Recently, I have traveled to an old Marine Base/supply depot in my town. It's 5 minutes away, walking. It was used to supply my area with food and other necessities before World War 2. During the War, it was used as a P.O.W. camp, supply depot(mainly chemicals and Ore), and Marine base. An old guitar teacher of mine lived there with his father during the War. He has confirmed what was there. The depot is currently under going contamination clean up.
As a supply depot, it had large quantities of Manganese and Chromium, both of which are still there. The piles of manganese are approximately 25 feet high in a 40'x40' square. I remember counting 6 of these large piles. There were signs layed astrew with Marine Corps emblems and the details of the Ore piles. Most said "Manganese. Morocco" And then chemical compositions and serial numbers. These piles seemed to lie on an old runway, but I cannot confirm the presence of one.
From climbing these Manganese piles, we spotted the piles of chromite ore. These piles were a bit smaller, 50'x20'x20' and there were 5 or 6 of them. There were no official signs, like there were with the Manganese piles. Only spray-painted peices of wood lying on the ground. It appears to me that they are slowly removing this Ore, and possibly moving it to another depot in my town, which ironically stores the largest stockpile of Mercury in the country.
Here are some satelitte photos of the place:
You can pretty much figure out the border of the depot. The perpindicular roads and train crossings. The manganese piles is the long black strip in the upper left part. The chromium piles are a few rows down from the manganese.
Pictures of the chromite ore can be found here:
The ore is igneous in origin.
Now for the historians here. Why would there be large quantities of chromite ore in a marine base? I do not believe they manufactured anything here or refined any material, but it is possible.
Next time I venture back to the depot I will get pictures of the place.
Andrew
As a supply depot, it had large quantities of Manganese and Chromium, both of which are still there. The piles of manganese are approximately 25 feet high in a 40'x40' square. I remember counting 6 of these large piles. There were signs layed astrew with Marine Corps emblems and the details of the Ore piles. Most said "Manganese. Morocco" And then chemical compositions and serial numbers. These piles seemed to lie on an old runway, but I cannot confirm the presence of one.
From climbing these Manganese piles, we spotted the piles of chromite ore. These piles were a bit smaller, 50'x20'x20' and there were 5 or 6 of them. There were no official signs, like there were with the Manganese piles. Only spray-painted peices of wood lying on the ground. It appears to me that they are slowly removing this Ore, and possibly moving it to another depot in my town, which ironically stores the largest stockpile of Mercury in the country.
Here are some satelitte photos of the place:
You can pretty much figure out the border of the depot. The perpindicular roads and train crossings. The manganese piles is the long black strip in the upper left part. The chromium piles are a few rows down from the manganese.
Pictures of the chromite ore can be found here:
The ore is igneous in origin.
Now for the historians here. Why would there be large quantities of chromite ore in a marine base? I do not believe they manufactured anything here or refined any material, but it is possible.
Next time I venture back to the depot I will get pictures of the place.
Andrew
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