Klau Mine

The Klau Mine is a mercury mine located in San Luis Obispo county, California at an elevation of 1,152 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

Satelite View

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.

Site Name

Primary: Klau Mine
Secondary: Sunderland
Secondary: Santa Cruz
Secondary: Karl
Secondary: Sierra Morena
Secondary: Carson
Secondary: Capitola
Secondary: Klau

Commodity

Primary: Mercury

Location

State: California
County: San Luis Obispo
District: Adelaide

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Surface/Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: H. W. Gould Co.

Production

Year: 1960
Time Period: To 1960
Material type: HG
Description: Cp_Grade: ^4-5 Lb/Ton

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1874
Discovery Year: 1868
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

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

Type: L
Description: Local Nw Trending Fractures

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Kaolinization Of Sediments

Rocks

Name: Clastic Sedimentary Rock
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Cinnabar
Gangue: Marcasite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Workings): UNDERGROUND WORKINGS ARE INACCESSIBLE

Comment (Deposit): MINING AND MILLING EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN REMOVED ; INFO.SRC : BAILEY E H

Comment (Environment): THE LAS TABLAS CREEK MINES, PARTICULARLY THE BUENA VISTA AND KLAU MINES, ARE ACID MINE DRAINAGE PRODUCERS. WATER AND SEDIMENT AT THE DISCHARGE FROM THE CARSON DRIFT, PART OF THE KLAU MINE, WERE SAMPLED IN MAY 1986 & FEBRUARY 1992. IN FEBRURARY 1992, IRON, ZINC, MAGNESIUM, NICKEL, AND SULFATE EXCEEDED WATERSHED MEANS IN SEDIMENT. THOSE ELEMENTS APPEAR MINE RELATED. ALSO, ALL OR NEARLY ALL OF THE IRON, NICKEL, AND ZINC IN WATER WRE DISSOLVED, AT LEAST PARTLY BECAUSE THE PH WAS LOW. THE MAY 1986 WATER DATA ALSO INDICATED BERYLLIUM, CADMIUM, AND MANGANESE EXCEEDED WATERSHED MEANS IN THE CARSON DRIFT DISCHARGE. CONTAMINANT DISCHARGE FROM MINES IN THE LAS TABLAS CREEK WATERSHED IS NOT UNIFORM THROUGH TIME AND IS RELATED TO SEASONAL CYCLES, ACTIVITY AT THE MINES, AND OTHER FACTORS. THE LOCATION OF CONTAMINANT PLUMES MIGRATING DOWNSTREAM, PARTICULARLY WITH SEDIMENT, CAN THEREFORE BE HIGHLY TIME DEPENDENT. MEAN AND MAXIMUM CONCENTRATIONS DETECTED IN WATER FROM THE ENTIRE LAS TABLAS CREEK WATERSHED DURING SAMPLING IN 1992 WERE COMPARED TO 1993 STANDARDS. MAXIMUM CONCENTRATIONS OF TOTAL COPPER, TOTAL CHROMIUM, TOTAL IRON, TOTAL LEAD, TOTAL MERCURY, TOTAL NICKEL, TOTAL ZINC, TURBIDITY, ALKALINITY, SODIUM, CHLORIDES, AND BORON EXCEEDED A VARIETY OF HUMAN HEALTH, FISH AND WILDLIFE, AGRICULTURAL, PLANT AND NUISANCE STANDARDS. [copied from deleted record 10116973]

References

Reference (Deposit): CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD, CENTRAL COAST REGION. SURFACE WATER DEGRADATION BY INACTIVE METAL MINES IN NORTHWEST SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CA, DECEMBER 1993 (P. 8-10).

Reference (Deposit): FRANKE, H. A. 1935, MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: CALIF. JOUR. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, V. 51, P. 434 - 455

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E. B., YATES, R. G., AND GRANGER, A. E., 1940, QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND SOUTHWESTERN MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: USGS BULL. 922-R, P. 575 - 580
Pages: p. 545-549, 558-559.

Reference (Production): USBM DATA

Reference (Deposit): HOLMES, G. W., JR., 1965, MERCURY IN CALIFORNIA: IN USBM IC 8252
Pages: p. 197

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, A.L. AND KELLOGG, J.L., 1939, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CJMG, V. 35, P. 353-486
Pages: p. 433-437.

Reference (Deposit): BAILEY, E.H., USGS, PERSONAL FILES

Reference (Deposit): BRADLEY, W.W., 1918, QUICKSILVER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA: CJMG BULL. 78, 389 P.

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.