U. S. Gpolo~ical Su vev.

enorts, open-file, no. 440. 1958.

U. s. Geological Survey.

Reports, Open-file, no. 440, 1958.

Borate Depo81 ta ot tbe Mojave Region, C&litornia_/

By

W&rd c? · f.nth

U. S. Geological Survey

Cl.&re110nt, C&llf'ornia

U. s. Geological Survey 2PEN FILE REPORT

This report ia prellJiinary and has not been edited or reviewed tor conformity with Geological Survey standard~ or nomenclature.

/ 'lhis article is essentially the same as a taJ.k presented at the

Annual Meeting of the Cclorado Mining Association at Denver, Colorado,

February 81 1958 •

1

CONTENTS

Abstract ..

Introduction

Uses of boron and borates

Products of boron users .

Commercial compourds of boron

Boron Dd.nerals . • .

Production in the tJnited states .

World. ocourrencea ••

Tibet . • . .

Italy; Germany; Russia _: Australia ; Asia .

South America. . . . . . . . . .

U. s. Borate Deposits. .

General teaturea.

Searles Lake example . . . . . .

Results of baain drilling .

Kramer District example .....

Results of drilling near Kramer .

Outlook for new diacoveries. .

References . . . . . . . . .

2

Pap

3

4

5

6

1

8

10

11

ll

l2

13

14

15

17

22

23

25

26

27

Borate Deposita of the Mojave Region 1 Call fomia

By

W&rd c. Sm1 th

Abstract

Output of the United States borate producers reached approx!Jately

1,000,000 tons in 1957, nearly four times the average ann\al production

of 1941-45. Increasing consumption for long-established uses and

several new ones accounts for the rise _; further rise, tor nev uses such

aa hiatt energy tuels, lies &head. Among known borate deposita, the

largest are at Searles Lake and Kramer, which supply 90 percent of the

world' s recorded production. 'lhe Kramer ore body, which is very l&rp,

consists of re-.rkably pure sodium 'bora tee in Tertiary lake beds . At

Searles lake, also large 1 the borax is produced from brines pu.ped out

of salt layers which are the residue of a de•sioated. Pleistocene lake .

Prospectins tor borates is now more active than it bas been tor ~rs.

'l'he best prospecting ground is in the alluvial-covered baaina of

western Navada and particularly southeastern C&l.1f'orn1a, in concealecl

sections of Tertiary continental aedi•nts. Several playas or salt

flat s tb&t resemble Searles Lake were teat-drilled ror the U. S.

Oeolog1cal Survey by a contractor but the holes encountered no borate a.

Drill holes near Kramer 1 however, encountered a depoa1 t ot coleuani te

in lake beds .

3

Introduction

During recent years, a number ot nevepaper and asuine articlea

havs discussed pos8ible uew use a ot boron . In July 1957 datense apncies

announced that certain ~~&nufacturtng plants proclucing "hip •ners;y" 1\Jela

to1 .... ~ -~ ita.ry aircraft vere being enlarpd, and tbat in these t\.lela the

ain components are hyd.ropn and boron. n. ve yKrs earlier, in 19521

the U. 8 . Geological Survey be!&O an 1nveat1sat1on ot the 4omeatic depoaita

ot borate minerals. Tbie waa at the request of tbe U. 8. ltavy, Bureau or

Mron&utics . 31nce 1952, therefore, the l,eOlOC)" or borate depoaite, and

many of their special aspects, have been st\died by a sizable group ot

geologists, minera.losiats, and other 8pscial1ata of the CJeologic&l Survey.

'!hi a report contains .. teriaJ. gathered b7 our group ettorta. Ra.turally,

I voulcl like to a.cknovled811 here tbe contributions ot all vbo haw been

active in the group, and I regret that it 1e ~tical to cite each

of tht!m by name •

Uses of boron &nd boratea

'1'be producers of boron supply a broad arket, becu• the conaw.ra

•t bQron compounds are spread. widely in our econ~. !Ddi viduala use

._,rcrt in borax soap powders, in cOIDIIOD household borax, and in the borGD­

lMtaring sasoline recently arkete4 in several parts of the aountey.

Industrial users take large q1ant1 ties; tbe glaa& -.nufacturers, for

example, consume &bout a fourth ot the production. )t)at individuals

&o not realize that a great number ot tlU.np tlud.liar to thea ,..quire

boron compounds f'or their Janldacture or prooeaainc. A tew typical

products listed below bring out the importance ot boron in 4aily life.

5

Industry

Consumer Products

Ceramics

Glass making

Metal products

Agriculture, Forestry

Industrial Products

Products of boron users

6

T,ypical products

Soaps

Fbarmaceutica.ls

"Boron ga.sollne"

Glazed ware of all 1-'..inds

~ls on u~tals

Automobile headlight units

Fiber glass

Optic glasses

Heat-resisting glass ("Pyrex")

Fluxing cQIII.pOunds

De-oxidizing compounds

Mold retardant in food processing

Trace element in fertilizers

Weed killers

Insecticides

Fire retardant

I.Atather preservative

Paper glaze component

Abrasives

Commercial comp-ounds of boron

Boron e nters commerce mostly as eodi um borate --borax and anhydroua

borax--and as boric acid • Chemical coaaposi t ion and ~0:3 content of the ae

e~unds are as follows:

Principal commercial boron coapounda

Boron content Cc:amercial· name Cheaical name Cheal cal percent percent

ccaposition B ~<)

llorax Sodium borate NaaB4~·lOH2o ll.3 36.5 ( decahydrate)

Anhydrous borax (Sodium borate Na2:B4°7 21 . 5 69.1 (anhydrous )

Boric acid Boric acid. B(OH)) 17.5 56.3

Users also •Y obtain boron in a vide variety or other toras,

ranging from elemental boron to organic c011p0unde. 'b producins

caapanies have large chemical plante and reaearch •taf'ts and tbe

list of their products is always increasing .

1

Boron 111nerale

The boron minerals ot greatest econ<lld.c ~rt&Dce in tbe l.h1 ted

States are borax, ulexi te 1 and coleani te. 'lbeir cheat cal relation-

rahips are indicated by listins them, with acae Jlinor Dd.neral.a, p-ouped

by couaposi tion. (See also Pal.acbe and others, 1951, p. 320-21). 1!le

Ust does not include h1dftted borate& ot cal.c1• •aneai\a &M •s-neaium, which are -.jor minerals in deposits el.aevbare in tbe worl4

but found only in aaall amounts in d01111stio depoeite, nor does it

include otber borates of less iaportance.

Principal hydrated borate ainerala

Borao content' Cbemica.l group Mineral name CheJaical percent percent

cOIIQ)081tion B ~O:i

Kernite ( "Basori te" ) ~4 0..,. 411c20 15.8 50-9 Sodium borates

Borax ("Tineal") ~40.,·10~0 11.3 36-5

Probertite Naea.B509.~0 15.4 49.5 Sodium-calcium

borates Ulexite NaCaB5o9 .a~o 13.3 42.9

Coiemanite ~6ou·5~o 15-7 50.8

calcium berates Meyerboft.ri te ca~6ou·~o 14.~ 46.7

Inyoite ca2

B6o11

.13112

0 11.7 37.6

8

.Among the minerals 1 borax ia espec1~ Ulportt.Dt. Borax wa

'the n.rst borat mineral satned. ln the ~ted at.te ••in 1864 at

Borax IAke , Ce.li ontia, north ot San J'ranci ao. (fur detaila ot

the hi story of borax p.roduotion in tbe Uo1ted States, ... B&nka,

1883, and Ver Planck, 1956). Frau. 1&72 to 1890, both borax am.

ulexi" were mined from the ttlonacences in the salt tlats, or

"b01"$te marshes" , of western 1lna4a and eoutbeaetem california •

.. xt, colema.ni te bee- the lee41ng borate ld.aeral • • Jd.nlna ll(.)ftd

fr<D the marsh deposits to the Tertiary bedded depoeits in t.be bills.

Since 192'( , borax has been dominant . It 1a the ore lllineral at ~r,

the lea.din~ dc=-aat1e producer 1 and it is &lao OOIIIDOD to speak ot

borax at Searles lAke, tboulh m.in1na there oonaiats of P'JJ19ing brines

tbat contain the so4ium borate in sol\.ltion, alon& With potash IWd

other va.lU&ble component. a .

9

Production in the United states

Domestic production of borate minerals has been rising steeply tor

several years because of steady increases in established uses and tbe

development of new uses other than military. '1he uae of boron in hip

energy fuels bas not yet had a significant ettect on O.OU.atie produc-

tion. Rounded figures for domestic production, \lbich bas come entirely

from southeastern California, are as follows (Arund&le, 1956, p. l39J

calif. Div. Mines, 1958, p. 8-9):

Period

1941-45 (averap)

1946-50 (average)

1951-55 (averap)

1956

1957 (estiuated)

Procluction per year ( tona of borates)

273,000

500,000

730,000

944,950

1,000,000!

According to the latest author! tati ve t1surea, vh.ich are tor 1956,

when 944,950 tons were prcduced., our ~atic borate production vu

valued at $391 591,953. 'lbe indicated averap val.ue--e.bout $40 per taD--

is the price at the producing plants in C&l1tornia.

10

World Occurrences

A few notes on world production of borate& will gl.ve additional back·

p-ound to our picture of our domestic industry. We do not have reliable

igures for world production, because certain countries do not release

figures. We believe that the United States, Vhic:h exports from a fifth

to a fourth of i t s production , has been supplying t,he world vi th about

90 percent of 1 t s requirement for soma thirty years .

Borate a produc outside the Un1 ted State a ( Stipp and Marks, 1957, p . 9-10)

Production Count ry (Metric tons) Product

Ar nti a 13,000 Ulexite

Germany, West - 40,470 Boron compounds

Italy 3, 1()( Boric Acid

Turkey 42,186 Boron mineral

A few highlights ot the occurrence and production of borates outeicie

o~ the United Sta.tes follow. ( See also Anonymous , 1933, p . 20 - 44 ).

Tibet and nearby parts of the high region north of India contain

borate deposits that are noted as the world ' s first important source ot

borax or rce . Carried to Europe at first by caravan, begi.nning

about 1250 (the time ot Marco Polo), the borax from Tibet was the chief

supply until about t he Jliddle ot the 19th century. The deposits are

little known, and they auat be mall. 'lbeir geolosi.c types Mem to

include hot-spring aprona and desert baain salines.

u

Italy developed a small but steady production in the Ddddle of the

19th century, and displaced the supply from Tibetan sources. The

strildng feature of the Italian production, which still continues, is

ita source: rrhe boron is recovered from steam and hot water poured out

of tumarolic vents in TUscany. The waters yield boric acid B(OH)3 .

( 1he mineral of this compos! tion is sasso11 te).

In Germany, at the famous Stassfurt 1oc&li ty, the marine sediments

of Permian age that are mined mainly for potash, also yield some borate

(hydroboracite, CaMgB6o11 ·H20).

The Russians produce borax in the region of the Inder Lake, in

western Kazakhstan. The quantity produced is not reported, but it

appears to be large enough to meet the needs of the country. Mineralogic

reports ( God1evsky, 1937, p. 315-368) indicate that there are deposits

of several kinds. 'lbe primary deposits are in Pei"'Ilian marine sediments.

These contributed boron to more valuable secondary accumulations in

(Tertiary?) continental deposits 1 am also to the brine ot a salt lake.

Turkel has produced minor quantities o! borate tor years. After

a decrease in production of priceite (Ca4B10o19 ·7H20) (see Balache

and others, 1951, p. 341-343) trOIIl the well-known locality near

Fanderma, with exhaustion of the deposit there, new production came

f'r<»n a nearby deposit discovered in 1951. In the new deposits, the

chief borate is colemanite, but they incl\¥ie other borates (Meixner,

1953, p. 86-92).

12

Australia and ~ (other than 'l'i bet 1 •ntione4 above) to

lack borate a. Africa aleo !a lacking, so tar as pro4uct1on recorda

10, thou&b poaai bly borate a occur in potaah proapecta in B:r1 trea 1

a ted by Italians in the early 1930's.

When we consider South ~rica' a bora tea alon& v1 th tho• ot

the Un:l t ed States, we realize that the watern heai.aphere ia well

enclowd with known, usable depoatte . Boratea are toun4 in a n~r

ot ext naive aa.lt nata ( "ea1area") 1n the 4r.f b&aina ot the Aolea

ot Arpntina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru (Miller and Sin lei, 1919 ;

Singewald, 1943). It i i nteresting to know tbat South rica &leo

has, in a441 tion to the .. sal.are" type ot borate a , a tev be44e4 depoa1 ta

i n Terti ary cont inental sediments One contains kern1te, the eo41ua

borate long known only a t Kruae r ( Ahlfeld and An lelli , 1948 ; eats

and All n, 1957 1 p . 426-437).

The borates produced fr011 some of the South "'-r1can sal.area w:re

110at iaportant in world trade i n the latter part of the 19th century,

but exports shrank as C&l1t'orn1a procluct1on be~ 4011! D&Dt. 'to4ay a

tew localities produce sall quantities, ue4 tor nat10D&l conau.ption.

lit>st ot the South rtoan cl.eposi t are WlVOrUd. beeauae tbeir ll'4e

ie low, or becaua their locat1on, remte h"C* world arkets, aua

the cost of transportation hip.

u. s. borat,e apoai ta

A nouworthy teat UN of the bol'&t.e 1D4uatey 1n the Un1 t.a State a,

s.a that tM steatlily r1aina 41 nDla tor borate raw •teriala are •'

•1n\y by two sources ot auppl.y in ao\ltbeaatem C&litornia: the ~r

tiat.rict, which suppllea tvo·thinla 0%' mre ot tbe production, an4

lear lea I.&ke. Other 41atr1cta contribute only mnor qtantltiee. Noet

.. uer depoe1 tw have been icllA ever since the two bi& sources eu~t

1nto tull pro4uctiol!, Uout 1917, ud proapectora bave M4 little

nuon tor persisting 1n a search tor new borate deposita. In tbe

last two ye&re or ao, hOW'VU", 1ntenat 1n ,roqectinS has risen

percept! bly, and in January 19571 t1 ve holea wre dr1lle4 in the KNMr

41etrict to teet tor bora tea.

14

General Features

The known borate deposits ot the United State a geographically are

limited to california, western Nevada, and southern Oregon. Practical­

ly all the springs and wells known to contain 1110re boron than averap

sw .. fe.ce vaters are lind ted to the same area. We assu. theae surface

occm~rence s reflect the presence ot subsurtace rocks that contain,

and yield to the surface more boron than generally found in the earth's

crust . It seems likely that the boron content of the subsurface rocks

of the ooron -bearing province need be only sl.i ghtly h.igb.er than the

figure computed as the average in the earth's crust, 3 parts per mil­

lion (Mason , 1952, p. 41) •

. In ge ologic mode of occurrence, our domestic borate deposits ot

commercial value (past or present) are essentially saline aaterials 1

accumulated with other continental sed1Mnts vi thin basins of interior

drainage. 1 major essential process in the concentration of soluble

constituents i n such basins is desiccation. The process builds accumu­

lations vi thi n periods ot ti• that are pologically rather short.

15

In geologic age 1 the borate accumulations range :trc. Recent back

Ulrough the Tertiary at least as tar as a144le Miocene 1 perhaps tarther.

!he oldest deposits may be as old as Cretaceous; they consiat of bedded

eolemanite in non-fossiliferous beds in Clark County, near lAs Vegas,

Jevada (Longwell, 1949, p 935). ~ C&11co MoWlt&ina cole-.nite

leposits are well-dated as mid-Miocene (Lewis, G. E., written cOIIDuni­

cation, 1954). The colemanite-ulexite deposits ot the Furnace Creek

4istrict, Death Valley, are probably Pliocene {loble, 1941, p. 954-956),

and the Kramer deposit 1 s probably Pli oceDe (Gale 1 191tt>, p . 33 5 ) also.

1be Searles Lake brine and salt layers are ot Quaternary ap; the upper

part rests on mud layers which are 25,000 to 10,000 years old, according

to c14 determinations (Libby, 1954, p. 739).

16

Seulae I.aU 1• interest in& both u a '"17 l&rp ai~ral. 4Apoa1 t

&P4 as an example ot vbat surtac. proee ... a can do to concentrate minor

ec.ponents and put ~ in reach ot proti table enraeti<m. Dle Sear lea

Lake borax ia produeed, along vith aeveral copro4uota, from brinea

paaptd out or two porous bodiea or cryat&1.1.1M salt tha t un4erl1e a

l&lt flat In brief, then or;yatalline salt bodies and their en r· losed

brines are the residues ot water whicll, during late Pleiatocene tt.e,

e ntered the ba.ain rrca a long dr&inap, eaeent1all.y that or the OW!Ina

liver (Gale, H. s., 1914, p . ~l-323).

17

Some nsures -- tbe sin ot the Searle• Lake clepoa1t tangible.

About l2 square ailea ot salt an exposed in the atd4le ot tbe bU1n1

and about 'Z'( more square lliles at the -.rpn are covencl by aevera.l

teet ot slope wash. '!be expoMd. aalt ia tbe top ot an "Upper Salt

Body", which has a MX1 .. thickness ot 95 teet; it rests on a

"Parting Mud" layer, (about 15 teet thick) which in tum is underlain

by a "Lower Salt Body" with a -.xillUa thiokneae ot 54 teet. The salt

bodies are crystalline and they are l.&,.red. 1be daainant saline

mineral changes w1 th depth, the eeq,uence in the upper layering being

halite, hanksite, and trona. With theM lliner&l.a are other chloride,

sultate, and carboaate COJilPOunds ot sodiua. Borax crystala aDd layers

ot borax form a minor part ot the l&l.t bodies; 1n ~pte, the solid

borax contains more boron than is 1n the brine, but only brine 1a worked.

The brine makes up 3 5 to 50 percent or tM voluae ot the crystal bodies .

Ol average it containa about 1 .0 percent ~~; the total dissolved

solids being 35 percent ot tbe brine (Bainea, D. V. 1 and Slllith1 G. I. 1

written communication, 1957).

18

From data such as those just given, the total boron content or

lear lea Lake has been calculated t'roa time to tU.. A repreaentati ve

fUblisbed figure is that ot Turrentine (1926), vbo eatU.ted 17,350,000

\ons or B2'1 in the brine and solid crystals ot tbe "Upper Salt Body"

alone. This, and all the associated aa.l.ine •ter1&1, is the concentrate

trom a lake that began to receive inflow (or a revived intlow), about

14 15,000 years ago. 'lbe date is b&&ed on the deterainationa ot C in

the "Parting Mud" ( L:l. bby 1 1954) • 'lbe boron content ot the infiow ie

a~sted by measurements of the dissolved solids carried by the OWens

River in recent years. Reliable figures (Wilcox, written cOIIDW'licatioo

1946) indicate that the lower river carries about 700 tOllS ot ~~ per

year. If this were the averaae :for 25,000 years, the total would be

17,500,000 tons. 'Ibis near coincidence With f1pres above is accidental,

because other fac"ors must enter into a complete appraisal ot intlov,

but obviously the figures involved are o'f the rigbt order of size.

19

ot apeei&l interest and significance is another result of the

thoroup search for boron in the 0\iens River and 1 ta \r1butar1es

t.bat was -.de 10 to 20 years ago (Wilcox, written c~1cat1on,

1946). It was shown that nearly rour-fittha of the boron that is

nov carried in the lover OWens R1 ver co•• trom one P'0\1P ot hot

aprinp alons Hot Creek, which is in the headw.tera, near ttu.oth

LAke and the )bno Craters. Analyses and streu .aau.re.ants of

these springs, ade over a ten .. yea.r span (1936·1947), 1nd1cate tbat

they supply water containing 8 to 11 parts per million ot boron.

'lhis is three or four times the average of tbe earth • a crust.

Preal.lll&bly the springs pour out a mixture of surface wter (no boroo)

and boron·bearing hot water. 'lbe ratio in tbe ld.xture is Wllalovn.

It we knew wbere the sprinp get their boron, we would b&ve this

pologic story complete : Prima.r7 sourea, ore -tOl'ming fluid, processes

of transport and deposition, and c~rci&l ore body.

20

'lbe toreaoiD& account ot Searles lake CDits Sa.! important parte

ot the story. It caa1 ta 4eta1la ot Pleistocene clinatic cbansee, eon­

HCl\lent cba.nps ot the rate of intlov to Searles Lake, &Dd b&laDoiD&

periods ot desiccation. Otber interestina details relate to tbe taot

that Searles I.a.ke basin is tha Bd.ddle baa1D ot a chain ot five Daatu.

'l'he basins upstream were catchment a tor detritus and prel1tU nary

"treat.nt tanks", while those downstream took owrnow ~ the

Pleistocene lake stood at the •x1•• hi@b-w.ter strand (about 6oo

teet above the present salt flat) • '!be general trend ot lonaer ccapl1•

cated treatment is to aeparate soluble salt from detritus and one salt

trom another. 'nle treat.nt My isolate •teriale 1D MJ&r&te buina.

Or, within a basin, the salts may beca. ae~A-.ted (i.,ertectly) ino

8\1Qeees1 ve l.ay~rs, or into zone a distributed laterally t'rolll arpn to

aenter.

11

Re sult s of basi r. d rilling

With the Searles lAke depoai t as an eX&JDple ot vbat aiibt acc\.DUlate

1n a pologically short period of time, the U. S. Oeolog1cal SUrvey tested

tbe playas and salt tlats in several ba.s1ns in the MoJave re&ion by drill­

ing. The guides for prospecting seemed clear: (l) Select a salt flat or

a dry lake with large dra.inap area tributary to it, or Vi.th hisb shore

linea; (2) sive preference to a ~r of a cbain of b&ains; (3) expect

a lake salt to be flat-lying and widespread (hence drill only one or two

holes in a basiL); { 4+.) moderate depth is enough. ( ,Ihe Survey holes wre

leas tb&n l,OOO feet deep, except one tbat was 1,070 teet).

~st holes vere drilled in eisbt baaina tbat bad never been tested

a4equately before. No new saline discovert• a ea. troJa this group ~

holes, but they served to elilainate several b&ains trail the olasa ot

"possible Searles Lake" deposits. (For cletaila, - Slaith1 G. I., and

Pratt, W. P., 1957, and subsequent chapters of U. S. Oeolog1eal Survey

Bulletin 1045).

22

~r District e-apl.e

1\le ~r ore Do4y baa been a cba1 len., t

J80 ora ver a1nee 1 t was cliaeoven4. '!be t1ret 41aocrle17 a

x:r-r was acc1clentali the calc1• borate oolur D1te atNek

1D a wll dr1lle4 tor water 1n 1912. hnller 4rill1D&, cmtr a

nod ot 15 years, reveale4 ~ a1n on Doty, vbioh au ~

ao41• boratea, borax &D4 m1 MN • a

\bat clo not outcrop; they l1e belleath 10-..r aaD4a la, at

depths ot 150 to 11100 teet. ~ lake a are Ntel.7 t1lte4

and. faulted. Scme la,era that are ot a1Di tbielme a ue ~1.7

pure boraX. The &ft ll'K• ot ore is not wn e 17 DT Gale,

but 1 t seems to be hip. '!he eise ot the ore be4;y 1 vert 1.&r •

Aecortins to B. s. Gale (19~), the •in ore l.m4erU e about 500

acres of ground, 1 t is as much a 150 te t tbick, &rl4 1 t contaiu

nearly 100,000,000 tons ot ore.

'l'he proapector vbo 1a attracted to tbe western MoJave DaMrt 'by the

exa&~Ple ot ~r t1Dda that the deposit Ues 1n the aid4le of about 31 000

,quare miles ot aubd.\IH topoarapb.y ot Basin &ad Iianp tne. !be u. s.

CJtolo&ical SUne;y stu&lied tbe watern MoJave 1n aever&l -.ya: A &~ol0&1c

•» was prepared in moderate detail, w1 th apeoial attention to the

•tratigraphy and structure ot the Tertiary rocks. Qeo})h7aice crewe ot

tbe Survey Jate ground surveys vith -.netic, Hiaaie, aD4 (110at ettec-

ti vely} grav1Mtr1e ..tho4a, to 4etenairw be4rock contipration below

the ba.sin tills . A larp part ot the area was aurveyecl Vi th the airborne

•anetometer, in search of structures bidden belov &llurl\a. The a prince

and wellJ were canvaeud and aa.pled in eearch of traoea of boroll, u

t.n41cator of concealed berates. Vi th the pological eurveya for back­

p-ound, three sites were selected for teat 4rilllq.

A map of the vicinity of Kruer currently being prepared by T. W.

Dibblee e.nd D. R. Mabey ahowa features of the geology &rd. grav1aetr1c

data that are typical ot the MoJave. Alluviua covers three -tourtba ot

the ground, outcrops ot tbe Tertiary roclta (which are expected to contain

any borates tbat -.y exist) cover only a tenth, &Del tbe reaillder 1&

pre -Tertiary oeystalllne rocks. Each ai te drilled Wlder tbe direction

ot the Geoloslcal. Burvwy is on a block of p-ound selected becauee 1t is

( 1 ) near Kruer; ( 2) alluvial covered.; ( 3 ) arUcl by ~rtiary outenpa

around the -.rstns; ( 4) underlain, aceorclins to sravt.tric &DC1 seia1c

surveys, by a block ot H41.-nta and not b7 tAin p-awl on a ped1Mnt

on oryatalline rocks; ( 5) not adAMluatelJ t.eete4 by previoua drillin&.

Resul.ta of drilling near ~r

1he results ot the drilling are to be g1 ven 1n a report now be in&

prepared for publication. 'lbe a1n results are as follow. Hole 1,

eouth ot Four Corners, and Hole 2, west ot the ~r 4e~it, proved

to be barren of traees of borate&. The reaulta illustrate tbat a

thick section or sedimants is no guarantee that borate a will be found.

Holes 31 4, e.nd 5, vhieh lie a aile apart along a north-south

line about 8 miles east or the Kramer deposit, encountered the ealciua

borate colemanite in lake beds at depths of 1,020 to l,46o. 'lbe ~~

content, in layers 2 teet or more thick, ranges troll 7 to 20 percent.

Col&mani te was particularly abundant in Hole 5: determinations of the

acid-soluble borate in S&lllples from this hole showed that 76 feet of

core recovered fran the depth interval 1,051 to 1,131 feet averapd

above 14 percent ot ~D:3. '!he enclosing lake beds are mineralogical.ly

like those containing calciUIB borates at the ~r 111nin& area, con-

a ma.gnetic iron sulfide, and anal.cU.. It MeJI8 clear that these

beds formed in a lake very similar to that in vhlah ~r tor.d,

it not in the ~ or a connected lake.

25

OUtlook tor new d1acoverie

'!he seo.losic st\diea iDU.oaw tMt bonte Upoa1~a an to be

tn ~rtiar7 eODtiMDtal. Mdiweuta in tM Buin &Dd. pnvtnee. 'Die

outcrops in the 1'&1.\P baw bMD JNSpeO a4ecl•Ml7, but extenaive

blocks of rtiaq rooks oonoe&lM. below youn r aU\lYi&l fall &rl4 •

oanio depoai t. bave not. '!be outlinea ot t.be bloou ue 1n41oate4 by

pol.ogic &Xld sr&"Vt.tric SUI'fty&, but to teat them \liN 4J1.ll1 &18 ·

At the present tiM, aubsta.ntial private ~ t expluatory 4rilllna

likely t.bat tbeae will make one or more ai •

nitica.nt addi tiona t.o our national re rve of borate ore.

Reteren~• ~-.

Reporte tbat 4eacr1be the corea trca teat holea, &ol otMr naulta

of the U. s. Geoloaloal Survey borate inveetip.tioaa, are beln& prepancl

tor publieation. 1'be Nporte publlahed eo :tar, and tboae _... available

tor publle inspection b7 placing thea in open tile, are llated below 1 ,

•receding an alpbabetia Uat of other l1 terature cited in this report.

U. s. GeolQiic&l Survey Bulletin 1<>45

Oeoloatc 1nveat1&&t1ona in MoJave Desert and adjacent reaton,

California.

(a) Core lop troa cr~>ene, China, Searles, and ~nt

bu1rus, c.l.1 tom1a, by G. I. Sll1 th aDd W. P. Pratt .

1957. p. 1-62, pl. l, fig. 1-2.

(b) Core lop tram two teet holea near n..r, Ban

!ernardino County, C&Uto:mta, by D. D. Dickey.

1957. p. 63-79, pl. 2, fig. 3.

(c) Core lop tr'oa Soda I&lat, Ban Bernardino County,

C&Utomia, by s. 162He1a, a. R. White, ad F. K.

Byara, Jr. 1957. p. Bo-96, pl. 3, tig. -·

lal!fS! tg 9!! t1le

(Available tor 1napeet1cm at the u. s. a.olollcal Survey llbN.ry,

W&ah1Agt01l1 D. C.

Oeol.ogl.e reconnaiaeance and teat -wll drilling at ca.p

Irvin, C&litol'Dia, by P're4 KtlllUl and r. s. Riley,

1956, 56 p., 1 pl.

Geologlo •P of tbe Al vor4 Mowltaill qu.4ranale, C&l1torn1&1

by F. M. !yen, Jr., 1956, 1 •p, 2 poloclo •tn&ature

&eCtion8.

Geology an4 pet,rolos.Y ot tbe Iava McNDtaina 1 by G. I. Sl&1 tb,

1956, 230 P•, 59 1Uus. , l5 table a.

PrelJJIS.nary polosto ap ef JUt ot tbe MUtM&at.ern llojaft

DeMrt1 San •martino County, C&l1torn1&, b7 D. B • ....-r

an4 A. K. luMtt, 1956.

Core lop fi'OII Sevlee lake, SU lamardino CO\Ult,-, b;y

D. V. Ba1nea, 1957.

Groun4-vater noOIUlAiaaanoe 1n the watern part of tbe )loJaw

lleMrt1 C&litom1&1 With J&l"t1cul&r NBJMt to the Deroll

OODMDt. of Wll •Mr, b7 R. S. 8MD81 19511 l02 p., 13 pla.

Sillp11t1ed. aeoloclc ap of the wnern Mojaw De•rt,

cal1tonia, 07 1'. w. D!bbl.M, h., 1957.

~ua, 193l, Boratea, !:! !M alDaNl 1Dtlutrr of ta. Britt&

Blptn &D&l tore1111 countrtee, 2nd ed., 1910·19Sia toa&tan,

IIIJer.t&l 1Dat1t~. p. 20-44.

Ahlteld, F., arJ4 AnplAUi, V., 1948, 1M laJeC1ea ICI.•alea c1e 1a

RepubUaa Arpntina: Univ. lac. '1\lcu.n, Ibat. CIMl. J IU.n.,

Jujuy I fub • 4581 p • 162 -1.68·~

Arundale, J • C • , 1956, Boron, ~ Miner&l. h.c~a and PNbl.aa a U. S.

Bur. ~a Bull. 556, J· 137•141.

Arundale, J. C., and 1fentch1 F. B., 19561 Boron, !!!, MlneNla Yearbook

1953: U. s. Bur. ~nes, v. 1, p. 251-26o.

C&l.itornia Divia101l ot Mines, 1957, Boron: Calif. Div. Ml.nea,

Mineral Information Service, v. 10, no. 10, p. 1•5.

1958, !Uneral productiQO review, C&Utornia, 1957: C&lit. --Div. Miua, MiDer&l. Information Service, "· ll, no. l, p. 8, 9.

Qal.e1 H. s., 1914, S&l.ines in the OWens, Searles and ~nt. !Uiu,

aoutheanern california: u. s. Geol. Survey Bull. 58ot, p . 251-313.

1946, Qeolos;y ot the Kramer borate diatr1ct, brn eo.,,., --C&Utoni&s C&lit. Jour. Mine• and Geolou, •· Ita, J· 325•378.

Oo41eYNr 1 M. N., 1937, Miner&l.ostcal 1nYeft.181UOD of the IDler loft.te

cleP»i tas lllso1rea de l& Societe Ru- 4e NlMNlosta, LIVI, I,

P• 315·368.

BulU, a. o., 1883, l:lltpon 011 tbl bona cleJ011'• ot cautonta aa4

llna4aa C&ltt. M1n. Bur. ~- 3, pt. a, Ul »· Libby, V. r., 19511.1 Chi._ ratioutlw daua Vt Setence, Y. 120,

DO. 3123, P• 739.

LoD&WU, c. a., 19119, etnac, ... ot tba llol'tMm ~ IIIMltalD uea,

...,.._, Qeol. Sec. Mui.oa Bull., •· 60, rao. 51 p. 935·

Naaou, lb1.an, 1952, Prinotplea ot ocbud.atey: lin York, J

&b4 Sons, p. 41.

MaiDer, Be ina, 1953, lev 'l'urkiah borate 4epoat ta (with a -.:~.anu.

par&auetio ol..usitication ot all borate lliDenla): leq- lm4

lllltte~. Mona tech IIOilt&n Leobea. v. 98, p. 86-91.

lltller, B • L. , and. Sinpwal.d, J. T. Jr. , 1919, \be ld.Mral clepo1ti te

of South AMriea: lew York, 163Graw-H1ll Book Cc . , Ina •

Mueaa1 , 81 gtried, and Allen, R. D. 1 1951, Escurri te ( · 5J\a03 ·TBtO),

a new eocliua borate trom AraenttDa - occ\l.ITU.Ce, atDeN.loey, an4

aasoc1&ted ld.neral.a: Eaon. <leol.OQ, v. 52, no. 4, p. 416..-37.

loble, L. F. , 1941, Structural feature of the Virlln Spriap u.,

Death V&l.ley, C&JJ.tornia: Oeol. Soo. Merica BW.l., •· 52, p. 94l-999.

Pal&ehe, Char lea; Ber.n., Barry, and FroDde.l, Cllttor4, 19511 Daa.' •

system ot mineralogy, Y. II, Boratea: v York, Jolm Wiley &D4

Sons, p. 320-321 and p. 334-368.

81 wald, J. T., Jr., 1943, Bibliography ot c~o aeol017 of

South America: Qeol. Boe. AMrica Special Paper 50.

Sad. th, 0. I., &D4 Pratt, W. P. 1 1957, Core lop troa OVens, China,

C&litornia: U. s. Gaol. Survey

Bull. lo45A.

st1pp, H. E., and tara, A. L., 1957, Boron, !!. Mlaenl.a Tal-book 1955:

U. s. Bur. Nl.nea, preprint, p. 9•10.

1'urelrt1M, J. w. , 1926, Potuh, a renew, eattate, aa1 torecut:

Jobn Wiley and Sou, 1lw York, 186 p., quoted in calif. Div.

ICI.Jlea, Mineral Intonation Service, v. 10, no. 10, p. 1·5·

Ver Pluck, w. E. , 1956, Biatory of benz production iD the UDited Stateat

calif. Jour. JC1Me &D4 <Jeol.oQ, v. 52, DO. 3, P· 113-291.

30

w~ld - 2548

For DilvrEDIATE RELEASE

UNITED STATES DEP AR'I}lENT OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Washington, D. c.

March 12, 195B

The Geological Survey is releasing in open files the following

report. Copy is available for consultation in the Geological Survey

Library, 1033 General Services Bldg., Washington, D. C.

Bor&te deposits of the Mojave region, California, by Ward C.

Smith. 30 p.

***