Mineral Evolution Database
Created and maintained by the Mineral Evolution Project in partnership with RRUFF and mindat.
Mineral locality data provided by mindat.org

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The Mineral Evolution database is currently under development.

The goal of this page is to present localities at which the mineral is found, and estimates of the oldest possible geologic age of the minerals at these localities.


Locality Name:
Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USA

Oldest recorded age at locality: 163
Youngest recorded age at locality: 163

mindat Locality ID: 224956
mindat URL: http://www.mindat.org/loc-224956.html

Tectonic Settings:

Total number of sublocalities beneath "Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USA": 57
Total number of bottom-level sublocalities: 53

Number of Child Localities: 36
Child Localities:
Castro Mine (Castro Chrome Mine; Trinidad Mine)
Castro No. 2 Claim (Castro Group)
Chorro Creek
Colorado Mine
Cuesta Pass
El Divisadero Mine (Eldivenfaro Mine)
El Prinero Mine
El Salto Mine
Estrella Mine
Hilltop Claim
Homeplace Pit
Jasper Claim
Johnson Ranch Deposit
La Primera Mine (El Primero Mine; Hardface Mine; La Primero Mine)
Laflor Claim
Lanscioni Prospect
Lee Quarry
Lucky Strike Mine
Mescal Mine
Mutual Chrome Mine (Mutual Chance Mine)
New London Mine (London Mine)
Niggerhead Mine
O'Connor Ranch Deposits (Mount Bishop Mine)
Pick And Shovel Group
Questa Prospect
Rodilla Cr Occurrence
San Jose Valley Mine
San Luis Obispo Nickel Occurrence
Santa Clara Deposit
Seeley Group
Single Jack Mine
Sunshine Claims (Keeney; Alviso)
Take A Chance Group
Trinidad Mine
Unnamed Chromite Mine (2)
Unnamed Ni Occurrence (1)

Latitude: 35°21'5"N
Longitude: 120°41'13"W
Decimal Degree (lat, lon): 35.351388888889,-120.68694444444

AThis mineral is Anthropogenic.
GThis mineral is directly dated.
BThis mineral is reported as having this age.
YThis mineral is using an age reported as an element mineralization period.
OThis mineral is using an age calculated from all data at the locality.
RThe age displayed for this mineral originates from a different, non-child locality.
PThe age displayed for this mineral is the range of ages for this mineral at all of this locality's children.
This mineral's age has not yet been recorded.

This Mineral list contains entries from this locality, including sub-localities. Minerals in bold are reported by mindat.org as occurring directly at this locality, and do not occur at any children (sublocalities) of this locality.

Elements at this locality, including sub-localities: C Ca Cr Cu Fe H Mg Mn O S Si 

Elements from minerals reported directly at this locality: 

Structural Groups for minerals in this locality: 
AmorphousAmphiboleCalciteChalcopyriteCopperNoneSpinel

7 IMA Minerals at location:
Chalcopyrite  (*)Chromite  (*)Copper  (*)Magnesiochromite  (*)Opal  (*)
Rhodochrosite  (*)Tremolite  (*)
Mineral nameStructural GroupsIMA FormulaMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)# of Sublocalities containing mineralLOCALITY IDs, not mindat ids# of localities containing mineral
Chalcopyrite  (*)ChalcopyriteCuFeS2117560327198
Chromite  (*)SpinelFe2+Cr2O416316320175606,175608,175610,175612,175614,175616,175617,175620,175621,175623,175624,175627,175628,175629,175630,175633,175634,175635,175637,1756533902
Copper  (*)CopperCu11756023846
Magnesiochromite  (*)SpinelMgCr2O41631635175599,175604,175607,175611,175627311
Opal  (*)AmorphousSiO2·nH2O11756112994
Rhodochrosite  (*)CalciteMn(CO3)11756251711
Tremolite  (*)Amphibole   Ca2(Mg5.0-4.5Fe2+0.0-0.5)Si8O22(OH)211756112562



7 Ages assigned to this locality:

Excel IDMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)Age as listed in referenceDating MethodAge InterpretPrioritized?Sample SourceSample NumRun NumAge from other LocalityDated MineralMinerals explicitely stated as having this ageAge applies to these ElementsMinDat Locality IDDated Locality (Max Age)Location as listed in referenceReferenceReference DOIReference IDAge Notes
podchrome-00005163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91783Castro Mine (Castro Chrome Mine; Trinidad Mine), Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USACastroMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00009163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91932Pick And Shovel Mine (Pick A Shovel Mine; Safety Chrome Mine; Safety Mine), Cuesta Pass, Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USAPick and ShovelMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00006163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91870La Primera Mine (El Primero Mine; Hardface Mine; La Primero Mine), Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USAEl PrimeroMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00015163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91888Lucky Strike Mine, Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USALucky StrikeMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00007163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91915New London Mine (London Mine), Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USANew LondonMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00010163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr91992Sunshine Claims (Keeney; Alviso), Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USASunshineMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 
podchrome-00008163163Middle Jurassic (163.3±1.1 Ma, U-Pb apatite-feldspar isochron in gabbro)       Cr92000Trinidad Mine, Chorro, Santa Lucia Mts (Santa Lucia Range), San Luis Obispo Co., California, USATrinidadMoiser et al. (2012) USGSSIR2012_5157 


SampleSource LocalityReference URL


All locality data graciously provided by mindat.org

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