Mongolian Mine (Mongolian Pit Mine; Mongolian claim; Mongolian Nos. 2-4 claims; Mongolian Millsite Nos. 1 & 2 claims), Gold Hill, Gold Hill Mining District, Carbonate Mining District, Panamint Mts (Panamint Range), Inyo County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
36° 0' 47'' North , 116° 55' 2'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Searles Valley | 1,739 (2011) | 51.6km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. | Trona, California | 50km |
A former talc-soapstone mine located in sec. 18, T22N, R1E, SBM, 5.0 km (3.1 miles) E of Gold Hill (coordinates of record), S of Galena Canyon, on National Park Service wilderness land (Death Valley National Park/Death Valley Wilderness). MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 100 meters.
The Mongolian Mine Group, consisting of six contiguous claims, is located on the south side of Galena Canyon about one mile west from its mouth at an elevation of 1,800 feet. The claim group consists of the Mongolian lode mining claim (located 12 April 1928; patented 9 July 1963), the unpatented Mongolian No. 2, and Nos. 3 and 4 lode mining claims (located 10 and 30 October 1973), and the unpatented Mongolian Millsite Nos. 1-2 (located 13 March and 16 July 1976).
The original claim was located in 1928, but not until the 1960s was a cut opened and the ore determined to be of sufficient quality and quantity to warrant a patent. Little progress in development and lack yet of a strong market for the talc impeded production for the next decade. Pfizer, Inc., began exploratory drilling operations in 1973 and a downdip stripping operation in 1974. This later phase had to be enlarged in late fall and early winter of 1975 because the more easily mined surface talc of the surrounding Galena Canyon mines had played out. The multiple-bench open-pit operation seen today is the result of an accelerated stripping program that was begun and completed before the moratorium period decreed by Public Law 94-429 had been instituted.
So far, twenty-one acres of hillside have been disturbed by mining activity related to the Mongolian Mine. The Plan of Operations submitted for NPS approval proposes a five-phase program by which the waste rock overburden stripped from one section of the deposit would be used to backfill a previously-mined area. The entire program is contemplated to last through 1980, with reclamation beginning within six months of the end of activity. It would be judged complete after all benches were obliterated, the walls of the pit were sloped, the tops of the dumps were rounded off, and all areas were masked to match as much as possible the surrounding natural environment. This procedure is estimated to take one and one-half years.
As seen from the Galena Canyon Road, this group consists of dumps and a terraced open pit.(Greene, Linda I. (1981): III.A.13.a)(2)(a & b))
Local rocks include Precambrian rocks, undivided, unit 1 (Death Valley).
Workings include unspecified surface openings/operations.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsGallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Talc | 9.EC.05 | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10285118 |
|---|
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
- Sierra NevadaMountain Range
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References
(n.d.) Minerals Availability System (MAS), U.S. Bureau of Mines.file ID #0060271250
