California Division of Mines and Geology 



Bull 1^7 



White, gray, and red limestone is described by B. A. 

 Ogle (1953, p. 82-83) as a "continuous bed" traceable 

 for half a mile northwest of the west fork of Howe 

 Creek, where it crops out strongly. The bed is report- 

 ed to be 75 feet thick, to strike N 60° W, and to dip 45° 

 N. Others (Averill, 1941, p. 516; Logan, 1947, p. 237) 

 had previously reported similar limestone to crop out 

 as a single 20-by-30-foot exposure in the same vicinity. 

 This writer was unable to locate any limestone out- 

 crops on the west fork of Howe Creek in August 1963. 

 Neither were the owners aware of any significant 

 limestone outcrops in the vicinity, where they have 

 worked and hunted for many years. No positive expla- 

 nation can be offered for this anomalous "disappear- 

 ance". However, it is possible that floods and 

 landslides, created by the major storms of 1955-56, 

 destroyed or covered the exposures in the creek. This 

 suggestion would be more plausible if the Hackett 

 deposit, where traversed by Howe Creek, were com- 

 prised of small, detached masses of limestone rather 

 than continuous masses. 



In 1963, the west fork of Howe Creek contained 

 scattered boulders of light dove-gray and dark red- 

 dish-brown limestone. This float could be traced near- 

 ly a quarter of a mile upstream from its main conflu- 

 ence to a small northwest tributary gulch. At this 

 point, there was an increase of limestone float, and 

 some limestone fragments were observed in a land- 

 slide exposed in the gulch. Above the gulch, only a few 

 boulders of a dark gray limestone were noted. Most of 

 the limestone float is very similar to limestone of the 

 Franciscan Formation, being fine grained, dense, 

 sometimes containing Foraminifera, and generally 

 brecciated or sheared. Fhe visible impurities appear to 

 be silica and iron oxide minerals, but most of the light- 

 colored limestone appears to be of a high-calcium 



type. 



Fhere is no record of development of this limestone. 

 Moreover, the existence of a significant limestone 

 deposit has not been established. 



Jacoby Creek deposit. Location: NW'/NW'/ sec. 

 13, T. 5 N., R. 1 £., H., 2'/^ miles southeast of Bayside 

 and 7 miles east of Eureka; Eureka 1 5-minute quadran- 

 gle. Ownership: F. B. Barnum, Inc., and R.W. Bull, 

 Eureka (1941). 



Limestone from this deposit was burned for lime 

 many years ago, as shown by the remnant of an old 

 brick kiln nearby (Averill, 1941, p. 516). The deposit 

 was tested as a source of raw material for cement prior 

 to 1916 but was never developed commerciallv for that 

 purpose. 



The deposit reportedly consists of a single exposure 

 50-by-20-by-15 feet. Samples collected by Oliver E. 

 Bowen show the limestone to be dense, fine grained to 

 partly crystalline, grayish tan to light olive, and mot- 

 tled white with irregularly veined calcite. One sample 

 contained numerous fossil fragments which suggest a 

 Late Cretaceous age. Although the limestone appears 

 to be high in calcium and relatively free from impuri- 



ties, the deposit is too small to be of more than local 

 interest. 



Other references: Lowell, 1916, p. 393; Logon, 1947, p. 238; Irwin, 1960, 

 p. 37. 



Johnston deposit. Location: Sees. 4 and 9, T. 2 S., 

 R. 1 W., H., 5 miles east of Petrolia and 12 miles south- 

 southeast of Scotia; Scotia 1 5-minute quadrangle. 

 Ownership: Johnston Estate and T. A. Johnston, Pe- 

 trolia (1941). 



Small outcrops of limestone, presumably of the 

 Franciscan Formation, are exposed intermittently for 

 2 miles in a northwest direction. The deposits are 

 situated in a remote area within or close to the Mattole 

 fault zone. The limestone has not been worked and 

 probably is not present in economic amounts. 



References: Averill, 1941, p. 517; Logan, 1947, p. 238. 



McBride Ranch deposit. Location: Sees. 26 and 

 27, T. 1 N., R. 2 W., H., on Southmayd Ridge; Cape 

 Mendocino 1 5-minute quadrangle. Ownership: 

 McBride Ranch. 



According to Robert D. Nason of the U.S. Geologi- 

 cal Survey (personal communication, 1967), a bed or 

 series of beds of coarse-crystalline white limestone up 

 to 20 feet thick crops out for over a mile. I he beds 

 strike northwest and stand vertically. The associated 

 rocks are chiefly graywacke and chert. The deposit is 

 undeveloped. 



McClellan Ranch deposit. Location: Sec. 5, T. 1 

 N., R. 1 W., H., 5 to 6 miles west of Rio Dell and 7 

 miles south-southwest of Fortuna; Scotia 1 5-minute 

 quadrangle. Ownership: E.S. McClellan (1941). 



The deposit has been described as soft, white, po- 

 rous, calcareous tufa covering an acre of land to a 

 depth of 3 feet (Averill, 1941, p. 517). It is reported to 

 contain 99% calcium carbonate and has been used on 

 the McClellan Ranch (Ogle, 1953, p. 83). 



Other reference: Logan, 1947, p. 238. 



Moore deposit. Location: Sec. 19(?), T. 5 N., R. 2 

 E., H., 5 miles southeast of Bayside and 8 miles east of 

 Eureka; probably Blue Lake 1 5-minute quadrangle. 

 Ownership: J. A. Moore, Blue Lake (19)6). 



A small deposit of limestone situated near the Jaco- 

 by Creek deposit is reported to have been quarried for 

 local farm use in 1913. An analysis of the limestone 

 shows 53.61% CaO, 1.41%) SiO^, 0.35% Fe,0„ 0.56%, 

 AljO,, and a trace of MgO. 



References: Lowell, 1916, p. 394; Averill, 1941, p. 516; Logon, 1947, p. 

 238. 



Parkhurst Ridge deposit. Location: Sec. 23, T. 2 

 S., R. 1 W., H., 2 miles northeast of Upper Mattole 

 School; Scotia 1 5-minute quadrangle. Ownership: Ben 

 Etter, Honeydcw (1967). 



According to Robert D. Nason of the L'. S. Geologi- 

 cal Survey (personal communication, 1967), the 

 deposit crops out over several acres on Parkhurst 

 Ridge. 'Fhc limestone is fine grained, red, and ferrugi- 



