Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) Depository) 1990 Mineral Resources of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area, White Pine County, Nevada, and Millard County, Utah United States Geological Survey Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/govdocs Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Recommended Citation United States Geological Survey, "Mineral Resources of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area, White Pine County, Nevada, and Millard County, Utah" (1990). All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository). Paper 221. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/govdocs/221 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS u.s. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Bureau of Land Ma:l8gement Wilderness Study Area The Fe<!=! Land Policy and Management Act (Publio Law 94-579, October 21, 1976) requires MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE MARBLE CANYON the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines to conduct mineral surveys on ccnain WlLDERNEf,s STUDY AREA, WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEVADA, AND MILLARD COUNTY, UTAH areas to determine !he rninerrJ values. if any, that may be prcsenL Results must be made By availabl. to the public and be submincd to the President and the Congress. This report presents Michael F. Digglesl• Gary A. Nowlan2, H. Richan! Blank, 1r.2, and Susan M. Marcus3 the results of a rnineral survey of pan of the Marble Canyon (NV·()40.086) Wilderness Study U.S. Geological Survey Area, White Pine County, Nevada. anJ Millan! County, Utah. and Ricban! F. Kness2 U.s. Bureau of Mines U.S. Geolocieal Survey Open.FUe Report 90-0522 Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines "!lUI """" it poeIiminory ....... 1IOI boea __ CorccnCormi1y with u.s. Geological Suney eofitorial_ or _ die Nonh American -1JIIlIU< code. Any use of orode. produa. or f"'" -.it Cor clelcriplive ......... only .... does "'" imply --.by die U.s. Gow:mment 2ocnvcr, CO 80225 3Rcno, NV 89557 1990 2 FIGURES CONTENTS I. Index map showing 1ocation of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Atea. White Pine SIIIIlIDII)' 5 County, Nevada and MUlud County, Uuth. 6 Abstract 5 2. Mineral resource potential and &eneralized geology of the Marble Canyon Wilderness 0>8J1ICter and setting 5 Study Atea. Nevada and Uuth. 9 Identified mineral resources 5 3. Geochemical anomaly map of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area, Nevada and Minenl ",source potential 7 Uuth. 16 Introduction 7 4. Aeromagnetic map of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Atea. Nevada and Uuth. 20 Location and physiography 7 5. Bouguer gravity anomaly map of the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study AteI, Nevada ProcedUIeS and sources of data 8 and Uuth. 22 Acknowledgments 10 Appraisal of identified resources 10 TABLE Mining IICIivity 10 Oilandps 11 I . Statistics for selected elements in drainage sampl-- ~olleCled in and near the Marble Results of flOld investigation II Canyon Wilderness S~Jdy Atea. Nevada and MiL ~d County, Uuth. 18 Smith CteeIc ldits II Limesrone and tnalble II Conclusions 12 _ Assessment of mineral resource potential 13 Geology 13 Lower-plate rocks 13 Upper-plate rocks 13 Teniary rocks and Quaternary surficial deposits 14 Sll'UCture and metamorphism 14 Geochemistry IS Methods and background IS Results and interpretation 17 Geophysics 19 Aeromagnetic data 19 Gravity data 21 Mineral ",soun;e potential 23 LimeSlOlle and marble 23 UoId and silver 23 Copper, lead, and zinc 23 Tunpten and molybdenum 23 BetyUium and fluorite 23 Barite 24 Oil andps 24 GeodIermaI energy 24 References cited 24 Appendixes 31 Definition of levels of mineral ",soun;e potential and certainty of assessment 32 Re~e clusif","tion 33 GeoIocic time chan 34 4 3 SUMMARY Abstract MAD! PROM BEST The 19,1 SO-acre Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area (NV-040-o86) was AVAILABLE ~O" evaluated for mineral resources (known) and mineral resource potential (undiscovered), and field work was conducted in 1987. The acreage includes 6,435 acres that is now designated as part of the Mount Moriah Wilderness under the Nevada Wilderness Protection Act of 1989 (5. 974), most but not all of which is included in 8,300 acres for which the U.S. Bureau of land Management requested a mineral survey. In this report, the "wilderness study area; or simply "the study area" refers to the entire 19, ISO-acre tract. The area is underlain by au'!:tzite shale and carbonate rocks. The northern Snake Range decollement is a detachment surface within the study area that separates rocks of similar age but diffarent metamorphic grade. large inferred subeconomic 6mestone and marble resources in the study area have no spacial or unique properties. The mineral resource potential for limestona and marble is high in two canyons and is moderate in the rest 01 the wilderness study area. Parts of the study area 1bove and lIS· 00· ". ;"' : along the northern Snake Range decollement have low potential for undisc.. vered 30' i >- i depos~s of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, mOlybdenum, beryllium, and j Nonh -, fluorite. A zone around barile-bearing rock penetrated by ds inside the southeast i ~ ~":l' boundary of the study area has moderate potential for barite, and the surrounding area , has low potential for barite; both areas also have low potential for silver, copper, lead, • i zinc, and tungsten. The entire study area has moderate potential for oil and gas and i i low potential lor geothermal energy resources. !") ; If ~ Character and Setting HIJMOOl.DT ;- . - . _ .1 NATIONAl. '. I MOM' The Marble Canyo.' Wilderncss Study Area covers approximately 19, ISO acres and is 10 I'OOEST • Moriah mi west of Gandy, Utah (fig. I). The terrain is rugged, and the elevation ranges from about i 9,331 ft II Thunder Mountain ID about S,240 ft in the southeast comer of the srudy area. Access "~-. i HUMBOl.DT ! NATIONAL ID and within the study area is by four-wheel-drive roads in Marble Wash, Coyote Canyon, Bars S ,J I'OOEST Canyon, and Smith Creek. ~ The study area is underlain by shalcs, quartzites, and carbonate rocks of early Paleozoic age (see "Appendixcs" for geologic time chan). The oldest exposed rocks in the area are shale, quartzite, and marble of Early and Middle Cambrian age. Shale of Late Cambrian age has been faulted over the older metamorphosed rocks. Dolomite, shale, and quanzite of Ordovician and Silurian age are also in fault contact with the Upper Cambrian rocks. The structura1 history of the study area includes the development of a detachment fault that juxtaposes metamorphosed Paleozoic rocks beneath, and in flat-fault contact with, less metamorphosed to nonrr.etamorphosed rocks. This detachment surface is pan of the northern Snake Range d&:ollemenl (dentined Mineral R .....rces Limestone has been prospected and quuried in and near the srudy area. Large inferred subeconomic limestone and marble resoun:es inside the srudy area are without special or unique propenies. The carbonate rocks are suitable for Ult in aggregate, but there are no nearby markets and sinnilar quality resoun:es are present elsewhere. Filii"' 1.-1Ddcx map 1bowiD~ of Marble Canyon Wilderness Srudy A-. White Pine Olumy, Nev.ta, and Olumy. Ulah. S Location and Physiography The exposed nonhc:m Snake Ranle ~llement within the study area is not mineralized, as indi<:ated by a IoI:k or SurflOC expressions and by sttum-sediment data. Samples taken from The Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area comprises approximately 19,150 acres in the flult-breccia """"s in IIOIIJIIClamOrp CIIbonate rocks above the northern Snake Ranle Basin and Range physiographic province. It is situated in the northern Snake Range, principally d6coIlemcnt IXlIItain some palhfinder clements typico! or detachment-related deposits, but no in eastern White Pine County, Nev., but extending a short distance into Millard County, about 10 minera1 occurrences wete observed. mi southwest of Gandy, Uhth. The north and west boundaries follow MaJble Wash and Coyote Canyon, respectively. The south boundary follows a four-wheel-drive road from Coyote Canyon MIDeraI Resource Potential to the base of Thunder Mountain and the north boundary of the Mount Moriah l'ivision of Humboldt National Forest. The cast boundary follows a four-whcel-drive road along the alluvial In the Iower puts or Ban Canyon and Marble Wash the mineral resource potential for apron ncar the 6,OOO-ft contour. Elevations in the study area range from about 9,331 ft at limestooe and marble is hiah, and in the rest of the study area it is moderate. Thunder Mountain to about 5,240 ft in the southeast comer of the study area. The Nevada Wilderness Protection Act of 1989 designates 6,435 acres of the study area as part of the Mount Areas or the Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area underlaiD by upper-plate rocks and Moriah Wilderness (fig. I). the """" of the nonhc:m Snake Ranac ~llcmcnt have low minera1 resource potential for lold, silver c:cppcr lead, zinc tunplal, molybdenum, betyllium, and fluorite. The lold and silver are Oimate in the study area is classified as arid; precipitation averages 10 in. per year and associated wid, Iow-anaie faults within those areas. GeochemicaJ evidence sUllests the resource supports vegetation of the Sonoran and Transition Zones. The higher elevations are in the potenrial foc c:cppcr, lead, zinc, tunptcn, and molybdenum in those areas. The geophysical Transition Zone where vegetaL..>n includes pinon and bristlecone pine.