44 
OUR MINERAL RESERVES. 
mineral, the remainder of the celestite zone appearing rather sandy. 
The mineral presents a variety of appearances. The high density, 
of course, characterizes the purest material. In general it is rather 
light colored. 
In California celestite, together with salt, gypsum, and other 
important economic minerals, occurs along the northeast margin of 
the Avawatz Mountains, in San Bernardino County. The minerals 
are located on land of the Avawatz Salt & Gypsum Co., near the 
south end of Death Valley. The nearest railroad is the Tonopah 
& Tidewater, about 10 miles east of the southeast end of the claims. 
The celestite occurs in lake beds associated with salt and gypsum. 
Above the lower lake beds and below the gypsum occur the celestite 
beds. The celestite is exposed in the form of resistant “ hogbacks,” 
in some places flanking the ridges and in others cutting them and 
continuing across the valleys between them. The thickness of the 
celestite zone may be locally as much as 75 or 80 feet, but the exact 
thickness is difficult to ascertain in all places, owing to the presence 
of wash and talus. It must not be understood that the entire thick 
ness of the outcropping reef is pure celestite. It is more than prob 
able that the pure mineral will be found in some places in thin bands 
and streaks and in others more or less intimately mixed with gypsum, 
sand, chalcedony, clay, and the oxides of manganese, iron, etc. The 
typically exposed reefs of celestite are dark brown in color and are 
conspicuous beside the light-colored gypsum. This dark-brown color 
may be due to the presence of manganese or iron oxides, or both. 
In the vicinity of Schoharie, Schoharie County. N. Y., celestite and 
strontianite have been found in a rather impure limestone. They 
occur in pockets and thin seams and have been found in greatest 
quantity on the east side of Schoharie River, near quarries in lime 
stone of the Ilelderberg group. Strontianite also occurs in rocks 
of the Clinton formation near Clinton, Oneida County, N. Y., asso 
ciated with celestite in geodes. The best examples of the occurrences 
were found at the old quarries near Lairdsville, 2 miles west of Ham 
ilton College. Celestite and strontianite have also been found near 
Theresa and on the shore of Chaumont Bay, in Jefferson County, 
N. Y. About 2 miles from the village of Adams Center, in Jefferson 
County, a vein of celestite is known to occur in the Trenton limestone. 
An occurrence has also been reported near Lockport, Niagara County. 
E. H. Kraus has reported celestite as disseminated through dolomitic 
limestone near Syracuse. Other places in New York where celestite 
is said to occur are at the Rossie lead mine and Stark, in St. Lawrence 
County, and at Depauville, in Jefferson County. 
One of the most noted localities in the United States where stron 
tium minerals have been found is Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island, 
Ottawa County, Ohio. Here celestite was found in 1897 during the