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Pick and Shovel Mine

Past Producer in San Luis Obispo county in California, United States with commodity Chromium
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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. Land status
  15. Ownership information
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10048018
MRDS ID M700416
Record type Site
Current site name Pick and Shovel Mine
Alternate or previous names Safety Chrome Mine
Related records 10189751

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -120.66903, 35.35775 (WGS84)
Elevation 463
Relative position APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES N. OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

San Luis Obispo(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

San Luis Obispo(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

San Luis Obispo(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)

Federal lands

Los Padres National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States California San Luis Obispo

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 029S;029S;029S;029S 012E;012E;012E;012E 34;34;34;34 SE OF NW OF NE OF SW California

Comments on the location information

  • PRINCIPAL WORKINGS LIE IN THE CHORRO CREEK DRAINAGE.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Serpentinization Of Saxonite, Dunite, Pyroxenite

Analytical data

Result CALCULATED AVG. GRADE OF LUMPORE SHIPPED IN 1950'S: 46.76% CR2O3, 11.96% FE, 2.67 CR TO FE RATIO

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Serpentinite
    Rock unit name Toro
    Rock description Toro
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous

Nearby scientific data

(1) -120.66903, 35.35775
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Deposit Cut By 3 Low Angle Normal Faults, Dipping 25 To 35 Sw And Striking To Nw.

Ore body information

  • General form LENSE
  • General form LENSE

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSIT OCCURS IN AN IRREGULAR MASS OF ULTRAMAFIC ROCK THAT FORMS THE RIDGE RUNNING NW FROM CUESTA PASS. THE TORO FM. IS IN FAULT CONTACT TO THE NORTH AND A SERIES OF MASSIVE LANDSLIDES ARE FOUND TO THE SOUTH OF THE ULTRAMAFIC MASS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Year of first production 1885
Year of last production 1958

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pierce, W. D.
    Home office 803 4th St., Morro Bay, Ca. 93442
    First year 1958
  • Type Owner
    Owner State Of California
    Home office California

Comments on the workings information

  • DURING WW I, UNDERGROUND WORKINGS CONSISTED OF OVER 3200 FT OF ADITS, DRIFTS AND CROSS CUTS. 1950'S PRODUCTION PROBABLY RESULTED FROM SUFFACE WORKINGS CONSISTING OF SEVERAL LARGE BENCH CUTS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STINSON, M.C., 1975, CDMG MINERAL PROPERTY REPORT, UNPUBLISHED

  • Deposit

    SMITH, C.T. AND GRIGGS, A.B., 1944, CHROMITE DEPOSITS NEAR SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA., USGS BULL 945-B, P. 40.

  • Deposit

    WALKER, W.W. AND GRIGGS, A.B., 1953, GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF CHROMITE IN CALIF., CDMG BULL 134 PART 2, CHAPT. 2, P. 64.

  • Production

    STINSON, M.C., 1975

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1982 Oster, Karel L. (Albers, John P.) U.S. Geological Survey

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.