Qualla: Hector Mine https://qualla.com/hector-mine en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:11 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Hector Mine https://qualla.com/hector-mine Hector Mine: Introduction https://qualla.com/hector-mine/ A mineral and an earthquake share the name of a mine that sits along the old Route 66 corridor in the central Mojave. Hectorite — a lithium-bearing clay with industrial applications — was named for Hector Mine. So was the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the region in 1999. The mine itself came first, discovered in 1931 by prospectors looking for bentonite.

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]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/j/j/hector-mine-wp/9qjj-hector-mine-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Hector Mine: Found by Bentonite Hunters https://qualla.com/hector-mine/ Bentonite is an absorbent clay formed from volcanic ash, used in drilling fluids, cat litter, waterproofing, and dozens of industrial applications. In 1931, prospectors searching the Mojave for bentonite deposits found something different at the site that would become Hector Mine...

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]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/j/j/hector-mine-wp/9qjj-hector-mine-found-by-bentonite-hunters.mp3 0:06 2 full Hector Mine: The Flood and the Shift https://qualla.com/hector-mine/ In 1961, the mine flooded. Mining operations that encounter groundwater face difficult choices: pump the water out continuously, find another way to access the ore, or abandon the affected workings. At Hector Mine, the flooding altered the operational picture significantly. The c...

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]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/j/j/hector-mine-wp/9qjj-hector-mine-the-flood-and-the-shift.mp3 0:06 3 full Hector Mine: The 1999 Earthquake https://qualla.com/hector-mine/ On October 16, 1999, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Mojave Desert. The earthquake originated on the Lavic Lake fault system, in terrain near the mine, and geologists named it the Hector Mine earthquake — following the convention of naming earthquakes for the nearest signif...

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]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/j/j/hector-mine-wp/9qjj-hector-mine-the-1999-earthquake.mp3 0:06 4 full