Pick and Shovel Mine

Past Producer in San Luis Obispo county in California, United States with commodities Chromium, Iron
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. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10189751
MRDS ID M700416
MAS/MILS ID 0060790034
Record type Site
Current site name Pick and Shovel Mine
Alternate or previous names Safety Mine, Safety Chrome Mine
Related records 10048018

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -120.66907, 35.35777 (WGS84)
Elevation 463
Location accuracy 100(meters)

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 029 S 012 E 34 SESWSE California

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Unknown
Magnesite Unknown
Manganite Unknown
Serpentine Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -120.66907, 35.35777

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N55W
    Dip 45N
    Thickness 20M
    Length 200M
    Width 100M
    Area 4.2HA
    Depth to top 0M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Type of Orebody #2 SHEAR ZONE
    Shape of Orebody #2 IRREGULAR
    Type of Orebody #3 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #3 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Secondary mode of Origin OTHER
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Secondary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Strike And Dip N55W:45N
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 4.2
    Date of Last Modification 830316

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1880
Year of first production 1880

Mining district

District name Cuesta Pass

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Other

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Pierce, W. D. -Last Operator 1958
    Home office California
    Year 1976
  • Type Owner
    Owner Camp San Luis Obispo Miltary Reservation-Cal Natl Guard
    Interest 100
    Home office California
    Year 1976

Production statistics

  • Year 1880
    Description Lump Ore Mined From 1880-1910 4800 Mt
  • Year 1917
    Description Lump Ore Mined From 1917-1918 5200 Mt @ 45 Pct
  • Year 1942
    Description Lump Ore Mined 95 Mt
  • Year 1943
    Description Lump Ore Mined 56 Mt
  • Year 1954
    Description Concentrate Produced From 1953-1988 74 Mt @ 48 Pct
  • Year 1954
    Description Lump Ore Mined From 1953-1958 720 Mt @ 46.76 Pct

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVE ESTIMATE 1941 5000-7000 TONS 5-10% CR2O3 CITED FROM 700. DESCRIPTIONS BASED ON 1941 REPT. AND FIELD VIST BY CDM LY,1975. MINING CONTINUED UNTIL 1958. MINE VISTED 7-22-75 INADEQUAT RESOURCES FOR COST ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS BY CDMG IN 1976 GAVE FOLLOWING PERCENTAGES-MASSIVE 2 01.72,CR2O3 42.02,FEO 12.67,TOTAL FE 17.69,AL203 21.26,MGO CR/FE 2.09.OLD MILL CONCENTRATES=S102 9.72,CR2O3 45.31,TOTAL 24,AL203 11.58,MGO 14.09,CR/FE 2.19.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD, CENTRAL

  • Deposit

    COAST REGION. SURFACE WATER DEGRADATION BY INACTIVE

  • Deposit

    METAL MINES IN NORTHWEST SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CA,

  • Deposit

    DECEMBER 1993 (P. 6-8).

  • Deposit

    CALIF. STATE MINING BUR. BULLETIN 76, 1918, P. 174-175.

  • Deposit

    CALIF. JOUR. MINES AND GEOL. V. 37, 1941, P. 163.

  • Deposit

    U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 945-B, 1944, P. 40.

  • Deposit

    CALIF. DIV. MINES BULLETIN 134, 1953, PART II, CHAPT. 2,

  • Deposit

    P. 64.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Environmental Factors CHROMITE DEPOSITS IN THE CHORRO CREEK WATERSHED ARE NOT SULFIDES WITH POTENTIAL TO GENERATE ACID MINE DRAINAGE THOUGH THEY MAY ERODE CHROMIUM, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, IRON, MANGANESE, TITANIUM, CALCIUM, SILICON, AND NICKEL TO THE WATERSHED. METALS WHICH APPEAR TO BE ERODING FROM INACTIVE MINES INCLUDE MAGNESIUM, IRON, NICKEL, AND CHROMIUM. SAN LUISITO CREEK, PENNINGTON CREEK, AND UPPER CHORRO CREEK APPEAR TO BE THE MOST HEAVILY MINE-IMPACTED TRIBUTARIES IN THE CHORRO CREEK WATERSHED.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-MAY-1996 Wetzel, Nicholas U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

External references

Authoritative California resources

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