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Critical minerals in zinc ore—An update on Earth Mapping Resources Initiative Research in the Boulder Batholith region, Montana

Plain Language Summary U.S. Geological Survey research, in collaboration with Montana Technical University and Montana Bureau of Geology and Mines, is providing key critical mineral information that may have potential for critical mineral production of several mining districts in the Boulder Batholith region, to better understand the abundance and distribution of natural resources within this region. Continued research can be used to show the potential for previously undiscovered critical mineral resources in southwestern Montana and in other parts of the United States.

Montana↗

Reconnaissance of the water resources of Beaver County, Oklahoma

Ground water is the major source of water supply in Beaver County. Because of the rapidly increasing demand for the limited supply of water for irrigation, additional geologic and hydrologic data are needed for management of ground-water resources. This report presents general information on the availability of ground water, on the chemical quality of water, and on streamflow. The chemical quality of water generally is poorer than that of water elsewhere in the Oklahoma Panhandle, and the ability to obtain good quality water may become increasingly difficult as the water resources are developed. Further studies are needed to determine the annual change in water levels, the rate of water-level decline in heavily pumped areas, the volume of water stored in the ground-water reservoir, and the quantity of water that may be withdrawn safely in a given area.

Oklahoma↗

Water resources of the Rainy Lake watershed, northeastern Minnesota

The watershed includes 1,481 lakes that are 10 acres (4 square hectometers) or larger (Minnesota Division of Waters, Soils, and Minerals, 1968). The area of these lakes total about 435,000 acres (176,000 hm 2 ) or 15 percent of the watershed. Most of the lakes are smaller than 250 acres (101 hm 2 ) (graph); data pertaining to selected large lakes are given in the table below. More than 60 percent of the lakes larger than 10 acres (4 hm 2 ) are in the BWCA. The primitive character of the BWCA is maintained in accordance with the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964. Most lakes not in the BWCA were assigned a Public Waters Classification by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, based upon the suitability of the lake for future shoreland development (unpublished data from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources). “Natural environment” is most restrictive and “general development” least restrictive with respect to development standards. About 80 percent of lakes classified in the watershed have been designated “natural environment.”

Minnesota↗

Water resources of the Westfield and Farmington River basins, Massachusetts

A hydrologic study of the Westfield and Farmington River basins in Massachusetts was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, Division of Water Resources, from 1984 to 1986. The study was the final part of a statewide basin-by-basin investigations program designed to provide baseline information on the State's water resources. The objectives of this report are to: (1) delineate the stratified-drift aquifers of the Westfield and Farmington River basins and present descriptions of their water-yielding characteristics; (2) describe low-flow characteristics, regulation, and diversion of streamflow in the basins; and (3) characterize the quality of ground water and surface water in the basins. The report shows the transmissivity of unconsolidated materials, the availability of ground water, and the surficial geology of the area on a 1:48,000-scale map. High- and low-flow analysis, regional flood-flow equations, diversions, water quality, and water use are also described.

Hydrologic Atlas↗

Summary appraisal of water resources in the Redmond quadrangle, Sanpete and Sevier Counties, Utah

This map was compiled in conjunction with an energy-related geologic-mapping project on the Redmond Quadrangle (Witkind, 1980) in order to show the general availability and chemical quality of water in the area. The map is based chiefly on data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey under a continuing cooperative program with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, and on cursory field observations by the writer. Most of the existing fata are in reports of Carpenter and Young (1963), Hahl and Cabell (1965), Young and Carpenter (1965) and Hahl and Mundorff (1968). Additional information about water and related land resources in the map area may be found in a report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1969). The map is intended for general planning purposes only and needs to be used with discretion. Detailed site-specific information about the availability and quality of water or about water-related problems can be gained only by special on-site investigations.

Utah↗

Maps showing mineral resource assessment for skarn deposits of gold, silver, copper, tungsten, and iron in the Butte 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, Montana

The purpose of this report is to assess the potential for undiscovered skarn deposits of gold, silver, copper, tungsten, and iron in the Butte 1 °X2° quadrangle. Other deposit types have been assessed and reports for each of the following have been prepared: Vein and replacement deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, ·manganese, and tungsten; porphyry-stockwork deposits of copper, molybdenum, and tungsten; stockwork-disseminated deposits of gold and silver; placer deposits of gold; and miscellaneous deposit types including strata-bound deposits of copper and silver in rocks of the Middle Proterozoic Belt Supergroup, phosphate deposits in the Permian Phosporia Formation, and deposits of barite and fluorite. The Butte quadrangle, in west-central Montana, is one of the most mineralized and productive mining regions in the U.S. Its mining districts, including the world famous Butte or Summit Valley district, have produced a variety of metallic and nonmetallic mineral commodities valued at more than $6.4 billion (at the time of production). Because of its importance as a mineral producing region, the Butte quadrangle was selected for study by the U.S. Geological Survey under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP). Under this program, new data on geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geochronology, mineral resources, and remote sensing were collected and synthesized. The field and laboratory studies were supported, in part, by funding from the Geologic Framework and Synthesis Program and the Wilderness Program. The methods used in resource assessment include a compilation of all data into data sets, the development of an occurrence model for skarn deposits in the quadrangle, and the analysis of data using techniques provided by a Geographic Information System (GIS). This map is one of a number of reports and maps on the Butte 1 °X2° quadrangle. Other publications resulting from this study include U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Miscellaneous Investigations Series Maps 1-2050-A (Rowan and Segal, 1989), 1-2050-B (Rowan and others, 1991), 1-2050-D (Elliott and others, in press); Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1925 (Wallace, 1987a); and Open-File Reports OF-86-292 (Wallace and others, 1986) and OF-86-0632 (Elliott and others, 1986).

IMAP↗

Maps showing mineral resource assessment for porphyry and stockwork deposits of copper, molybdenum, and tungsten and for stockwork and disseminated deposits of gold and silver in the Butte 1° x 2° quadrangle, Montana

This report documents the assessment for potential occurrences of undiscovered porphyry and stockwork deposits of copper, molybdenum, and tungsten (porphyry Cu-Mo-W) and stockwork and disseminated deposits of gold and silver (disseminated Au-Ag) in the Butte 1 °X2° quadrangle. The Butte quadrangle, in west-central Montana, is one of the best known mineral producing regions in the U.S. Mining districts in the quadrangle, including the world famous Butte or Summit Valley district, have produced a variety of metallic and nonmetallic mineral commodities valued at more than $6.4 billion (at the time of production). Because of its importance as a mineral producing region, the Butte quadrangle was selected for study by the U.S. Geological Survey under the Conterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP). Under this program, new data on geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geochronology, mineral resources, and remote sensing were collected and synthesized. The field and laboratory studies were supported, in part, by funding from the Geologic Framework and Synthesis Program and the Wilderness Program. The methods used in this resource assessment for porphyry Cu-Mo-W and disseminated Au-Ag deposits in the quadrangle include a compilation of all data, the development of descriptive occurrence models, and the analysis of data using techniques provided by a Geographic Information System (GIS). This map is one of several maps on the Butte 1 °X2° quadrangle. Other deposit types have been assessed for the Butte quadrangle, and maps (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Miscellaneous Investigation Series Maps) for each of the following have been prepared: Vein and replacement deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, and tungsten (Elliott, Wallace, and others, 1992a) and skarn deposits of gold, silver, copper, tungsten, and iron (Elliott and others, 1992b ). Other publications resulting from this study include linear features map (Rowan and others, 1991 ); limonite and hydrothermal alteration map (Rowan and Segal, 1989); mineral occurrence maps (Elliott and others, 1986; Elliott, Loen, and others, 1992); and geologic maps (Wallace, 1987; Wallace and others, 1987).

Montana↗

Map showing mineral resource potential of the Paiute Instant (Primitive) Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona

A geologic and geochemical investigation and a survey of the existing mines and prospects have been conducted to determine the mineral resource potential of the Paiute Instant (Primitive) Study Area, Mohave County, Ariz. The study area encompasses part of the Virgin Mountains and the Sullivans Canyon area. Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks are exposed in the core and are overlain by folded and faulted Paleozoic and Mesozoic quartzose and carbonate rocks. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are overlain by Cenozoic volcanic and sedimentary units. The geochemical and mines and prospects survey indicates that the study area contains some mineral deposits that presently are not economically significant. Oil and gas has not been discovered in the area, and the resource potential is apparently nil or at best very low; any future oil and gas exploration would most likely be conducted outside the study area where favorable exploration localities exist. Other combustibles such as coal and oil shale are not known to occur in the study area. There is no evidence of geothermal activity or surficial radioactive mineralization. Several areas in the Paiute Instant Study Area are judged to have at best a low mineral potential. These include areas of copper, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silver, tungsten, and zinc mineralization, as well as occurrences of dumortierite, beryllium, arsenic, barium, gypsum, gem minerals, sand, gravel, and limestone. The metallic deposits and dumortieri te, beryllium, and arsenic occur over small surface areas. Significant production has not resulted from mining activity in mineralized areas. Sand, gravel, limestone, gem minerals, gypsum, and barium occurrences are far from major markets. Currently, there are no active mining operations in the study area.

Arizona↗

Oil and gas resources of the Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area (RARE II), Randolph County, West Virginia

The Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, September 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 President and the Congress. This map presents an analysis of the oil and gas resources of the Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area in the Monongahela National Forest, Randolph County, West Virginia. The area was classified as a further planning area during the Second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) by the U.S. Forest Service, January 1979. Cheat Mountain Further Planning Area comprises about 7,720 acres in the Monongahela National Forest in east-central West Virginia, southeast of Elkins. The study area lies on a northeast-trending linear ridge bordered on the west by the Right Fork of Tygart River and on the east by Shavers Fork. It averages about 2 mi in length and 1 ½ mi in width. Altitudes on Cheat Mountain range from about 2,550 to 3,900 ft.

West Virginia↗

Mineral resource potential map of the Benton Range Roadless Area, Mono County, California

Tungsten-bearing rocks in the Benton Range Roadless Area occur in tactite lenses within the Paleozoic metasedimentary units that surround and are intruded by Triassic granodiorite of the Benton Range. High anomalous tungsten values were found in the southern part of the study area. Quartz-vein deposits with copper, lead, zinc, and silver may occur within the Jurassic granitic rock in the northwestern part of the area. Stream-sediment and panned-concentrate samples from the northwestern part of the roadless area, reveal anomalous values in a number of elements. Some of these elements are indicative of mineral suites that form by hydrothermal alteration and are potential metallic-ore producers. Metals having anomalous values are antimony, copper, lead, molybdenum, tin, and zinc; their presence suggests the potential for deposits of the lead-zinc-silver or copper-molybdenum type. Molybdenum and lead were identified by geochemical sampling as having low to moderate potential in the roadless area. An estimated 190,000 tons (172,000 t) of subeconomic gold and silver resources are inside the roadless area at the Gold Crown, Gold Webb, and Gold Wedge mines; another 60,000 tons (54,000 t) of subeconomic gold and silver resources are just outside the area at the Tower, Gold Webb, and Gold Wedge mines (table 1). Most of the lode gold and silver deposits are in quartz veins and shear zones. Minor amounts of copper, lead, and zinc occur in some gold deposits. About 2,240 oz (70 kg) of gold, 8,450 oz (260 kg) of silver, and 4,600 lb of lead (2,090 kg) have been produced from the roadless area. In addition, 7,257 oz (226 kg) of gold and 350 oz (11 kg) silver were produced at the Tower mine, near the area.

California↗

Mineral resource potential map of the Gee Creek Wilderness, Polk and Monroe counties, Tennessee

The Gee Creek Wilderness comprises 2,493 acres (nearly 4 square miles) in the Cherokee National Forest, Polk and Monroe Counties, Tennessee, about 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Etowah, Tenn., and about 20 miles northeast of Cleveland, Tenn. All of the surface in the wilderness is in U.S. Government ownership; mineral rights on nearly half of the land remain in private ownership. The study area is in the Blue Ridge physiographic province. The major rock types in the wilderness area consist of sandstone, shale, and conglomerate of the Chilhowee Group of Cambrian and Cambrian(?) age. Faulting appears to have controlled the location of minor subeconomic iron deposits, but no potential mineral resources were detected by the present survey. Shales, useful for brick or lightweight aggregate, and sandstone, useful for crushed stone or sand, have little economic interest because these rock types are common throughout the region and are found closer to potential markets. The possibility of natural gas occurring in untested rocks structurally beneath the Chilhowee strata cannot be discounted. No potential was found for any other mineral resource.

Tennesee↗

Mineral resource potential map of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Study Area, Huerfano and Las Animas counties, Colorado

A geologic and geochemical investigation and a survey of mines and prospects have been conducted to evaluate the mineral resource potential of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Study Area, Huerfano and Las Animas Counties, in south-central Colorado. The·study area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic to Tertiary age (Johnson, 1969). Stocks and dikes were emplaced between 20 and 25 m.y. ago (Smith, 1979) forming East and West Spanish Peaks and the White Peaks. Most of the study area lacks significant geochemical anomalies and has a low mineral potential. Anomalous concentrations of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the rocks and drainage basins in the vicinity of the old mines and prospects on West Spanish Peak indicate a moderate potential for small mineralized veins in this area. Ore-bearing veinlets have been worked in the past, primarily for silver and lead; however, the sparsity, small size, and low grade of the veins diminish their significance. The depth of several thousand feet at which coal may underlie the surface rocks of the study area makes it a resource with little likelihood of development. The potential for oil and gas appears low because of the apparent lack of structural traps and the intense igneous activity in the area.

Colorado↗

Geologic and aeromagnetic maps and mineral resource potential survey of the Blackjack Springs Wilderness, Vilas County, Wisconsin

The mineral resource potential of the Blackjack Springs Wilderness in the Nicolet National Forest, Vilas County, Wisc., was evaluated in 1982. No bedrock exposures are known in or near the wilderness. Geophysical data and regional geologic relations suggest that the area consists mostly of recrystallized and deformed mafic volcanic rocks and associated mafic intrusives of Early Proterozoic age. The only identified mineral resources in the Blackjack Springs Wilderness are sand and gravel, but these commodities are abundant regionally. While the occurrence of stratabound massive-sulfide (cooper-zinc-lead) and (or) magmatic sulfide (copper and (or) nickel)-type deposits are possible in the wilderness, their occurrence is not probable.

Wisconsin↗

Mineral resource potential map of the Pecos Wilderness, Santa Fe, San Miguel, Mora, Rio Arriba, and Taos Counties, New Mexico

The Pecos Wilderness covers approximately 348 sq mi in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests, north-central New Mexico. The area investigated includes the wilderness and approximately 150 sq mi of adjacent territory. The additional area covers several RARE II Road less Areas that were classified by the U.S. Forest Service in 1979 as Proposed Wilderness and Further Planning Areas, but were not incorporated in the Pecos Wilderness by the New Mexico Wilderness Bill. For the purpose of this report the entire area is called the study area. The study area is at the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It is characterized by an axial line of alpine peaks that rise to more than 13,000 ft, flanked on the west and north by heavily wooded ridges and canyons that drain to the Rio Grande Valley, and on the southeast by a high dissected plateau of meadows and forest. The plateau is dissected by deep canyons of the Pecos River and its tributaries, and is bounded on the east by a scarp of about 3,000 ft. Partly forested ranch land lies below the base of the scarp to the east, and beyond that is prai-rie of the Great Plains. This map is based on geologic and geochemical studies and mine and prospect investigations that were done principally in 1977 and 1979-80 (U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, 1980; Lane, 1980; Moench and Robertson, 1980; Moench, Robertson, and Sutley, 1980; Moench and Erickson, 1980; Moench, Grambling, and Robertson, 1988; Moench, Sutley, and Erickson, 1988; Erickson, Sutley, and Moench, 1986). An aeromagnetic survey covering almost all of the Pecos Wilderness was flown in 1970. The resulting aeromagnetic map was published by Moench and others (1980) and interpreted in that report by Lindreth Cordell. Cordell found no correlation between magnetic features and geologic terraines having mineral resource potential.

New Mexico↗

Maps showing industrial mineral resources of the Joplin 1° x 2° quadrangle, Kansas and Missouri

This map is part of a folio of maps of the Joplin 1° X 2° quadrangle, Kansas and Missouri prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP). Other publications in this folio to date include U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2125-A (Erickson and others, 1990). Additional maps showing various geologic aspects of the Joplin quadrangle will be published as U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps bearing this same serial number with different letter suffixes (MF-2125-C, -D, and so on). The industrial mineral resources of the Joplin 1° X 2° quadrangle are crushed stone, dimension stone, clay and shale, construction sand and gravel (including chat, or chert-rich tailings from metal mines), and asphaltic sandstone. At present only crushed stone, clay and shale, and construction sand and gravel are of economic importance; the remainder are considered hypothetical resources. The value of industrial mineral production during 1987, the most recent year of complete data as supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, was nearly $25,600,000. In terms of finished products such as cement and brick, the value is several times that amount. Figure 1 shows the annual value of industrial mineral production within the quadrangle from 1960 through 1987.

Kansas;Missouri↗

Mineral resource assessment of pegmatite minerals in the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina

Mineral resources of the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina, were assessed between 1984 and 1990 under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The mineral resource assessments were made on the basis of geologic, geochemical, and geophysical investigations and on the distribution of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences reported in the literature. This report is an assessment of the minerals associated with mica pegmatites in the Greenville quadrangle. It is based on the geology as mapped by Nelson and others (1989), on field studies conducted from 1952 to 1962 by the USGS for the Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA) and the concurrent examination of many of the known mica mines and prospects in Georgia, and on the published geologic literature and an unpublished report by K.H. Teague on file with the South Carolina Development Board, Division of Geology, in Columbia, S.C.

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina↗

Metalliferous mineral resource potential of the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles, southern Alaska

This mineral potential map is the final report in a series of publications that makes up a folio on the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles of southern Alaska. It draws on data largely presented in previous publications of the folio. The studies were undertaken as part of the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP), a program designed to provide information for Federal, State, local, and industry decisions concerning the future uses of Alaskan lands and resources.

Alaska↗

Assessment of the sand and gravel resources of the Lower Boise River Valley area, Idaho: Part one: Geological framework of the sand and gravel deposits

The USGS has undertaken a first order evaluation of sand & gravel resources in the Lower Boise River Valley in response to rapid urban expansion in the Boise-Nampa-Caldwell corridor in southwest Idaho. The study is intended to provide land-use planners and managers, particularly in the Bureau of Land Management, with a foundation of knowledge that will allow them to anticipate and plan for demand for and development of sand and gravel resources on public lands in response to the urban growth. Attributes under study include: regional geology of both alluvial source areas as well as deposits; fluvial processes that led to deposition of the sand and gravel deposits; spatial distribution of the deposits; quantity and quality of materials in the deposits; and the suitability of the deposits for a range of applications. The study will also examine and attempt to model the association between fluvial processes, deposit characteristics, and physical specifications for various applications of sand and gravel. The results will be presented in a series of sand and gravel assessment reports of which this is the first.

Idaho↗