928:"This monument commemorates two wagon routes used by the Searles brothers to haul borax from their plant on Borax Lake (now Searles Lake) to the railhead at Mojave. The southern route traveled west of the Trona Pinnacles to Searles' freight station at Garden City. This is the present route of the Trona Railway which connects with the Union Pacific at Searles Station. Garden City was a virtual oasis, providing food and shelter for the teamsters and a barn accommodating 100 mules. The western route went through Salt Wells Canyon (Poison Canyon) to a dry station one mile from the head of the canyon and on to garden City where both routes joined. It then continued through Garlock and connected with the road to Mojave. Erected 2000 by Billy Holcomb Chapter No. 1069, E Clampus Vitus in cooperation with Searles Valley Historical Society."
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plants. Minerals are crystallized from the brines, screened, washed, and dried. The crystals are then baked in rotary kilns to drive off water molecules locked in the crystalline structure. Some recrystallization may be required to achieve a desired composition and granular density. This complex
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NO. 774 SEARLES LAKE BORAX DISCOVERY - John
Searles discovered borax on the nearby surface of Searles Lake in 1862. With his brother Dennis, he formed the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company in 1873 and operated it until 1897. The chemicals in Searles Lake-borax, potash, soda ash, salt cake, and
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extraction process at the three plants is generally referred to as fractional crystallization. It includes the treatment of brines through carbonation extraction, refrigeration extraction and/or solvent extraction. Salt is also harvested from the lake surface and from solar ponds.
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range in depth from near-surface to over 330 ft (100 m) below the salt pan. A network of production wells, injection wells, solar ponds and piping are used in the production and treatment of the brines.
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The stratigraphic record at
Searles Lake shows that it once held brackish water as deep as 200 m (660 ft). Fluctuations in lake levels correspond to the advances and retreats of glaciers in the
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classes of mineralogy. The manufacture of industrial minerals involves a complex solution mining operation in which naturally occurring brines are pumped from wells completed in several salt beds. The
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Range. Thirty major lake levels occurred during the last 150,000 years, represented by a sequence of salt and mud beds. The precipitation of minerals occurred during long periods of lake evaporation.
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lithium-were deposited here by the runoff waters from melting ice-age glaciers, John
Searles' discovery has proved to be the world's richest chemical storehouse, containing half the natural elements
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basin is approximately 19 km (12 mi) long and 13 km (8.1 mi) at its widest point, yielding 1.7 million tons annually of industrial minerals within the basin to the
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was first produced from the dry lake surface in 1873 by John
Searles's San Bernardino Borax Mining Company. Searles was the first to haul borax using the famous
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Map showing the system of once-interconnected
Pleistocene lakes in eastern California (USGS)
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Commodities produced by
Searles Valley Minerals from their Searles Lake operations include
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542:#774, with a plaque at the roadside rest area in Trona. From 1922 to 1928, the
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U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System: Searles Lake
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Cl, one of the few minerals that is considered a carbonate and a sulfate
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U.S. Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System: Searles Lake
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California
Historical Landmarks in San Bernardino County, California
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Mineralogy
Database - Minerals, Locations, Mineral Photos and Data
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californiahistoricallandmarks.com, Searles Lake Borax discovery
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hmdb.org, John & Dennis Searles Wagon Routes 1875 - 1895
530:, refined borax was hauled 175 miles by 20 mule teams from
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824:(rock salt) crystals from Searles Lake. Matrix is minute
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Industrial minerals are extracted from the brines at the
538:. The Searles Lake borax discovery has been designated
980:"California Historical Landmark: San Bernardino County"
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Location of Searles Lake Borax discovery in California
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monument was place to remember the Searles brothers:
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1062:Searles Lake and the Trona Pinnacles - a slideshow
328:mining operations. Searles Lake is bounded by the
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665:. Mineral reserves exceed four billion tons.
546:crossed the Searles Lake on a wooden trestle.
385:, abuts northwest of the dry Searles Lake bed.
361:, a spectacular geologic tufa formation and a
16:Lake in the state of California, United States
1122:Bureau of Land Management areas in California
878:California Historical Landmark marker reads:
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843:California Desert National Conservation Area
534:(now called Searles Lake) to the harbor at
1102:Lakes of San Bernardino County, California
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305:. The lake in the past was also called
901:Dennis Searles in 1890 at Searles Lake
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423:35.7577694444444°N 117.377358333333°W
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1052:Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society
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1047:Discovery of Arsenic Eating Microbe
585:Searles Lake is a huge resource of
428:35.7577694444444; -117.377358333333
645:(borax with five moles of water),
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1112:Former lakes of the United States
303:San Bernardino County, California
129:San Bernardino County, California
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968:mojavedesert.net John W. Searles
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1117:California Historical Landmarks
984:Office of Historic Preservation
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540:California Historical Landmark
445:California Historical Landmark
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1092:Endorheic lakes of California
1057:Satellite Photo (Google Maps)
320:is on its western shore. The
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106:Show map of the United States
1132:Lakes of Southern California
371:Searles Lake Borax discovery
939:List of lakes in California
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1082:Lakes of the Mojave Desert
396:San Bernardino, California
275:not a well-defined measure
244:493 m (1,617 ft)
158:35.7087414°N 117.3209387°W
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363:National Natural Landmark
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1107:Lakes of the Great Basin
1097:Salt flats of California
1036:Minerals of Searles Lake
986:. California State Parks
949:Potash wars (California)
394:Trona Rd at Center St.,
357:The lake is home to the
316:The mining community of
228:13 km (8.1 mi)
163:35.7087414; -117.3209387
893:John W. Searles in 1873
326:Searles Valley Minerals
236:50 km (31 mi)
220:19 km (12 mi)
1127:Pleistocene California
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194:Terminal (evaporation)
76:Show map of California
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1038:at Wikimedia Commons
544:Epsom Salts Monorail
1137:Lakes of California
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338:John Wemple Searles
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460:Reference no.
301:, in northwestern
1034:Media related to
919:The marker reads:
532:Slate Range Playa
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988:. Retrieved
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795:Tincalconite
780:Sulphohalite
681:Aphthitalite
669:Mineral List
636:
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524:20 mule team
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284:Searles Lake
283:
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233:Shore length
100:Searles Lake
70:Searles Lake
22:Searles Lake
841:are in the
770:Schairerite
760:Phillipsite
615:brine wells
426: /
414:117°22′38″W
402:Coordinates
253:Settlements
217:Max. length
161: /
149:117°19′15″W
136:Coordinates
1076:Categories
990:2012-10-12
955:References
790:Thenardite
775:Searlesite
765:Pirssonite
750:Northupite
740:Mirabilite
735:Merlinoite
725:Heulandite
701:Gaylussite
651:boric acid
550:Mineralogy
452:Designated
411:35°45′28″N
311:Borax Lake
263:References
225:Max. width
146:35°42′31″N
826:nahcolite
785:Teepleite
745:Nahcolite
659:salt cake
598:carbonate
591:potassium
536:San Pedro
322:evaporite
288:endorheic
933:See also
730:Feldspar
720:Hanksite
710:Selenite
691:Burkeite
676:Analcime
655:soda ash
594:minerals
559:Hanksite
391:Location
291:dry lake
116:Location
810:Ulexite
805:Tychite
696:Galeite
631:Westend
602:sulfate
596:of the
515:History
344:Geology
297:of the
293:in the
874:Marker
822:halite
715:Halite
706:Gypsum
610:halide
606:borate
587:sodium
528:Mojave
286:is an
820:Pink
800:Trona
708:var:
686:Borax
643:V-Bor
639:borax
627:Trona
623:Argus
520:Borax
330:Argus
318:Trona
201:Basin
39:Argus
35:playa
837:The
755:Opal
663:salt
661:and
629:and
608:and
589:and
565:K(SO
561:, Na
332:and
309:and
175:Type
41:and
573:(CO
463:774
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906:A
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