U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERAL SUMMARIES U.S. Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Areas in California outside the California Desert Vol. 3 Edited by Michael F. Diggles1 U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-0096 Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management 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 iMenlo Park, CA 94025 1990 California Briefing Book, Volume 3 U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines CONTENTS Page Introduction................................................ 1 Format of Briefing Book.................................... 1 Classification of mineral resources .............................. 1 Abbreviations used in this book............................... .2 Mineral summary for the state of California outside the California Desert............................................... 3 Wilderness Study Areas (listed alphabetically) Agua Tibia........................................... 16 Baker Cypress/Lava Rock. ...................... .see Timbered Crater Bear Canyon.......................................... 18 Bear Mountain......................................... 21 Beauty Mountain G ...................................... 23 Benton Range......................................... .25 Big Butte............................................ 28 Bitterbrush........................................... 30 Black Butte........................................... 31 Black Canyon......................................... .35 Black Mountain........................................ .39 Bodie.............................................. .41 Bodie Mountains....................................... .44 Buffalo Hills.......................................... 47 Caliente Mountain....................................... 50 Carson Iceberg......................................... 52 CasaDiablo. ......................................... .56 Cedar Roughs......................................... .60 Chemise Mountain ISA ................................... 103 Chidago Canyon........................................ 62 Coyote Southeast. ...................................... .65 Crater Mountain........................................ 68 Dry Valley Rim . ....................................... .71 East Fork High Rock Canyon ................................ 76 Eden Valley.......................................... .80 Excelsior. ........................................... .82 Fish Slough........................................... 84 Five Springs.......................................... .87 Garcia Mountain........................................ 90 Granite Mountains....................................... 92 Hauser Mountain C ...................................... 95 High Rock Canyon ...................................... .97 Independence Creek. .................................... 100 King Range.......................................... 103 Laurel-McGee........................................ .106 Lava.............................................. 109 Little High Rock Canyon .................................. 112 Masonic Mountains..................................... ,116 Massacre Rim ......................................... 119 Merced River......................................... 123 Milk Ranch/Case Mountain ................................. 128 Morman Meadow...................................... .130 Moses............................................. .133 pagei California Briefing Book, Volume 3 U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines Contents (continued) Mt. Biedeman......................................... 135 Paiute............................................. .138 Panoche Hills North ..................................... 141 Panoche Hills South ..................................... 141 Pinnacles Contiguous.................................... 144 Pit River Canyon ....................................... 147 Piute Cypress ISA ...................................... 151 Poodle Mountains...................................... .154 Red Mountain......................................... 157 Rocky Creek/Cache Creek. ................................ 160 San Benito........................................... 163 San Felipe Hills ....................................... .166 San Ysidro Mountain .................................... .168 Sawtooth Mountain A .................................... 170 Sawtooth Mountain C .................................... 173 Sheep Ridge.......................................... 176 Sheldon Contiguous..................................... 178 Skedaddle........................................... 181 Slinkard............................................ 187 South Warner Contiguous .................................. 190 Southern Otay Mountain . ................................. .193 Sweetwater. ......................................... 195 Symmes Creek........................................ 198 Table Mountain....................................... .201 Thatcher Ridge........................................ 203 Timbered Crater (Baker Cypress)............................. 205 Tule Mountain........................................ 209 Tunnel Ridge......................................... 212 Tunnison Mountain..................................... 216 Twin Peaks.......................................... 220 Ventana Wilderness Contiguous .............................. 223 Volcanic Tablelands..................................... 225 Walford Springs....................................... 228 Wall Canyon......................................... 231 Western Otay Mountain ................................... 192 Wheeler Ridge........................................ 234 White Mountain....................................... 237 Yellow Rock Canyon . ................................... 241 Yolla Bolly Contiguous ................................... 244 Geologic time chart. ........................................ .247 page n California Briefing Book, Volume 3 U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines Contents (continued) TABLES 1. Table listing U.S. Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas in California outside the California Desert, their numbers and acreages, and whether they were studied by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines . ...................... .4 2. U.S. Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas with identified resources (known) or with high or moderate mineral resource potential (undiscovered)............................... 6 3. Mineral commodities designated strategic and critical..................... .8 4. Percent of U.S. consumption from imports, major foreign sources, and principal uses for mineral commodities identified in the California wilderness study areas outside the California Desert. ........... .9 FIGURES 1. Resource/reserve classification .................................. .13 2. Definition of levels of mineral resource potential and certainty of assessment........................................... .14 page 111 California Briefing Book, Volume 3 U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines INTRODUCTION The U.S. Geological Survey (Menlo Park, CA) in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Mines (Spokane, WA) prepared this mineral "Briefing Book," that summarizes the mineral resource evaluations on 81 wilderness study areas in or administered from California outside the California Desert. These areas are lands administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. All but two of these areas are classified as wilderness study areas; two exceptions are instant study areas. Interspersed throughout many of the federal lands are parcels of private and State land. This third and final volume for California U.S. Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas supplements the first two volumes prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey as background data for the proposed California Desert Protection Act (S-7,1987; S-ll, 1989). This volume covers a total of 1,255,432 acres. The mineral resource information was requested under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (Public Law 94-579, October 21, 1976), which required the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines to conduct mineral surveys on all or parts of 19 areas to determine the mineral values, if any, that may be present. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management requested studies of wilderness study areas in and administered from California outside the California Desert, that total 327,912 acres. These consist of 7 areas that total 72,997 acres and parts of 12 areas that total 254,915 acres. This briefing book additionally contains information on 927,520 acres that consist of the 62 remaining study areas that total 624,348 acres and the unstudied parts of 12 areas that total 303,172 acres. However, the mineral information on the areas that were not studied is tenuous and based on literature searches and, where applicable, discussions with private industry. Table 1 is a list of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas covered in this volume, along with their number, acreages, and whether they were studied by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines. Format of Briefing Book Each mineral summary in this book includes