Mineral Resources of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1748-A t_.-aw*""" ~^^^^ ~^*!* - ^-**~*«^. -*" * <*^ 'Mr-^V' ~"X -.*.*<*5 ^A4»Bsae««-,, ,, ' ,,^ >" ;-»r^ "^ .-X & ^ ,.. » >^- y*«* ,^-*^. '_'-.. ''" ^ ;/ UTAH , 'Jrf'^^^ *' vV .**>^4 a»<*. li*>ili^i^^^^^^ * V. J*& --.' ^<te rf* '* - *'' ' -- * -v. "^ *.^s- ^ -; ^a%-^^^^.; u ^^^fi^' L .? 4 ." JT-M-. V V**Ar.- i. I j \ * . 4J Chapter A Mineral Resources of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah By HENRY BELL III, JAMES E. KILBURN, and JOHN W. CADY U.S. Geological Survey MICHAEL E. LANE U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1748 MINERAL RESOURCES OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS: THE COCKSCOMB REGION, UTAH 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: 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 Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah / by Henry Bell. [et al.]. p. cm. (Mineral resources of wilderness study areas the Cockscomb region, Utah ; ch. A) (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 174&-A) (Studies related to wilderness) Includes bibliographical references Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.3:1748 1. Mines and mineral resources Utah Cockscomb Wilderness. 2. Mines and mineral resources Utah Wahweap Wilderness. 3. Cockscomb Wilderness (Utah). 4. Wahweap Wilderness (Utah). I. Bell, Henry, 1923-1989. II. Series. III. Series: U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1748-A. IV. Series: Studies related to wilderness. QE75.B9 no. 1748-A [TN24.U87] 557.3 S-dc20 90-2842 [553'.09792'51] 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 Cockscomb (UT-040-275) and Wahweap (UT-040-248) Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah. CONTENTS Abstract Al Summary Al Character and geologic setting Al Mineral occurrences and identified resources A3 Mineral and energy resource potential A3 Introduction AS Location and geographic setting AS Investigations by the U.S. Bureau of Mines AS Investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey A6 Appraisal of identified resources A6 Mining history A6 Energy resources A6 Appraisal of examined sites A8 Conclusions A8 Assessment of potential for undiscovered resources A8 Geologic setting A8 Summary description of rock units A9 Structure All Geochemical studies All Geophysics A12 Mineral resource potential A14 Uranium A14 Gold A14 Other metals A16 Sand and gravel A16 Energy resource potential A16 Coal A16 Oil and gas ALT Geothermal energy A17 References cited ALT Appendix A19 PLATE [Plate is in pocket] 1. Geology, identified resources, mineral resource potential, drill holes, and selected sample sites, Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas and vicinity, Kane County, Utah. Contents FIGURES 1-3. Maps of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas and vicinity: 1. Location A2 2. Mineral and energy resource potential A4 3. Oil and gas leases, placer claims, and unpatented mining claims A7 4. Generalized east-west geologic section across the Wahweap Wilderness Study Area showing the East Kaibab monocline A9 5-6. Maps of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas and vicinity: 5. Total field aeromagnetic map A13 6. Complete Bouguer gravity anomaly map A15 VI Contents Mineral Resources of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah By Henry Bell III, James E. Kilburn, and John W. Cady U.S. Geological Survey Michael E. Lane U.S. Bureau of Mines Abstract both in Kane County, Utah. In this report the areas studied are called "wilderness study areas," simply "study The Cockscomb (UT-040-275) and Wahweap areas," or "Cockscomb area" or "Wahweap area," as (UT-040-248) Wilderness Study Areas are in Kane County, Utah, west of the Kaiparowits Plateau. These study areas are appropriate. The Cockscomb area (fig. 1) lies along the underlain by gently folded sedimentary rocks: the east- steeply east-dipping East Kaibab monocline, and the dipping East Kaibab monocline in the western part of the Wahweap area, farther to the east, consists of flat-lying Cockscomb study area, and relatively horizontal beds to the but gently folded rocks. These areas adjoin the Paria- east and in the Wahweap study area. No identified resources Hackberry Wilderness Study Area (UT-040-247) to the of metals or nonmetallic minerals occur, but about 1.8 million west. tons of identified subbituminous coal resources are esti­ mated for the Cockscomb study area, and about 350,000 tons for the Wahweap area. The mineral resource potential Character and Geologic Setting for all metals, including gold and uranium, is low in both study areas. Gravel deposits have been mined nearby, and the mineral resource potential is high for additional deposits The wilderness study areas are in the Colorado of sand and gravel in the southern end of the Wahweap Plateaus physiographic province, west of the Kaiparowits Wilderness Study Area. A moderate energy resource Plateau, on the Kaibab uplift. The areas are in the part of potential exists for coal in the Dakota Formation in both study the Colorado Plateaus called the High Plateaus of Utah, areas, and for coal in the Straight Cliffs Formation in the an area of narrow, deep canyons with bordering cliffs Wahweap Study Area. The resource potential in both study separated from nearby mesas by broad, undulating areas is moderate for oil and gas, and low for geothermal benches that rise like steps from an elevation of about energy. 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet. In this arid region, the Paria River, Wahweap Creek, and streams in several other major canyons are dry much of the time. The seasonally SUMMARY dry beds of the Paria River and Wahweap Creek are passable for vehicles and supplement access from At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land unpaved county roads and from U.S. Highway 89, which Management, two wilderness study areas in southern passes close to the southern boundary of the study areas. Utah (fig. 1) were studied in order to appraise their West of the East Kaibab monocline, near the identified mineral resources and assess their potential Cockscomb study area (fig. 1), the oldest exposed rocks mineral resources. The areas studied are the Cockscomb are Permian in age (see geologic time chart in appendix), (UT-040-275) Wilderness Study Area, 5,100 acres are mostly limestones, and are included in the Toroweap (8 square miles), and the Wahweap (UT-040-248) Formation and the Kaibab Limestone. These are Wilderness Study Area, 70,380 acres (110 square miles), exposed in stratigraphic windows eroded through soft reddish sandstone and shale of the Triassic Moenkopi Formation. Unconformably above the Moenkopi For­ Manuscript approved for publication February 6, 1990. mation are variegated clayey sandstone, shale, and local Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas A1 BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT -f1 ' APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF THE WAHWEAP WILDERNESS STUDY AREA APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF THE PARIA-HACKBERRY WILDERNESS STUDY AREA APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF THE COCKSCOMB Glen Canyon City WILDERNESS STUDY AREA Figure 1. Location of the Cockscomb and Wahweap Wilderness Study Areas, Kane County, Utah. Paria-Hackberry Wilderness Study, not discussed in this report, is shown for location only. lenticular coarse sandstone of the Triassic Chinle cliffs in the interfingering Jurassic Carmel Formation and Formation. Above the Chinle Formation are generally Entrada Sandstone. The Entrada is overlain here by the light-colored or white, crossbedded sandstones which coal-bearing, Cretaceous Dakota Formation. A wide­ are, following the usage of Peterson and Pipiringos spread unconformity at the base of the Dakota has cut (1979), the Jurassic Moenave Formation, Kayenta For­ out Summerville-equivalent rocks and the Morrison mation, and Navajo Sandstone. These form cliffs ranging Formation, which underlie the Dakota just east of the from 600 to 1,000 feet in height. Numerous narrow area of plate 1. The rocks plunge northward along the canyons, including the canyon of the Paria River and East Kaibab monocline so that older rocks can be seen Hackberry Canyon, have been cut into these formations. covered successively by younger rocks, which lie un- Above the Navajo Sandstone lie mudstone, slabby eroded on both sides of the monocline, preserving the sandstone and limestone with gypsum beds, and soft, steeply dipping structure. Along the monocline the softer fine-grained, light-colored sandstone forming rounded mudstone and shale have been eroded, leaving the more A2 Mineral Resources of Wilderness Study Areas: The Cockscomb Region, Utah resistant sandstones as hogbacks and cockscomb-like minerals. Coal has been produced nearby from rocks in ridges. East of the monocline, the Cretaceous coal- the Dakota Formation, which crops out in both study bearing Dakota Formation and the soft, easily eroded areas. Subbituminous coal in the Dakota Formation is Tropic Shale form a wide bench; the overlying Creta­ the only identified resource; the resource is estimated to ceous Straight Cliffs Formation (a coal-producing for­ consist of about 1.8 million tons in the Cockscomb study mation in the Kaiparowits Plateau) makes sheer cliffs area and about 350,000 tons in the Wahweap study area 1,000 feet high.