Mineral Resources of the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona
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Mineral Resources of the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1 737- E CORRECTION FOR GPO JACKET (FY 91) 585048 (PRINT ORDER 30039) U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1737-E SUP. DOCS.: This page is to be distributed according to the standard IGS mailing list for USGS bulletins. USER: On both plate 1 and figure 2: The dark-pink area in the northwestern part of the map is colored correctly in having high potential for deposit type [2]; however, it should not contain the horizontal-line pattern denoting moderate potential for deposit type [2], This horizontal-line pattern should also not appear in the narrow strip in the northwesternmost corner of the map area; this area has moderate potential for deposit type [3], as colored, but has no potential for deposit type [2]. On both plate 1 and figure 2, the pale-pink area in the southern and central part of the map is not correct; this area should contain only the horizontal-line pattern shown, denoting moderate potential for deposit type [2]. Chapter E Mineral Resources of the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona By CLAY M. CONWAY, JERRY R. HASSEMER, DANIEL H. KNEPPER, JR., JAMES A. PITKIN, and ROBERT C. JACHENS U.S. Geological Survey MARK L. CHATMAN U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1737 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: BLACK MOUNTAINS REGION, ARIZONA U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1990 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 Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona / by Clay M. Conway ... [et al.]. p. cm. (Mineral resources of wilderness study areas Black Mountains region, Arizona; ch. E) (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1737-E) Includes bibliographical references. Supt.ofDocs.no.: I 19.3: 1737-E 1. Mines and mineral resources Arizona Wabayuma Peak Wilderness. 2. Wabayuma Peak Wilderness (Ariz.) I. Conway, Clay M. II. Series: U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1737-E. QE75.B9 no. 1737-E 557.3 s dc20 90-13953 [TN24.A6] [553.4'09791'59] CIP 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 the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ-02G-037/043), Mohave County, Arizona. CONTENTS Summary El Abstract El Character and setting El Identified mineral resources E2 Mineral resource potential E3 Introduction E3 Location and physiography E3 Previous investigations E5 Procedures and sources of data E6 Acknowledgments E7 Appraisal of identified resources E7 Mining history E7 The Hualapai district E7 The Boriana district E9 Current leases and claims E9 Surface and mineral ownership E9 Mineral deposits and occurrences E9 Antler and Copper World copper-zinc deposits E9 Copper-zinc occurrences in the bulge and lower Boriana Canyon E10 Copper-zinc occurrences in Loki claims area E10 Boriana Canyon and Bull Canyon tungsten deposits E10 Tungsten occurrences in lower Boriana Canyon Ell Ophir and Lentz Black Rock tungsten occurrences Ell Gold- and copper-bearing quartz veins in Walnut Creek Ell Mica, feldspar, stone, and sand and gravel Ell Recommendations for additional work E12 Assessment of mineral resource potential E12 Geology E12 Geologic setting E12 Early Proterozoic stratified rocks E12 Early Proterozoic intrusive rocks E13 Structural geology E20 Geochronology E20 Massive sulfide deposits E21 Tungsten deposits in upper Boriana Canyon and Bull Canyon E21 Northwestern mineralized area E22 Drainage-sediment geochemistry E22 Rare-metal suite E24 Massive sulfide suite E32 Geochemistry of mineralized Tertiary fault near Walnut Creek E36 Recommendations for further work E36 Landsat remote sensing E36 Background E36 Interpretation E38 Possible areas of hydrothermally altered rocks E38 Gamma-ray spectrometry E38 Interpretation E38 Implications for mineral resource assessment E39 Aeromagnetic data E39 Gravity data E39 Contents Assessment of mineral resource potential Continued Mineral resource potential E39 Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits E39 Tungsten-polymetallic vein deposits E43 Polymetallic vein deposits E44 References cited E44 Appendixes E49 Definition of levels of mineral resource potential and certainty of assessment E50 Resource/reserve classification E51 Geologic time chart E52 PLATE [In pocket] 1. Mineral resource potential and geology of Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona FIGURES 1. Index map showing location of Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E2 2. Map showing mineral resource potential and generalized geology of Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E4 3. Map of mines, prospects, claims, and mineral districts in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E8 4. Generalized geologic map showing locations of analyzed granite samples and uranium-lead geochronology samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E16 5. Sample locality map for drainage-sediment samples showing drainage basins sampled in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E23 6. Tungsten anomaly levels in drainage-sediment samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E32 7. Anomaly incidence of the rare metals W, Bi, Mo, Sn, Th, Nb, and Y in drainage- sediment samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E33 8. Anomaly incidence of the massive sulfide suite (Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in drainage-sediment samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E37 9. Map showing gamma-ray potassium (K) distribution in Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E40 10. Map showing gamma-ray uranium (eU) distribution in Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E41 11. Map showing gamma-ray thorium (eTh) distribution in Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E42 TABLES 1. Major-oxide and trace-element contents of granite samples from Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E15 2. Average major-oxide and trace-element contents of granites in Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona, and of various specialized and precursor granites E17 3. Average contents of trondhjemite from Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona, compared to contents of trondhjemites and related rocks from worldwide localities E18 VI Contents 4. Values of selected elements in nonmagnetic heavy-mineral-concentrate samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E25 5. Values of selected elements in paramagnetic heavy-mineral-concentrate samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E27 6. Values of selected elements in panned heavy-mineral-concentrate samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E29 7. Values of selected elements in minus-80-mesh drainage-sediment samples collected in and near Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E30 8. Relation of anomaly strength to map units for drainage-sediment analyses in Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona E34 ELEMENT SYMBOLS Element symbols that are used in the text are defined below for readers who may not be familiar with chemical element symbols. Ag Silver As Arsenic Au Gold Be Beryllium Bi Bismuth Cu Copper Fe Iron In Indium La Lanthanum Mo Molybdenum Nb Niobium Pb Lead Re Rhenium Sc Scandium Sn Tin Ta Tantalum Th Thorium W Tungsten Y Yttrium Zn Zinc Contents VII Mineral Resources of the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area, Mohave County, Arizona By Clay M. Conway, Jerry R. Hassemer, Daniel H. Knepper, Jr., James A. Pitkin, and Robert C. Jachens U.S. Geological Survey Mark L. Chatman U.S. Bureau of Mines SUMMARY bismuth, molybdenum, tin, indium, thorium, niobium, yt trium, lanthanum, scandium, tantalum, rhenium, lead, Abstract zinc, and iron in granite-related tungsten-polymetallic vein deposits. Most of the rest of the study area has moderate The Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ-020- resource potential for these metals. A northern tract in the 037/043), for which a mineral survey was requested by the study area has moderate resource potential for gold, cop U.S. Bureau of Land Management, encompasses 40,118 per, and combinations of silver, zinc, lead, tungsten, and acres in northwestern Arizona. Fieldwork was carried out molybdenum in polymetallic vein deposits of several in 1986-88 by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. types. Geological Survey to appraise the identified (known) re sources and assess the mineral resource potential (undis covered) of the wilderness study area. Within the Character and Setting Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area are 14 private parcels of land totaling 1,315 acres. The Wabayuma Peak The Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ- Wilderness Study Area, including the 14 private parcels of 020-037/043) comprises 40,118 acres in the northern land, is herein referred to as the "wilderness study area" or Hualapai Mountains of western Arizona (fig. 1). The the "study area," The Boriana, Antler, and Copper World study area is about 5 mi east of Interstate Highway 40 mines lie near the east boundary of the study area.