Big Bullet Manganese claims (Big Bullett deposit; Big Bullett claims), Dos Palmas District, Orocopia Mts (Dos Palmas Mts), Riverside County, California, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° 36' 38'' North , 115° 53' 14'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Claims
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mortmar | 211 (2011) | 10.8km |
| Mecca | 8,577 (2014) | 18.2km |
| Thermal | 2,865 (2011) | 23.5km |
| Oasis | 6,890 (2011) | 25.3km |
| Desert Shores | 1,104 (2011) | 26.9km |
A former small Mn occurrence/mine located in NE¼ sec. 36, T6S, R10E, and/or sec. 5, T7S, R11E and/or the NW¼ sec. 31, T6S, R11E, SBM, 11.3 miles E of Mecca. Discovered in 1952. Some confusion exists about the exact location since USGS list a second mine, named “Big-Bullet”, about 1.9 miles SE. USGS shows Big Bullet at N33.59172 W115.86250. USGS shows the second Big-Bullett at N33.60925 W115.88303. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 500 meters.
In the early 2000’s traces were located of the surface mining as well as the mining road leading to it and it is believed that the correct position is at N33.61066 W115.88735 which would also agree with the maps in the California Journal of Mines and Geology, Volume 41 and in OFR 94-11.
It should be noted that on the W slopes of the Orocopia Mountains prospectors have been searching for manganese for years and many traces of their work (unnamed with the exception of the Big Bullet and Pinkham prospects) can be found by following the old miners’ trails. The Mn occurrences in this area (Noblitt, Box Canyon, Big Bullet, Pinkham and several unnamed prospects) were worked only during WW I and WW II when the Mn-demand was high and the import difficult.
Mineralization is hosted in schist. The ore occurs in outcrops of manganese-oxides.
Workings include surface openings comprised of a small open cut about 20 feet long and 8 feet deep and several shallow open pits. In 1945 about 10 tons of ore with 30% Mn were mined. It was owned by Leland (Lelon) Noblitt of Parker, La Paz County, Arizona, 1912–1987.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
4 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Nitratine Formula: NaNO3 |
| ⓘ Pyrolusite Formula: Mn4+O2 Habit: Radiating aggregates Description: Occurs in vugs of contorted quartzite. |
| ⓘ Quartz 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. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrolusite | 4.DB.05 | Mn4+O2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Nitratine | 5.NA.05 | NaNO3 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Spessartine | 9.AD.25 | Mn2+3Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| N | Nitrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| N | ⓘ Nitratine | NaNO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Nitratine | NaNO3 |
| O | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Nitratine | NaNO3 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
| Mn | Manganese | |
| Mn | ⓘ Pyrolusite | Mn4+O2 |
| Mn | ⓘ Spessartine | Mn32+Al2(SiO4)3 |
Other Databases
| Link to USGS MRDS: | 10140016 |
|---|
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
- Sonoran DesertDesert
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Basin and Range BasinsBasin
- Gulf of California CoastWide Rift
- Mojave DomainDomain
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