146 
The American Geologist, 
March, 1896 
the ore. One of the largest veins of the district dips at an 
angle of about 20 degrees into a precipitous granite ridge. 
Where it has been opened the average thickness is four to 
seven feet, swelling in places to 20 feet. 
A number of small but rich gold bearing quartz veins are 
found on Fish Spring hill, a granite outlier of the Sierra Ne- 
vadas. There are two systems of veins here, the one vertical, 
the other nearly flat. As far as developed the quartz of the 
district shows free gold with copper and iron sulphides. 
A group of veins carrying gold and silver occurs in lime¬ 
stone at the western base of the Inyo range, southeast of In¬ 
dependence. The gold is associated with quartz and iron and 
copper pyrites, while the silver is contained in galena which 
occurs in bunches in different portions of the vein. 
A quartz vein is found in granite in the foothills of the 
Inyo range north of Independence. It has a vertical position 
and is traceable for nearly a mile. The character of the quartz 
makes it apparent that the gold was originally contained in 
iron pyrites. 
Beginning at a point east of Bishop creek a gold belt ex¬ 
tends northward along the western -slope of the White Moun¬ 
tain range for about ten miles. This belt is interesting be¬ 
cause of the great variety in the character of the ore and wall 
rocks of the many different veins. At the southern end are a 
number of small veins in granite, two sets of fissures being 
distinguished, one vertical, the other almost flat. The gold 
which is free on the surface is mostly confined to the latter 
series of veins. One mile northward is the Polita mine in 
limestone. The deepest workings show a soft, decomposed 
ore rich in hydrated iron oxides and containing but little 
quartz. Two miles farther on are some small veins in slate 
with the usual quartz gangue and sulphurets. Four miles 
north of the Polita mine there are several veins in slate. One, 
the Southern Bell, extends east and west across the strike of 
the slates. The ore is very similar in character to that of the 
Polita, showing much iron oxide and little quartz. Six hun¬ 
dred feet farther up the mountain in the same slates there are 
two very small but rich veins with the usual quartz gangue 
and iron and copper pyrites. 
The Mabel mine comprises several bunchy veins of granular 
quartz in limestone. It lies three miles north of that last men- 
