Back before our year-long "fire season" closed many of the CA National Forests, I used to wander around up in the interior Coast Ranges, especially the Sierra Madre Mountains (NOT the MX ones....).
That area is "geologically complex" because it's where the CA "island" is most squashed up by continental drift--there are places where you can see in the road cuts that a rock stratum has performed almost a complete vertical loop in the space of a few hundred yards. And the wide variety and presentation of strata makes mining a very tricky business--"following a seam" is kinda hard when the "seams" have all been "folded, spindled, and mutilated" by Ma Nature over the last few zillion years....
Even in so-called "real time" you can see how it works because you can't be back there for more than a day or so without having a (hopefully) minor shaker. (The last range between the San Andreas Fault and the San Joaquin Valley is the Sierra Temblor/Earthquake Range). Because of the puzzling/tempting nature of the terrain, there have been many, many minor mineral rushes back there and when I'm hunting or just rambling, I'm always on the lookout for mines and mining stuff. Found lots over the years and much of it just got turned into $$ at my local salvage yard. But some, like bronze hose nozzles, went to local museums and the walls of local bars (actually "local" means at least 30 miles from where I ramble--there is NOTHING "local" up there but a few tote roads and lots of rock).
All those "gold rushes" netted little--the only big finds were a cubic mile of asbestos to fireproof the ships at the Kaiser shipyards, and oil, which is still producing along the margins of the ranges--but they sure left lots of interesting stuff. I especially like finding old cartridge cases on deer stands at the heads of arroyos running down from finger ridges. Last time I was up there (right before Mr. Covid) I found a dud nickeled .38 ACP softnose and two fired cases at a place like that, setting among all the green fired .30-30s. Wonder WHAT that old pistolero was shooting at? Or was he just expressing himself?
Sorry for the OT, but this thread and Fireball's neat find stimulated it some. I'd love to get back to exploring, but is it ever gonna @%#&ing rain here again?
Last edited by Mesa; 11/17/21.
