Mineral Resources of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California

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Mineral Resources of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California Mineral Resources of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1713-C Chapter C Mineral Resources of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California By JANE E. NIELSON, JAMES G. FRISKEN, and ROBERT C. JACHENS U.S. Geological Survey JOHN R. McDONNELL, JR. U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1713 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: EASTERN CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AREA, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL MODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1987 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 Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1713-C Bibliography Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.3: 1713-C 1. Mines and mineral resources California Fort Piute Wilderness. 2. Geology California Fort Piute Wilderness. 3. Fort Piute Wilderness (Calif.) I. Nielson, Jane E. II. Series. QE75.B9 No. 1713-C 557.3 s 86-607923 [TN24.C2] [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 a part of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area (CDCA-267), California Desert Conservation Area, San Bernardino County, California. CONTENTS Summary Abstract Cl Character and setting 1 Identified resources 1 Mineral resource potential 3 Introduction 3 Area description 3 Previous and present investigations 3 Acknowledgments 3 Appraisal of identified resources 5 History and production 5 Mineral deposits 5 Assessment of mineral resource potential 6 Geology 6 Rock units 6 Structure 6 Summary of geologic relations between the Piute Range and Castle Mountains 7 Geochemical studies 7 Geophysical studies 8 Potential for undiscovered mineral resources 8 Metals 9 Placer gold 9 Energy resources 9 References cited 9 Appendix 1. Definition of levels of mineral resource potential and certainty of assessment and geologic time scale 11 PLATE In pocket 1. Mineral resource potential map of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California FIGURES 1. Index map showing location of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California C2 2. Map showing mineral resource potential of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California 4 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: EASTERN CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AREA, CALIFORNIA Mineral Resources of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California By Jane E. Nielson, James G. Frisken, and Robert C. Jachens U.S. Geological Survey John R. McDonnell, Jr. U.S. Bureau of Mines SUMMARY Piute Valley. The west flank of the range slopes gradually to 1,000 ft above Lanfair Valley. Deep canyons that are oriented transverse to the north trend Abstract of the range provide hiking routes across the north and south ends of the study area. In the late nineteenth The Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area (CDCA- century, Fort Piute (now in ruins) occupied a site 267) is in northeastern San Bernardino County, beside perennial Piute Spring in the southern California, near the boundary between California and transverse canyon. Nevada. Mineral surveys were requested for 31,371 Most rocks of the Piute Range were formed in acres of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area. In this the Miocene epoch (see Appendix 1 for geologic time report the area studied is referred to as "the study chart) of the Tertiary period. These rocks are area". Examination of mines and prospects in the area andesitic to rhyolitic lava flows with sedimentary was accomplished by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1981 interbeds. Minor amounts of silicic tuff and andesitic and 1982. Field investigations of the area were to rhyolitic intrusive rocks also are present. Basal carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1983 and Miocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks dip 1985. No mines or prospects, few mining claims, and moderately to the west, and overlying lava flows are no identified resources are located within the dominantly horizontal, except on the east flank of the wilderness study area. Moderate and low potential for Piute Range, where the overlying flows are exposed in gold resources appears limited to outcrops of gneiss blocks bounded by high-angle normal faults. In these and granite exposed along the eastern side of the Piute blocks the Miocene rocks have moderate eastward Range. Available information indicates that there is dips. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks overlie a no potential for energy resources, including oil and complex that comprises Proterozoic gneiss and gas, uranium, or geothermal, in the study area. granite; the complex is intruded by granitic plutons of Mesozoic (Jurassic? or Cretaceous?) age. The gneiss and granite are exposed locally along the east flank of Character and Setting the Piute Range. The Proterozoic to Miocene rocks are overlain by Quaternary stream and lake deposits. The Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area in San Bernardino County, Calif., comprises the part of the Piute Range and adjacent alluvial apron that lie south Identified Resources of the California-Nevada state line (fig. !) The Piute Range trends north and has a steep eastern No identified metallic resources are located escarpment, which rises as much as 2,000 ft above within the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, although Cl 14°45' 115°15 115°00' To Searchlight \ 35°15 FORT PIUTE WILDERNESS STUDY AREA (CDCA-267) \ AREA OF MAP 35°00' Figure 1. Index map showing location of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California. C2 identified resources such as gold, silver, copper, and 15 mi south of Searchlight, Nev. About one quarter of kaolinite are found in mining districts outside the the study area has low relief and lies east of the Piute wilderness study area boundary. Only eight placer Range. The range itself is rugged, with elevations that mining claims have been recorded within the study vary from 2,800 to 4,800 ft above sea level within a area, and field reconnaissance revealed no evidence of horizontal distance of 2 mi in the central part of the current or historic mining activity. study area. The region is arid: annual rainfall ranges from 2.2 to 6.9 in. Temperatures range from as low as 10° F during winter months to more than 100° F during Mineral Resource Potential summer months. Vegetation is sparse on east-facing slopes and Geologic and geochemical data indicate that includes creosote, ambrosia, indigo bush, several areas on the east side of the Fort Piute Wilderness varieties of brittle bush (Encelia), buckwheat Study Area (fig. 2) have moderate potential for (Eriogonum), and many varieties of cacti and small undiscovered resources of gold where the contact yucca. On west-facing slopes and on the west side of between Proterozoic gneiss and Mesozoic granite is the range, palo verde, catclaw acacia, Joshua tree, and exposed. This assessment is based on the presence of tall grasses also occur. Numerous annual wildflowers, anomalous gold in stream-sediments and stream- such as paintbrush, buttercup, desert sunflower, desert sediment concentrates at several locations in parts of lavendar, desert aster, and desert mariposa, are the central and southeastern parts of the study area, present everywhere. Along streams or near springs the where aeromagnetic anomalies caused by Proterozoic exotic species tamarisk (salt cedar), is found along and Mesozoic rocks also are present. The magnetic with native willow and mesquite. Wildlife observed anomalies are present continuously to the southwest during this study includes mountain sheep, desert and project into the mineralized Exchequer mining tortoise, cougar, coyote, rattlesnakes, chuckawalla and district, where gold and copper were mined from small smaller lizards, and many vultures, hawks, small birds, dikes and veinlets associated with contact zones and rodents. between Proterozoic gneiss and intrusive Mesozoic The north and south ends of the study area are granite. Similar contact relations are exposed in the accessible by minimally maintained trails and tracks: a central part of the study area. trail at the south end is reached by the Old Additional areas of exposed Proterozoic gneiss in Government Road, and those at the north end by a the northern part of the Fort Piute Wilderness Study partly maintained road (formerly a railroad grade) Area have low potential foi gold. This assessment is between Searchlight, Nev., and Barnwell, Calif. On based on anomalous concentrations of arsenic and the east side of the study area these routes intersect a antimony in rock samples. The aeromagnetic anomaly maintained powerline road that parallels the pattern characteristic of the Exchequer mining district approximate Fort Piute Wilderness Study Area is not found in the northern part of the study area. boundary. Access to other areas requires cross­ Also, no Mesozoic rocks are exposed at this end of the country hiking from the powerline road across alluvial study area, and no mineralized zones or distinctive fans or from the ends of the various trails. minerals were noted in the outcrops of Proterozoic gneiss and intrusive Proterozoic granite. Thus, Proterozoic rocks in the northern part of the study Previous and Present Investigations area do not warrant the level of resource potential given rocks of the central part, where all the geologic, The generalized structure and geology of the geophysical and geochemical factors are present.
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