Pine Mountain Phosphate Deposit

Occurrence in Ventura county in California, United States with commodities Gypsum-Anhydrite, Phosphorus-Phosphates
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. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10141806
MAS/MILS ID 0061110115
Record type Site
Current site name Pine Mountain Phosphate Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -119.33013, 34.6197 (WGS84)
Elevation 1525
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Ventura(county)

California(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Wheeler Springs(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Cuyama(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Los Angeles(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Santa Clara(hydrologic unit)

Ventura-San Gabriel Coastal(hydrologic accounting unit)

Southern 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 Ventura

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
San Bernardino 006 N 023 W 09 SW California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gypsum-Anhydrite Tertiary
Phosphorus-Phosphates Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Apatite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Gypsum Unknown
Montmorillonite Unknown
Quartz Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -119.33013, 34.6197

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N80W
    Dip 30N
    Thickness 27.5M
    Length 8000M
    Width 200M
    Depth to top 61M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 3
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N80W:30N
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 1
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830316
  • Area 100HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 100
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE PHOSPHATIC DEPOSIT IS 900 M THICK IN THE AREA OF THE LEAS APPLICATION, BUT ONLY THE CENTRAL 27.5 M SECTION IS CLASSED AS ORE BY US GYPSUM.
  • ORE ZONE IS COMPOSED MAINLY OF SOFT SANDSTONE, WITH ABOUT 30% OF ITS MASS CONSISTING OF TINY GRAINS OF PHOSPHORITE. ORE ZONE IS OVERLAYED BY 15 M OF PHOSPHATIC SANDS AND SILT, 27 M OF UNCONSOLIDATED SNADS, 4M OF SHELL FRAGS, 8M OF GYPSUM, AND UP TO 45M OF GYPSIFEROUS SHALES.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1961

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Other

Land status

Ownership category National Forest

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner U.S. Forest Service
    Interest 100
    Year 1979
  • Type Operator
    Owner U.S. Gypsum Co.
    Interest 100
    Year 1979

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1976
    Measured 22679000mt ore
    Demonstrated 22679000mt ore
    Inferred 90718000mt ore
    Total resources 113397000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Phosphorus-Phosphates P2O5 8.3 wt-pct Phosphorus Major 1976

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • M1C3 IS FROM JAMES R. EVANS REPORT IN DEC. 1976 CA. GEOLOGY. EVANS GOT HIS INFO FROM US GYPSUM CO. DATA ALSO IN EIS. FIGURES ARE BASED ON A CUT SLOPE (HIGH WALL), OF 1:1, AN AVERAGE DEPTH OF CUT OF 60 M WITH A MAX OF 120M, AND THE HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONS OF THE DEPOSIT.

Comments on the workings information

  • MINE SITE LIES BETWEEN SESPE AND SISQUOC CA. CONDOR SANCTUARIES. 60 CONDORS ARE KNOWN TO BE ALIVE TODAY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    US GYPSUM PURCHASED THE BONILLA LODE CLAIMS.

  • Reserve-Resource

    FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT, PROOPOSED PREFERENCE RIGHT

  • Reserve-Resource

    PHOSPHATE LEASE LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST, CA., 1976.

  • Deposit

    LOWE, DONALD R., 1969, SANTA MARGARITA FORMATION, UPPER

  • Deposit

    MIOCENE, UPPER SESPE CREEK AREA, VENTURA COUNTY, CA.,

  • Deposit

    GUIDEBOOK: SOCIETY OF ECONOMIC PALEONTOLOGISTS AND

  • Deposit

    MINERALOGISTS: PACIFIC COAST SECTION 70 P.

  • Deposit

    EVANS, JAMES, R., ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF PINE MOUNTAIN

  • Deposit

    PHOSPHATE DEPOSIT, VENTURA COUNTY, CA., CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY

  • Deposit

    DECEMBER 1976.

  • Deposit

    USGS MAP 1-752, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE UPPER MONO CREEK-PINE

  • Deposit

    MT AREA, CA., 1973.

  • Deposit

    USBM REPORT NO. 73-2A, PROCESS EVALUATION GROUP, AN ECONOMIC

  • Deposit

    EVALUATION OF A PROCESSING COMPLEX TO PRODUCE 150 TONS PER

  • Deposit

    DAY OF P205 FROM PINE MT ORE BODY, 1973.

  • Deposit

    DICKINSON, W.R.,LOWE,D.R., 1966. STRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONS OF

  • Deposit

    PHOSPHATE & GYPSUM-BEARING UPPER MIOCENE STRATA, UPPER SESPE

  • Deposit

    CREEK, VENTURA CO. CA. BULL OF AAPG V.50.,NO 11, P2464-2481.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit US GYPSUM PLANS TO MINE 533425 MT PER YEAR FOR 50 TO 120 YEARS. MINE PLAN IS A SERIES OF 5 PITS RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE STRIKE OF THE PHOSPHATE BED. EACH PIT WILL BE APPROX 600M LONG. PITS WILL BE V SHAPED IN X-SEC. ONE LIMB WILL FOLLOW THE FOOTWALL AT APPROX 30 DEGREES SLOPE. THE HANGING WALL SIDE WILL HAVE A 45 DEGREE SLOPE. OVERALL STRIPPING RATIO WILL BE 3:1. US GYPSUMS PROPOSED MINE AND MILL WOULD BY LOCATED IN: WHEELER SPRINGS QUAD, T6N R23W SECS 7,8,9,10,16,17 REYES PEAK QUAD T6N R23W SECS 7,8,9

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 04-FEB-1991 Unknown U.S. Bureau of Mines

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.