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Sparkle, California

42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1897 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the Central Contra Costa census division. It lies in ZIP code area 94597. The Survey maps it on the Walnut Creek quadrangle. It stands 85 feet above sea level.

Sparkle within Contra Costa County

Then and now

1897 to 1995

The same ground, surveyed 98 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Sparkle, surveyed 1995
Topographic sheet of Sparkle, surveyed 1897

Topographic sheets covering this place

21 surveys from 42 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

457 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 457 fires within 5 miles of Sparkle between 1992 and 2020, burning about 766 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 68 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined174
Smoking77
Arson/incendiarism68
Equipment and vehicle use66
Misuse of fire by a minor47
Debris and open burning17
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Natural3
Recreation and ceremony2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
8 September 2008Debris and open burningunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2010Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2010Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2008Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Contra Costa County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 27 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 27 workings within 5 miles of Sparkle: 9 occurrences, 6 past producers, 5 prospects, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone, Calcium, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Arroyo Del Cerro ProspectsAsbestosOccurrence
Clark & SonsClayProspect
CowellLimestone, DimensionUnknown
Cowell SilverSilverUnknown
Cowell Silver Sand Co., LawsSilicaProducerSand
Mitchell Canyon ProspectCopperProspect
Mt. Diablo Lime Marl Co.Limestone, GeneralOccurrenceSedimentary
N. M. Ball SonsSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Silver SandSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Henry Cowell Lime & Cement Co.CalciumPast Producer

Every working recorded in Contra Costa County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Contra Costa Centre0.1 miles42
Waldon0.1 miles42
Las Juntas0.3 miles42
Bancroft0.6 miles42
Hookston0.9 miles42
Pleasant Hill1.4 miles42
Walnut Creek1.6 miles42
Meinert1.9 miles42

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikidata item Q7573667The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1659836. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.