Joyce-Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, North Carolina and Tennessee

A mineral-resource survey of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness in the western part of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the border between North Carolina and Tennessee found trace amounts of such metals as copper, gold, lead, and zinc in rock, stream-sediment, and soil samples, but little promise for the occurrence of metallic-mineral resources was identified. The only apparent mineral resources are small amounts of sand and gravel and abundant rock suitable for construction materials. Oil and natural gas may be present in younger sedimentary rocks. Further seismic work and exploratory drilling are needed to evaluate the resource potential of the whole overthrust belt in this area for oil and gas.