BLM LIBRARY //^ 88026410 * THE CALIFORNIA DESERT Why Mining is : : : : : : : Important ':::' Ulilll !|:|:|: iililii ijljlii ::::??TT?T^'T^'*^'*»'^*^*^*^T^,^*^*^,^^^*^^y^*^*^^^ Division of Mineral Resources Bureau Land Management of Sacramento, California BLM LIBRARY SC-653, BLDG. 50 DENVER FEDERAL CENTER P. 0. BOX 25047 DENVER, CO 802250047 1 BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 17.1 million acres of public land in California (17% of the state) and 1.5 million acres of Nevada land. It also has responsibility for about 47 million acres of subsurface mineral resources representing 47% of the state. The BLM balances the management of public lands and resources so that they are considered in a combinationthatwill bestservetheAmerican people. ByCongressional direction, BLM managesthe public land under the multiple-use concept that includes environmental protection, resource development and recreation. D BLM lands serve the recreation needs of millions who use them for hiking, sightseeing, rafting, rockhounding, camping, fishing, hunting, cycling, bird watching, scenic touring, gold panning, landsailing and other fun activities. D BLM protects hundreds of areas with cultural, archaeological, educational, historical, botanical, scenic, wildlife, and wilderness values. D BLM landscontain energyresourcessuchasoil, gas,wind, and geothermal, and substantial mineral deposits such as gold, sodium, potash, boron and rare earths. D BLM manages resources for wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, wild horse and burro protection, wildfire protection, timber production, rights-of-way to assist cities and towns with energy and communications, cleanairandwater, andthesecurityand economic needsofthe Nation, stateand local communities. BLM also manages manyspecial areas inthe statesuchastheCalifornia DesertConservationArea, Desert Tortoise Natural Area, King Range National Conservation Area, Bizz Johnson Hiking Trail, East Mojave National Scenic Area, Carrizo Plain Natural Area, Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard Preserve, and morethanahundredAreasofCritical Environmental Concern, all extremelyimportant to today's citizens and future generations. Please help us protect these lands and resources FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT - STATE OFFICE, 2800 COTTAGE WAY, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 95825 (916) 978-4754 BLM-CA-PT-91-013-3091 * U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1991 - 587-433 INTRODUCTION atW G~c* The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed its studies of the lands within the state of California that are being considered for wilderness designation. In addition, the Bureau of Mines (BOM) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have completed their investigations of mineral potential for those areas recommended for wilderness designation by BLM. The Secretary of Interior will soon make recommendations regarding wilderness designation of each Wilderness Study Area (WSA). The President will then introduce appropriate legislation to Congress. The wilderness study process designed by Congress in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) intended that mineral resource values be carefully weighed and not unjustly withdrawn from development by inclusion in wilderness areas. FLPMA mandated the Secretary of Interior (through BLM) to inventory and identify all resource values and make recommendations regarding the suitability of studied areas for wilderness designation. To ensure that important mineral resources were not withdrawn without proper consideration, the law also required the USGS and BOM to conduct additional mineral inventories and studies on all areas found suitable by BLM for wilderness designation. Mineral inventories were not conducted by BOM or USGS for areas recommended unsuitable for wilderness designation by BLM. It is clear that Congress intended mineral resources to be a major consideration in the determination of wilderness areas. FLPMA states specifically in its Declaration of Policy that "... the public lands be managed in a manner which recognizes the Nation's need for domestic sources of minerals, food, timber, and fiber from the public lands including implementation of the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 . . . ". As the wilderness study process has approached its conclusion, legislation has been proposed which did not take into account BLM recommendations and sought to designate most WSAs of the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) as wilderness areas or national parks. Arguments used in support of that proposed legislation questioned the rationale of BLM studies, including the evaluation of mineral resources, for those areas recommended unsuitable for wilderness designation. The purpose of this paper is to provide facts regarding the minerals of the California Desert and to inform the American public of the role that mineral resources play in their lives. This paper represents a mineral resource perspective intended to supplement the voluminous reports and other documents that will be presented to Congress. MINERAL DEPOSITS Many geological processes have operated throughout geologic time to form the earth as we know it. Some of these processes have resulted in the generation of mineral deposits at various places within the earth's crust. A mineral deposit is a concentration of minerals or elements of economic significance, in sufficient concentrations and quantities to warrant extraction at reasonable cost. Geologists have spent decades studying mineral deposits, attempting to determine and understand the processes that formed them. The details of a particular type of mineral deposit are of importance to the professional geologist because a mineral deposit model is used to guide technical exploration efforts. Certain aspects of these models are important to this discussion because these considerations, though taken for granted by the professional geologist, are sometimes unknown or overlooked by others. They are: • The actual time required for a mineral deposit to form is an eternity by man's comprehension of time. Even geologists have difficulty imagining the period of time needed for geologic processes to form a mineral deposit but accept the concept because they have been trained to think in such abstract terms as millions ofyears. A million years is nearly fourteen thousand lifetimes but a mineral deposit may take several million years to form. • All minerals are not stable and do not form under the same conditions and not all mineralizing processes have acted uniformly. This means: only a few minerals are contained in any one deposit; deposits of the same type may differ dramatically from one to another; and they are rare in their occurrence. Simply stated, and as an example, a gold deposit usually will not contain more than one or two other elements that can be recovered as byproducts. Not all gold deposits are alike. And, gold deposits do not occur everywhere. Other types of deposits share these traits. The USGS recently published a compilation of descriptions of eighty-five mineral deposit models grouped into thirteen broad category types (Cox and Singer, eds., 1987, Mineral Deposit Models, USGS Bulletin 1693, 379 p.). This publication attempted to quantify the mineral resource potential of various geologic terrains. • Different types of mineral deposits form in different ways. Some types of deposits are the result of sedimentary processes and form at, or near, the earth's surface. Some deposits form deep within the earth from igneous activity involving heat, pressure and fluids that exist there. Other geologic forces of faulting, folding, volcanism and erosion may have subsequently buried many mineral deposits that formed at the surface, exposed perhaps only a few of the deposits that formed at depth, and reburied or totally eroded many. • Mineral deposits are found only where they exist, not where we want them to be found. The geologic processes that formed mineral deposits acted without regard to man's desires, needs or political boundaries. The distribution of mineral resources throughout the world, or across the United States, is not equal. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 MINERAL DEPOSITS ." 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF MINERAL RESOURCES 4 THE MINERAL WEALTH OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT 5 STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MATERIALS 10 MINERALS IN THE WILDERNESS STUDY PROCESS 12 MINERALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 15 THE COST OF MINERAL WITHDRAWAL 16 CONCLUSION 17 TABLES Table 1. Mineral Commodities That Are Mined, Have Been Mined, Or Have Potential To Be Mined In The California Desert Conservation Area 6 Table 2. Potential Economic Impacts of Access Restrictions Within The East Mojave National Scenic Area as a Result of Pending Legislation 9 Table 3. "Minerals" Designated Strategic and Critical for Certain Commodity Grades 11 FIGURE 1 1989 Net Import Reliance of Selected Nonfuel Materials 13 APPENDICES A Major Uses of the Mineral Commodities of the CDCA 20 I B Importance of Industrial Minerals in Everyday Life 27 II Mineral Resources, Occurrences and Potentials for WSAs of the CDCA 32 Claim Data For Wilderness Study Areas 44 III IV Steps of Action and Costs of Clearing Mining Claims 50 V Active Mines of Southern California (1988-1989) 52 These concepts are the basis for several "catchy" phrases that have appeared in other discussions and testimony regarding the wilderness issue. Geology is a science that attempts to stretch a little knowledge a long way. The surface of the ground can be seen and studied but inferring what lies beneath the surface is very difficult. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence." is a phrase that has been used by the mining industry and geological profession to say that just because a mineral resource hasn't been found does not mean that it doesn't exist. Most mineral resources lie below the surface of tho ground and therefore cannot be seen, counted or evaluated without the use of somewhat sophisticated exploration techniques. Exploration is a lengthy and expensive undertaking but most exploration efforts do not lead to discovery of ore deposits. Virtually all current exploration is the result of the analysis of many small pieces of geological evidence found at, not below, the surface. Geologists use exposed signs of mineralization to target their exploration efforts, such as, geochemical analyses, geologic maps, previous discoveries, etc. However, undiscovered deposits may exist at the surface, just below the surface or at depth. The only statement that can be made about such unknown deposits is: if the proper geologic environment exists, there is the possibility of a mineral occurrence. Arguments used to question BLM's evaluation of mineral resource values have implied extremes of conflicting concepts. "Most significant mineralization is found only in the vicinity of known deposits which have been excluded from proposed wilderness or park areas" is an inference that might appear true to a layman simply because that is the current limit of mining activities. It is incorrect to imply that because a mineral deposit has not been found, it does not exist. It is also incorrect to state that all known mineral resources have been excluded from proposed wilderness or park areas. The other extreme, "that left open for exploration, the western United States will be pock-marked by open pit mines" implies that mining will take place everywhere. The reality is that mining will never take place where a mineral deposit does not now exist. We do know that mineral deposits can be scattered or clustered but they are much rarer than the statement suggests. The time required for geologic processes to "manufacture" a mineral deposit ensures that man will never mine a mineral deposit that doesn't exist now. The vast majority of pristine landscapes that remain open to mineral exploration will never be mined. Mining will also never occur where mineral resources remain undiscovered. Conflict exists between wilderness values and mineral development because the geologic forces which have produced the pristine and scenic values commonly associated with WSAs of the California Desert have also brought significant mineral resources within man's reach. In some instances, the harshness of the desert itself produced the mineral deposits. Limited or difficult access to many of these areas has preserved their scenic values but also deferred adequate mineral exploration. Future exploration for undiscovered mineral deposits will not be allowed in wilderness areas. Mineral occurrences become ore deposits only after the contained metals or other elements are determined to have a use; only after the mineral occurrence has been found; and only after it has been demonstrated that the economic conditions of supply and demand are such that an individual will earn a profit from mining the ore. Mining is a direct result of the demands of society and exists because of the importance of mineral resources. THE IMPORTANCE OF MINERAL RESOURCES Several thousand years ago man picked a rock from the ground and fashioned a tool. Our lives were changed for all time. The discovery of a particular stone with special properties that allowed it to form a sharp cutting edge created a demand for a mineral resource. At first, every individual probably searched for and collected his own rocks, for his own use. Not all rocks were suitable for working. Some were prettier. Some were better than others. None were found everywhere. Imagine the first trade that was made, perhaps a skin for a rock. Something of value from the earth was sold for a profit. A tool had added some efficiency to man's life. Demand for that kind of rock grew as more people discovered the benefits that the tool brought. Actual mining operations were initiated. This was the birth of the mining industry. Subsequent discoveries led to new technologies and man progressed from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, to the Iron Age, and now to the Computer Age. Products refined from minerals are used by people because they want the better life that the product makes possible. Today, every non-living item that we come in contact with, except for the air that we breath, has been made possible by, or from, a mineral or rock that was mined. The very basis of the American lifestyle, so envied by the rest of the world, has come from the earth. Materials we find essential to our everyday life are overwhelmingly mined from the ground. Our cars, our televisions, our refrigerators, our lights, our computers, our pictures, and nearly every item that we touch every day has some component that is mined. The telephone alone requires 42 different mineral commodities. Items not made from a mineral product are fabricated by tools or machines that were refined from minerals. Our organic-based items are made with or contain many components derived from minerals. Most vegetables are fertilized with chemicals that were once mined. They are cultivated and transported to market by machinery and packaged in containers made from materials that are mined. Nearly all paper products are made using chemicals and fillers that were mined. The importance of mineral resources has lost its relevance to the average person. Today people tend to think that electricity comes from a wall outlet, house foundations from cement trucks and watches from Japan. Minerals are most often disguised as finished products. According to BOM, each American uses approximately 40,000 pounds (lb.) of new materials each year. Throughout a lifetime the average American will use approximately 91,000 lb. of iron and steel, 795 lb. of lead, 757 lb. of zinc, 1,500 lb. of copper, 3,593 lb. of aluminum, 360,500 lb. of coal, and more than 1.2 million lb. of sand, gravel, stone, clay and cement. The mining industry explores for and produces various mineral resources. These minerals are refined and used by the manufacturing industry to produce tools, equipment and other merchandise which are needed by society for other business pursuits. The contribution of mining to the economy may appear small but it is important. According to BOM, in 1988 the American mining industry produced $30 billion in raw minerals which were transformed into $300 billion worth of processed products of mineral origin, the basic building blocks of an economy with a Gross National Product of $4,870 billion. Modern society creates the demand for mineral commodities. Mining is a requirement of our lifestyle. The mining industry does not begin mining operations without careful thought. Mining activities represent extensive exploration efforts, planning and long-term, high-risk investments of considerable funds. The mining industry exists because people want its products. Few people do not benefit from mining and fewer would prefer a lifestyle void of these benefits. A world without mining equates to a world without houses, telephones, televisions, automobiles, money, toothpaste or indoor plumbing. The American mining industry is an important contributor to the economy and lifestyle of all Americans. Appendix includes a table which presents some of the uses of mineral commodities which are mined I or have significant potential to be mined within the California Desert and a short discussion of the everyday uses of minerals. THE MINERAL WEALTH OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT The California desert area is one of the most highly mineralized areas of the world. This is a fact widely accepted by professional engineers and geologists. Table 1 lists 81 mineral commodities that are mined, have been mined, or have the potential to be mined in the California Desert. According to BOM and the State Division of Mines and Geology, 34 separate mineral commodities are currently produced from the California Desert. Few places on earth can equal such diversity of mineral resources. The minerals now produced from the California Desert are shown on Table 1 with the superscript 1. During 1989, California ranked second in the nation for the production of non-fuel minerals with an estimated value of $2,839 billion, as reported by BOM, or approximately one tenth of the total domestic mineral production, a 5% increase from 1988. This ranking represented a fall from first place in 1988, as Arizona took the lead in production of non-fuel minerals due primarily to expansion of its copper production. California led all states in the production of asbestos, borates, portland cement, diatomite, calcined gypsum, construction sand and gravel, tungsten, yttrium and rare earths. California ranked « Table 1 MINERAL COMMODITIES THAT ARE MINED1 HAVE BEEN MINED2 OR , , HAVE POTENTIAL TO BE MINED3 IN THE CDCA Agate2,3 Molybdenum Alunite3 Muscovite Mica • " Antimony "3 Nickel «3 Arsenic3 Oil and Gas «3,4 2,3 1,2,3 Barite Perlite Beryllium "3 Phosphate3 Bismuth "3 Platinum Group Metals "3 Calcium Borates.1.2.3 Potash1,2,3 Sodium Borates1,2,3 Pozzolan2,3 Calcium Chloride1,2,3 Pumice1,2,3 Chromium b'3 Pyrophyllite1,2,3 Cinders1,2,3 Quartzite and Quartz Sand2,3 Clay Minerals1,2,5 Rare Earth Minerals • Kaolinite1.2.3 Cerium • " Bentonite2, Lanthanum • 1.2.3 Hectorite.1.2.3 Neodymium 1.2.3 Sepiolite3 Praseodymium « 1.2.3 Cobalt Samarium • ' Copper .2.3 Gadolinium • " Decorative Building Stone1,2,3 tE-uropium •1.2.3 Dimension Stone2, Terbium • " Dolomite1.2.3 Sand, Gravel and Crushed Rock1,2,3 Epidote'.2.3 Silver «1,2,3 Feldspar.1.2.3 Sodium Carbonate.1.2,3 Fluorite .2.3 Sodium Sulfate1,2,3 Gallium3 Strontium 2.3 Garnel2,3 Sulfur2,1 Gemstones (semi-precious)1,2,3 Talc 1.2.3 234 " Geothermal Energy h1- Thorium Gold1,2,3 Tin-2,3 Green Schist2,3 Titanium Gypsum1,2,3 Trona1,2,3 Halite (salt)1,2,3 Tufa2,3 Iron2,3 Tungsten .2.3 Jade2,3 Uraniurrf3 Kyanite 1.2.3 Vanadium .2.3 Lead .2.3 Wollastonite2, Limestone1.2.3 Yttrium3 Lithium2,3 Zeolites3 Magnesium3 Zinc »2,3 Manganese .2.3 Zirconium3 • Mercury "2,c Strategic and CriticaP Maintained in National Defense Stockpile TheDefenseProductionActAmendmentsof1980specified"energy"tobeaStrategicandCriticalMaterial Source:StratjglcandCriticalMaterialsReporttoCongress, October10.1990.DepartmentofDefense