1978 



Limestone in the Coast Ranges 



Limestone from Burns \'alley, north of the town of 

 Lower Lake, apparently supplied tuo lime kilns 

 owned hy the Sulphur Bank Nlining Ciompanv in the 

 late 1800s (Crawford, 18^4, p. 392). The source of lime 

 rock has not been determined but may be the marl or 

 limestone present in the Cache Formation. Limestone 

 near Clear Lake Highlands is described as micro-crys- 

 talline and dolomitic and occurs in several beds 1 to 10 

 feet thick (Anderson, 1936, p. 634). 



Other references: Bradley, 1916, p. 206; Logan, 1947, p. 248. 



Capay Valley deposits. Location: T. 10 N., R. 2 

 and 3 W., and 1 . 1 1 N., R. 3 W., M.D., 17 to 20 miles 

 west of Woodland; Guinda and Lake Berryessa 15- 

 minute quadrangles. Ownership: multiple; not deter- 

 mined. 



Limestone and marl deposits in (^apay \'alley 

 between (^apay and Guinda have been mentioned in 

 the literature, but they have not been developed. Most 

 of the hard limestone occurs as float on slopes and in 

 streams and probably is derived from the large cal- 

 careous concretions and lenses common to the Upper 

 (Cretaceous shales. Analyses of float indicate the lime- 

 stone to be relatively high in calcium but somewhat 

 siliceous. The softer marl, reported from the foothills 

 along Cache Creek, is believed to be from fresh water 

 deposits locally present in the Plio-Pleistocene Te- 

 hama Formation. 



The calcareous rocks of the lower Cache Creek area 

 are of variable chemistry, and the deposits generally 

 are too small to be of economic value. It is possible that 

 the soft marl may be of local interest for agricultural 

 purposes. 



References: Bradley, 1916, p. 368; Logan, 1947, p. 350. 



Chalk Mountain deposit. Location: S'/, sec. 12, T. 

 14 N., R. 7 W., M.D., 6 miles northeast of Clearlake 

 Oaks; Clearlake Oaks l.>-minute quadrangle. Owner- 

 ship: Not determined. 



A spring deposit of calcium carbonate on the north- 

 western side of Chalk Mountain extends for 100 yards 

 along the mountainside and for 7.'> feet downslope to 

 the North Fork of Cache Creek (Waring, 191.\p. 196- 

 197). There is no known development of this deposit. 



Daniels deposit. Location: Sec. 21,1. 18 N., R. 6 

 W, M.D., 1 to 2 miles north of Stonvford and 20 miles 

 southwest of Willows; Stonyford 15-minute quadran- 

 gle. Ownership: Not determined. 



A "ledge of white marble" that "may be traced for 

 a mile north and south along the east side of Stony 

 Oeek" is reported by Aubury (1906, p. 99). 



The geology of the Stonyford quadrangle was 

 majiped in detail by R. D. Brown, Jr., and Ernest Rich. 

 Brown states (1964, personal communication) he has 

 no record of limestone in sec. 21 and questions the 

 location or descriptive data given by early writers. It 

 is not likely such a distinct deposit would be over- 

 looked in the course of detailed geologic mapping. 



However, it is possible that thin lenses of limestone of 

 the Knoxville Formation are present locallv in sec. 21. 



Other references: Brodley, 1916, p. 198; Logan, 1947, p. 237. 



Lambert Ranch deposit. Location: Sec. 20, T. 16 

 N., R. ."i W., M.D., 2'/2 miles northwest of Leesville and 

 14 miles west of Cortena on the Southern Pacific Rail- 

 road; Wilbur Springs l.S-minute quadrangle. Owner- 

 ship: Not determined. 



Limestone from this deposit was burned for lime 

 about 1889 (Aubury, 1906, p. 66). From the location 

 given, the limestone probably is from the lower part 

 of a thick sequence of Lower Cretaceous sedimentary 

 rocks. 



Otf<er references: Bradley, 1916, p. 179; Logon, 1947, p. 220. 



Manzanita deposit. Location: NE'/ sec. 29, T. 14 

 N., R. 5 W., M.D., half a mile west of Wilbur Springs 

 and 17 miles southwest of Williams; Wilbur Springs 

 l.S-minute quadrangle. Ownership: Not determined. 



A southeast-trending bed of crystalline limestone is 

 reported from the western part of the Manzanita mer- 

 cury mine property. Fhis property is underlain by the 

 Knoxville Formation, which sometimes contains thin 

 beds of limestone and marl interbedded with shale. 

 The limestone was produced in a small way for local 

 use in the early 1900s. 



References: Forstner, 1903, p. 41; Aubury, 1906, p. 66; Brodley, 1916, p. 

 179; Logon, 1947, p. 220. 



Nye deposit. Location: Sees. 1 and 12, T. 18 N., R. 

 8 W., M.D., 28 miles west of Willows; Stonyford 15- 

 minute quadrangle. Ownership: Not determined. 



A deposit of onyx marble is reported in the south- 

 west part of Glenn County on the west side of Saint 

 John Mountain. 1 he property, which was part of the 

 J.M. Nye Ranch, is not known to be developed. 



References: Bradley, 1916, p. 198; Logon, 1947, p. 237. 



Wide Awake deposit. Location: SE'X sec. 29 or 

 SW'/, sec. 28, T. 14 N., R. 5 W., M.D., 1 mile southwest 

 of Wilbur Springs and 17 miles southwest of Williams; 

 Wilbur Springs 15-minute quadrangle. Ownership: 

 Not determined. 



A deposit of limestone composed entirely of shells 

 is reported on the Wide Awake quicksilver property. 

 This was used locally prior to 1916. Other shell depos- 

 its in thin beds are mentioned as occurring in the same 

 vicinity, one near the top of the hill in NEVi sec. 28. 

 None of these deposits has been worked in recent 

 years, and they probably are not of commercial inter- 

 est. 



References: Goodyeor, 1890, p. 160, 161; Forjlner, 1903, p. 42; Bradley, 

 1916, p. 179; Logon, 1947, p. 220. 



W'ilbur Springs deposits. Location: W'/, T. 14 N., 

 R. 5 W., and adjacent part of T. 14 N., R. 6'VV., M.D.; 

 Wilbur Springs 15-minute quadrangle. Ownership: 

 Not determined. 



Onyx marble, aragonite, calcareous tufa, and other 

 types of carbonate material have been reported from 



