Monte Blanco Mine, Monte Blanco, Black Mountains, Amargosa Range, Inyo County, California, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Monte Blanco Mine | Mine |
| Monte Blanco | Mountain |
| Black Mountains | Mountain Range |
| Amargosa Range | Mountain Range |
| Inyo County | County |
| California | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
36° 22' 45'' North , 116° 46' 4'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Monte Blanco deposit; Monte Blanco adit
A former borate mine located in the NE¼NE¼ sec. 17, T26N, R2E, SBM, on the E face of Monte Blanco, eastern margin of the Black Mountains, on National Park Service wilderness land (Death Valley National Park/Death Valley Wilderness). First operated in 1915. Owned by the U.S. Borax and Chemical Co. (1976). MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 1,000 meters.
Note: The coordinates provided are for the exact location reflected on the topo map as a group of mining symbols (adits).
Mineralization is a Miocene borate deposit (Mineral occurrence model information: Model code 260; USGS model code: 35b.3; Deposit model name: Lacustrine borates), hosted in rocks of the Miocene Furnace Creek Formation (shale, limestone). The deposit crops out. Associated rocks include Pliocene-Miocene basalts. Local rocks include Tertiary nonmarine rocks, undivided.
Local geologic structures include a fault.
Rock Currier, 2013:
"This mine is barely a mine and might more properly be called a prospect. It consists of a short tunnel with a couple of little side tunnels of no more than 8 or 10 feet (ca. 3 m) long. It is best known for its reticulated primary meyerhofferite specimens. All of them are pretty small, and I have never seen anything much larger than a miniature. It is also home of probably the best specimens of meyerhofferite after inyoite, in most of which the inyoite has been completely altered to white meyerhofferite. The largest of these specimens is perhaps 30 to 40 cm, though most are smaller. The pseudomorphs can measure up to 10 cm. There is also abundant drusy colemanite at this prospect/mine."
Reserve-Resource data are found in Evans, James R., G.C. Taylor, and J.S. Rapp (1976).
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
8 valid minerals. 2 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Analcime Formula: Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| ⓘ Colemanite Formula: Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O References: |
| ⓘ Hydroboracite Formula: CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| ⓘ Inyoite (TL) Formula: Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O Type Locality: Habit: Tabular Colour: White Description: Occurs as tabular crystals altering to meyerhofferite. References: |
| ⓘ Meyerhofferite (TL) Formula: CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O Type Locality: Colour: White Description: Occurs as chalky to silky pseudomorphs after inyoite, as alteration coatings on inyoite crystals, and as long, glassy, interlaced crystals formed by recrystallization of the original fibrous material. |
| ⓘ Priceite Formula: Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| ⓘ Todorokite Formula: (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O Description: inclusions in transparent colemanite crystals References: |
| ⓘ Ulexite Formula: NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O Description: Occurs as large compact masses with colemanite. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Todorokite | 4.DK.10 | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Group 6 - Borates | |||
| ⓘ | Meyerhofferite (TL) | 6.CA.30 | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| ⓘ | Inyoite (TL) | 6.CA.35 | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Colemanite | 6.CB.10 | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| ⓘ | Hydroboracite | 6.CB.15 | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| ⓘ | Ulexite | 6.EA.25 | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| ⓘ | Priceite | 6.EB.25 | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Analcime | 9.GB.05 | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| H | ⓘ Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| B | Boron | |
| B | ⓘ Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| B | ⓘ Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| B | ⓘ Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| B | ⓘ Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| B | ⓘ Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| B | ⓘ Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| O | ⓘ Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| Mg | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| Al | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Analcime | Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| Mn | Manganese | |
| Mn | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Sr | Strontium | |
| Sr | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
| Ba | Barium | |
| Ba | ⓘ Todorokite | (Na,Ca,K,Ba,Sr)1-x(Mn,Mg,Al)6O12 · 3-4H2O |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10102207 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Mojave DomainDomain
- Southern Basin and RangeWide Rift
USA
- Death Valley National ParkNational Park
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References
(n.d.) Minerals Availability System (MAS), U.S. Bureau of Mines.file ID #0060271265
Foshag, William Frederick (1921) The origin of the colemanite deposits of California. Economic Geology, 16 (3) 199-214 doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.16.3.199p.200
Monte Blanco Mine, Monte Blanco, Black Mountains, Amargosa Range, Inyo County, California, USA