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Mineral resources of the Woolsey Peak Wilderness Study Area, Maricopa County, Arizona
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Peterson, Jocelyn A. Hassemer, Jerry R. Knepper, Daniel H. Pitkin, James A. Hanna, William F. McDonnell, John R. |
| Copyright Year | 1989 |
| Abstract | The part of the Woolsey Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ-020-142/144) requested for mineral surveys by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management encompasses 61 ,000 acres in southwestern Arizona. Throughout this report, reference to the Woolsey Peak Wilderness Study Area or to the study area refers only to that part of the wilderness study area requested for mineral surveys by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Fieldwork was carried out during the spring of 1985 and the winters of 1986 and 1987 by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey to appraise the known mineral resources and to assess the mineral resource potential (undiscovered) of the study area. Inferred subeconomic resources of common variety rock and sand and gravel are present in the study area, but there are no identified locatable resources within the area even though there are some claims along its boundary. The study area has low resource potential for barite, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, silver, and gold in epithermal veins in the southwest and southeast corners of the study area and in a small area about 1 mi northwest of Bunyan Peak. Quartz monzonite on the northeast side of the study area has low resource potential for rare-earth elements such as lanthanum and for thorium and uranium in accessory minerals such as monazite. These rocks also have low resource potential for quartz, mica, and feldspar as well as rareearth elements, thorium, and uranium in the numerous pegmatites that are present. The east edge of the study area has low potential for gold and platinum-group elements in placers. The entire study area has low potential for copper resources in porphyry deposits on the basis of its regional geologic setting; however, specific data suggestive of a possible porphyry copper deposit are not present. Pumiceous Manuscript approved for publication December 28, 1988. rocks in the southwest corner of the study area have moderate potential for resources of pumice and Apache tears, the latter being primarily a commodity sought by rock collectors. The entire study area has low potential for geothermal energy resources. The area is not considered favorable for the discovery of oil and gas. Character and Setting The Woolsey Peak Wilderness Study Area (AZ--020-142/144) is located about 15 mi northwest of Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona (fig. 1). The area is in the Sonora Desert section of the Basin and Range physiographic province, a region of large mountain ranges separated by alluvium-filled valleys. The study area is underlain primarily by Tertiary volcanic rocks (see geologic time chart in appendixes) that overlie quartz monzonite and metamorphic rocks of Proterozoic or Mesozoic age. Pediments and basin margins are covered by gravels, and washes contain alluvium. Identified Resources and Mineral Resource Potential Other than inferred subeconomic resources of common variety rock and sand and gravel, no mineral resources were identified in the study area. Traces of gold, silver, copper, manganese, niobium, platinum, uranium, and zinc detected in quartz monzonite samples suggest that metallicmineral concentrations could be present. The study area has low resource potential for barite, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, silver, and gold (fig. 2) in epithermal veins in the volcanic rocks of the southwest and southeast comers of the study area and about 1 mi northwest of Bunyan Peak in an area underlain by pyroclastic Mineral Resources of the Woolsey Peak Wilderness Study Area, Maricopa County, Arizona Fl rocks and felsic and basaltic flows. The quartz monzonite on the northeast side of the study area has a low resource potential for rare-earth elements such as lanthanum and for thorium and uranium in accessory minerals such as monazite. There is also low resource potential for quartz, mica, and feldspar and for rare-earth elements, thorium, and uranium in numerous pegmatites within quartz monzonite. Alluvium at the east edge of the study area has low resource potential for gold and platinum-group elements in placers, presumably derived from the metamorphic rocks in that area. On the basis of its regional geologic setting, the entire study area has low resource potential for copper in porphyry deposits. However, specific data suggestive of a porphyry copper deposits were not found. The southwest corner of the study area has moderate potential for resources of pumice and Apache tears, the latter being primarily a commodity sought by rock collectors, in the pumiceous rocks of Painted Rock Dam. The entire study area has low potential for geothermal energy resources |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.3133/b1702F |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1702f/report.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.3133/b1702F |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
