Mineral Resources of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada
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Mineral Resources of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1726-E Chapter E Mineral Resources of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada By J.P. CALZIA, W.A. LAWSON, J.C. DOHRENWEND, DONALD PLOUFF, and ROBERT TURNER U.S. Geological Survey J.E. OLSON U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1726 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: HUMBOLDT AND PERSHING COUNTIES, NEVADA 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 Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1726-E (Mineral resources of wilderness study areas Humboldt and Pershing counties, Nevada ; ch. E) Bibliography Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.3:1726-E 1. Mines and mineral resources Nevada Black Rock Desert Wilderness. 2. Black Rock Desert Wilderness (Nev.) I. Calzia, J.P. II. Series. III. Series: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1726. QE75.B9 No. 1726-E 557.3s 87-600346 [TN24.N3] [553'.09793'54] 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 Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area (NV-020-620), Humboldt County, Nevada. CONTENTS Summary El Abstract 1 Character and setting 1 Mineral resources 1 Introduction 3 Location and physiography 3 Previous work 3 Methods 3 Acknowledgments 3 Appraisal of identified resources 3 Mining history and current activity 3 Mineral deposits 4 Assessment of mineral resource potential 5 i Geology 5 Geochemistry 6 Geophysics 6 Mineral resource potential 6 References cited 7 Appendixes Definition of levels of mineral resource potential and certainty of assessment 11 Resource/reserve classification 12 Geologic time chart 13 FIGURES 1. Index map showing location of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada E2 2. Map showing mineral resource potential of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada 4 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: HUMBOLDT AND PERSHING COUNTIES, NEVADA Mineral Resources of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada By J.P. Calzia, W.A. Lawson, J.C. Dohrenwend, Donald Plouff, and Robert Turner U.S. Geological Survey J.E. Olson U.S. Bureau of Mines SUMMARY filled by Cenozoic sediments. Hills and mesas northwest of the study area are underlain by Triassic- Abstract Jurassic (see appendix for geologic tine chart) phyllite, quartzite, and limestone, Cretaceous quartz The Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area monzonite, and Miocene-Pliocene tuffs, rhyolite flows, (NV-020-620) covers 319,594 acres in western and basalt. Humboldt County, Nev. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management requested mineral surveys on 174,300 Mineral Resources acres of the wilderness study area. An appraisal of identified resources (known) and assessment of the No mines are known or reported within the study mineral resource potential (undiscovered) of the area; the area has no identified resources. Rock and smaller area, hereafter designated the study area, are sinter samples collected near Pinto Hot Springs (fig. 1) described in this report. Geologic, geochemical, contain low but anomalous concentrations of gold, geophysical, and mineral surveys indicate that the silver, antimony, arsenic, barium, and mercury. This study area has moderate potential for gold, silver, area has moderate resource potential for gold, silver mercury, lithium, and geothermal resources and low and mercury in hot-spring deposits (fig. 2). potential for oil and gas resources although no mines Lacustrine sediments have moderate resource or prospects were identified within this area. potential for lithium. These sediments contain low lithium values and the geologic conditions are favorable for the concentration of lithium at depth. Character and Setting All of the study area has moderate potential for geothermal resources. The Pinto Hot Springs Known The Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA) and an unnamed consists of a flat playa within the Black Rock Desert hot spring are located near the north and south that is bounded by the Black Rock Range to the west boundary of the study area, respectively. Nearly and by the Jackson Mountains to the east. A group of 27,000 acres are under lease near these geothermal north-trending hills, buttes, and mesas borders the areas. study area to the northwest. Elevations on the playa The Black Rock Desert is classified prospectively range from 3,900 to 4,000 ft. valuable for oil and gas resources by the U.S. Bureau The Black Rock Desert is in the Basin and Range of Land Management (BLM). A recently completed oil physiographic province. This province is characterized and gas exploration well in the southeast corner of the by northwest-trending fault-bounded mountains study area was dry. The test well data suggest that separated by wide parallel valleys. The Black Rock the study area has low potential for oil and gas Desert is within a down-dropped fault block that is resources. E1 119°00' IIS^S' 118°30' I I 41°30' Pinto Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area Pahute Meadows Ranch Pidgeon Spring Double Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area BLACK ROCK DESERT WILDERNESS STUDY AREA 41°00' (NV-020-620) HUMBOLDT CO PERSHING CO__ J »'Sulphur AREA OF AAAP Figure 1. Index map showing location of the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area, Humboldt County, Nevada. E2 INTRODUCTION Methods This mineral resource study is a joint effort by The U.S. Geological Survey completed field the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of investigations of the study area during the fall of Mines. Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey are 1985. The playa and the eastern margin of the Black designed to provide a reasonable scientific basis for Rock Range were mapped at 1:24,000 scale. Samples assessing the potential for undiscovered mineral of the playa sediments and volcanic rocks along the resources by determining geologic units and structures, west boundary of the study area were collected for possible environments of mineral deposition, presence geochemical and petrographic study. Water samples of of geochemical and geophysical anomalies, and hot springs adjacent to the study area were collected applicable ore-deposit models. The U.S. Bureau of to determine mineral content and geothermal Mines evaluates identified resources at individual potential. mines and known mineralized areas by collecting data The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) investigations on current and past mining activities and through field included library research, a search of BLM and examination of mines, prospects, claims, and Humboldt County mining records for claim locations, mineralized areas. Identified resources are classified and an examination of USBM production and Mineral according to the system described by U.S. Bureau of Industries Location System records. Claim owners Mines and U.S. Geological Survey (1980). Levels of were contacted for additional information and to mineral resource potential, certainty of assessment, obtain permission to examine and publish data about and classification of identified resources are defined in their properties. the appendix. USBM field work in 1984 included examination of all known mineral properties within and immediately adjacent to the study area (Olson, 1985). Aerial and ground reconnaissance surveys were conducted to find new claims, prospects, or mineralized areas. All Location and Physiography known and new sites were sampled and, if warranted, mapped. Detailed information is available from the The study area within the Black Rock Desert U.S. Bureau of Mines, Western Field Operations Wilderness Study Area (NV-020-620) covers 174,300 Center, E. 360 Third Street, Spokane, WA 99202. acres in western Humboldt County, Nev. The study area includes a large playa, located within the Black Rock Desert, bounded on the west and east by the Acknowledgments Black Rock Range and the Jackson Mountains, respectively (fig. 1). Elevations on the playa range The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau from 3,900 to 4,000 ft. The climate is arid. of Mines thank Willis Bland for allowing us to establish Vegetation, including saltbrush, grass, and greasewood, base camps at Pahute Meadows Ranch and for his is very thick along the margin and in the northern third assistance in many logistical matters. Victor Dunn, of the study area. The remainder of the playa is BLM Winnemucca District, provided valuable barren. information on the geologic and mineral character of Access to the study area is permitted via Nevada the study area. Highway 140 between Winnemucca and Denio Junction, Nev. The Leonard Creek Ranch Road, a well- maintained dirt road, extends from Quinn River Crossing to Pahute Meadows Ranch (fig. 1). East-west APPRAISAL OF IDENTIFIED RESOURCES vehicle traverses on the playa are possible only at the extreme southern end of the study area near Sulphur, By_ J.E. Olson and at the extreme north end along Leonard Creek U.S. Bureau of Minqs Ranch Road. North-south traverses on either side of the Quinn River are possible with a four-wheel drive vehicle. Mining History and Current Activity Emigrants and prospectors enroute to the California gold fields began prospecting in Humboldt County around 1850.