330 C. H. Behre, Jr. — Native Antimony. 



Art. XXVI. — Native Antimony from Kern County, 

 California; by C. H. Behee, Jr. 



Metallic antimony in noteworthy amounts is of rare 

 occurrence. It has been reported from Sweden, Ger- 

 many, France, Bohemia, Borneo, Mexico, and Chile; in 

 the United States it is known to occur at Warren, New 

 Jersey, and in Canada at South Ham, as well as in York 

 County, N. B. Casual references to its occurrence are to 

 be found in the early reports of the California Geological 

 Survey. Probably the best known deposits of that state 

 are in Kern County along Erskine Creek. Specimens 

 from this locality were received from Mr. A. Blanc^ by 

 the United States Geological Survey and were made 

 available for the study here reported by Professor Edson 

 S. Bastin of the University of Chicago, to whom the writer 

 is also indebted for kindly criticism and many sugges- 

 tions. 



The specimens are kidney-like masses of the native 

 metal covered with a thin layer of the various oxides 

 mentioned below. - On being broken, some of the larger 

 nodules proved to be composed of several minor masses a 

 cubic centimeter or so in volume, each having a nucleus 

 of the metal coated with its afterproducts and massed 

 together with other similar nodules to form aggregates 

 measuring ten centimeters in maximum diameter. The 

 individual smaller nodules are crossed by veinlets varying 

 in width up to a half -centimeter. 



The metallic antimony forming the core of the nodules 

 is typical in appearance ; it is of the granular type. It 

 forms by far the greater part of the specimens. It is 

 bordered marginally by a black mineral of resinous to 

 dull luster, having a platy cleavage, but of indeterminate 

 crystal form. This mineral defies all attempts at iden- 

 tification. It may be described as follows : 



Color black to (locally) grayish-green (due to impurities?); 

 streak white, opaque, — the color of shredded tallow ; luster non- 

 metallic, — dull or resinous; amorphous or crystalline; cleavage 



^ Mr. Blanc, the discoverer of the deposit, furnishes the following brief 

 description: The deposit has been worked through a trench about 150 feet 

 long. The antimony is pockety in distribution. Stibnite appears with 

 depth. 



