Mountain Pass, California
Encyclopedia
Mountain Pass is an unincorporated community
in San Bernardino County
, California
, United States
. It is situated on Interstate 15
in the southeast mountainous desert region of the state approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) from the Nevada
border at an elevation of 4730 feet (1,441.7 m) - the highest point along I-15 between California and Nevada. It has a population of 30.
The most prominent feature of the town, and its reason for existence, is the Mountain Pass rare earth mine
, an open pit mine for rare earth elements. The mine and its associated processing facilities, which are owned by Molycorp Minerals, are currently undergoing expansion and modernization, and are expected to be back up to full production in 2011.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is situated on Interstate 15
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...
in the southeast mountainous desert region of the state approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) from the Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
border at an elevation of 4730 feet (1,441.7 m) - the highest point along I-15 between California and Nevada. It has a population of 30.
The most prominent feature of the town, and its reason for existence, is the Mountain Pass rare earth mine
Mountain Pass rare earth mine
The Mountain Pass rare earth mine is an open-pit mine of rare earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range and just north of the unincorporated community of Mountain Pass, California, United States. The mine, owned by Molycorp Inc., once supplied most of the world's rare earth...
, an open pit mine for rare earth elements. The mine and its associated processing facilities, which are owned by Molycorp Minerals, are currently undergoing expansion and modernization, and are expected to be back up to full production in 2011.