640 Jenkins — Spotted Lakes of Epsomite in 



The drainage of this basin region is less than half of 

 a square mile, but in this area are numerous metalliferous 

 mineral claims on deposits supposed to prove their value 

 in copper content. The mineral deposits consist largely 

 of pyrite and pyrrhotite bodies, and the presence of these, 

 occurring in metamorphic magnesian rocks, suggests 

 very pointedly the source and origin of the magnesium 

 sulphate in the lake. 



Fig. 3. 





Fig. 3. — View of Oroville with Osoyoos Lake at the right, Gkanogen 

 Eiver in the foreground, and Kruger Mountain in the background, with 

 arrow pointing to situation of the small epsomite lake shown in fig. 2. 



Not a vestige of visible organic life is left in this lake, 

 but the black mud contains considerable decayed organic 

 matter. 



In mining the epsomite, first the solid salts were dug 

 out of the spots or pools and hauled away. Later, water 

 was obtained from a neighboring fresh- water lake, when 

 not enough was to be had in the salts lake itself, and this 

 was used to dissolve out the salts from beneath the mud, 

 or from the pools where it was impracticable to get all 

 the salts out by digging. The water was allowed to run 

 down through holes in the mud, and was taken out by 

 means of little gasoline pumps, sent back again through 



