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Boraxo Mine

Past Producer in Inyo county in California, United States with commodity Boron-Borates
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023438
MRDS ID I000399
Record type Site
Current site name Boraxo Mine
Alternate or previous names Clara Claim, Thompson Mine, Boraxo Deposit, Boraxo No. 1 and No. 2, Kern Borate

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.7056, 36.3397 (WGS84)
Elevation 732
Relative position SOUTH OF HILL 2562 ABOUT 3.5 MILES NW OF RYAN.
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Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Inyo

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
026N 002E 25;36 SE4 (25) OF NE4 (36) California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Boron-Borates Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Colemanite Ore
Ulexite Ore
Clay Gangue

Analytical data

Result ASSAYS OF DRILL CORES INDICATE AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 20% B2O3 FOR COLEMANITE ORE
Result ASSAYS OF MILL-RUN MATERIAL INDICATE AN AVERAGE GRADE OF 28% B2O3 FOR ULEXITE ORE. THIS INDICATES A MINERAL CONTENT OF ABOUT 40 PERCENT COLEMANITE AND 70 PERCENT ULEXITE-PROBERTITE.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 260
USGS model code 35b.3
Deposit model name Lacustrine borates

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Mudstone
    Rock unit name Furnace Creek Formation
    Rock description Furnace Creek Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.7056, 36.3397
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Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional W-Trending E-Plunging Anticline, Death Valley Graben
Local Pit Fault; Minor Folding

Ore body information

  • General form LENTICULAR
    Strike E-W
    Dip 5-60S (40S AVE)
    Thickness 39.62M
    Width 853.44M
    Length 213.36M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ROCKS OF THE FURNACE CREEK FM WEATHER TO A YELLOW OR GREEN. GRAYISH BASALTIC FLOWS AND/OR INTRUSION OCCUR LOCALLY IN A ZONE FROM 400 TO 900 FT ABOVE THE BASE OF THE FORMATION. IN THE MINE AREA, THE FORMATION IS A MAXIMUM OF 1200 FT THICK.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1915
Year of last production 1977
Production years 1960'S, 1970-77?

Land status

Area name Death Valley National Monument

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Tenneco Mining Inc.
    First year 1976
  • Type Owner
    Owner Pacific Coast Borax Co. ; Russell, Monaghan, Barlow, And Hill ; Pacific Coast Borax Co.
    First year 1915

Production statistics

  • Year 1975
    Period 1970-1975
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^40% Colemanite Or 20% B2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Colemanite Boron-Borates Boron 40wt-pct
  • Year 1975
    Period 1970-1975
    Material ORE- ULEX + PROB
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^70% Ulexite + Probertite Or 28% B2o3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ulexite Ore Boron-Borates Boron 70wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ESTIMATED TOTAL PRODUCTION TO JANUARY, 1976.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Total resources 45,000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Boron-Borates B2O3 28 wt-pct Boron Major 1976

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES AND RESOURCES AS OF JAN., 1976. ACTUAL RESOURCES MAY BE HIGHER.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Length 670.56M

Comments on the workings information

  • STRIPPING RATIO OV OVERBURDEN TO ORE WAS 26:1 IN 1976, BUT EXPECTED TO DECREASE WITH FURTHER MINING. IN 1976, THE PIT WAS 2200 FT LONG, 300FT WIDE AT THE SURFACE ON THE WEST TO ABOUT 1000 FT WIDE ON THE EAST AND 225 FT DEEP. THE MAXIMUM PIT DEPTH WILL BE 450 FT ON THE EAST, BUT THE LENGTH AND WIDTH ARE ALREADY AT THE MAXIMUM OF THE PIT DESIGN. ON COMPLETION OF OPEN PITT OPERATIONS, A SUBSTANTIAL TONNAGE OF ORE WILL REMAIN BENEATH THE FLOOR THAT WOULD REQUIRE UNDERGROUND MINING.

Comments on development

  • THE MINE WAS PURCHASED IN 1960 BY KERN COUNTY LAND COMPANY FOR $200,000.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS I000399

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    EVANS, J.R., TAYLOR, G.C., AND RAPP, J.S., 1976, MINES AND MINERAL DEPOSITS IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL MONUMENT, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT 125, 61 P

  • Production

    EVANS AND OTHERS, 1976.

  • Reserve-Resource

    ESTIMATE BY G. ORRIS FROM PUBLISHED DATA, 1990.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE DEPOSIT OCCURS OF THE SOUTH LIMB OF THE ANTICLINE WITHIN A FEW TENS OF FEET TO 200 FT OF THE BASE OF THE FURNACE CREEK FM. IT IS CUT NEAR GROUND SURFACE ON THE NORTH BY THE PIT FAULT AND PINCHES OUT ON THE SOUTH AT A DEPTH OF ABOUT 800 FT BELOW THE GROUND SURFACE. THE BODY IS DEFORMED LOCALLY BY MINOR FOLDS AND RANGES IN THICKNESS UP TO 130 FT (AVERAGE 40-45 FT). THE DEPOSIT IS 2800 FT WIDE ALONG STRIKE AND 300 TO 700 FT LONG DOWN DIP. THE DEPOSIT IS LARGELY PARALLEL TO THE DIP OF THE ENCLOSING BEDS. THE BORAXO DEPOSIT IS COMPOSED OF 2 ZONES OF BORATE MINERALS WITH INTERSTITIAL CLAY AND INTERLAYERED LIMY SHALE, MUDSTONE, SILTSTONE, AND SANDSTONE BEDS THAT ARE COMMONLY 1 TO 5 FT THICK. THE OUTER ZONE OF THE DEPOSIT IS COLEMANITE AND THE CORE A MIXTURE OF ULEXITE AND PROBERTITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1990 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey