ore.

line or massive; usually from one to five per cent. of the whole weight of the The value for gold varies greatly. At Grass valley the concentrated sulphurets are worth from one hundred dollars to three hundred dollars per ton. Cabinet specimens of this mineral may be had in very large crystals, cubes, at the Fairmount claim, three miles from Pilot Hill, Eldorada county. It is there associated with garnets, brown spar, and specular iron. Found in brilliant druses lining fissures in the rocks of the E Pluribus Unum tunnel, three miles from Murphy's, Calaveras county. In brilliant but small cubical crystals in the gold ore of the Mameluke claim, near Georgetown, Eldorado county. Mariposa county, in large and perfect crystals in the slates near the Deville mine, south of Princeton Hill. Placer county, in large crystals, near the Grizzly Bear House, between Auburn and Forest Hill.

Jasper-Very fine masses of brown and yellow jasper are abundant near Murphy's, Calaveras county, in the quartz veins, and in the debris from them. Kerargyrite. (See Chloride of silver.)

Lignite.-San Francisco county, Contra Costa county, Monterey county; in Amador county, in thick beds at the base of the Sierra Nevada; used in Ione City for steam boilers; Santa Barbara county, Humboldt county, along the Eel river; Klamath county, at Gold Bluff, four hundred feet below the surface. (Lieutenant Tuttle, U. S. army.) Del Norte county, at Point St. George. (Professor Sherman Day.) In Nevada, Washoe county, along the Truckee river; in Lyon county, at the "Whitman mines."

Limonite.-Mariposa county, at Burns's creek, near the old road to Fort Miller, in a heavy outcrop of quartz; solid blocks of limonite, from two to four feet thick, are found there. (See Geol. Rec. Cal., p. 290.) Oregon, sixteen miles from Portland, in an extensive bed; specimens were sent by Governor Gibbs to the Mechanics' Fair exhibition in 1864.

Macle.-Mariposa county. (See Andalucite.)

Magnesite, (carbonate of magnesia.)-Tulare county, near Visalia, between Four creeks and Moore's creek, in the foothills, in solid beds of pure white, massive carbonate of magnesia, hard, fine grained, and like unglazed porcelain in texture. The beds are from one to six feet thick, and are interstratified with talcose slates and serpentine. Similar beds are described to me as existing in the Diablo range. Alameda county, about thirty miles south of the mountain. Mariposa county and Tuolumne county: a heavy bed of magnesian rock, chiefly magnesite, charged with crystals of iron pyrites, accompanies the chief gold-bearing quartz vein of those counties. This rock is charged also with nickel and chrome tale in green films, like the magnesite of Canada.

Magnetite. In large beds, massive, and of superior quality, in Sierra county; also in octahedral crystals, forming beautiful cabinet specimens. In Plumas county, near the line, fine groups of octahedrons associated with garnet (?) and epidote. (?) Mariposa county just east of the Mariposa estate, on the trail to Yosemite. Placer county, at Utt's ranch, six miles from Auburn. At the Cañada de las Uvas, Los Angeles county, in a vein about three feet thick, in limestone; in the sienitic granite of the mountains between the Great Basin and Los Angeles; seen in drift fragments in the valley of Soledad, or “Wil liamson's Pass." Elderado county, at Volcanoville, on the middle fork of the American river, near the great quartz vein. This locality was noted by the writer in eighteen hundred and fifty-three. This ore is, perhaps, titaniferous, but specimens are not at hand for examination. Trinity county, near Weaverville, in small veins. (Trask, 3d report, 1865, p. 56.) Nevada county, three miles from Grass valley. Eldorado county, fine octahedral crystals, in slate, near the Boston copper mine; in small brilliant crystals, with quartz, pyrites, and cale spar; at the El Dorado Excelsior copper claim.

. Malachite, (green carbonate of copper.)-In remarkably fine specimens,

associated with crystalline blue carbonate, at Hughes's mine, Calaveras county,

(1861.)

Manganese, oxide-(See Pyrolusite.)

Manganese, carbonate of-(See Dialogite.)

Mercury.-Native quicksilver is found in Napa (?) county, near the Geysers,

at the Pioneer claim, in a silicious rock.

(For sulphuret of mercury, see Cinnabar.)

Mercury, iodide of-Santa Barbara county, (Mr. G. E. Moore.)

Mispickel-Grass valley, Nevada county, at Betsey mine, with gold. This mineral is a common associate of gold in the quartz of the State. Crystals of mispickel are sometimes penetrated with gold."

Molybdate of lead.-State of Nevada, Comstock lode, in the upper part of the California mine, in the "rusty lode," in small yellow crystals; in good crystals in the -- (?) mine, Weaver district, Arizona.

Molybdenite.-Occurs in fine specimens at several localities in the gold region; Nevada county, at the Excelsior mine, Excelsior district, abundantly with gold.

Mountain cork.-Tuolumne county.

Nickel. (See Emerald nickel.)

Orthoclase.-San Diego county, in granite veins along the road between Santa Isabel and San Pasquale, associated with tourmalines and garnet. Fresno county, at Fort Miller, in coarse-grained granite, under the edge of the lava plateau.

Opal-semi opal-A white milky variety of opal is found in Calaveras county, at Mokelumne Hill, or on the hill near that place, known as Stockton Hill, on the west side of Chile gulch. A shaft has been sunk there three hundred and forty-five feet, and the opals are found in a thin stratum of red gravel. They vary in size from a kernel of corn to the size of walnuts. Many of them contain dendritic infiltrations of manganese oxide, looking like moss. About a bushel of these stones are raised in one day, and are said to have a market value. A white milky variety, similar to the above, and without "fire," is found with magnesite in Mount Diablo range, thirty miles south of the mountain; also in the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada, at the Four Creeks.

Pearl Spar-(See Dolomite)

Petroleum-Abundantly distributed throughout the coast counties from San Diego in the south to Crescent City in the north. The purest and most limpid natural oils have thus far been obtained from the localities north of San Francisco, in Humboldt and Colusa counties. These oils are green by reflected light, and resemble the best samples from Pennsylvania. No abundantly flowing wells have yet been found. In Humboldt county there are many springs, giving both oil and gas, and numerous wells are in progress. So also in Colusa county, at Bear valley, about twenty-five miles west of Colusa, several springs, giving a fine quality of lubricating oil and much gas; also at Antelope district, nineteen miles west of Colusa. In Contra Costa county, ten miles from Oakland, there are petroleum springs, and a very superior oil has been obtained from the region of Mount Diablo. In Tulare county there is an extensive region where oil and gas springs abound. The localities are numerous in the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Los Angeles.

Platina-With iridium and iridosmine, on the coast at Cape Blanco, southern Oregon. Analysis of a sample of the mixed metals from Port Orford, in eighteen hundred and fifty-four, gave forty-three and fifty-four one-hundredths per cent. of platina.

Proustite, (light red silver ore.)-In the veins about Austin, Lander county, Nevada. At the Daney mine, and occasionally in the ore of the Comstock lode.

Pyrargyrite, (dark red silver ore.)-(See Ruby silver.)

Pyrolusite-Red Island, Bay of San Francisco, in vein or bed 3' to 4' wide, in the metamorphic jaspery shales-the "prasoid" rocks. This is a remarkably pure ore of manganese, and has been extensively mined for shipment.

Pyrophyllite occurs in the gold region; locality not known.

Pyroxene.-In fine crystals, dark green, near Mud springs, Eldorado

county.

Pyromorphite, (phosphate of lead.)-In Nevada, in the outcrops of the Comstock lode, especially the back ledges of the Ophir ground, giving green coats and crusts on the surface of the quartz.

Pyrrhotine, (magnetic pyrites.)—Mariposa county, at the Iona Copper Company's tunnel, north side of the Merced river, on the trail from Bear valley to Coulterville.

Quartz-This abundant mineral is obtained in fine crystals in the quartz veins in various parts of the State, and in the mines of Washoe. Some large and well-formed crystals, from three to four inches or more in diameter, have been found at Red Hill, in Placer county, (cabinet of C. W. Smith, Grass valley,) and in the placer claims in the vicinity of Placerville, where, also, a fine large crystal of smoky quartz was found. Mariposa county, on Whitlock's and Shirlock's creeks, in the quartz veins, in fine groups of crystals; also at the Mariposa mine, and in the eastern parts of the Princeton vein. Calaveras county, at the Noble claim, on Domingo creek. Nevada county, in the Grass Valley mines, often supporting gold between the crystals, and at the "French lode," (Eureka?) crystals of a light greenish tinge, like that of datholite.

Red oxide of copper occurs sparingly in thin crusts and sheets with the surface ores of the principal copper mines in Calaveras county, especially the Union and Keystone. In Mariposa county, at La Victoire mine, with green and blue carbonates of copper. Del Norte county, at the Evoca, Alta, and other mines, in very good cabinet specimens, the cavities being lined with crystals. In Plumas county, and in the upper parts of most of the copper veins of the State. Arizona, at the Arizona Copper-Mining Company's claim, near the Gila river, in large masses, with native copper and thin crusts of green carbonate. At the claim known as No. 15, Yavapais district, with native copper. Ruby silver, (pyrargyrite.)—This beautiful ore of silver was first discovered in the Daney mine, Washoe, by the writer, in eighteen hundred and sixtyone, and has since been found sparingly in the Ophir and the Gould & Curry. In the latter mine some very fine specimers were obtained by Mr. Strong, and are deposited in the cabinet of the company, at the office in Virginia City. This ore is abundant in the veins about Austin, Reese river, and is often so thoroughly spread through the quartz of the gangue as to give it a decided reddish color. It is generally associated with sulphuret of silver. No good crystals have yet been found.

masses.

Salt-rock salt.—Abundant in the dry season as an incrustation throughout California. Found in large quantities in Nevada, in the beds of desiccated lakes at numerous places. About twelve miles north of Armagosa mine, in large In the Wasatch mountains, southeast of Lake Timpanogos, on the headwaters of a small creek tributary to Utah lake, in thick strata of red clay. (Frémont's Geog. Mem., 67.) This is said to be the same locality mentioned by Father Escalante in his journal, and noted by Humboldt on his map as Montagnes de Sel Gemme." Salt crystallizes from the spray of the waters of the Great Salt Lake, and is found abundantly on its shores, and on twigs and shrubs. The Great Salt Lake is a saturated solution of common salt. The shores in the dry season are incrusted with salt, and shallow arms of the lake present beds of salt for miles. Plants and shrubs are incrusted to a thickness of an inch or more with crystallized salt deposited by the spray. Five gallons of the water taken in the month of September, and evaporated by Colonel Fré

46

mont over a fire, gave fourteen pints of salt, which analysis showed to have the following proportions (Frémont's Memoir, 9:)

Schorl, (see Tourmaline.)-Selenite-In beautiful stellar crystallizations. on the crossing of the Little Truckee, Henness Pass road. The blades composing these aggregates are from half an inch to two inches in length, and from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in width. They are perfectly clear, and most of them hemitroped so as to form arrow-headed crystals. (Cabinet of C. W. Smith.)

Selenid of mercury-In large masses from the vicinity of Clear lake.

Silver, native.-This metal, in its native state, is rare in the State of California. At Silver Mountain district (formerly Eldorado county) it occurs in the decomposed surface ores. Los Angeles county, in the decomposed parts of the Maris vein, Soledad, covering surfaces of syenite. Sonora, at the celebrated Planchas de la Plata, just south of the Arizona line, and near the meridian of Tubac. According to the best Mexican and Jesuit authorities, large masses of native silver were discovered there in 1769. One mass is reported to have weighed three thousand six hundred pounds. No vein has been found; the deposit is a placer. (Pumpelly.) Nevada-Story county, in the Comstock lode, in filaments, and matted, hairy masses-"wire silver," usually closely associated with silver glance and stephanite. At the Burning Moscow claim (Ophir) some large masses of ore were taken out in 1864 completely charged with the metal. Occurs also at the Daney mine, with native gold and sulphuret of silver. Lander county, in the veins about Austin, associated with the surface ores, such as the chloride and bromide of silver, and green and blue carbonates of copper. Idaho Territory, in large mass s at the "Poor Man's lode," or Candle-box mine," where it was said the lumps of silver were as large as candle boxes. That a great quantity of large masses of the metal was taken out there is no doubt. It is common in the silver lodes of the Owyhee, and is usually very filamentous and finely divided and embedded in granular quartz.

Silver, (telluret of.)-A single specimen was obtained by the author in 1854, near Georgetown, in Eldorado county. It had been washed out from the gold drift, and the parent vein has never been found.-(Rep. Geol. Rec. Cal., 302.)

Smoky quartz.-A large crystal about six inches in diameter, from Placer county, and in the cabinet of Dr. White, Placerville.

Sphene-In small hair-brown crystals in the granite of the Sierra Nevada. Stephanite, (brittle sulphuret of silver.)-Very fine crystals of stephanite were obtained from the Ophir and Mexican mines, Nevada, soon after they were opened. These crystals were from half an inch to two inches in length, but were generally imperfectly formed. They greatly resemble the crystallizations of vitreous copper from the Bristol mine in Connecticut. A large collection of these was made by R. L. Ogden in 1859 and 1860, and were noticed by the writer in the Mining Magazine. They are now more rare, but have been found in nearly all the principal claims upon the Comstock lode. Some very good specimens were taken from the Gould & Curry, preserved in the cabinet by C. L. Strong, in 1864 They are frequently implanted among quartz crystals in nests or geodes, and are covered with a hairy growth of wire silver. Crystals of silver ore from Silver Mountain district are probably this species. Stibnite.-Tulare county, in a large vein near the Pass of San Amédio H Ex. Doc. 29-14

(vide Rep. Geol. Rec Cal., pp. 292-3.) It occurs in large, solid masses, boulders of which are numerous in the beds of the arroyos leading from the vein. In Nevada, at or near the Gem mine, Dunglen; at the Sheba mine, in beautiful needle like crystals, and at the De Soto and other mines in that vicinity; in Russ district, Great Basin.

Stroymeyerite.-Arizona Heintzelman mine.

Sulphur-Colusa county; Napa county, at the Geysers. In Nevada, in extinct solfataras, Humboldt valley.

Sulphuret of silver-Nevada, Comstock lode; occurs with stephanite in the Ophir, Mexican, Gould & Curry, and other mines upon that line of claims. It is also present in the ore of the vein at Gold Hill, and appears to be the chief source of the silver in those ores. It has not been observed in crystals. In the large chamber of the Ophir mine, in eighteen hundred and sixty-one, it was very abundant, in irregular masses ramifying through the fragmentary white quartz so as to hold it together in hand specimens. Large masses of vein-stuff could be broken down, in which the sulphuret of silver constituted at least half of the whole weight. Native gold was commonly associated with it in that part of the mine. It is now more frequently found associated with copper pyrites and galena. This species is also found in small crystals in the ore of the Daney mine, associated with native silver, gold, and ruby silver. It is common in the ores of Reese river, associated with ruby silver and manganese spar. It is probably the chief ore of silver in the Cortez district.

Sulphuret of iron-(See Iron pyrites.)

Telluret of silver-El Dorado county. (See Silver.)

Tetrahedrite, (gray copper.)-Mariposa county, with the gold in the Pine Tree vein; also with the gold in the same or similar vein at the Crown lode, Emily Peak, and at Coulterville in several claims. Calaveras county, at Carson Hill, in the large vein, and associated with gold. This ore, in decomposing, leaves a blue stain of carbonate in the quartz, and where it is found the rock is generally rich in gold. In Nevada it occurs abundantly in the Sheba mine, Humboldt county, massive and rich in silver. It is associated with the following species, which were noted from time to time by Mr. Moss, the superintendent, and in part by the author: Ruby silver, argentiferous galena, antimonial galena, iron pyrites, blende, cerusite, calcite, quartz with acicular antimony, sulphuret of antimony in delicate needles and massive native silver, bournouite. Found also in Lander county, with the silver ores of the veins near Austin; at the Comet lode, Veatch cañon, south of Austin. Los Angeles county-at the Zapata claim, San Gabriel mountains. Arizona-at the Heintzelman mine, containing from one to one and a half per cent. of silver. (Pumpelly.) Also, at the Santa Rita mine, associated with galena.

Tellurium and gold, (tetradymute?)-At the Melones and Stanislaus mines, one mile south of Carson Hill, Calaveras county. Very beautiful specimens of native gold, associated with tellurium, were taken out of a vein from six to eighteen inches thick, and at a depth of two hundred feet from the surface. This telluret has a tin-white color, and is not foliated like the tetradymite from the Field vein in Georgia. Its exact specific character is not yet determined.

Tin ore, (oxyd of tin.)-(See Cassiterite.)

Topaz-In clear, colorless crystals, finely terminated, from one-eighth of an inch to half an inch in diameter, found in the tin washings of Durango, Mexico. (Cabinet of the author, 1864.) Noticed by C. F. Chandler, American Journal of Science, 1865.

Tourmaline.-San Diego county, north side of the valley of San Felipe, in feldspathic veins, (for description and figures see Rep. Geol. Rec. Cal., Blake, p. 304;) Tuolumne county.

Tremolite.-White and fibrous in limestone, Columbia, Tuolumne county.