Mineral resources of the Owens Peak and Little Lake Canyon Wilderness Study Areas, Inyo and Kern counties, California

Abstract

The Owens Peak (CDCA-158) and Little Lake Canyon (CDCA-157) Wilderness Study Areas are located in the southern Sierra Nevada 15 mi northwest of Ridgecrest. They include 26,112 and 30,542 acres, respectively. Field work was carried out in 1982 in order to assess the mineral resource potential of the areas as of March 1985. Metasedimentary rocks near the contact with the Sierra Nevada batholith or associated dikes host gold deposits at the Magnolia mine. Tungsten occurs in skarn deposits and quartz veins. The skarn bodies are small and many do not contain tungsten. The geology suggests that more tungsten-bearing skarn deposits may be discovered in the Owens Peak study area. Seven localities have mineral resource potential, five in the Owens Peak study area and two in the Little Lake Canyon study area. The Indian Wells Canyon area, where the largest metamorphic roof pendant was mapped during this study has the highest mineral resource potential for gold and tungsten. Rock samples from mineralized areas in the canyon, including mines and prospects, and stream sediments had anomalously high geochemical values for gold and tungsten. The Magnolia mine, which is presently active, has in excess of 1.2 million tons of gold-bearing rock averaging 0.02 oz/ton gold. The area around the Blue Max prospect and the Magnolia mine has moderate mineral resource potential for gold and tungsten; to the northwest there is a low mineral resource potential for the same commodities. Calculations indicate an estimated 20,000 tons of 0.1-percent tungsten trioxide (WO,)bearing rock is present at the Midnite Glow prospect at the base of Ninemile Canyon. Five workings at and near this prospect and geochemically anomalous samples from the base of Ninemile Canyon on the northern boundary of the Owens Peak study area indicate moderate mineral resource potential for tungsten. Although there are no known mineral deposits in Noname Canyon, some stream-sediment samples yielded slightly anomalous levels of tungsten, lead, and copper. The zone has been assigned low mineral resource potential for tungsten, lead, and copper. Near the head of Sand Canyon is a small metamorphic roof pendant that contains mineralized calcareous rock that has low mineral resource potential for tungsten. The middle of Little Lake Canyon study area contains a zone of potentially mineralized rocks in which small pods of calcareous metamorphic rocks are exposed on the ridge south of Little Lake Canyon. This area has low mineral resource potential for tungsten. Geochemical evidence indicates that the mineral deposit at the Midnite Glow prospect extends into the southern part of the Little Lake Canyon study area. There is a low mineral resource potential for tungsten north of this prospect. Character and Setting The Owens Peak and Little Lake Canyon Wilderness Study Areas are located on the east slope of the southern Sierra Nevada north of Walker Pass (fig. 1). The Owens Peak study area contains 26,112 acres and the Little Lake Canyon study area contains 30,542 acres. Although snow is common in winter, especially above 5,000 ft, it would probably not affect mining. Local roads sometimes become impassable due to extensive erosion during flash floods. Most of the area is underlain by intrusive rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith; however, a pendant that consists of metasedimentary rocks including schist, phyllite, gneiss, minor lenses of quartzite and marble, and metamorphosed igneous rocks that are dominantly diorite gneiss with minor metamorphosed basalt trends southeast of Owens Peak for approximately 9 mi. Other small pendants crop out between Owens Peak and Noname Canyon to the north.