The Horse Mountain (NM-020-043) and the Continental Divide (NM-020-044) Wilderness Study Areas include mountainous terrains that border the Plains of San Agustin in Catron County about 90 miles west of Socorro, N. Mex. (fig. 1). The areas studied consist of 4,432 acres on Horse Mountain in the Horse Mountain study area, north of the plains, and 37,599 acres around Pelona Mountain in the Continental Divide study area, south of the plains. There are no identified mineral resources in either wilderness study area. However, a moderate oil and gas potential applies to the entire Plains of San Agustin region, including both study areas (fig. 2). The mineral resource potential for metals (iron, manganese, zinc, lead, copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver) related to hydrothermal igneous systems is considered to be low in the study areas (fig. 2). The mineral resource potential for tin and uranium, geothermal energy, and sand and gravel is considered to be low.
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