144 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
 
appraisal of mineral deposits in the Emigrant Basin and Salmon-Trinity Alps
Primitive Areas, proposed as Wilderness Areas, continued as a cooperative
effort with the U.S. Geological Survey. Sampling and mapping of the known
tungsten deposits in Emigrant Basin were completed. Literature and claim
record searches were continued on the SalmonTrinity Alps area and a list
of claims and mines compiled. 
 The San Francisco office also began a study to provide the necessary information
and forecasts regarding the mineral industry in the California hydrologic
re 
gion for an interagency Type I Comprehensive Framework Study. The project
was undertaken as a part of the Bureau's continuing participation in River
Basin Studies. 
 The Region II Field Office, Office of Minerals Exploration (OME), U.S. Geological
Survey, received 17 applications from persons interested in exploring for
minerals in California under the OME program. Of these, 11 applications were
processed and three contracts were let. At yearend, seven contracts were
active, two of which were continued from 1966. 
 
REVIEW BY MINERAL COMMODITIES 
 
MINERAL FUELS3 
 
 Carbon Black.—Overall production of carbon black dropped 20 percent
from the 1966 total. Decreases were reported for all grades except SAF (super
abrasion furnace) with thermal black having the largest decline. Sales a1so
were lower. Shell Chemical Co. produced thermal black from natural gas as
a byproduct of hydrogen production in an ammonia-base fertilizer plant at
Pittsburg, Contra Costa County. In Kern County, Continental Carbon Co. at
Bakersfield, and United Carbon Co., Inc. at Mojave, each produced several
grades of carbon black from liquid hydrocarbons. Output averaged 9.52 pounds
of thermal black per .thousand cubic feet from natural gas and 5.08 pounds
of carbon black per gallon from 
* liquid hydrocarbons. Plant outputs were used by the rubber, metal, and
chemical industries. 
 
 Carbon Dioxide.—Getty Oil Co., formerly Tidewater Oil Co., and Standard
Oil Co. of California extracted carbon dioxide from natural gas in natural
gasoline plants near Taft, Kern County. Plant output by Getty was unchanged
from 1966 and was sold for use in carbonated beverages. Standard removed
the gas to meet natural gas pipeline specifications but did not market the
carbon dioxide. 
 
 Coal (Lignite) .—American Lignite Products Co., Inc., California's
only lignite producer, strip-mined lignite from beds in the lone area, Amador
County. Production rose appreciably but the unit value of the lignite dropped
slightly, corn- 
pared with that of 1966. The company processed the mine output to recover
several grades of wax, which were sold for a wide variety of industrial uses.

 
 Coke.—Kaiser Steel Corp. at Fontana, San Bernardino County, operated
California's only coking facility. The coke was consumed in company ' blast
furnaces and coke breeze was used in the company agglomerating plant. Consumption
of coke declined 2 percent while that of coke breeze increased 2 percent,
compared with 1966 levels. The coking coal was obtained from captive mines
outside the State. 
 
 Natural Gas.—Marketed production of natural gas declined 5 percent
from that in 1966 with 58 percent of the output coming from oil zones. Dry-gas
production from 962 wells at 101 fields in 22 counties averaged 766 million
cubic feet daily, down nearly 13 percent from that of 1966. There were 89
new gas wells, 27 more than in 1966. Fields with the largest number of new
wells were Rio Vista (11), Solano County; Harvester (6), Kings County; Grimes
(5), Sutter County; and Sherman Island (5), Sacramento County. Four fields—Malton
(Glenn County), Merrit Island (Yolo County), Denverton Creek (Solano County),
and Sherman Island—discovered in earlier years, began producing in
1967. Of the four, Malton was the most important discovery. Rio Vista continued
to be the State's largest gasfield. 
 
 Prepared by Calvin H. Riggs, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineer, Bureau
of Mines, San Francisco, Calif.