Mineral summaries for Oregon; U.S. Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas

Abstract

The State of Oregon has experienced an increase of mineral production of about 11 percent between 1987 and 1988, the most recent year for which figures have been compiled. This production was nearly all from industrial minerals. The leading commodities were crushed stone, sand and gravel, cement, diatomite, and lime. Oregon leads the nation in pumice production and is of national importance in diatomite and zeolite production. The State ranked 38th nationally in values of nonfuel minerals produced, (all data from Minerals Yearbook, vols. 1 and 2, 1988, by U.S. Bureau of Mines). The exploration for high-bulk, gold deposits is a major new activity in Oregon. The Grassy Mountain gold deposit in Malheur County has reserves of over a million ounces. Extensive searches are underway for additional similar deposits.Many of the wilderness study areas in Oregon are in close proximity to areas of mineral production; however, the only identified or known resources in the study areas are building stone, chalcedony, clay, copper, decorative stone, diatomite, gold (lode and placer), jasper, mercury, perlite, pozzolan, sand and gravel, slab lava, and zeolite (table 2). A total of 17 wilderness study areas have high potential for undiscovered resources of chromite, copper, diatomite, geothermal energy, gold, lead, mercury, molybdenum, optical calcite, sand and gravel, silver, uranium, zeolite, and zinc. There are an additional 40 study areas that have moderate potential for undiscovered resources of arsenic, ash,