Detrital Wash deposit (Detrital Valley Salt deposit), Detrital Wash deposit (Detrital Valley Salt deposit), Detrital Valley, Mohave County, Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Detrital Wash deposit (Detrital Valley Salt deposit)	Deposit
Detrital Wash deposit (Detrital Valley Salt deposit)	- not defined -
Detrital Valley	- not defined -
Mohave County	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

A gypsum and halite occurrence located in sec. 24, T30N, R21W, G&SRM, on National Recreation Area land. The USGS MRDS database stated accuracy for this locality is 500 meters.

Mineralization is a bedded gypsum and halite deposit hosted in clay and mud of the Pliocene Muddy Creek Formation and silt. The ore body is bedded at a thickness of 213.36 meters and a depth-to-top of 243.84 meters. Local rocks include Pliocene to middle Miocene deposits and/or Quaternary surficial deposits, undivided.

A zone of clayey gypsum containing several lenticular manganiferous beds crops out for a mile on the west side of Detrital Valley near Lake Mead. The zone dips about 15ºNE and is about 200 feet thick. The manganiferous beds are a few inches to 2 feet (60 cm) thick and are separated by 15 to 20 feet of barren gypsum.

The gypsum is pure and crystalline but layers are thin with considerable clay inter-bedding. The salt is up to 715 feet thick but deposits may not be continuous. Gypsum outcrops on the edges of Lake Mead where Detrital Wash enters the lake. To the NE the outcrops are called Big Gypsum Ledges on the topo sheet. Halite occurs at depths ranging between 300 and 800 feet below surface. The halite unit is 500 to 700 feet thick.

Workings include surface drilling operations. Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company drilled and encountered halite and gypsum in numerous holes.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References