2l. structural and other studies of the Old ing palenl applications in California. Min·
Geology 01 the intersection 01 the Dad Mountain area. the Halloran Hills ers. mining 1a'N';,let'S. and mineral surveyors
Garlock and Death Valley fault zones. ~uence. and the intersection of the might use it to guide them through this
northern Aoowatz Mountains. a field Garlock and Death Valley fault zones. complex. expensive process. The book
trip road log. is reprinted in this issue of explains procedures. lists requirements.
defines lenns. and provides sample forms
and maps. This seoorx.:I edition includes
-----------------------------,
ADDRESS FORM FOR ALL ORDERS
fl0N U.s. Forest Service regulations. infor·
mation about posting a Notice 01 Intent.
Please pont or type.
updated forms regarding mineral surveys.
and an updated list of mineral SlJl'\IeYOI'"S.
PAYMENT MUST BE INCLUDED WITH ORDER Also included are the UJXiated Federal
..- Code of Regulations regarding patent ap-
p1icatK>ns and adverse claims. and a brief
ADDRESS ~_ discussion of the Bureau of land
Management's requirements regarding
CITY _ reclamation and environmental evalua-
ST'~ ZlP 1 """'~
Data
TOTAl. AMOUNT ENCLOSED: S
NON·FERROUS METAL DATA:
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY SUBSCRIPTIONS 1990. a yearbook published by the Ameri·
can Bureau of Metal Statistics Inc.. 1991.
, 1 yr. $10.00 , 2 yrs. $20.00 (lndlllrdualissues are $1.25 each) Available from the American Bureau of
Metal Statistics Inc., 400 Plaza Drive
, NEW SUBSCRIPTION' Allow 60 days for dehvery of first issue (Harmon Meado-.v). P.O. Box 1405
Secaucus. NJ 07094-0405. 153 p.
, RENEWAL: To receIVe your magaZIne conlinUOOSIy. send In renewal 60 days belore $290.00 plus postage and handling.
eMpiratlon date shown on)'OUr address label. (Example EXP9112 means hard cover.
that the subscnptlon e_prres on recelpl of December 199\ Issue) Please I
enclose address label from pastlSSl.l9. Without an address label. renewal
SUbscnptlonS WIll take 3 to 4 months to process
I The American Bureau of Metal Statistics
I Inc. is an organization that compiles statis-
tical industry data on non-ferrous metals.
lrom . . . . . . . I ThiS yearbook provides worldwide data on
1.0.• EXPIR. DATE ACCT. I cOppeT. lead. zinc. aluminum. siNer. gold.
I antimony. cadmiLm. cobalt. magnesium.
mercury. molybdenum. nickel. platinum.
, GIFT: (G'ft card Irom _ I selenium. teDurium. lin. titanium. and ura
, ADDRESS CHANGE: send us an old address label and your new address I nium. Comparative data for 19$6 through
Allow two Issues to rellecl address change I 1990 is tabulated lor each metal. The
book contains over 180 other statistical
Your ordeflsubscl'If!t,on caonot be Pfocessed urtJess conect amouol IS rem.l1ed AU 'me,go aod I tables for metal production. consumption.
C.oad'1I0 OtOOrs muSI be paid W1lh an ,oteroahOnal money Otoor Of draft payable ,n U.S dollars 10
DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY. P 0 80.2980. Sacrtlmenlo. Cau'orool 958122980
I smelters. refinery capacities. imports. ex-
I ports. published prices. and other data.

-----------------------------~
Mining History
238 CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1991
More Books . ...

MAMMon; GOlD: The Ghost

Tovms of Lake District. by Gal)' Calclwell.
1990. Friends of the Ubrary. P.O. Box
1468. Mammoth Lakes. CA 93546.
171 p., $10.75 plus 6.25% saJes tax.
soft cover.

The gold rush came somewhat later in

the eastern Sierra. But when it came (II
years after the Forty-Niners). it was just as
tumultuous and exciting as the 1848 golcl
discovery in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Not only was there a rush for gold. but
for silver as well.
Mammoth. or Lake District. is in
southwestern Mono County on the east
flank of the Sierra Nevada. Devil's
Postpi!e National Monument and Mam-
moth Lakes reson area are both within
10 miles of the district. near Highway
203. However. it was nolthe harsh
beauty of the eastern slope of me Sierra
Nevada or the serenity of the alpine lakes
that brought the prospectors charging
into these mountains. A promising ledge
of gold·bearing quartz was discovered in
1877. high on the western face of Min-
erai Hill. or Red Mountain (as it is called
today). The news reached the San Fran-
cisco mining community nearly a year
later. "A Mono County Bonanza..."
headlined San Francisco's Daily Stock
Reporl. A report that a tunnel on Red
Mountain had exposed 100.000 tons of
gold and silver ore set off a flurry of
speculation and General George S.
Dodge and several other moneyed specu-
lators (heavy investors in the nearby
Bodie mines) paid $10.000 in cash for
the five area claims and pledged $20.000
in stock in the newIy-organized mining
company. On June 3. 1878 the Mam-
moth Mining Company was incorporated
and capitalized at $10.000.000. offering
100.000 shares worth $100 each. Soon
building materials and machinery were on
their way through the Owens Valley
heading for Mammoth City. Mill City.
Pine City. and Mineral Park mining
camps.
Four Mammoth mine tunnels were dug
into the mountain-all over a 1.000 feet
long and more than 8,700 feet in eleva-
tion. A covered rail-type tramway was
designed and built to transport the ore
A water-powered arrastre IS a SIf11)Ie OAt·crushing machne. DraWIng by Mill TnmbIe
from MAMMOTH GOLD: T1Je Ghost Towns 01 Lake Drsmct.
from the mines to the mill. An impressive
water-powered 20-stamp mill raised and
dropped the 900·pound stamps 100
limes a minute. crushing the ore to pulp.
TIle pulp then flowed across copper
which was coated with a thin layer of
mercury. Some of thc gold and silver
combined with the mercury to fonn amal-
gam. Concentrators thcn separated the
amalgam from the pulp
A 3-mile-1ong flume dug from the up-
per end of Twin Lakes to the mill pro-
vided the water that drove a 6-foot Knight
wheel. This wheel was specially designed
to tum at high speed with a low volume
01 water. The Knight wheel. in tandem
with a 20·(oot ~l. prOVIded aU the
pou.>er required by Mammoth Mining
Company's mill.
Although living conditions on this is()-
Iated mountain were harsh. they were
considerably beller than the crude. make-
shift circumstances of the Forty-Niners.
The gok:! rush camps of 1849 were popu-
lated mainly by young. male Americans.
panning gold by themselves for them-
selves. According to the 1880 census. the
Lake District mining communities encom-
passed 75 different occupations including
tinsmith. breo.ver. liveryman. editor. team'
ster, milliner. assayer. baker, tailor. ac-
countant. dressmaker. printer. mill
I.UOrker, policeman. barber. and engineer.
The diverse cultures of 32 states or terri-
tories and 33 foreign locations were also
represented.
Depending on the weather and the
quality of ore, population numbers in
Lake District fluctuated greatly between
1878 and 1881. from an estimated low
of 125 in the spring of 1878 to approxi-
mately 2.500 in the high-production year
of 1879. This lively story explores some
of the tantalizing questions of why the
boom began and ended so abruptly and
whether the operation was a stock scam
from the beginning
This book should be of special interest
to the many eastern Sierra devotees.
According to the U.S Forest Service. the
[nyc National Forest had 7.5 mlllion visi-
tors in 1988. making it among the most
heavily-used forests In the nation. Re-
viewed by Max Flanery. Y'

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY OCTOBER 1991

 STATE Of CAliFORNIA SECOND ClASS POSTAGE PAID
THE RESOURCES AG€NCY AT SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT Of CONSERVATION
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY
DIVISION Of
MINES AND GEOlOGY
P.O BQX2980
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 95812·2980
USPS 350 140
ACDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

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