Snow Mountain Wilderness Study Area, California

The Snow Mountain Wilderness study area, located about 120 mi north of San Francisco and on the divide between the Sacramento and Eel Rivers, contains some of the highest terrain in the Coast Ranges. Its mineral-resource potential was evaluated by interpreting data from geologic field studies, from an aeromagnetic survey, from geochemical sampling of stream sediments, rocks, and springs, and from the examination and sampling of prospects. These investigations indicated that there was little promise for the occurrence of mineral or energy resources within the wilderness. New discoveries of unforeseen resources in other parts of the California Coast Ranges or in similar geologic settings elsewhere could prompt renewed study of Snow Mountain, but the nature of such studies cannot be determined now.