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Oceanic Mine

Past Producer in San Luis Obispo county in California, United States with commodity Mercury
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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. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Mineral rights holdings
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10040891
MRDS ID M055772
MAS/MILS ID 60790059
Record type Site
Current site name Oceanic Mine
Alternate or previous names Oceanic

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -121.00086, 35.58529 (WGS84)
Elevation 366
Location accuracy 10(meters)
Relative position 5 MI E OF CAMBRIA. Adit labeled on 24k topo.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Luis Obispo(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Cambria(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cambria(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

San Luis Obispo(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Central Coastal(hydrologic unit)

Central California Coastal(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central California Coastal(hydrologic subregion)

California(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California San Luis Obispo

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 027S 009E 15,16,21 California

Comments on the location information

  • Adit shown and labeled on topo in NE4 of SE4 of sec. 16. Probably the west-most extent of the deposit.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Mercury Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cinnabar Ore
Mercury Ore
Calcite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Silica Carbonate Alteration Of Serpentine

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite > Diabase
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
    Rock unit name Franciscan Complex
    Rock description Franciscan Complex

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -121.00086, 35.58529
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Ocenaic Fault

Ore body information

  • Strike N 65 W
    Dip VERTICAL
    Plunge 45
    Plunge direction SE
    Thickness 12.19M
    Length 182.88M

Comments on the geologic information

  • GEOL.DESC: CINNABAR REPLACES FOSSILS

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1865
Year of first production 1875
Production years 1875 - 1879, 1901 - 1905, 1907 - 1920, 1927 - 1932, 1934 - 1938, 1940 - 1946

Comments on exploration

  • 1955 DIREXPL DME

Mining district

District name Cambria - Oceanic

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Ernest, Mina, Henry, And Mariana Curti

Production statistics

  • Year 1961
    Period To 1961
    Material HG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^2-15 Lb/Ton
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Mercury Mercury 3840g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • LARGEST PRODUCER IN COUNTY
  • USBM DATA

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 4023.25M
    Overall depth 228.6M

Comments on the workings information

  • OLD WORKINGS LARGELY INACCESSIBLE

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE POTENTIALLY POLLUTING MINE OF HIGHEST PRIORITY IN THE SANTA ROSA CREEK WATERSHED IS THE OCEANIC MINE. IT APPEARS TO BE AN ACID MINE DRAINAGE PRODUCER. WATER SAMPLES COLLECTED IN 1992 REVEALED ELEVATED SULFATE IN TWO SAMPLES JUST BELOW THE OCEANIC MINE AND ELEVATED TOTAL CHROMIUM, TOTAL NICKEL, TOTAL MERCURY, AND DISSOLVED IRON IN SOME, OR MOST, OCEANIC MINE TRIBUTARY SAMPLES. THESE ELEVATED CONCENTRATIONS APPEAR MINE RELATED. SEDIMENT DATA REVEALED ELEVATED MERCURY, NICKEL, IRON, AND ARSENIC, ALL APPARENTLY MINE RELATED, IN ONE OR MORE SAMPLES IN THE OCEANIC MINE TRIBUTARY. ANTIMONY WAS ELEVATED IN SEDIMENT BELOW THE OCEANIC MINE TRIBUTARY CONFLUENCE WITH THE SANTA ROSA CREEK.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    HOLMES, G. W., JR., 1965, MERCURY IN CALIFORNIA: IN USBM IC 8252

  • Deposit

    BAILEY, E. H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES

  • Deposit

    ECKEL, E. B., YATES, R. G., AND GRANGER, A. E., 1940, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND SOUTHWESTERN MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: USGS BULL. 922-R, P. 515-580.

  • Deposit

    RANSOME, A. L. AND KELLOGG, J. L., 1939, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES IN CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 35, P. 353-486.

  • Deposit

    BRADLEY, W.W., 1918, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CJMG BULL. 78, 389 P.

  • Deposit

    FRANKE, H.A., 1935, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIF.: CJMG, V. 31, P. 434-455.

  • Deposit

    FROLLI, A.W., 1937, MINING AND REDUCTION METHODS AND COSTS AT THE OCEANIC QUICKSILVER MINE, CAMBRIA, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIF.: USBM IC 6950, 13 P.

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD, CENTRAL COAST REGION. SURFACE WATER DEGRADATION BY INACTIVE METAL MINES IN NORTHWEST SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CA, DECEMBER 1993 (P. 10-11).

  • Deposit

    CALIF. STATE MINING BUR. REPORT 4, 1884, P. 337.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 1976-07-01 Peterson, Jocelyn A. U.S. Geological Survey
Reporter 1994-11-23 Ridenour, James R. U.S. Bureau of Mines 0060790059 = newMRDS 10165065
Editor 2010-11-10 Wilson, Anna B. U.S. Geological Survey 0060790059 = newMRDS 10165065, merged and deleted.

Beyond USGS

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

External references

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.