388 QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE, 



tion. Native quicksilver in small and variable quantities is met in many of 

 the mines. It is naturally oftener found in the lower portions of ore bodies 

 than elsewhere, because of its fluidity and its high specific gravity, just as 

 it permeates the earth far below the foundations of reduction furnaces when 

 special means are not adopted to obviate its percolation. Hence miners do 

 not welcome the appearance of native quicksilver. 



Gangue minerals. — Deusc Hiasses of ciunabar, of considerable size, are found 

 in most ore bodies, but the larger part of the ore is mingled with gangue 

 minerals. These are few in number and are substantially the same in all 

 the deposits. They are crystalline silica, opal, calcite, and dolomite. Asso- 

 ciated with the cinnabar is also invariably pyrite or niarcasite (sometimes 

 slightly auriferous): millerite, too, in small quantities is conuiion; and traces 

 of copper as sulphide or carbonate are occasionally seen. Bituminous mat- 

 ter is present in all the mines examined excepting Steamboat Springs. This 

 substance, though sometimes disseminated through ore, is usually found in 

 spots in the country rock. Sulphur occurs at the surface of three of the 

 most recent deposits, and in the Manzanita mine, Colusa County, native gold 

 and cinnabar are mingled. Cinnabar is also met with in some of the gold 

 quartz veins of the gold belt. Pyrargyrite and cinnabar are associated near 

 Calistoga and tliis ore also contains arsenic and lead. At the Barcelona silver 

 mine in Nevada cinnabar was found. A mixture of cinnabar with gold, silver, 

 and copper ores is reported from Arizona, and at Steamboat the deposits con- 

 tain gold, silver, lead, copper, and zinc I know of no other case on the 

 Pacific slope where zinc is found with quicksilver, but this association is not 

 unknown in Europe. The bitumen posepnyte was recognized at the Great 

 Western mine and a new bituminous mineral, christened nai>alite, was found 

 at the Phccnix mine. 



other associated minerals. — Various otlicr miuerals liavc bcen identified in 

 the mines, less important than the above or less closely associated with the 

 ore. Gypsum is found with ore at Sulphur Bank. Magnesite occurs in the 

 New Alraaden, and perhaps elsewhere, with calcitic carbonates. Barite is 

 found with cinnabar in the Oathill, and this is the only case known of 

 the occurrence of barite with cinnabar in California.^ Apoph3'llite in fine 



'An erroueous statement witb reference to an occurreace of barite in this State will be explained 

 farther along. It is also reported with cinnabar in Utah. 



