Mineral Resource Assessment of the Absaroka-Beartooth Study Area, Custer and Gallatin National Forests, Montana
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Mineral resource assessment of the Absaroka-Beartooth study area, Custer and Gallatin National Forests, Montana Edited by JANE M. HAMMARSTROM1, MICHAEL L. ZIENTEK2, and JAMES E. ELLIOTT3 Open-File Report 93-207 1993 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 'Reston, VA 3Lakewood, CO 2Spokane, WA NONTECHNICAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Mineral Resource Assessment of the Absaroka-Beartooth Study Area, Custer and Gallatin National Forests, Montana U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-207 The Absaroka-Beartooth study area (ABSA) is a tract of approximately 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2) of National Forest land in southwestern Montana adjacent to the northern part of Yellowstone National Park. It includes southeastern parts of the Gallatin National Forest and western parts of the Custer National Forest. Most of the mineral resources of both Forests are within the ABSA. The ABSA contains essentially all of the identified resources of platinum-group elements (platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium) and 75 percent of the identified chromium resources in the U.S., as well as significant gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc resources. Mines have operated in the area since the 1860's and have produced gold, silver, arsenic, tungsten, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, and platinum-group elements. Mines in production in 1992 are the Stillwater mine (platinum, palladium, gold, rhodium, copper, and nickel), the Mineral Hill mine (gold and silver), and the Livingston Marble and Granite Works (travertine).
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