The polygon (vector) feature class represents locatable mineral resource assessment tracts (tracts of land) associated with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Sagebrush Focal Areas in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, central Idaho, and the Oregon-Nevada-Idaho border area. The mineral resources tracts are geographic areas that were assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and were determined to be geologically favorable for a deposit type of interest to a depth of 1 kilometer. Qualitative assessment methods outlined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were used to develop tract boundaries and to assign a level of mineral resource potential and certainty to each tract. The general process included: (1) identifying possible mineral deposit types for locatable commodities specified by BLM for each focal area, (2) outlining those areas that potentially contained mineral deposits based on geology, mineral occurrences, geophysics, soil and stream sediment geochemistry, alteration mineral assemblages inferred from satellite imagery, BLM claims and permit data, mineral exploration activity, and existing mineral resource assessment data, and (3) evaluating the level of mineral resource potential and level of certainty associated with the outlined areas using BLM assessment categories. A full description of the assessment is provided in the accompanying report (Day and others, 2016).
Sagebrush Focal Areas, identified by agencies of the DOI, are high-quality sagebrush habitat areas supporting high densities of breeding sage-grouse. Sagebrush Focal Areas are within priority habitat areas, or areas where land use measures are intended to minimize or avoid habitat disturbance. Seven Sagebrush Focal Areas are within the USGS Sagebrush Mineral Resource Assessment project study area. They include the Bear River Watershed, North-Central Idaho, North-Central Montana, Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada, Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada, and Southwestern and South-Central Wyoming Sagebrush Focal Areas as well as additional areas in Nevada (termed the Nevada additions) proposed by the State of Nevada. Landscape-scale conservation efforts by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), state agencies, private land owners, and other partners are striving to conserve the breeding sagebrush habitat for the greater sage-grouse across these areas.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Title | Locatable Mineral Assessment Tracts for the U.S. Geological Survey Sagebrush Mineral Resource Assessment Project |
| DOI | 10.5066/F7833Q4R |
| Authors | Carma A. San Juan, John D. Horton, Heather L. Parks, Mark J. Mihalasky, Eric D. Anderson, Mary Ellen Benson, Stephen E. Box, Pamela M. Cossette, Paul Denning, Stuart A. Giles, Susan Hall, Timothy S. Hayes, B. Carter Hearn, Albert H Hofstra, David A John, Stephen D Ludington, Karen Lund, Jeffrey L Mauk, Gilpin R Robinson, Barnaby Rockwell, James J Rytuba, Steven M Smith, Lisa L Stillings, Bradley S Van Gosen, Peter Vikre, John Wallis, Anna B Wilson, Michael L Zientek, Lukas Zurcher |
| Product Type | Data Release |
| Record Source | USGS Digital Object Identifier Catalog |
| USGS Organization | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
Related Content
Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
Eric D Anderson
Research Geophysicist
Mary Ellen Benson
Scientist Emeritus
Stuart A Giles
Physical Science Technician
John D Horton
Physical Scientist
Carma A San Juan
Physical Scientist
Heather L. Parks
Michael L. Zientek, Ph.D
Research Geologist
Anna Burack Wilson
Scientist Emeritus
Karen Lund
Research Geologist
Albert H Hofstra
Research Geologist
Jeffrey L Mauk
Research Geologist
Steven M Smith
Bradley S Van Gosen
Research Geologist
Lisa L Stillings
Research Geologist
Stephen Box
Scientist Emeritus
Lukas Zurcher, PhD
Deputy Center Director - Research Geologist
Peter Vikre
Research Geologist
Steve Ludington
Related Content
- Publications
Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089 and accompanying data releases are the products of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA). The assessment was done at the request of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to evaluate the mineral-resource potential of some 10 million acres of Federal and adjacent lands in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and WyoByEnergy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Land Management Research Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, National Minerals Information Center - Connect
Eric D Anderson
Research GeophysicistEmailPhoneMary Ellen Benson
Scientist EmeritusEmailPhoneStuart A Giles
Physical Science TechnicianEmailPhoneJohn D Horton
Physical ScientistEmailPhoneCarma A San Juan
Physical ScientistEmailPhoneHeather L. Parks
EmailPhoneMichael L. Zientek, Ph.D
Research GeologistEmailPhoneAnna Burack Wilson
Scientist EmeritusEmailPhoneKaren Lund
Research GeologistEmailPhoneAlbert H Hofstra
Research GeologistEmailPhoneJeffrey L Mauk
Research GeologistEmailPhoneSteven M Smith
EmailPhoneBradley S Van Gosen
Research GeologistEmailPhoneLisa L Stillings
Research GeologistEmailPhoneStephen Box
Scientist EmeritusEmailPhoneLukas Zurcher, PhD
Deputy Center Director - Research GeologistEmailPhonePeter Vikre
Research GeologistEmailPhoneSteve Ludington
EmailPhone