Sly Rick prospect (Green Centipede claim), Little Cahuilla Mountain, Cahuilla Mining District, Riverside County, California, USAi

Regional Level Types
Sly Rick prospect (Green Centipede claim)	Prospect
Little Cahuilla Mountain	Mountain
Cahuilla Mining District	Mining District
Riverside County	County
California	State
USA	Country

Sly - Artfully clever: cunning
Rick - Powerful, rich ruler

Setting:
The Sly Rick prospect (aka: Green Centipede circa 1980) is located in the NE¼ sec. 30, T6S, R2E, SBM, 2.0 km (1.3 miles) N of Little Cahuilla Mountain and about 11.8 km NNW of Cahuilla (town). The Cahuilla Mountain district is located with the San Jacinto Mountain Range in Riverside County at an elevation ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. Most of the district, which consists of 4 mountains (Thomas, Cahuilla, Little Cahuilla, and Red Mountains) is within the San Bernardino National Forest. The area is relatively remote, and dense vegetation consisting of chaparral has precluded most exploration activities, especially on the steep north facing slopes.

Geology:
The Cahuilla Mountain district is dominated by the large Cretaceous-aged Cahuilla Valley Pluton and Bautista Sill consisting of quartz monzonite (adamellite), norite, and tonalite that have invaded older migmatitic schists, gneisses, and granites of the Bautista Complex. The geology of the northern slopes of Little Cahuilla Mountain consists of microplutonic gabbro and granodiorite intrusions which host several parallel pegmatite outcrops. These pegmatites follow a strike and dip relative to the host rock, and are most likely genetically related to diorite injections associated with rifting and deformities caused by reduced outer temperatures of the micropluton.

To the north is the San Jacinto fault zone, and to the south is the Aqua Caliente fault zone, both of which are active and trend northwest. This faulting has uplifted the area, exposing the rock to surface erosion. The pegmatite veins vary in thickness, sometimes ranging between 1 to 15 feet within the same body. Most veins average more than 500 feet in length and display an average dip of between 20 and 35 degrees to the southwest. All of the gemstones recovered to date have been located within the central portions of quartz-subhedral perthite pegmatites forming distinctly localized areas of enlarged crystal structure with occasional cavities lined with crystals and filled with clay, generally referred to as pocket pegmatite.

History:
The first recorded gem discovery on the north side of Little Cahuilla Mountain was made in 1953 during construction of a road connecting to Red Mountain. Drilling and rock blasting was necessary to create much of the roadway, and one round of blasting northwest of Little Cahuilla Mountain opened a large pocket of quartz and aquamarine that was eventually called the "Hilton" because of its proportions after excavation. In 1980, Kenneth Gochenour of Tustin, together with his brother Dana, began prospecting for gemstones along the ridges that protrude below the summit of Little Cahuilla Mountain. In 1996, several pockets were discovered by carefully tracing float crystals that had eroded from the 6 to 12 feet thick pegmatite, traceable along the surface for 300 feet, dipping steeply to the southwest. Over 20 pounds of quartz crystals, some with tourmaline attached, and 35 pounds of tourmaline crystals were ultimately produced. Many etched almandine garnets were also recovered.

The main point of development at the Sly Rick prospect is upon a prominent rib at approximately 3,600 feet AMSL. The workings have further exposed a complex pegmatite with massive zones of rose quartz, potash feldspar and black tourmaline. The primary gem-bearing pocket zone measures over 20 feet in length, and is characterized by cavities filled with iron-stained kaolin. In January of 1998, excavation using hand tools to expose this zone of mineralization produced crystals of black tourmaline (schorl) up to 30 cm in length; almandine garnet up to 6 cm across; and smoky quartz crystals well over 30 cm in length. Many fine single crystal and matrix associations were recovered, most of which were coated by a thin layer of cookeite.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References