STATE of OREGON DEPARTMENT of GEOLOGY and MINERAL INDUSTRIES • the Ore Bin •
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Volume 26, No. 9 September, 1964 STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES • The Ore Bin • Published Monthly By STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES Head Office: 1069 State Office Bldg., Portland, Oregon - 97201 Telephone: 226 - 2161, Ext. 488 Field Offices 2033 First Street 239 S. E. "H" Street Baker Grants Pass Effective January 1, 1964 Subscription rate $1.00 per year. Available back issues 10 cents each. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GOVERNING BOARD Frank C. McColloch, Chairman, Portland Fayette I. Bristol, Grants Pass Harold Banta, Baker STATE GEOLOGIST Hollis M. Dole GEOLOGISTS IN CHARGE OF FIELD OFFICES Norman S. Wagner, Baker Len Ramp, Grants Pass * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Permission is granted to reprint information contained herein. Any credit given the Oregon State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries for compiling this information will be appreciated. The ORE BIN Volume 26, No. 9 September, 1964 OREGON'S MINERAL INDUSTRY ZOOMS UPWARD By Ralph S. Mason* With a 19.4 percent increase in the value of minerals produced compared to 1962, Oregon mineral production rocketed to an all-time high of $62, 700,000 in 1963. As usual, industrial minerals accounted for the bulk of the state's mineral wealth, with stone and sand and gravel representing near- ly 69 percent of the total. The vast increase in production value resulted primarily from the mining of increased quantities of raw matrials, plussmall increases in the unit values of the commodities. The low values placed on stone ($1.20 per to_ n)and sand and gravel ($1.22 per ton) in the U.S. Bureau of Mines canvass (see table 1) are typical of those used in computing the state total. Employmentand payrolls in the state's mineral industries showed impressive gains over last year. Payrolls totalled $71,354,000 up 7.25 percent over 1962. Employment increased 3.17 percent for a total of 10,592 employees (see table 2). Oregon's mineral industry permeates every segment of the state, and contributes importantly to the local economies of many counties. The dis- tribution of the mineral industry by counties is shown on the accompanying map. The rapid growth of the industry in Oregon is clearly shown in table 3, which depicts the relative rank of the 19 counties which have produced more than $1 million during one or more years in the period from 1954 to 1963. During this time the yearly number of counties has doubled, from 6 in 1954 to 12 in 1963. Douglas County, largely through the efforts of Hanna Nickel Smelting at Riddle, pushed into first place for the first time in 1963. The county had been in second place for the preceding 7 years, with either Lane or Clackamas Counties in the top spot. This year for the first time Gilliam and Klamath Counties became members of the million- dollar club. Wasco and Sherman Counties, included this year, have each been members once before in the 10-year period. The 6 counties of Baker, * Mining Engineer, Oregon State Dept. of Geology & Mineral Industries. 153 4, 0 -0 (0 4,) It) 0„ C N N Csi N N E 8 .2 0. in Ln E 5, .; 1 -7 7 + + 0 e g o f, CL 6 E a, -8 11 ci'`11, .`,4 1 N 0-0 0 c 96. LL-; + + + 0 CDC') fl — I <I' 0 N .•0 3) C4I c0 c0 N c•41 0 000 8888 - co- C,1,o C.", N r.... R 8 F,.. , clt i gi in A 43.( 4. (-1 a 03. d ,43 N — co ,---, v -4. F-: C•4 ,0 1.9. C•4 C.3 c4. .. ..... C ,..,” 0- Ln N a. ra.V.• cr. E cl CD cl t.0 kr, NO- •0 re re CSI 0 "71. 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Relative rank of counties producing at least $1,000,000 of mineral wealth for the years shown between 1954 and 1963. 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 Baker 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 5 4 Clackamas 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 3 2 Clatsop 8 Coos 7 Deschutes 8 9 7 8 7 Douglas 6 5 2 1 Gilliam 11 Jackson 6 Klamath 9 Lane IIIIIIIII III 3 Linn 8 Malheur 1111111 10 Mar ion Mu I tnomah Sherman Ti I lamook Umatilla 9 9 9 7 10 Wasco 12 Washington 7 10 7 No. of Counties 6 9 8 9 9 10 10 7 9 12 1 • Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Lane, and Multnomah have been million- dollar mineral counties for each of the past 10 years. Twenty-five of the state's 36 counties reported increased mineral production over 1962. The importance of the state's stone and sand and gravel ,industry can hardly be overemphasized. All 36 of the counties in the state reported production of either sand and gravel or stone or both. in 16 of the counties, these two mineral commodities were the only sources of primary mineral wealth reported. The production of stone and sand and gravel is important to the economy of the communities throughout the state, not only because it employs workers and uses large 'quantities of fuel and other supplies, but most importantly provides the wherewithal for that community to continue to grow. Commercial and industrial construction depends heavily on con- crete and concrete is largely composed of aggregate - sand and gravel and stone. Long-range planning for the most efficient use of these vital com- modities should be a matter of concern to many areas in the state, but only a few county planning commissions have taken any action so far. 155 COMPARISON OF 1962-63 MINERAL PRODUCTION IN THE 13 WESTERN STATES Percent Productive State 1962 1963* Change Rank Alaska $ 54,196,000 $ 67,840,000 +25.20 11 Arizona 474,131 000 481,392,000 +1.54 4 Cal ifornia 1,467,340 000 1,525,359,000 +3.95 1 Colorado 308,164,000 318,608,000 +3.42 6 Hawaii 14,800 000 15,300,000 +0.34 13 Idaho 82,614 000 82,787,000 +0.21 9 Montana 190,657,000 187,002,000 -1.95 7 New Mexico 675,814,000 687,825,000 +1.75 2 Nevada 83,074,000 85,441,000 +2.90 8 Oregon 52,458,000 62,693,000 +19.40 12 Utah 410,590,000 402,281,000 -2.09 5 Washington 68,478,000 71,462,000 +4.36 10 Wyoming 462,570,000 504,633,000 +9.08 3 * Some figures are preliminary estimates. Source, U.S. Bureau of Mines Of the 13 western states, Oregon ranks 12th in value of mineral pro- duction. This is only part of the picture, however. Last year Oregon was next to the top of the list in the increase in production over 1962. Oregon showed a 19.4 percent increase, second only to the slightly higher figure of 25.2 percent turned in by Alaska. 157 CRACK-IN-THE-GROUND, LAKE COUNTY, OREGON By Norman V. Peterson* and Edward A. Groh** Open cracks or fissures in the earth's surface are not uncommon; they occur fairly often as a result of earthquakes or volcanic activity, but they usual- ly become filled with rock rubble or lava and disappear in a very short time. A large fissure that stays open for hundreds of years is, therefore, a rare feature. Such a fissure occurs in a remote part of central Oregon. It is a deep, narrow rift about 2 miles long, and it has remained open for perhaps a thousand years. For lack of any official name for it, the feature is referred to simply as "Crack-in-the-Ground." Location and History Crack-in-the-Ground is situated in northern Lake County in T.26 S., R. 17 E. As shown on the accompanying geologic sketch map (plate 1), it can be traced from the southwest edge of the Four Craters lava field diagonally to the southeast until it disappears in lake sediments that mark the north shoreline of prehistoric Christmas Lake. The feature can be reached by road, but the last few miles are not suitable for cars with low road clearance. The route starts from the east side of Silver Lake on Oregon Highway 31. From this point the course leads 19 miles northeast on a paved road to Christmas Valley Lodge, then east on a graveled road 1 mile and north on a graded dirt road 4 miles.