Chapter G. Mineral Resource Potential of the Virgin River Area Of
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Mineral Resource Assessment of Selected Areas in Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada, Edited by Steve Ludington U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5197 Prepared in cooperation with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Chapter I. Mineral Resource Potential of the Rainbow Gardens Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Clark County, Nevada By Stephen B. Castor, Steve Ludington, Brett T. McLaurin, and Kathryn S. Flynn Summary and Conclusions and representatives of companies with mining operations in and near the areas were contacted. The Rainbow Gardens Area of Critical Environmen- Definitions of mineral resource potential and certainty tal Concern (ACEC) contains known deposits of gypsum, levels are given in appendix 1, and are similar to those out- as well as prospects for limestone, silica, lithium, copper, lined by Goudarzi (1984). uranium, and sand and gravel aggregate. Only gypsum has been mined in significant quantities, and the PABCO (Apex) gypsum mine, immediately adjacent to the ACEC, is a major Lands Involved gypsum source, producing more than 1,000,000 short tons of gypsum annually. The Rainbow Gardens ACEC is east of Las Vegas and The ACEC contains areas of high mineral resource southeast of Interstate 15 (fig. 1). The ACEC is bounded on potential for gypsum deposits in the Tertiary Muddy Creek the southeast and east by the Lake Mead National Recreation Formation and areas of moderate mineral resource potential Area and on the north by Nellis Air Force Base. It is accessed for gypsum in the Mesozoic Moenkopi Formation. Areas with most easily from Nevada State Highway 143 (Lake Mead high potential for limestone deposits are found in the northern Boulevard) and by several secondary and primitive roads part of the ACEC. There is an area with moderate potential for that branch off of this highway. It may also be accessed from lithium (hectorite clay) deposits. The potential for undiscov- Hollywood Boulevard in southeast Las Vegas and by primi- ered deposits of silica, uranium, and metals is low. tive roads in that area. A legal description of these lands is The ACEC has areas with high, moderate, and low included in appendix 2. potential for crushed-stone aggregate deposits. Unconsolidated material in the ACEC has high potential for sand and gravel aggregate deposits. Physiographic Description The Rainbow Gardens ACEC is named for an area of colorful rock strata near its southeastern boundary. Near its Introduction western boundary, it includes Frenchman Mountain, a rug- ged ridge that forms the eastern backdrop for Las Vegas and This report was prepared for the U.S. Bureau of Land reaches elevations of more than 1,200 m. The northwest part Management (BLM) to provide information for land plan- of the ACEC includes Sunrise Mountain, which is more than ning and management, and, specifically, to determine min- 1,000 m in height. The lowest part of the ACEC is at an eleva- eral resource potential in accordance with regulations at 43 tion of about 440 m along its southern boundary in Las Vegas CFR 2310, which governs the withdrawal of public lands. Wash, which drains into Lake Mead to the east. Streams and The Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natu- washes in the Rainbow Gardens ACEC drain westward into ral Resources Act of 2002 temporarily withdraws the lands Las Vegas basin and eastward into Lake Mead. described herein from mineral entry, pending final approval of an application for permanent withdrawal by the BLM. This report provides information about mineral resource potential of these lands. Geologic Setting The Rainbow Gardens ACEC was studied in the field to confirm descriptions of the geology that were gleaned from The Rainbow Gardens ACEC is in the Basin and Range the scientific literature. Samples were collected and analyzed, Physiographic Province, which is characterized by north- I2 Mineral Resource AssessmentofSelectedAreasinClarkandNyeCounties,Nevada 115°0'0"W 114°52'30"W 36°15'0"N Ths Gypsum prospects uPzc uPzc lPzc Exploratory uPzs oil well Ths uPzc Sandia Rock sand and gravel Ths uPzc lPzc pit uPzc uPzs AP-248 Abandoned lt Ths u uPzc uPzs Ths a uPzc sand and gravel F JTRs uPzs uPzs uPzc Ths pits n uPzc uPzc uPzc a uPzc m JTRs Pabco (Apex) uPzc h uPzc uPzs uPzc Scale 1:24,000 c gypsum mine n e uPzc Boulevard Fa ult Tsy r uPzc and mill F Tvy Tvy AP-247 Qu uPzs JTRs uPzc Pioneer Xm Qu Copper prospect JTRs gypsum mine lPzc uPzc Ths Uranium prospect RAINBOW GARDENS Ths Ths lPzs ACEC Tvy JTRs Ths Tvy Qu uPzc North Rainbow Gardens Tvy Qu Ths gypsum mines AP-129 uPzc Exploratory oil well Tvy AP-125 JTRs AP-126 Frenchman Ti Abandoned AP-127 Mill Site sand and gravel JTRs Tvy pits GoldButteACEC AP-131 East Rainbow Gardens White Eagle AP-130 gypsum mines gypsum mines 36°7'30"N AP-128 Fren Exploratory chman Fault Tsy oil well Tsy Qu Tvy Ths Tvy Tsy Tvy Ths Kilometers 024681 Xm Figure 1. Generalized geology of the Rainbow Gardens Area of Critical Environmental Concern, showing mines, prospects, and locations of analyzed samples. Geology modified from Stewart and Carlson (1978). Rainbow Gardens ACEC I3 EXPLANATION trending mountain ranges and intervening valleys. However, the ACEC lies near the border of this province with the Colo- Qu Undivided surficial deposits (Pleistocene and rado Plateaus Province and exposes Paleozoic and Mesozoic Holocene)—Alluvial, colluvial, lake, playa, landslide, strata that are similar to those of the Colorado Plateaus. The terrace, and eolian sand deposits geology of the region is characterized by rocks ranging in age QTs Sedimentary rocks (Pliocene and Pleistocene)—Mostly from Proterozoic through Miocene that are cut by a complex lake and alluvial deposits of late Cenozoic extensional faults. Important regional struc- Tsy Young sedimentary rocks (middle Miocene to Pliocene)—Alluvial, lacustrine, and fluvial deposits. tural features include the Lake Mead Fault system, the Las Locally includes minor amounts of tuff. Includes Muddy Vegas Valley shear zone, and steep to moderately dipping nor- Creek Formation mal faults. The Las Vegas Valley shear zone is a major west- Ths Horse Spring Formation (upper Oligocene and northwest-striking right-lateral fault zone that extends across Miocene)—Clastic and tuffaceous sedimentary rocks; much of southern Nevada. It has accommodated as much as includes some volcanic rocks, limestone, and gypsum 65 km of dextral displacement to the northwest of the ACEC Tvy Young volcanic rocks (middle and upper Miocene)- (Longwell, 1974; Wernicke and others, 1988; Deubendorfer Rhyolite, andesite, and basalt lava flows, tuff, and and Black, 1992) and is associated with large-magnitude tuffaceous sediments clockwise rotation of adjacent rocks. The Lake Mead Fault Ti Intrusive rocks (Oligocene and Miocene)—Aphanitic, porphyritic, and coarsely crystalline rocks ranging in system is a major east-northeast-striking left-lateral fault zone composition from gabbro to granite (Anderson, 1973) that appears to merge with the right-lateral JTRs Sedimentary rocks (Triassic and Jurassic)—Shale, Las Vegas Valley shear zone. mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, and carbonate rock; some sparse volcanic rock. Includes Lower Jurassic Glen Canyon Group (Kayenta and Moenave Formations, Aztec Sandstone) and Chinle and Moenkopi Formations Geology uPzc Carbonate rocks (Mississippian to Permian)— The Rainbow Gardens ACEC has been completely Limestone, dolomite, and some shale. May include Kaibab, Callville, Monte Cristo, and Redwall mapped geologically at 1:24,000 scale (Bingler, 1977; Bell Limestones, Toroweap Formation, and Bird Spring and Smith, 1980; Matti and others, 1993; Castor and others, Formation 2000; Deubendorfer, 2003). Rock units range in age from uPzs Sedimentary rocks (uppermost Devonian to Permian) — Proterozoic through late Miocene. Proterozoic schist and Siltstone, sandstone, shale, and conglomerate; some gneiss, exposed along the western base of Frenchman Moun- limestone, dolomite, chert, and gypsum. May include Queantoweap Sandstone, Hermit Formation, Coconino tain (Matti and others, 1993), is overlain by relatively thin Sandstone, Supai Group, and Pakoon Formation lower Cambrian sandstone and shale units and then by a thick lPzc Dolomite and Limestone (Cambrian to Devonian) — sequence of carbonate-dominated Cambrian, Devonian, and Dolomite, limestone, and minor amounts of Mississippian to Permian rocks. Mesozoic rocks, mainly com- sandstone,shale, and siltstone. May include Muav posed of shallow marine to nonmarine Triassic and Jurassic Limestone, Frenchman Mountain Dolomite, and redbeds, with some carbonate and gypsum beds, are capped Bonanza King ? and Nopah and Sultan Formations by eolian sandstone. Rocks of the uppermost Oligocene to lPzs Sedimentary rock (Cambrian)—Sandstone, shale, and middle Miocene Horse Spring Formation and a red sandstone limestone. May include Pioche Shale, Lyndon Limestone, and Chisholm Shale unit described by Bohannon (1984) are mainly composed of Xm Metamorphic rocks (Paleoproterozoic)—Undivided nonmarine red sandstone, with some carbonate rocks and tuff. metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and gneissic rocks, The Muddy Creek Formation, which is mostly composed of including locally abundant amphibolite and pegmatite. poorly indurated sandstone and siltstone with local gypsum, May also include Paleoproterozoic granitoid rocks limestone, and conglomerate units, filled late Miocene basins. contact, certain The Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata are conformable, but the break between the youngest Mesozoic unit (Jurassic Aztec fault, certain Sandstone) and the oldest Tertiary unit (basal part of the Horse fault, approximate Spring Formation) is marked by a low-angle unconformity. The Rainbow Gardens ACEC contains six major struc- fault, concealed tural elements: the Frenchman Mountain block, Sunrise thrust fault Mountain block, Boulder Basin, Nellis Basin, Gale Hills block, and Las Vegas Valley. The Frenchman Mountain block mine or prospect is bounded by the Frenchman Fault and Las Vegas Valley on AP-001 sample site, with sample nmber the west, the Sunrise Mountain block on the north, and the Boulder Basin on the east.