Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts (Dos Palmas Mts), Riverside County, California, USAi
Regional Level Types
Dos Palmas DistrictMining District
Orocopia Mts (Dos Palmas Mts)Mountain Range
Riverside CountyCounty
CaliforniaState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
07332470017272094813395.jpg
Hiking Track to the Orocopia mine

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
00099690017272094829456.jpg
Mine area as shown by Google Earth

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
07332470017272094813395.jpg
Hiking Track to the Orocopia mine

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
00099690017272094829456.jpg
Mine area as shown by Google Earth

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
04275890017272094823486.jpg
Hiking Track to the Orocopia mine

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
00099690017272094829456.jpg
Mine area as shown by Google Earth

Orocopia Mine, Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts, Riverside County, California, USA
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° 33' 27'' North , 115° 45' 4'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
33.55755,-115.75137
GeoHash:
G#: 9mvwyhbqv
GRN:
N23W69
Type:
Mining District
Köppen climate type:
BWh : Hot deserts climate
Mindat Locality ID:
295015
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:295015:3
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Location & History: Dos Palmas is in the Orocopia Mountains NE of the Salton Sea. Some mining was done here in the 1890's, and the area has been prospected since. Several narrow gold-quartz veins occur in gneiss, schist, and granitic rocks. There have been considerable shearing and faulting in the area. The San Andreas fault zone extends southeast along the side of the Salton Sea.

Mines: Charity, Dos Palmas, Fish, Free Coinage & Messenger.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.


Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

11 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ 'Bloodstone'
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Cerussite
Formula: PbCO3
ⓘ Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Description: Occurs as aggregates of crystals 1/8 to ¼ inch (0.3 - 1.2 cm) diameter. Mined commercially.
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ 'Limonite'
ⓘ 'Manganese Oxides'
ⓘ Native Gold
Formula: Au
ⓘ Nitratine
Formula: NaNO3
ⓘ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
ⓘ Pyrolusite
Formula: Mn4+O2
Habit: Radiating aggregates
Description: Occurs in vugs of contorted quartzite.
ⓘ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Quartz var. Agate
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Spessartine
Formula: Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3
Colour: White
Description: Occurs as white, fine-grained material which is the matrix for the Mn oxides.
ⓘ Talc
Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
ⓘ Wulfenite
Formula: Pb(MoO4)
Description: Occurs as tabular crystals to 12 mm in vugs of quartz veins.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘNative Gold1.AA.05Au
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
ⓘPyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 3 - Halides
ⓘFluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘQuartz
var. Agate		4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘvar. Chalcedony4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘ4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘPyrolusite4.DB.05Mn4+O2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCerussite5.AB.15PbCO3
ⓘNitratine5.NA.05NaNO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
ⓘWulfenite7.GA.05Pb(MoO4)
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘSpessartine9.AD.25Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3
ⓘTalc9.EC.05Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
Unclassified
ⓘ'Limonite'-
ⓘ'Bloodstone'-SiO2
ⓘ'Manganese Oxides'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
CCarbon
Cⓘ CerussitePbCO3
NNitrogen
Nⓘ NitratineNaNO3
OOxygen
Oⓘ Quartz var. AgateSiO2
Oⓘ CerussitePbCO3
Oⓘ Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
Oⓘ NitratineNaNO3
Oⓘ PyrolusiteMn4+O2
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
Oⓘ SpessartineMn32+Al2(SiO4)3
Oⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Oⓘ WulfenitePb(MoO4)
Oⓘ BloodstoneSiO2
FFluorine
Fⓘ FluoriteCaF2
NaSodium
Naⓘ NitratineNaNO3
MgMagnesium
Mgⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
AlAluminium
Alⓘ SpessartineMn32+Al2(SiO4)3
SiSilicon
Siⓘ Quartz var. AgateSiO2
Siⓘ Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
Siⓘ SpessartineMn32+Al2(SiO4)3
Siⓘ TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)2
Siⓘ BloodstoneSiO2
SSulfur
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
CaCalcium
Caⓘ FluoriteCaF2
MnManganese
Mnⓘ PyrolusiteMn4+O2
Mnⓘ SpessartineMn32+Al2(SiO4)3
FeIron
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
MoMolybdenum
Moⓘ WulfenitePb(MoO4)
AuGold
Auⓘ Native GoldAu
PbLead
Pbⓘ CerussitePbCO3
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS
Pbⓘ WulfenitePb(MoO4)

Localities in this Region

USA
USA

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Merrill, Frederick James Hamilton (1919), Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties: California Mining Bureau (Report 15): 15: 541.
(1970) Gold Districts of California. Bulletin 193. California Division of Mines & Geologyp.157
Quick NavTopCommoditiesMineral ListRock TypesLocalities in RegionOther RegionsReferences
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 10:29:46 Page updated: August 23, 2025 23:54:15
Go to top of page