The Alpine Lakes area is rugged terrain on the crest of the central CascadeJlange of Washington State. The original area of 324 square miles (839 km ) was studied in the field seasons of 1971 and 1972, and the report was made available for public inspection on October 2 10, 1973. Eighteen additions* which range from 0.3 square mile (0.8 km \ to 62.9 square miles (162.9 km ) and which total 275 square miles (712 km ), were mostly studied in the field season of 2 1973. The total Alpine Lakes area studied is 599 square miles (1,551 km ).These studies included reconnaissance geologic mapping, geochemical sampling, and examination of mines, prospects, and claims. One mineral body in the original study area was examined further.County records show that about 1,500 unpatented lode and placer claims have been located within and adjacent to the additions since the 1870's. Approximately 77 patented claims are within or adjacent to the study areas. Nearly all were patented between 1902 and 1912. The claims lie mainly in groups in established mining districts. The study of mines and prospects was divided into nine areas that -contain most of the claims. Most prospects are near the edges of granitic masses or the edges of the plutons that compose the granitic masses in the additions along the west and south sides of the original study area.A recorded total of about 500 tons of gold-silver-copper ore has been produced in the study area. A larger but unrecorded tonnage of ore was probably produced by exploratory work. U.S. Geological Survey personnel collected a total of 1,716 samples for analysis: 804 stream-sediment samples, 19 soil samples, two pannedconcentrate samples, and 891 rock samples. Some samples, however, are from parts of the original study area. The additions were systematically sampled; areas in which anomalously high amounts of metal were detected were examined in more detail to determine the source of the metals.Anomalous stream sediment and rock samples collected in the areas of lower Big Creek, Cougar Creek, Lennox Creek, the West Fork of the Miller River, and Gouging Lake may indicate the presence of undiscovered vein deposits of precious and base metals that are similar in size and tenor to worked deposits in the same general area. The deposits are characteristically arsenical and contain silver, copper, and molybdenum. Silver was detected in samples from the main mineralized areas and, in some localities, constitutes the major value of the resource. Samples indicate tha't the most consistent silver values are near a shear zone that extends from the upper West Fork of the Miller River to Paradise Lakes. The Cleopatra mine is estimated to have over 100,000 tons (127,000 t) of mineralized rock containing between 6.0 and 17 ounces silver per ton (332.9-514.3 g/t). Other prospects contain lesser tonnages and lower grade rock.A shear zone with abundant limonite on the rock surfaces extends southeastward from Green Ridge Lake for about a third of a mile. Samples from the zone, however, contain only minor amounts...