Kernite

specimen number:
2133241

location:
Kramer deposit, Kern Co., California, USA

description:
Colorless gemmy prismatic loose crystal. In good condition and quite choice for the species.

The Kramer Borate deposit, located near Boron in Kern County, California, is one of the most significant borate occurrences in the world. Geologically, it is a non-marine, lacustrine sedimentary deposit hosted within the Miocene-aged Ricardo Group, where massive beds of borate minerals formed in a restricted basin through volcanic and hydrothermal enrichment. This locality is the type locality for the mineral kernite, a sodium borate hydroxide mineral that was discovered here in 1926. Kernite typically forms as very large, colorless to white, transparent-to-translucent crystals with a distinct fibrous cleavage, often found in close association with tincal (borax) and ulexite. Historically, commercial mining began shortly after the discovery of the ore body in the 1920s, transitioning from underground methods to a massive open-pit operation known as the Boron Mine in 1957. Managed primarily by the Pacific Coast Borax Company and later Rio Tinto Borates, the mine has been in continuous operation for nearly a century and remains a global leader in the production of boron compounds for industrial use.

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