18 BULLETIN 61, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUBE. 
Analyses 1 of material from lake beds northeast of Mina. 
Sample Xo 
— 
Constituents. 
1 
3 
4 
5 
7 
8 
9 
12 
\ Perct. 
14.70 
Per ct. 
56.40 
17.24 
. 75 
1.12 
1.47 
.18 
Per ct. 
10.00 
45.80 
1.12 
.38 
1.23 
Tr. 
Perct. 
24.70 
3S.42 
.40 
.46 
1.28 
.19 
Per ct. 
69.70 
4. 55 
2.55 
1.81 
2.50 
.90 
Per ct. 
79.60 
2.33 
.79 
3.08 
3.00 
.49 
Per ct. 
77.90 
1.95 
.76 
1.91 
5.47 
.33 
Per ct. 
39.20 
29.92 
.94 
.90 
2.05 
.12 
Perct. 
46.00 
CaO 
MgO 
K-0 (total") 
.... 44.06 
.58 
.... .24 
26.67 
.54 
1.46 
Na?0 (total) 
CI 
.... .25 
.29 
1.54 
.14 
i Alkalies determined by Cullen; others determined by Young. 
All except sample Xo. 1 contain traces of P; all contain acid-soluble A1 S 3 and FejOj. 
The samples were taken from different beds. My examination failed to show 
water-soluble carbonates and sulphates, and I found only traces of water-soluble 
potash. The principal soluble salt was sodium chloride. * Other analyses of these 
lake beds hai'e been reported and sodium chloride noted. The material other than 
that of a calcareous nature consisted of volcanic glass and tuffaceous particles of a 
volcanic nature. Microscopic examination showed much volcanic glass. The 
examination also indicated that most of the material, excepting calcium and magne- 
sium carbonates, was of a wind-blown nature and had been "deposited in shallow, 
brackish lakes in which calcium and magnesium carbonates were being laid down. 
The Quaternary lake beds are of considerably less importance than the Tertiary. 
They contribute some saline material to the present drainage system, but as these 
beds are in the main sands and silts with little visible saline material, they may be 
regarded as of minor importance. Russell ' : reports lacustra! material containing a3 
much as 1.17 per cent sodium chloride. In this connection it should be noted that 
the material obtained from the 985-foot bore, sunk by the Geological Survey in Car- 
son Sink through recent and Lahontan formations, failed to show any brines or solu- 
tions of marked saline content. Petrographic examination of Lahontan Lake bed 
sedimentaries shows comparatively little decomposition of the feldspars. 
ALLUVIAL AND DETRITAL MATERIAL. 
The heterogeneous material constituting the valley fills comprises more than 50 
per cent of the whole basin area. As this material is in a more or less finely divided 
condition and is subject to .the action of percolating waters, decomposition must be 
more or less active and a not irnimportant amount of salines contributed to the present 
stream systems through the agency of underground and surface waters. 
SPRINGS. 
As has been shown in a previous chapter, numerous hot springs occur in the basin 
region. Xo very complete studies of these have been made, and comparatively few 
analyses have been reported. In the table which follows, I have summarized the 
analyses oi some 16 such springs. 
Analyses of hot spring waters. 
Constituent. 
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
E. 
F. 
CI 
so 4 ... 
s 
Per cent. 
•:S.S4 
1.41 
Per cent. 
56.72 
2. 87 
Per cent. 
5S.79 
.94 
Per cent. 
35.00 
4.58 
. 2 9 
5*08 
8.91 
30.35 
3.79 
.27 
.25 
.01 
.12 
.01 
11.41 
Percent. 
38.79 
14.25 
Percent. 
20.27 
34.19 
co 3 ... 
B.o 7 .. 
.-■ 
1.05 
.61 
Xone. 
3L04 
2.69 
Trace. 
1.23 
.04 
111.92 
Trace. 
Xa.... 
K 
Li 
33. 15 
3.19 
34.78 
3.33 
30.38 
3.76 
29.78 
.92 
Ca.... 
Mg.... 
As 
1.99 
.24 
.91 
.17 
4.90 
.40 
1.18 
.04 

Al 2 3 . 
.82 
.20 
SiO^.. 
solids 
s per 10 
on evaporation 
0,000) 
.25 
.17 
113.62 
Total 
(part 
1 .O 
3,067 
100.00 
2.443 
100.00 
2,330 
100.00 
2S5 
100.00 
249.5 
100.00 
102.1 
1 Quaternary History of Mono Valley, 8th Annual Reoort, U. S. Geol. Survey, p. 307. 
2 Calculated as SiO a . 
