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James A. Pitkin

Publications and source records attributed to James A. Pitkin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Mineral resource potential and geology of the Routt National Forest and the Middle Park Ranger District of the Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, with a section on salable minerals

The assessment of the mineral resource potential of the Routt National Forest and the Middle Park Ranger District of the Arapaho National Forest, Colorado, was conducted so that the mineral resources of the forest can be considered along with other resources in land use planning. This report discusses the potential for as yet undiscovered mineral and energy resources within the forest. Mineral resource information is given in terms of mineral deposit types and their geologic settings, and mineral deposit types are defined by geologic characteristics of known deposits that may occur within or near the forest. All available information regarding mineral deposits or occurrences and energy resources, as of June 1994, was assembled to assess the mineral and energy potential. Geologic maps were compiled and mineral and energy potential maps were also created for deposit types within the forest.

Colorado↗

Potential mineral resources, Payette National Forest, Idaho: Description and probabilistic estimation

The Payette National Forest (PNF), in west-central Idaho, is geologically diverse and contains a wide variety of mineral resources. Mineral deposit types are grouped into locatable, leasable, and salable categories. The PNF has substantial past production and identified resources of locatable commodities, including gold, silver, copper, zinc, tungsten, antimony, mercury, and opal. Minor lignitic coal is the only leasable mineral resource known to be present in the PNF. Resources of salable commodities in the PNF include sand-and-gravel, basalt for crushed-rock aggregate, and minor gypsum. Locatable mineral resources are geographically divided between eastern and western parts of the PNF. The western PNF lies west of the Riggins-to-Cascade highway (US 95 - Idaho 55), and the eastern PNF is east of that highway. The western and eastern parts of the PNF are geologically distinctive and have different types of locatable mineral deposits, so their locatable mineral resources are described separately. Within the western and eastern parts of the PNF, locatable deposit types generally are described in order of decreasing geologic age. An expert panel delineated tracts considered geologically permissive and (or) favorable for the occurrence of undiscovered mineral deposits of types that are known to be present within or near the PNF. The panel also estimated probabilities for undiscovered deposits, and used numerical simulation, based on tonnage-grade distribution models, to derive estimates of in-situ metals contained. These estimates are summarized in terms of mean and median measures of central tendency. Most grade and tonnage distributions appear to be log-normal, with the median lower than the mean. Inasmuch as the mean is influenced by the largest deposits in the model tonnage-grade distribution, the median provides a lower measure of central tendency and a more conservative estimation of undiscovered resources.

Idaho↗

Mineral Resources of the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona

The Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ-020-037/043), for which a mineral survey was requested by the U.S. Bureau of land Management, encompasses 40,118 acres in northwestern Arizona. Fieldwork was carried out in 1986-88 by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey to appraise the identified (known) resources and assess the mineral resource potential (undiscovered) of the wilderness study area. Within the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area are 14 private parcels of land totaling 1,315 acres. The Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, including the 14 private parcels of land, is herein referred to as the 'wilderness study area' or the 'study area'. The Boriana, Antler, and Copper World mines lie near the east boundary of the study area. The Boriana mine was a major tungsten-producing mine of the United States during World War II. The Antler and Copper World mines produced relatively small amounts of copper and zinc prior to 1970. Copper and zinc were mined within 100 ft of the study area at the Antler mine. The Antler mine contains subeconomic resources of 350,000 to 400,000 short tons of copper-zinc ore; a minimum of 2,000 short tons, at grades of 1 to 4 percent copper and 1 to 2 percent zinc, lie within the study area. No other mineral resources were identified within the study area. Four small tracts in the eastern part and one in the central part of the study area have high resource potential for copper, zinc, and minor lead, silver, and gold in massive sulfide deposits. A large central tract and two eastern tracts have moderate resource potential for the same metals. An eastern and a western tract within the wilderness study area have high resource potential for tungsten, copper, and combinations of beryllium, gold, silver, arsenic, bismuth, molybdenum, tin, indium, thorium, niobium, yttrium, lanthanum, scandium, tantalum, rhenium, lead, zinc, and iron in granite-related tungsten-polymetallic vein deposits. Most of the rest of the study area has moderate resource potential for these metals. A northern tract in the study area has moderate resource potential for gold, copper, and combinations of silver, zinc, lead, tungsten, and molybdenum in polymetallic vein deposits of several types.

Bulletin↗

Mineral Resources of the Warm Springs Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, approximately 113,500 acres of the Warm Springs Wilderness Study Area (AZ-020-028/029) were evaluated for mineral resources and mineral resource potential. In this report, the area studied is referred to as the 'wilderness study area' or 'study area'; any reference to the Warm Springs Wilderness Study Area refers only to that part of the wilderness study area for which a mineral survey was requested. This study area is located in west-central Arizona. The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys to appraise the identified mineral resources (known) and assess the mineral resource potential (undiscovered) of the study area. fieldwork for this report was carried out largely in 1986-1989. There is a 1-million short ton indicated subeconomic resource of clinoptilolite-mordenite zeolite and an additional inferred resource of 2 million short tons near McHeffy Butte, approximately 2 miles west of the study area. A perlite deposit in the southeast corner of the study area contains an inferred subeconomic resource totaling 13 million short tons. An inferred subeconomic resource of gold in 225 short tons of quartz having a grade of 0.01 8 troy ounces per short ton is present at the Cook mine, 0.5 miles west of the study area. The northwestern part of the Warm Springs Wilderness Study Area has high mineral resource potential for gold and silver. The south-central part of the study area has one area of moderate and one area north of this south-central part has low mineral resource potential for gold and silver in and near Warm Springs Canyon; the mineral resource potential for gold is also moderate in three small areas in the southern part and one area in the northeastern part of the study area. The mineral resource potential for zeolite is high for the area surrounding the McHeffy Butte prospect and for one area in the southern part of the study area. Two areas inside the south and southeast boundaries of the study area have high mineral resource potential for perlite. The potential for ka: olinite resources is moderate in two areas in the southern part of the study area. The southern part of the study area has low resource potential for perlite and zeolite. Geothermal energy resource potential of the study area is low. The study area has no resource potential for oil and gas.

Bulletin↗

Interpretation of an aerial radiometric survey of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area and vicinity, San Bernardino County, California

The aerial radiometric data for the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area show slight correlation with mapped geology and contain no information of economic significance. Precambrian and modified Precambrian crystalline rocks have more eTh compared to Mesozoic plutonic rocks and one rock unit mapped as a pluton has slightly more K. These rocks have essentially uniform ratios of eU/eTh and eU/K despite their different origins. The ratios and also show that part of the granodiorite of Manzanita Springs could be somewhat deficient in eTh and K. It is concluded that the mapped radioelement distributions are within reasonable limits for the rock types involved, and there is no immediate evidence on any anomalous concentrations of radioactive minerals within the Wilderness Area.

California↗

Aerial radiometric and magnetic surveys, Snowy Range Wilderness Study Area and contiguous area, southeastern Wyoming

The Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, Sept. 3, 1964) and related acts require the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines to survey certain areas on Federal lands to determine their mineral resource potential. Results must be made available to the public and be submitted to the Administration and the Congress. This report presents the results of a geophysical survey of the Snowy Range Wilderness Study Area and Contiguous Area, Wyoming.

Wyoming↗

Interpretation of an aerial radiometric and magnetic survey of the Salmo-Priest study area (RARE E6-981 A1-981), Pend Oreille County, Washington and Boundary County, Idaho

An aerial radiometric and magnetic survey of the Salmo-Priest study area (RARE E6-981) (index map) was made by the U.S. Geological Survey during October, 1978. Geophysical data from the survey will be used in the assessment of the mineral-resource potential of the study area. The Salmo-Priest area is located in northeastern Washington and northern Idaho and the north edge is the United States-Canadian boundary. This report presents the data obtained by the survey and an interpretation of the data.

Idaho, Washington↗

Airborne gamma-ray spectrometry survey of the Jabal Sayid area, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

An airborne gamma-ray spectrometer survey covering 2750 km 2 in the Jabal Sayid area, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was flown to measure anomalous concentrations of potassium in a known mineral belt. No anomalies were detected over the Jabal Sayid copper prospect, although part of the prospect is within a radioactive, high-dispersion halo associated with the Jabal Sayid granitic pluton. Anomalous potassium concentrations were detected in several areas north of the mine at Mand adh Dhahab and over the rhyolitic rocks of the mine itself. Count-rate ratios of the potassium (K 40 ), uranium (Bi 214) and thorium (Tl 208 ), reached a high of 24:1 for K:Th, and 11.6:1 for K:U. Count-rate ratios over granitic rocks are generally much lower. Areas of anomalous potassium correlate with rhyolitic rocks in some places. Other potassium anomalies have no known explanation, but may reflect unmapped potassium-rich rocks and(or) zones of hydrothermal alteration. These anomalies are considered as potential targets for further exploration, but ground follow-up investigations will be necessary to ascertain the exact cause of the anomalies.

Jabal Sayid area↗

Calibration constants for the Geodata International, Inc., and Texas Instruments, Inc.: High sensitivity systems used for the ERDA aerial gamma-ray surveys

The radiometric data from the ERDA aerial gamma-ray surveys have been presented in the form of count rates proportional to the apparent, average surface concentrations of potassium (K), equivalent uranium (eU), and equivalent thorium (eTh). Data from a U.S. Geological Survey calibrated, truck-mounted gamma-ray spectrometer have been used to estimate calibration constants that can be used to convert the count rate data to absolute concentration units--percent K, parts per million (ppm) eU, and ppm eTh. Calibration constants for the gamma-ray systems of Geodata International, Inc. and of Texas Instruments, Inc. as they were configured prior to September 1976 are presented.

Open-File Report↗