CALIFORNIA

The Panamint Mountains are an uplifted block of ancient Precambrian to Cambrian metamorphic and sedimentary rocks intruded by small Mesozoic granitic plutons. The largest plutons include the granite of Manly Peak (outcrop area: approximately 20 square miles), the pluton near the site of Panamint (located near the center of the range), and the granite pluton near Skidoo and Harrisburg (located just south of Tucki Mountain). Tertiary volcanic rocks occur on the southernmost spur of the Panamint Range, south of Manly Peak. This exposure is part of a large volcanic field (outcrop area: approximately 100 square miles) that stretches from the Panamint Valley (just south of Manly Peak) eastward to Death Valley. A much smaller exposure of Tertiary volcanics occurs on

the northeastern flank of the range, just north of Trail Canyon Road. As previously mentioned, the Panamints are mostly composed of Precambrian to Cambrian metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. For the most part, the western flank of the range is made up of ancient Precambrian metamorphic and sedimentary basement rock while the eastern flank is mostly composed of slightly younger Precambrian to Cambrian marine sediments. Two large uplifted wedges of younger Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian sedimentary rocks are exposed in the northern and northeastern parts of the range. The largest exposure of these early Paleozoic sediments occurs on the northeastern flank of Tucki Mountain.

The Panamint Range is home to a number of mineralized zones which have produced a stream of precious metals. Consequently, the range does offer some potential for future strikes. The eastern flank of the range is predominantly composed of ancient Precambrian to Cambrian marine sediments while the western flank is made up of Precambrian metamorphic and sedimentary basement rock. A large exposure of younger Paleozoic sedimentary rocks occurs on the northeastern flank of Tucki Mountain. This wedge of

Paleozoic sediments ranges in age from Ordovician to Devonian. If indeed Stewart's Lost Lode is located somewhere on the Death Valley side of the Panamints, then it is probably hosted in the early Paleozoic sediments that dominate this part of the range. Prospectors may therefore want to concentrate on the many canyons and ravines that slice the northeastern and eastern flanks of the range. The search for gold-bearing quartz float would certainly be facilitated by the use of metal-detectors.