Terry Mine

Past Producer in Inyo county in California, United States with commodities Boron-Borates, Zeolites, Gypsum-Anhydrite
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023424
MRDS ID I000382
Record type Site
Current site name Terry Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.55421, 36.29054 (WGS84)
Relative position 2 MILES S OF HIGHWAY 190 ON A GRAVEL ROAD 7 MILES W OF DEATH VALLEY JUNCTION.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Inyo(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

East of Ryan(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Death Valley Junction(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Death Valley(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Amargosa(hydrologic unit)

Northern Mojave(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northern Mojave-Mono Lake(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Bureau of Land Management(Bureau of Land Management CA)

Bureau of Land Management CA BLM(Type of land area)

BLM(Federal land areas administered by BLM)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California Inyo

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Gila and Salt River 025N 004E California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Boron-Borates Primary
Zeolites Tertiary
Gypsum-Anhydrite Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE ORE MINERAL IS COLEMANITE WHICH IS TYPICALLY TRANSLUCENT AND LIGHT BROWN AND OCCURS AS SPHERICAL AGGREGATES (5-30 CM) OF RADIATING, ACICULAR TO BLADED CRYSTALS. ULEXITE "COTTONBALLS" OCCUR STRATIGRAPHICALLY ABOVE THE ORE BODY.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Colemanite Ore
Ulexite Ore
Analcime Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Chabazite Gangue
Clinoptilolite Gangue
Gypsum Gangue
Phillipsite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Zeolitization Of The Tuffs

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 260
USGS model code 35b.3
Deposit model name Lacustrine borates

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock > Basalt
    Rock unit name Furnace Creek Formation;Funeral Formation
    Rock description Furnace Creek Formation;Funeral Formation
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Furnace Creek Formation
    Rock description Furnace Creek Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Conglomerate
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Pyroclastic Rock > Tuff

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.55421, 36.29054

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Ryan Anticline (Se-Plunging)
Type of structure Local
Structure description Grand View Fault, Local N-Trending Fault Pattern

Ore body information

  • Length 73.15M
    Width 60.96M
    Depth to top 18.29M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE FURNACE CREEK FORMATION IS RESTRICTED TO THE BLACK MOUNTAINS TECTONIC BLOCK, A NORTHWEST-TRENDING WEDGE BETWEEN THE DEATH VALLEY AND FURNACE CREEK FAULT ZONES. ITS STRATIGRAPHIC THICKNESS IS ESTIMATED TO EXCEED 5000 FT WITH MAJOR BORATE MINERALIZATION CONFINED TO THE LOWER 500 FT OF THE SECTION. THE FURNACE CREEK FM IS UNCONFORMABLY OVERLAIN IN THE TERRY AREA BY BASALTS AND VOLCANICLASTICS OF THE FUNERAL FORMATION. BASALTS OF THE FURNACE CREEK FORMATION CROP OUT WITHIN 0.5 MILE OF THE MINE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1972
Year of first production 1974
Year of last production 1975
Production years 1974, 1975

Mining district

District name Amargosa Valley Borate Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Tenneco Oil Co.
    First year 1976
  • Type Owner
    Owner American Borate Co.
    First year 1977

Comments on the production information

  • THE DEPOSIT WAS MINED FROM DECEMBER, 1974, TO APRIL, 1975.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1974
    Total resources 4000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Boron-Borates B2O3 27 wt-pct Boron Major 1974
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Boron-Borates B2O3 25 wt-pct Boron Major 1976

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FIRST FIGURE IS INDICATED RESOURCES AS REPORTED BY EVANS AND OTHERS (1976). THE SECOND FIGURE IS THE ORIGINAL PRE-MINING DEPOSIT ESTIMATE BASED ON DRILL DATA.
  • NO RESERVES AS OF 1975; DEPOSIT MINED OUT BY APRIL (BARKER, 1980).

Comments on development

  • DEPOSIT DISCOVERED FROM SURFACE OUTCROP OF COLEMANITE. AMERICAN BORATE CO. PURCHASED TENNECO'S BORATE HOLDINGS IN 1977.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    EVANS, J.R., TAYLOR, G.C., AND RAPP, J.S., 1976, MINES AND MINERAL DEPOSITS IN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL MONUMENT, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT 125, 61 P.

  • Deposit

    BARKER, C.E., 1980, THE TERRY BORATE DEPOSIT, AMARGOSA VALLEY, INYO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY, V. 33, NO. 8, P. 181-187.y

  • Production

    BARKER, 1980.

  • Reserve-Resource

    EVANS AND OTHERS, 1976; 1974 FIGURE IS FROM BARKER, 1980.

  • Reserve-Resource

    ORRIS, 1992.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE TERRY DEPOSIT IS LOCATED ON THE NORTHEASTERLY LIMB OF THE RYAN ANTICLINE. SEDIMENTARY FEATURES OF THE ENCLOSING ROCKS INDICATE THAT THEY WERE DEPOSITED IN A DESERT ENVIRONMENT. THE ZEOLITE ASSEMBLAGE INDICATES FORMATION IN A MODERATELY SALINE-ALKALINE LAKE ENVIRONMENT. THE DEPOSIT IS LARGELY COLEMANITE WITH SPARSE HYDROBORACITE AND ULEXITE. ALONG THE EDGES OF THE DEPOSIT, THE COLEMANITE IS ALTERED TO CALCITE. ULEXITE OCCURS IN THE SHALE SURROUNDING THE COLEMANITE. BARKER (1980) BELIEVES THAT PRIMARY BORATE MINERALIZATION AT THIS DEPOSIT CONSISTED OF NA-CA BORATES AND THAT THE FORMATION OF COLEMANITE OCCURRED AT DEPTH. THE DEPOSIT IS ESSENTIALLY CIRCULAR IN MAP VIEW AND AVERAGES 6 FT THICK. COLEMANITE OUTCROPS AT THE SURFACE, BUT OVERBURDEN MAY BE AS MUCH AS 60 FT (15-20 FT AVERAGE).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1990 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-SEP-1993 Langford, R.P. BHP Utah Industries
Updater 01-OCT-1993 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Authoritative California resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.