Geological Survey (U.S.)

Karen Lund

Leon E. Esparza

The Gospel-Hump Wilderness lies in central Idaho. A mineral survey of the 206,500 acre area in Idaho County was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines during 1980 to 1983. The study consisted of new geologic mapping, geochemical sampling of the wilderness and vicinity, geophysical surveying, and investigation of claim blocks in or near the wilderness. Fractures in the roof zone of plutons of the Idaho batholith host gold and silver deposits in mining districts that are contiguous with and included in the Gospel- Hump Wilderness. Subeconomic gold and silver resources are indicated and inferred at the War Eagle and Blue Jay mines (southeastern part of the area). Parts of the eastern half of the wilderness area, which are included in mining districts and which are along the trends of known mineralized fractures, have a high potential for gold and silver resources and moderate potential for copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum resources in quartz fissure-veins. Other parts of the wilderness that have the same geologic setting have a moderate potential for gold and silver resources in undiscovered quartz veins that lie along the trend of or are parallel to known veins. The western third of the wilderness has a moderate potential for tungsten, silver, lead, copper, nickel, and possibly gold resources in skarn or metasomatic replacement deposits along thrust faults adjacent to carbonate units.

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