Purebase Corporation (OTCQB: PUBC), a natural resource development company headquartered in Sutter Creek, California hosted an educational guided field tour of the Ione mineral reserve for the UC Davis Soil Genesis, Morphology & Classification Course (SSC 120).

Dr. Rebecca Lybrand, an Associate Professor in the Department of Land, Air, & Water Resources at UC Davis, teaches the Soil Genesis course that centers on students recognizing and describing soils in the field and identifying the chemical, biological, and physical processes of soil formation in diverse ecosystems.

The field tour focused on introducing students to the economic and societal importance of the Ione Formation, with an emphasis on kaolinite clay deposits, the highly weathered Ione soils, and the formation of ironstone. Students learned about the formation of the geologic units, the age of the deposits as well as the industrial uses and applications of such clay minerals following extraction from the field.

With the tour guided by CEO Scott Dockter, US Mine Corp Senior Geologist, Chris Strong, and Purebase Director of Sales and Corporate Development, David Harvey, the students were able to witness the operations related to the extraction of kaolinite clay in the mining process while also learning about the societal uses of the silica sand and heavy mineral concentrate sands that also inhabit the property.

“This field trip provided our class with the unique and exciting opportunity to observe kaolinite clay mineral deposits and soils formed in a tropical paleoclimate right here in California! We had a great time spending the afternoon out in the field with the team,” Professor Lybrand said. “It is incredibly important for students to see first-hand the direct relevance and applications of concepts we cover in class. Many thanks to Purebase Corporation for making this opportunity possible!”