Copyright © 2004 by Ana Minerva Bonilla                                               Updated: 2/2/05 3:48 PM

The Weekend Miner

(http://theweekendminer)

California

Ventura County

Pacific Beaches : (Gold & Platinum)

Economic Geology of the Platinum Metals, Geological Survey Professional Paper 630, GPO, 1969, p93 : Platinum has been found on the Pacific beaches of California intermittently from Ventura County northward to and beyond the California-Oregon line. The principal mining operations have been in the vicinity of Gold Bluff, Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon and Little River, in Humboldt County; and near Crescent City, Gilbert Creek and Smith River, in Del Norte County.

Placer platinum recovered from the black sands of the beaches was analyzed by Deville and Debray in 1859. There analysis showed the “platinum” to be 79.07% to 87.78% platinum, 7.80% to 1.13% osmiridium, 6.93% to 4.60% iron, 4.34% to .88% iridium, 2.02% to .67% rhodium, 2.01% to .61% palladium, 1.44% to .77% copper, and 1.29% to .05% osmium.