1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Pink Lady Mine Soda Mtns.

Past Producer in San Bernardino county in California, United States with commodity Bentonite
Map
XML
JSON
KML
C
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. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Geologic structures
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10023679
MRDS ID I001085
Record type Site
Current site name Pink Lady Mine Soda Mtns.
Related records 10286581

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -116.13418, 35.18334 (WGS84)
Relative position IN THE SODA MOUNTAINS ABOUT 7.5 MILES SW OF BAKER, CALIF. IT IS LESS THAN 0.5 MILE N OF INTERSTATE 15 AT THE ZZYZX ROAD OVERPASS (FROM WHICH THE DEPOSIT CAN BE SEEN). DUE WEST OF SODA DRY LAKE.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Bernardino(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

West of Soda Lake(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Soda Mountains(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Trona(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Mojave(hydrologic unit)

Northern Mojave(hydrologic accounting unit)

Northern Mojave-Mono Lake(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Mojave National Preserve(National Preserve)

National Preserve NPS(Type of land area)

NPS(Federal land areas administered by NPS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California San Bernardino

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
13N 008E 21 NW California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Bentonite Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE BENTONITE HAS A DISTINCTIVE PINK COLOR ON FRESHLY EXPOSED SURFACES; IN THESE EXPOSURES THE BENTONITE IS WAXY AND SOMEWHAT GREASY-TEXTURED. WEATHERED BENTONITE IS CHALKY, LIGHT-GRAY TO PINKISH-GRAY AND EXHIBITS CONCHOIDAL FRACTURES AND DESSICATION CRACKS THAT FORM BLOCKY EXPOSURES.

Analytical data

Result THE BENTONITE IS COMPOSED OF MONMORILLONITE OF UNUSUALLY HIGH QUALITY, BEING FREE OF IMPURITIES. IT IS A HIGHLY SWELLING AND HIGHLY THIXOTROPIC CLAY.

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Lake Sediments
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -116.13418, 35.18334
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Folds

Ore body information

  • Strike N70W
    Dip 10-30N

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Year of last production 1956

Comments on the production information

  • HENDERSON, 1980, REPORTS THAT AT LEAST 2 RAIL CAR LOADS OF BENTONITE WERE SHIPPED TO LOS ANGELES AND TESTED FOR USE A DRILLING MUD.

Comments on the workings information

  • A DOZER CUT (APPOX. 600 FT LONG AND TRENDING NW) EXPOSES THE BENTONITE BED. THERE IS ALSO A 40-FT LONG, W-TRENDING ADIT THAT EXTENDS INTO THE HILL. THE PROPERTY CONSISTS OF ABOUT 40 ACRES OF PLACER AND LODE CLAIMS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    RAPP, J.S., AND VREDENBURGH, L.M., 1992, INDUSTRIAL MINERAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF TERTIARY PLAYA DEPOSITS OF THE FORT IRWIN AREA, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: SOCIETY FOR MINING, METALLURGY, AND EXPLORATION, INC. PREPRINT NUMBER 92-44, 9 P.

  • Deposit

    HENDERSON, G.V., 1980, GEOLOGY OF THE PINK LADY BENTONITE MINE, ZZYZX, CALIFORNIA, IN FIFE, D.L., AND BROWN, A.R., EDS., GEOLOGY AND MINERAL WEALTH OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT: SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, SOUTH COAST GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, P. 278.

  • Other Database

    CIMRI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE BENTONITE BED IS 2-4 FT THICK. THE HIGH-GRADE BENTONITE BED IS OVERLAIN BY 20-30 FT OF ALLUVIUM ALONG THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE PROPERTY. TO THE NORTH, THE BENTONITE DIPS UNDER THICK ALLUVIAL OVERBURDEN. THE DEPOSIT PROBABLY ACCUMULATED AS AN ASH FALL IN A LAKE WHERE THE LAKE WATERS ALTERED THE ORIGINAL GLASSY ASH TO BENTONITE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1992 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-FEB-1993 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative California resources

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