130 DESCRIPTIONS OF MINERALS. 
Chili ; at Huanca Velica and some other points in Peru ; at St. Onofre 
and other places in Mexico ; in California and Idaho. 
The most noted of the California mines, New Almaden, is situated 
in Mine Hill, Santa Clara County, south of San Yrancisco. The rocks 
are altered Cretaceous slates, taleose in part, with beds of serpentine 
either side, and associated also with beds of jasper or siliceous slate. 
The New Idria mine is in Fresno County, in the Mt. Diablo Range, and 
was discovered in 1855. ‘The rocks are more or less altered silico- 
argillaceous and siliceous slates and sandstones, and the cinnabar is 
distributed irregularly through- them ; between this and the Aurora 
Mine on San Carlos (the highest peak of the Diablo Range, 4,977 feet), 
there is much serpentine (in which is chromic iron) and siliceous rock 
or slate. In Napa Valley, Napa County, north of San Francisco, there 
are other valuable mines situated in rocks closely similar, as Whitney 
states, to those affording quicksilver at New Almaden. They are in 
a serpentine belt, the cinnabar being in some places in the serpentine, 
but mostly in the peculiar siliceous rock associated with it. Native 
mercury occurs with the cinnabar. 
The product of the California mines of mercury in 1874, is given as 
follows by Raymond, in his ‘‘ Mineral Resources for 1875” : 
New Almaden........ Santa Clara County....... 9,084 flasks. 
Newal@ nisi ctiitoness, oa Fresno OCC ai Saar 7,000 ‘ 
Cerro Bonito.......... Mg CO day hr tt eee 900 <s 
Califormisin sta ee eres Napa pS Pei nene oF 8,000 <“ 
Wianinaistan @ oo eee oe oS AS eee 620 << 
Cems 23. ass Ges ser pee ee Sa ae aca Geb aa 
Wrashinetone ose ise: ies Paps 200 * 
PReMNSLON ea. oe bale ene Res 20075 
California Borax...... % CO aa eae 570 =“ 
Great Western ....... oe SECT A eter eape 1,900 <“ 
IBMCK OVER ao to ico saan Colusa amnmemrarirr een (10) 6° 
IMISSOUT . 52.5 ss os DONOMMS, Sone Dee ties Beka 200 ae 
Oaklands cole Aas as Se Ee MeN eae 3 OU we ae 
SAM OM ae eee Solano ak Bale Deg seh 1 OC Oia 
Which, with the additions from a few other less productive open- 
ings, make a total of 34,254 flasks, or over 2,400,000 lbs. The yieid 
in 1867 was 44,386 flasks, or about 3,400,000 lbs. The total yield of 
the world in 1872, is stated by Phillips at 6,670,000 lbs. avoirdupois. 
COPPER. 
Copper occurs native in considerable quantities ; and also 
combined with oxygen, sulphur, selenium, arsenic, anti- 
mony, chlorine, and as carbonate, phosphate, arsenate, sul- 
phate, and vanadate. The ores of copper vary in specific 
gravity from 3°5 to $3, and seldom exeeed 4 in hardness. 
