Mineral resource potential map of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness and contiguous roadless area, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Abstract

Bureau of Mines STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESSUnder the provtstons of the Wilderness Act {Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and related acts, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines have been conducting mineral surveys of wilderness and primitive areas. Areas officially designated as 11 wilderness, 11 11 wild, 11 or 11 canoe" when the act was passed were incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System, and some of them are presently being studied. The act provided that areas under consideration for wilderness designation should be studied for suitability for incorporation into the Wilderness System. The mineral surveys constitute one aspect of the suitability studies. The act directs that the results of such surveys are to be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This report discusses the results of a mineral survey of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness and contiguous Roadless Area {03098), Santa Fe and Carson National Forests, Rio Arriba County, N. Mex. The area was established as a wilderness by Public Law 95-Z37, Feb. Z4, 1978. MINERAL RESOURCE POTEN1'IAL SUMMARY STATEMENTThe Chama River Canyon Wilderness and Roadless Area have a moderate to high potential for the presence of small deposits of copper with associated uranium and silver. These deposits, as yet undetected, would occur in the Permian Cutler Formation and in the lower part of the Triassic Chinle Formation, rock units that are, for the most part, present only in the subsurface. The presence of these deposits is inferred because such deposits occur in rocks of equivalent age in adjacent areas. Gypsum, of probable minable quality and quantity, occurs throughout the area. Oil and gas are possibly present in Pennsylvanian strata in the subsurface, although no drilling in the study area has tested this hypothesis. Other commodities, including noncopper-related uranium, kaolinite, chromium, vanadium, manganese, and bitumen, although present locally in anomalous concentrations, do not appear to constitute potential resources for these commodities.