The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-06-20
New Gem Stone Found Near Utah.
Nevada Line---AttrdCtS Much Attention

no copper present and the claims
We're abandoned II is the purpose of
the present article to briefly describe
this new gem material together with
its geological occurrence, writes L.
r. Zalinski in the Engineering and
Mining journal.
The name .Amatrice" was given
10 1t by the owners because IL is
fittingly descriptive of the stones. II
is derived from .matriee" a sy-
nonym for matrfS. prefixed by the
letter A of the word American TO
denote their American origin. Up
To date they have been found ar only
one locality in Utah. though yarie-
ty of a different type is found at an
other point.
In Mineral Resources" for 1894
sixteenth annual report of the United
States geological survey. part /, page
602. mention is made OF a compact
nodular yariscite found in Clay can
yOn about two miles south of Mereur
Utah. The name Utahlite was sug-
gested for this occurrence of yaris-
cite. but il is also known as ehlor-
utahlite. The amatrice locality is
about twenty miles northwest of Mer-
cur and is mentioned under utahlite
in Mineral Resources" for 1905,
pages 1923 and 1850. as new oc-
currence of this gem stone. The
vaniscite here. however. differs in
its physical character from that in
the Clay canyon occurrence, and part
ly on this account and also from the
very similar TO the "utahite." basic
ferric sulphate found in the Tintie
district, the name amatrice was given
to the variscite and associated min
erals. from the locality under consid-
Grafton. The gem Is described by
Douglas y. Sterrett in the advance
chapter from Mineral Resources
for 1907. pages ~ and 43, under the
heading "Amatrice or Nariscite
Matrix.
The amatrice mines are situated
in Tooele county, about forty miles
southwest of Salt Lake City and about
eight or nine miles west of Stockton,
on the San Pedro, Los Angeles Il
Salt Lake Railroad The property
ground slopes from Amatrice hill
lies i'm the foot hills of the Stansbury
range. on the eastern slope, Few
hundred feet above the valley. the
easterly over the old lake-bed ter
races toward the railroad. Amatrice
hill is a small rounded knob Oh
elliptical shape. with greatest Length
north and south. II rises 2OO teet
above the ad jacent bench lands on
the northwest side OF Rush valley,
and lies about one and one-half miles
north of Hickman canyon. BY bar
omefer the altitude is 300 feet
The surroundings are arid. but some
dry farming is done In the heigh-
borhood. No water exists on me
properly and at present 1t Is hauieo
distance of sixteen miles.
The country rock In the neighbor-
hood of the amatrlce deposits Is lime
stone of a light grayish color with
numerous silicious and cherry por-
tions which weather out above the
softer stone forming Jumps and nod
ule Where freshly broken ,ne rock
* dark blue. Amatrice Is found In
certain beds of this cherry limestone
20 degrees west (magnetlc reading)
and dip 10 80 degrees west
Northeast OF Amatrice hill ON tne
foot-wall side of the amatrice beds
sllicious limestone appears, but nor
NAL limestone is again exposed In
small guleh The ground rises
form here and the rock becomes more
silicious going up the hill. passing
! through the beds of granular quart
ute or sandy silelous limestone 10
typical quartzite at the top of the
rise. A bed of the latter outcropf
l.
prom nently about 3 feet above the
surface and for several hundred feet
in length. All beds are comformabie
to the amatrice bearing limestone
So far no amatrloa has been found