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Identification of quartz and carbonate minerals across northern Nevada using ASTER thermal infrared emissivity data—Implications for geologic mapping and mineral resource investigations in well-studied and frontier areas

¹ U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, MS 973, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA

View larger version (12K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Plot of reference laboratory spectrum of quartz from Salisbury et al. (1991), converted to qualitative emissivity using Kirchoff's Law. The spectrum at original resolution is shown in blue. The spectrum convolved to ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) spectral resolution (Table 1) is shown in red. ASTER band centers are also shown. Note quartz reststrahlen absorption features at bands 10 and 12.

View larger version (17K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. Plot of reference laboratory spectra of calcite (blue) and dolomite (green) from Salisbury et al. (1991), converted to qualitative emissivity using Kirchoff's Law. The spectra convolved to ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) spectral resolution (Table 1) are shown in red. ASTER band centers are also shown. Note carbonate bending mode absorption features at band 14.

View larger version (18K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3. Plot of laboratory spectra of mont-morillonite, kaolinite, gypsum, and muscovite from Salisbury et al. (1991), converted to qualitative emissivity using Kirchoff's Law. These minerals commonly occur in rocks and soils and have spectral features in the 8–14 µm atmospheric window measured by ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) that can substantially affect TIR (thermal infrared) spectral response. Where these and other minerals occur in mixtures with quartz, the presence of quartz can be spectrally obscured, as discussed in text.

View larger version (69K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 4. Plot of ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) emissivity spectra of surfaces in the Alligator Ridge–Bald Mountain area identified as containing either quartz or carbonate using ratio-based indices. Spectra of carbonate-bearing lithologies are shown at top. Jasperoids formed by hydrothermal processes are indicated in red at right. ASTER band centers are also shown. Note correspondence of spectral shapes with the reference spectra shown in Figures 1 and 2.

View larger version (55K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 5. Plot of ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) emissivity spectra of geomorphic and hot springs features identified as containing either quartz or carbonate using the ratio-based indices. Spectra of carbonate-bearing travertine terraces are shown at top. Hot springs features formed by hydrothermal processes are indicated in red at right. ASTER band centers are also shown. Note correspondence of spectral shapes with reference spectra shown in Figures 1 and 2. The spectrum of the Winnemucca Dunes was identified as quartz bearing based mainly on the sharp increase in emissivity between ASTER bands 12 and 13. The shape of the spectrum from bands 10–13 shows influence of a mixture with other minerals, possibly gypsum and muscovite.

View larger version (90K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 6. Overview of quartz and carbonate mineral index maps. Areas shown in detail in subsequent figures are indicated by white rectangles. A—Wood Hills and northeastern East Humboldt Range. B—Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range. C—Kinsley mining district. D—Winnemucca Dunes. E—Easy Junior mining district. F—Independence Mountains. G—Beowawe hot springs. H—hot springs, Ruby Valley. I—Diana's Punchbowl hot springs, Monitor Valley. J—Illipah mine area. K—Paradise Peak mine area. L—Coffin Mountain area, southern Piñon Range. M—Bald Mountain and Alligator Ridge mining districts. Major mineral trends, other districts, and mines are indicated in yellow. IN: Independence Trend. GT—Getchell Trend. CN—Carlin Trend. BM/EK—Battle Mountain–Eureka Trend. JB—Jarbidge district. RH—Rawhide district. RO—Robinson district. CP—Colado/Perlite diatomite mine. FC—Florida Canyon mine. LT—Lone Tree mine. MG—Marigold mine. MD—McDermitt deposit, Cordero mine. RM—Round Mountain mine. PC—Palisade Canyon perlite prospect. PP—Pamela Placer perlite prospect. Other features mentioned in the text are shown in cyan. DM—Diamond Mountains. GQ—quartz anomaly near Gold Quarry mine, Carlin Trend. QS—quartz-bearing soils. BV—carbonate soils in Buena Vista Valley. CS—carbonate soils in Carson Sink. Counties are indicated on index map of Nevada at lower left. H—Humboldt County. P—Pershing County. C—Churchill County. M—Mineral County. L—Lander County. K—Eureka County. E—Elko County. W—White Pine County. N—Nye County. Mineral index maps in GeoTIFF: quartz map, carbonate map (see footnote 1). To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S6 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (79K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 7. Subset of Plate 3 showing mineral mapping results in the Wood Hills and northeastern East Humboldt Range, Elko County (A, Fig. 6). Quartzites indicated in magenta, carbonate-bearing units in blue. Refer to text and Tables 1 and 2 for unit explanations. Interstate 80 extends across the top of the maps. Map at left is from Coats (1987). ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S7 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (108K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 8. Subset of Plate 3 showing variation in geologic mapping detail between Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range (B, Fig. 6). Quartzite and quartzitic schist units can be delineated within undifferentiated metamorphic units using the quartz mineral index map. Note small patches of identified carbonate within calcite marble in Ruby Mountains. Interstate 80 extends across the upper left of the maps. Map at left is from Coats (1987). ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S8 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (93K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 9. Subset of Plate 3 over the Independence Mountains, Elko County (F, Fig. 6). The quartz index map highlights the McAfee Quartzite within the undifferentiated unit Ds of Crafford (2007) that composes the Roberts Mountain allochthon (Mississippian Antler orogeny) in this area. Small outcrops of cherts and jasperoids were also identified as quartz bearing within this allochthon. The mapped jasperoid is shown in Figure 10. Units of chert and/or argillite within the Devonian–Permian Schoonover Sequence (part of the undifferentiated Golconda terrane, GC, of Crafford, 2007) in the northwestern mountains were also mapped as quartz bearing. Exposures of identified quartz in the Golconda terrane parallel the general southwest-northeast strike of the many faults in this area (Miller et al., 1984) that were created during thrusting of the Golconda allochthon during the Permian–Triassic Sonoma orogeny. JC—Jerritt Canyon mine. CM—California Mountain mine. ED—East Dash mine. SV—Saval mine. BW—Burns West mine. ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S9 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (130K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 10. Google EarthTM image of the large jasperoid (yellow arrow) in the Jerritt Canyon district (F, Fig. 6) identified as a small quartz anomaly (Fig. 9). View is toward the north. Note scale at bottom left. Pointer 41°23'16.31''N, 115°58'17.10''W. Elevation 7774 ft. Eye altitude 8562 ft. Scale bar is 497 ft (151.5 m). Image © 2007 DigitalGlobe; © 2007 Europa Technologies; © 2007 TerraMetrics. The jasperoid is localized by the Bidart anticline and is hosted in unit 1 of the Hanson Creek Formation (Silurian–Ordovician) that was silicified during the Eocene (Hofstra et al., 1999). Inset shows field photograph of jasperoid from Eliason and Wilton (2005).

View larger version (51K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 11. Subsets of Plate 3 showing modern hot springs at which siliceous or travertine sinter deposits were identified using the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) data. (A) Quartz identified at hot springs along east flank of Ruby Mountains in Ruby Valley, Elko County (H, Fig. 6). (B) Carbonate identified in travertine deposits at Potts Ranch and Diana's Punchbowl hot springs in Monitor Valley, Nye County (I, Fig. 6). (C) Quartz identified at the Geysers and Beowawe hot springs, Eureka County (G, Fig. 6). Geology polygons are not shown in B and C for simplicity. Significant quartz was identified between the Geysers and Beowawe that represents outflow deposits from the Geysers spring. Sinters and/or tufa deposits (QThs) from the geology coverage of Crafford (2007) are outlined in cyan in Plate 3. Quartz or carbonate was not identified at several of these deposits. ASTER emissivity spectra of the Beowawe, Diana's Punchbowl, and Potts Ranch hot springs are shown in Figure 5. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S10 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (96K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 12. Subset of Plate 3 over the Bald Mountain and Alligator Ridge districts, White Pine County (M, Fig. 6). Quartz-bearing units are indicated in magenta, carbonate-bearing units in blue, and jasperoids in orange (Crafford, 2007). Mdp—Diamond Peak Formation. Dd—Devonian Guilmette Formation limestone (labeled Devils Gate Formation in Crafford, 2007). Dn—Devonian Nevada Formation (mainly dolomite), Simonson Dolomite, and/or Sevy Dolomite. DOd—Devonian–Ordovician dolomites, undivided. P c—Riepe Spring and Ely Limestones, undivided. Oe—Ordovician Eureka Quartzite, Ordovician Pogonip Group (silty limestone ± sandstone), and/or Cambrian Windfall Formation (limestone with local interbedded chert and clastics). Bald Mountain district: BT—Bida trend; MB—Mooney Basin; Ji—Jurassic stock; SS1—sandstone beds and/or lenses of Pogonip Group on Big Bald Mountain; SS2—Permian Rib Hill Sandstone; J1—possible jasperoid in Pilot Shale along Mooney Basin trend; J2—quartz in argillized Pilot Shale and Chainman Shale, southeast of Top Pit area (T); W—Winrock deposit, jasperoid in Joana Limestone, Mjj of Nutt and Hofstra (2004) (Fig. 4); G—Galaxy deposit; H—Horseshoe deposit; S—Saga deposit; JB—jasperoid breccia (see text for explanation) from Crafford (2007). The Horseshoe and Galaxy deposits have been significantly disturbed by mining. Alligator Ridge district: V—Vantage deposit; Y—Yankee deposit; J3—possible jasperoids in locally argillized Joana Limestone, Pilot Shale, and Guilmette Formation. ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) emissivity spectra of several of the units and features in this figure are shown in Figures 4 and 5. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S11 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (86K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 13. Subset of Plate 3 over the Illipah Au mine in the northern White Pine Range, White Pine County (J, Fig. 6). In the map at top, quartz-bearing units are indicated in magenta, carbonate-bearing units in blue, and jasperoids in orange (Crafford, 2007). Note correspondence of identified quartz with the Illipah mine area, jasperoids, and the Diamond Peak Formation (Mdp). Mj—Joana Limestone. Pc—Pennsylvanian–Permian Riepe Spring and Ely Limestones. Psc—Permian Arcturus Formation (siliciclastics, limestones, and dolomites) and/or Rib Hill Sandstone. Also note identified carbonate within the limestone-bearing units. Image at bottom shows perspective view from Google EarthTM looking southeast over the mine toward the jasperoid, which forms the flat top of the ridge in the background (Nutt and Hofstra, 2003). Cyan arrow in the map at top indicates the look direction of the perspective view. ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S12 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (84K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 14. Subset of Plate 3 over the Easy Junior mining district in White Pine County (E, Fig. 6). Railroad Valley is at lower right. Quartz-bearing units are indicated in magenta, carbonate-bearing units in blue, and jasperoids in orange (Crafford, 2007). Note correspondence of identified quartz with the Nighthawk Ridge mine area, jasperoids (br), and the Diamond Peak Formation (included here within the Mcl unit of Crafford, 2007). JP—identified quartz occurrences not included in the geology coverage of Crafford (2007) that are likely to be jasperoids. These quartz bodies mainly occur within the MDcl unit of Crafford (2007) that includes the Pilot Shale, Joana Limestone, and Chainman Shale, and correspond well to mapped jasperoids indicated in red on the map at left, which has been modified from Carden (1991). Dc—Devils Gate Limestone (note correspondence with identified carbonate). ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S13 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (77K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 15. Subset of quartz and carbonate index maps over Kinsley mining district, Kinsley Mountains, Elko County (C, Fig. 6). Maps are overlain on background of Landsat Thematic Mapper data. Antelope Valley is at right. Map at left is from Lapointe et al. (1991). Note identification of quartz corresponding to both mined and undisturbed jasperoids, and heap leach pile. Patchy jasperoids in upper right of geologic map were too small to be identified using the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) data. The Tertiary intrusion responsible for the distal-disseminated mineralization in the district is located at the south edge of the maps, near the Phalen mine. Abundant carbonate was identified within limestones of the Ordovician Pogonip Group (Op) that underlie most of the range to the north of Au deposits, and within limestones and dolomites of the Cambrian Windfall Formation to the south. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S14 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (63K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 16. Subset of Plate 3 over the Paradise Peak mine area, Nye and Mineral Counties (K, Fig. 6). Map at top was modified from Sillitoe and Lorson (1994). QS—Au-bearing porphyry-type quartz-sericite-pyrite stockworks (ca. 22 Ma). QA—Au/Hg-bearing quartz-alunite alteration (ca. 19–18 Ma) on and around Newman Ridge. CL—County Line deposit. EZ—East Zone deposit. PP—Paradise Peak deposit. KH—Ketchup Hill deposit. KF—Ketchup Flat deposit. KK—Ketchup Knob deposit. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S15 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (95K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 17. Bottom map is a subset of Plate 2 over the Winnemucca Dunes, Silver State Valley, Humboldt County (D, Fig. 6). Detected quartz is shown in red. Image at top shows Landsat Thematic Mapper data from the U.S. Geological Survey Seamless Data Distribution System (bands 4,3,2/R,G,B). Note correspondence of white to light gray dunes in top image to detected quartz. See Figure 5 for an ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) emissivity spectrum of the dunes. To access a full-resolution PDF of this figure, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S16 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org.

View larger version (112K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Plate 1. Map of study area showing vectorized quartz and carbonate index maps, overlain on Landsat Thematic Mapper derived from U.S. Geological Survey Seamless Data Distribution system, relative to hot springs (black Xs), significant ore deposits (colored symbols), and major roads (gray lines). Quartz detected using the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) TIR (thermal infrared) data is shown with red polygons, and detected carbonate minerals with green polygons. The mineral index maps were simplified prior to vectorization using a 3 x 3 majority filter. Unfiltered maps are shown in raster format in Plates 2 and 3, and in other figures. The Landsat image is a color composite of bands 2, 3, and 4 displayed in red, green, and blue, respectively. In this treatment, green vegetation is displayed in hues of blue. Hot spring locations are from Shevenell and Garside (2005). The ore deposit symbols indicate deposit type, whereas the color indicates the primary commodity (see legend). Displayed ore deposit locations were selected from the Mineral Resources Data System (2007), an international database of mineral site records with related geologic, commodity, and deposit information. The deposits shown are the economically significant Au, Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn deposits as defined by Long et al. (2000), or listed in Wallace et al. (2004), as well as the largest known examples of the Fe, Mn, Mo, W, Sn, Be, F, Sb, Hg, and barite deposits (Lowe, 1985; Sherlock et al., 1996). If you are viewing the PDF of this paper or reading it offline, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S1 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org to access the full-resolution file of Plate 1.

View larger version (91K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Plate 2. Map of study area showing quartz and carbonate index maps overlain on background of 1:500,000-scale geology and faults from Ludington et al. (2005) and a shaded-relief digital elevation model (DEM) having 90 m spatial resolution. U.S. Geological Survey DTED-1 3-arc second DEM data were used to create the shaded-relief image (Reheis, 1999). Detected quartz is shown red, carbonate minerals in green. The geology polygons are partially transparent so that topography from the elevation model is visible. The explanation at right indicates the primary lithologies from the vector geology coverage. Secondary lithologies are also shown, in parentheses. Main roads are shown in white. If you are viewing the PDF of this paper or reading it offline, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S2 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org to access the full-resolution file of Plate 2. ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer.

View larger version (82K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Plate 3. Map of study area showing quartz and carbonate index maps overlain on background of 1:250,000-scale geology from Crafford (2007) and a shaded-relief digital elevation model (Reheis, 1999). Geology polygon outlines have been color coded relative to included quartz-and carbonate-bearing lithologies or geologic features (see explanation of color coding at top right). The polygon color coding shown here is included only as an approximate guide to included lithology, and the geology coverage and county-level maps should be consulted to obtain detailed and accurate information about geologic units. Main roads are shown in white. If you are viewing the PDF of this paper or reading it offline, please visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GES00126.S3 or the full-text article on www.gsajournals.org to access the full-resolution file of Plate 3. ASTER—Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer.