The U.S. Geological Survey drilled test holes on several playas in the California Desert Conservation Area to make an appraisal of leasable mineral resources. Data from Franklin Lake were obtained for critical evaluation of various hypotheses concerning the occurrence and distribution of lithium and for the possible identification of other nonpegmatic lithium resources. Franklin Lake and Alkali Flat (AF-1) refer to the same locality. For uniformity, AF-1 is used to designate this hole and the

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... companying samples. This report describes the lithology and lithium content of the sediments that were penetrated. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Drilling was completed by a reverse-circulation rotary drilling rig contracted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, under the supervision of J. Calzia (Calzia and others, 1978). Sample collection and field identification were done by Alan Wanek. Emission spectrographic analyses and atomic absorption spectrographic analyses for lithium were performed by Fred Lichte and B. F. Arbogast, respectively. Whole-rock and clay-mineral identification were determined by X-ray powder diffraction by J. D. Morgan and M. P. Pantea. Water analyses were performed by the U.S. Geological Survey laboratory in Denver, Colorado.