DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOB 355 THE MAGNESITE- DEPOSITS OF CALIFORNIA BY FRANK L. HESS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1908 CONTENTS. Page. General remarks........................................................... 7 Introduction............................................................ 7 Composition, properties, and uses........................................ 8 General character................................................. 8 Manufacture and use of carbon dioxide.............................. 8 Calcination of magnesite............................................ 9 ° Magnesia brick, shapes, and crucibles................................ 11 Magnesium carbonates............................................... 13 Oxychloride cement.................................................. 13 Other uses. .............................-. ---....---- - 14 Market for California magnesite........................................... 15 Production............................................................. 16 Imports of magnesite and its products.................................... 16 Description of deposits...................................................... 17 General statement...................................................... 17 The Coast Range occurrences............................................ 21 Mendocino County................................................. 21 Hixon ranch deposits........................................... 21 Sonoma County. ....i........................... 1................... 22 Creon deposit..................................................... 22 Eckert ranch deposits.......................................... 23 George Hall ranch deposit...................................... 24 Pat Cummings claim............................................ 24 Gilliam Creek deposits......................................... 24 Madeira deposit.................................................. 25 Unnamed deposit............................................. 25 Red Slide deposits.............................................. 26 Norton ranch deposits......................................... 28 ^ Napa County........................................................ 28 General remarks................................................ 28 Walters or White Rock deposit................................. " 28 Snowflake and Blanco claims.................................. 29 Priest deposit.................................................. 31 Russell deposit.........................:...................... 31 Matthai deposits. ............................................... 31 Santa Clara County................................................ 31 Deposits near Coyote........................................... 31 Bay Cities Water Company's land............................... 32 Mrs. A. F. Cochrane's land..................................... 33 Red Mountain deposits........................................... 33 Other Santa Clara County deposits................................ 37 Alameda County.................................................. 37 King claim................................................... 37 Banta's camp deposit........................................... 37 Stanislaus Cqunty.........................................'......... 37 San Benito County................................................. 38 4 CONTENTS. Description of deposits Continued. The Coast Rar.ge occurrences Continued. Page. San Luis Obispo County............................................ 38 Santa Barbara County............................................. 38 Riverside County...........'...................................... 38 The Sierra Nevada occurrences,......................................... 39 Kern County......................:................................ 39 Tulare County..................................................... 39 White River deposits........................................... 39 Deer Creek deposits............................................ 39 Porterville deposits............................................ 39 Deposits on South Fork of Tule River.......................... 46 Round Valley deposits.......................................... 48 Deposits near Exeter........................................... 49 Naranjo deposits............................................... 49 Other Tulare County deposits.,......................:.......... 49 Fresno County.................................................... 50 Mariposa and Tuolumne counties................................... 51 Placer County....................^..................'.............. 52 Magnesite deposits in other countries................:...................... 52 North America. ....................................................... 53 Canada............................................................ 53 Quebec........................................................ 53 British Columbia............................................... 53 Mexico........................................................... 54 Lower California.............................................. 54 . South America........................................................ 55 Venezuela........................................................ 55 Europe................................................. ^.............. 55 Austria............................................................ 55 Hungary.............. 1............................................ 56 Germany.......................................................... 56 Greece............................................................ 57 Italy............................................................ 58 Macedonia........................................................ 58 Norway............................................................ 59 Russia.......................................................'..... 60 Africa. ............................................................... 60 Transvaal......................................................... 60 Other African deposits.............................................. 61 Asia................................................................... 61 India................:.........................., ................. 61 Madras........................................................ 61 Mysore......................................................... 61 Ceylon....................................................... 61 Australia............................."................................ 62 Queensland....................................................... 62 New South Wales,................................................ 62 South Australia..................................................... 62 . Tasmania......................................................... 62 Oceania.............................................................. 63 New Caledonia...................................................... 63 Index.................................................................... 65 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Map of California, showing distribution of magnesite deposits........ 7 II. Specimens of magnesite, showing conchoidal fracture .............. 8 III. Weathered surfaces of magnesite................................... 18 IV. A, Small irregular vein of magnesite in serpentine; B, Magnesite weathered under several inches of clay ........................... 20 V. A, Outcrop of magnesite on Hixon ranch, Mendocino County; B, Entrance to lower tunnel on Sonoma Magnesite Company's claim, near Cazadero; C, Outcrop of magnesite vein on Walters claim, Pope Valley................................................... 20 VI. Cracks in magnesite apparently due to shrinkage: A, Compact magnesite from the Hixon ranch, Mendocino County; B, Less compact magnesite coated with a thin layer of quartz, also cracked, from locality 4 miles northeast of Porterville............. 22 VII. Structure of magnesite on Bay Cities Water Company's land on Coyote Creek: A, Specimen from the upper deposit, showing a natural surface; P>, Specimen from the lower deposit, showing a smoothly ground surface ...................................... 32 VIII. A, Stockwork of magnesite veins 3J miles south of Winchester; B, Sheeted serpeniine containing many thin veins of magnesite near Deer Creek, Tulare County.-............................... 38. IX. A, Amphibolite dike cutting through flat vein of 'magnesite; B, Crushed magnesite vein near Porterville,....................:... 40 X. Northern hill at the Willamette Pulp and Paper Company's mag­ nesite mine near Porterville: A, Nearly vertical vein; B, Lower '' blanket'' vein................................................ 42 XI. A, Outcrop of stockwork of veins at north end of Willamette Pulp and Paper Company's deposits near Porterville; B, Furnace for calcin­ ing magnesite at Willamette Pulp and Paper Company's magnesite mine near Porterville .......................................... 44 XII. A, Magnesite vein on south side of Kings River, 9 miles east of . Sanger, Gal.; B, Magnesite vein on Snow Cap claim, north side of Kings River, 9 miles east of Sanger............................. 50 FIG. 1. Diagram of Western Carbonic Acid Company's plant at Sedan, Cal.... 9 2. Plan of magnesite veins and workings 4 miles northeast of Porter­ ville, Cal.....................................................'.... 42 3. Diagram showing mode of working a highly inclined magnesite vein at Willamette Pulp and Paper Company's mine near Porterville, Cal.