The Sweetwater Chromite Mine is a chromium mine located in San Luis Obispo county, California at an elevation of 1,562 feet.
About the MRDS Data:
All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.
Mine Info
Elevation: 1,562 Feet (476 Meters)
Commodity: Chromium
Lat, Long: 35.4183, -120.75330
Map: View on Google Maps
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MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.
Sweetwater Chromite Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Sweetwater Chromite Mine
Secondary: San Juan Mine
Secondary: Sweetwater Chrome Mine
Secondary: San Juan Chrome Mine
Secondary: Pierce and Benadon Group
Commodity
Primary: Chromium
Location
State: California
County: San Luis Obispo
District: Cerro Alto-Cuesta Pass Area
Land Status
Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Holdings
Type: Private Lease
Type: Patented
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Ruda And Negranti-Also Operated Minein 1955-1957
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1976
Owner Name: John D. Hoffman-One Of Last Operators In 1957
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1976
Owner Name: U.S. Forest Service - Los Padres National Forest
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1976
Owner Name: San Juan Chrome-Conflicting Owner-Ship Data
Home Office: California
Info Year: 1976
Production
Year: 1950
Description: Lump Ore Produced In 1950'S. 120 Mt
Year: 1950
Description: Concentrates Produced In 1950'S. 4500 Mt @ 52 Pctt-2.6:1 Cr:Fe
Year: 1950
Description: Ore Mined In 1950'S. 13600 Mt
Year: 1928
Description: Concentrates Produced From 1928-1930'S. 1039 Mt @ 46 Pct
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Mining Method: Unknown
Year First Production: 1917
Discovery Year: 1880
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Pacific Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Pacific Border Province
Physiographic Section: California Coast Ranges
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Not available
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Unknown: Chromite
Unknown: Olivine
Unknown: Pyroxene
Unknown: Serpentine
Unknown: Magnetite
Comments
Comment (Reserve-Resource): MAT 1 COL 1 REPRESENTS TOTAL RESOURCES MAT 1 COL 2 REPRESENT HIGH GRADE ORE MAT 1 COL 3 REPRESENTS LOW GRADE ORE
Comment (Reserve-Resource): NO RESERVE ESTIMATE BY USBM OR USGS. ASSAY FROM USGS CR/FE AVERAGES 2.26/1% CR2O3 CONCENTRATE 52. ORE RAN 35%. INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MATRIX CALCULATIONS ANALYSIS BY CDMG IN 1976 GAVE FOLLOWING PERCENTAGES-DISSEMIN E=SI02 07.36,CR2O3 42.39,FEO 15.17,TOTAL FE 14.95,AL203 16.5 0.78,CR/FE 1.87
References
Reference (Deposit): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 945-B, 1944, P. 36-37.
Reference (Deposit): U.S. BUREAU OF MINES RI 4783, 1951, P. 3-4.
Reference (Deposit): CALIF. DIV. MINES BULLETIN 134, 1953, PART II, CHAPT. 2,
Reference (Deposit): P. 67.
Reference (Deposit): CALIF. STATE MINING BUR. BULLETIN 76, 1918, P. 177-178.
Reference (Deposit): CALIF. JOUR. MINES AND GEOL. V. 37, 1941, P. 140.
California Gold
"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.
