Beck Mine [1] (Beck deposits; Kingston Iron deposit; Iron Gossam; Beck Mine; Gossan No. 1; 2 & 5 claims), Kingston Peak, Kingston Range District, Kingston Range, San Bernardino County, California, USAi

Regional Level Types
Beck Mine [1] (Beck deposits; Kingston Iron deposit; Iron Gossam; Beck Mine; Gossan No. 1; 2 & 5 claims)	Mine
Kingston Peak	Peak
Kingston Range District	Mining District
Kingston Range	Mountain Range
San Bernardino County	County
California	State
USA	Country

A Fe occurrence/mine located in secs. 7 & 8, T21N, R10E, and in sec. 31, T20N, R10E, SBM, 6.6 km (4.1 miles) NNW of Kingston Peak (coordinates of record), at/near Beck Spring, along Excelsior Mine Road (about 20 miles ESE of Tecopa), on land of mixed ownership, including private (patented) (located claim). Owned by The Standard Slag Company (100%), Ohio (1981). Owned and operated by Standard Industrial Minerals, Inc. (100%), Ohio (1990). First produced in 1971. MRDS database stated accuracy for this location is 10 meters. The property contains Gossan No. 1, 2 & 5. They have exposed lengths of 430, 1,130 and 1,070 feet, respectively, from SE to NW. Their widths are from 50 to 100 feet.

Mineralization is a replacement deposit hosted in limestone. The ore body is lenticular, strikes N50W and dips 70E at a thickness of 152 meters, depth-to-top of 76 meters, depth-to-bottom of 182.88 meters, width of 30.48 meters and a length of 344.42 meters. The primary mode of origin was contact metasomatism and the secondary mode was metamorphic. Primary ore control was lithology and the secondary was fracturing. The limestone and diabase sill lie in the middle or upper part of the Crystal Spring Formation. A drilling project by the Pacific Coke and Coal Company in 1924 showed a major, low-angle thrust fault beneath the Beck Spring area, that truncates steeply dipping Crystal Spring units. This fault limits the downward extent of the iron gossan No. 5. The degree of wallrock alteration is moderate (sericitic, carbonatization). Associated rocks include diabase. Local rocks include Precambrian rocks, undivided, unit 1 (Death Valley).

Workings include surface and underground openings with a length of 111.25 meters and an overall depth of 19.81 meters. A 300 foot drift was driven on the Gossan No. 5 and a 65 foot shaft. An open pit mine was proposed (status =?). The road to Cima was improved for 77 km for the mine development. Water is obtained from a well 19 km from the mine. An existing power line was extended 16 km to the site.

Production statistics: Year: 1971 (Fe concentrates at 40% Fe): 204,508 tonnes per year.

Year: 1972 (Fe same): 719,829 tonnes per year.

Year: 1973 (Fe same): 625,444 tonnes per year.
Year: 1973 (direct shipping ore at 56.9% Fe): 30,864 tonnes per year.

Year: 1974 (Fe concentrates at 56.9% Fe): 380,646 tonnes per year.

Year: 1974 (direct shipping ore at 57.0% Fe): 25,561 tonnes per year

Year: 1975 (Mining operation terminated in 1974).

Year: 1976 (Fe concentrates at 40% Fe): 48,332 tonnes per year.
Year: 1976 (direct shipping ore at 50% Fe): 5,385 tonnes per year.

Year: 1977 (Fe concentrates at 56.9% Fe): 1,585 tonnes per year.

Year: 1978 (Fe concentrates at 57% Fe): 10,567 tonnes per year.

Reserves and resources: Type: in-situ (estimate year = 1944): Inferred reserves: 1,415,000 metric tons of ore; demonstrated reserves: 5,102,000 metric tons; indicated: 5,102,000 metric tons of ore. Total resources are 6,517,000 metric tons of ore. Commodity is Fe at 56.4 weight percent Fe (1944). Production has been 2,054,000 tons. The original reserve estimates were 5,021,000 tons of demonstrated and 6,414,000 tons of identified (11,435,000 tons).

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:	10036214

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References