Mineral Resources of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California
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Mineral Resources of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1712-D Chapter D Mineral Resources of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California By RICHARD J. GOLDFARB, DAVID M. MILLER, ROBERT W. SIMPSON, and DONALD B. HOOVER U.S. Geological Survey PHILLIP R. MOYLE, JERRY E. OLSON, and RICHARD S. GAPS U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1712 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: CENTRAL CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AREA DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL MODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1988 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center, Box 25425 Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mineral resources of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1712-D Bibliography Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.3:1712-D 1. Mines and mineral resources California Providence Mountains Wilderness. 2. Providence Mountains wilderness (Calif.) I. Goldfarb, R.J. II. Series. QE75.B9 No. 1712-D 557.3s 87-600296 [553'.09794'95] STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Areas The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (Public Law 94-579, October 21, 1976) requires the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines to conduct mineral surveys on certain areas to determine the mineral values, if any, that may be present. Results must be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This report presents the results of a mineral survey of part of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area (CDCA-263), California Desert Conservation Area, San Bernardino County, California. CONTENTS Summary Dl Abstract 1 Character and setting 2 Identified resources 3 Mineral resource potential 3 Introduction 3 Acknowledgments 5 Appraisal of identified resources 5 Mining and exploration history 5 Mines, prospects, claims, and mineralized outcrops 8 Gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc 8 Placer gold 10 Iron 10 Molybdenum 10 Industrial minerals 12 Recreational minerals 12 Appraisal of resources 12 Assessment of mineral resource potential 14 Geology 14 Geologic setting 14 Description of rock units 14 Structure 15 Alteration 16 Geochemistry 16 Methods 16 Interpretation of geochemical data 17 Geophysics 20 Aeromagnetic data 20 Gravity data 21 Electrical geophysical data 21 Mineral and energy resources 22 Silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc, and tungsten 22 Iron 23 Nonmetallic resources 24 Recommendations for further work 25 References cited 25 Appendixes Definition of levels of mineral resource potential and certainty of assessment 31 Resource/reserve classification 32 Geologic time chart 33 PLATE [in pocket] 1. Mineral resource potential and geologic map of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area FIGURES 1. Index map showing location of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California D2 2. Map showing generalized mineral resource potential for the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California 4 3. Map showing location of mines, prospects, mineralized outcrops, and land status in the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California 7 TABLES 1. Recorded production from nonferrous metallic lode deposits within and adjacent to the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area D6 2. Identified mineral resources and occurrences in the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area 11 3. Anomalous concentrations of selected elements in nonmagnetic heavy-mineral- concentrate samples as determined by semiquantitative emission spectrometry 17 4. Maximum reported concentrations for mineralized vein samples or replacement bodies 18 5. Summary description of mines, prospects, and mineralized outcrops in and adjacent to the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California 34 VI MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: CENTRAL CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AREA Mineral Resources of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California By Richard J. Goldfarb, David M. Miller, Robert W. Simpson, and Donald B. Hoover U.S. Geological Survey Phillip R. Moyle, Jerry E. Olson, and Richard S. Gaps U.S. Bureau of Mines SUMMARY long tons of indicated or inferred subeconomic iron resources ranging from 50 to 60 percent iron, and the Abstract Vulcan mine-Burro prospect contains a subeconomic iron resource of about 3 million long tons. The study area also contains large deposits of subeconomic The Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area limestone, dolomite, quartzite, sand and gravel, and (CDCA-263) lies within the eastern Mojave Desert stone resources. about 35 mi southeast of Baker, Calif., and the part on Much of the central part and the southeast which mineral surveys were requested encompasses corner of the study area have high or moderate about 63,300 acres in the northern Providence mineral resource potential for gold, silver, copper, Mountains and the Colton Hills and is contiguous with lead, zinc, and tungsten in quartz vein and carbonate- the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. replacement deposits. Smaller regions in the south- Geological, geochemical; geophysical, and mineral central and southeastern parts of the study area show surveys of the study area were conducted by the U.S. high or moderate potential for iron resources Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines between associated with skarn deposits. An unknown potential 1982 and 1985 to appraise the identified mineral is present in the north-central part of the study area resources (known) and to assess the mineral resource for molybdenum resources and for gold and silver potential (undiscovered) of the area. resources in low-grade bulk-tonnage deposits. An The study area includes parts of the Trojan unknown potential for oil and gas resources occurs mining district. More than 700 workings and along the western edge of the study area. The entire mineralized outcrops were examined during this study, study area has a low potential for undiscovered including 467 workings within the study area; in this resources of gold in alluvium, uranium, geothermal report they are grouped into 162 properties. Twelve energy, limestone, dolomite, and quartzite for mines in and near the study area produced at least industrial use and voluminous deposits of sand, gravel, 6,425 tons of ore containing about 300 oz of gold, and dimension stone. Much of the rock underlying the 92,000 oz of silver, 25,000 Ib of copper, 72,000 Ib of rugged terrain adjoining the Providence Mountains lead, and 2,300 Ib of zinc. The Vulcan mine-Burro State Recreation Area on the west has no or low prospect on the south boundary of the study area potential for mineral resources, as does the mesa area produced 2.6 million long tons of iron. Eight in the northern Colton Hills. In this report, any properties within and on the boundary of the study reference to the Providence Mountains Wilderness area contain a total of about 310,000 tons of indicated Study Area refers only to that part of the and (or) inferred subeconomic gold and (or) silver wilderness study area for which mineral surveys were resources. Two properties contain a total of 340,000 requested. D1 Character and Setting Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. The study area includes rugged, sparsely forested The Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area mountains exceeding 7,000 ft in elevation, 500- to comprises most of the Providence Mountains north of 1,000-ft-high mesas north of the Colton Hills, and Foshay Pass, east of Kelso and the Union Pacific lowland hills and plains at about 3,400 ft elevation in Railroad, and south of roads traversing Macedonia and the Colton Hills and at 2,200 ft elevation near Kelso. Wild Horse Canyons, and includes much of the Colton The study area is underlain by diverse rock types Hills west of Black Canyon Road <fig. 1). Bordering that represent a long and complex geologic history. the southeastern part of the study area is the Outcrops of Proterozoic (see geologic time chart in Kelso Mountains Tough Nut 'pring 35°00r Cornfield Spring IL (Blair Ranch Providence S APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY Devils Playground PROVIDENCE MOUNTAINS C o 11 o iT WILDERNESS STUDY AREA Hills (CDCA-263) Clipper Valley Granite Mountains Figure 1. Location of the Providence Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California. D2 appendix for explanation of rock ages) gneiss and system is associated with felsic intrusions, breccia, granite are widespread in the northern part of the and intense quartz-sericite alteration in upper Globe study area. A thick sequence of Paleozoic sandstone, Wash. Intensely altered and silicified rocks along the limestone, and dolomite is found at the higher ridge northeast of Summit Spring delineates a tract elevations in the Providence Mountains. Jurassic and having unknown potential for low-grade bulk-tonnage Cretaceous granitoid rocks of varying composition are gold and silver. The entire study area has a low widespread in the Colton Hills, in the northern and resource potential for gold in placer deposits, uranium, western parts of the study area, and in the Foshay Pass and geothermal energy, and unknown potential for oil area. Tertiary volcanic rocks underlie prominent