OQC-296 Mineral Assessment of Quartz Nomination OQC-296 (2019-12-09) Signed.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………… 1

I. Introduction……………….……………………………………………………………… 2

II. Lands Involved and Land Status…………………………………………………………… 2

III. Status Record Data………………………………………………………………………… 2

IV. Description of Geology……………………………………………………………………… 3

A. Physiography……………………………………………………………………………. 3

B. Rock Units………………………………………………………………………………. 3

C. Structural Geology and Tectonics…………………………………………………….. 3

V. Known Mineral Deposits…………………………………………………………………… 4

A. Known Prospects, Mineral Occurrences and Mineralized Areas……………………….. 4

B. Mining Claims, Leases and Material Sites……………………………………………… 4

VI. Potential for the Occurrence of Mineral Resources………………………………………… 6

VI. Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………………………………………. 7

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Figures and Maps……………………………………………………………………………… 9

Check List:

Yes No

Is the tract completely on Acquired Lands? ☒ ☐

Were the lands on this tract acquired under Weeks Act? ☒ ☐

Are there any Reserved or Outstanding Minerals? ☐ ☒

Is there any record of mining activities on this tract? ☐ ☒

Has there been any documentation in the FS’s files, found discussing a quartz deposit on this tract?

Has there been any documentation in literature found discussing a quartz deposit on this tract?

Executive Summary

This report has been prepared to assess the mineral potential of quartz for a nomination for a prospecting permit (36 CFR 228C) on 35 acres of land located in Montgomery County, Arkansas on the Ouachita National Forest, Caddo Ranger District in accordance with the Public Law 100-

446 Sec. 323 and the Ouachita National Forest’s Quartz Nomination Protocol issued November

20, 2019. The quartz nomination for a prospecting permit (36 CFR 228C) was submitted by

Messrs. Tony Thacker and Shane Manley.

The subject nomination (OQC-296), is in a region where there have been numerous quartz mining operations over the past 100 years, which have been administered under the 1872 Mining Law, the

Organic Act of 1897, the Secretary’s Rules and Regulations of 1963, and the 1988 Quartz Law.

Of the permits which were issued, operations were limited to smaller areas within those permits, usually on the scale of up to 1-2 acres of total disturbance. In the immediate vicinity of OQC-296 is the former High Peak Crystal Mine which operated intermittently from 1967 to 1985, as well as

OQC-249 & OQC-256 which never operated. Additionally, OQC-296 is near the former AQM

Mine (HF&R No. 1-15, DeLinde No. 4 & OQC-034) which operated intermittently from 1977 to

1991, in which some of the HF&R mining claims overlap the nominated area.

Since the quartz veins which house the quartz crystal run discontinously through the Ouachita

Mountains and are characterized by abrupt variations in their thickness, their lateral and vertical extent, and in the position of crystal-bearing pockets; it is difficult or nearly impossible to estimate crystal reserves or predict deposits of quartz crystal (Engel, 1952). While surface signs and geologic maps provide some insight and some anecdotal information, “the only known way to ascertain the productivity of a deposit is to follow and selectively mine it as economically and efficiently as possible” (Engel, 1952). For this reason, unless there is competitive interest in this tract, it is recommended that exploration under a quartz prospecting permit is necessary to determine the existence of a suitable deposit of quartz crystal on the lands nominated by Messrs.

Tony Thacker and Shane Manley.

I. Introduction

A. With the passage of Public Law 100-446 Sec. 323 (9/27/1988), quartz minerals on the Ouachita

National Forest are no longer subject to location under the 1872 Mining Law and are now to be disposed of under the same conditions as are applicable to common varieties of mineral materials on such lands under the Materials Act of 1947. In accordance with P.L. 100-446 Sec. 323, a quartz nomination (OQC-296) for a prospecting permit (36 CFR 228C) was received by the Caddo-

Womble Ranger District on November 5, 2019 and as submitted by Tony Thacker and Shane

Manley was forwarded to the Supervisor’s Office on November 6, 2019 (Fig. 2 & 3). The nomination covers approximately 35 acres of land located in Montgomery County, Arkansas. This nomination is on the Ouachita National Forest, Caddo Ranger District.

Forest Service authorized operations have taken place in the vicinity of this nominated tract for nearly 100 years, when the mining claims which would later become the Burrow’s Quartz Mine were located in 1924 (1.6 miles to the ESE). In the past 100 years, approximately 8 mining claims and 2 quartz contracts have been issued, as well as one quartz mine with reserved minerals within approximately 1,000 feet of this nomination (Fig. 4-6). Of these permitted sites within 1,000 feet, only one ever had any documented exploration or mining operations which ever took place, (the

High Peak Crystal Mine, which operated intermittently from 1967 to 1985). Notably, none of the known operations in the vicinity of this nominated tract, ever took place within the boundaries of the nomination.

This report was prepared as an assessment of a quartz nomination for a prospecting permit (36

CFR 228C) and, as such, should not be used for any other purpose.

II. Lands Involved and Land Status

A. The lands subject to this quartz nomination for a prospecting permit (36 CFR 228C) are located on Acquired lands within the Ouachita National Forest, Caddo Ranger District consisting of approximately 35 acres. The lands are located in Montgomery County, Arkansas and were acquired from H.D. Williams and Fern M. Williams on October 3, 1966, with all quartz and ½ interest in all oil, gas, coal and other minerals reserved until October 6, 1988; at which time, all minerals reverted to the Federal Government (Appendix A).

OQC-296 35 Acres

5th PM T3S R24W, Section 19

S½N½NWNW, N½S½NWNW, S½NWNENW,

N½SWNENW, SWNENENW, NWSENENW

III. Status Record Data

There are no other quartz contracts, or nominations, common variety mineral material sites (CVMM), or Federal mineral lease applications or leases on the subject land.

A review of the LR2000 database shows that there have been no lease applications or prospecting permit applications submitted to the BLM for the subject tract, or within the immediate area of the tract, however there may have been other interest before the database was established. Additionally, a review of the files at the Supervisor’s Office in Hot Springs, AR show that there is no record of any

BLM lease, Prospecting Permit, or application of any type on the subject tract, or in the vicinity of the tract on Federal Lands. A review of the LR2000 database shows that there have been 35 non-gold mining claims located in T3S R24W, Section 18 & 19, and T3S R25W, Section 24 (Fig. 7 & 8). A thorough review of the records at the Ouachita National Forest indicate that there have been 3 quartz contracts (OQC-034, OQC-249 & OQC-256) issued in the vicinity of OQC-296 (Fig. 5).

IV. Description of Geology

A. Physiography:

OQC-296 is located in the Caddo Basin of the Novaculite Uplift within the Ouachita Physiographic

Province in Arkansas (Fig. 9 & 10).

B. Rock Units:

The exposed rocks and surface sediments on the tract are made up mostly of sediments from the

Ordovician Crystal Mountain Sandstone, which overlies the Collier Shale, and underlies the

Mazarn Shale (Fig. 11 & 12). The geology at or near the tract is as follows:

• Crystal Mountain Sandstone (Ocm): The formation is typically composed of massive, coarse-grained, well rounded, light gray sandstone. Lesser amounts of interbedded light gray to gray shale, black chert, bluish gray limestone, and gray calcareous conglomeratic sandstone (often containing clasts of metaarkose) are usually present. Some large boulders of metaarkose and other exotics occur in some slurried conglomerate intervals. The unit is often set with a network of quartz veins up to several inches thick. In some places the quartz veins are open (up to several feet wide) allowing clusters of quartz crystals to form.

As a general rule, quartz veins found in the Crystal Mountain Formation either terminate abruptly or branch out into thin discontinuous veinlets. Typical thicknesses of the unit range from 500 to 850 feet but some sites may have less than 50 feet (Engel, 1952;

McFarland, 2004).

C. Structural Geology and Tectonics:

The Ouachita Mountains are made up of complexly folded and faulted Paleozoic age sedimentary rocks that were originally deposited in mostly deep marine environments. The continental collision that occurred in this region, produced a structural fabric that trends more or less east-west. The folding was intricate at all scale levels and several local sequences, both complete and partial, are overturned. Compressional faulting is commonly expressed in the sequence throughout the area. The Ouachita province, in a general sense, can be considered an anticlinorum with upper

Cambrian and lower Ordovician deposits being exposed in the center and Mississippian and

Pennsylvanian sediments exposed around the margins. The area is cut off to the east by the Gulf

Coastal Plain and Mississippi Embayment (McFarland, 2004).

OQC-296 lies in an area of structural deformation. In the immediate vicinity of the tract, the strata dips in multiple directions, but predominately to the south at about 25°-55°, as well as some overturned dipping strata. The tract is near the axis of an anticline to the south, and series of smaller anticlines and synclines to the north. There are several thrust faults in the immediate vicinity of the tract, but no known faults are on the actual tract (Fig. 13).

V. Known Mineral Deposits

Known mineral deposits are minerals that are or have been amenable to economic development under past, current or reasonably anticipated future economic conditions. In the case of leasable minerals, known mineral deposits include those contained within Known Geologic Structures (KGSs), Known

Geothermal Resource Areas (KGRAs), Known Leasing Areas (KLAs), and Known Recoverable Coal

Resource Areas (KRCRAs). Established mineral material disposal areas, constitute known mineral deposits for salable minerals. In the case of locatable minerals, known mineral deposits include those contained within established mining districts and other recently discovered deposits that contain mineralization of such quality and quantity to reasonably foresee development.

A. Known Prospects, Mineral Occurrences, and Mineralized Areas:

There are no currently known prospects, known mineral occurrences or known mineralized areas on OQC-296. There is no established mineral material disposal area on or near this tract. While several known occurrences and mineralized areas have historically been found in the area around this tract (Fig. 4-6), there is no record found in the Forest Service records or in literature, of a discovery on this tract itself. Additionally, the mining claims which overlaid this tract (Fig. 4) stated that no discovery of quartz was made on this tract (Fig. 14).

B. Mining Claims, Leases, and Mineral Material Sites:

There are currently no mining claims, leases or mineral material sites on the federal tract. There are no known mineral leases or operations on this tract. A review of the LR2000 database and the

Forest Service records shows the following mining claims, leases and other permits that were issued by the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service in the immediate vicinity of OQC-

296:

• DeLinde Mining Claim:

The Henry DeLinde #4 mining claim (ESMC# 7) was located in 1977 and was relinquished in 1990 to be converted OQC-034 (Fig. 4, 5 & 8). The DeLinde #4 mining claim had quartz mining operations taking place beginning in 1987 until

OQC-034 was closed by the Forest Service and reclaimed in 1990.

• HRF Mining Claim Group:

The HFR#1-15 mining claims (ESMC# 10235-10238, 10250-10251, 10552-10554

& 10966-10971) (Fig. 4 & 8) completely surrounded the DeLinde #4 mining claim, however, on HFR#1-15, no discovery of quartz was ever made (Fig. 14).

• Lebow Mining Claim Group:

A plan of operations was submitted and approved for the Lebow (a.k.a. Darix Digs) mining claims (ESMC# 621-623) (Fig. 8), and a Notice to Proceed was issued on

August 30, 1982. However, the Notice to Proceed was cancelled on December 13, 1982 without any work ever taking place. The claims were forfeited/abandoned in

1987 without any work ever having taken place.

• Horn Mining Claim Group:

A plan of operations was submitted and approved for the Jenny Glen mining claim

(ESMC# 10557, later OQC-211) (Fig. 8) in 1988, and work was conducted until

1991 when the contract was closed. The Squirlley Ann (ESMC# 10555) and Lersy

Gruen mining claims (ESMC # 10556) (Fig. 8) were never worked and relinquished in 1990. Though these mining claims were located in close proximity to OQC-296, they were located across the valley on Bear Mountain, not High Peak Mountain

(Fig. 8).

• Starfire Collier Mining Claim Group:

The Starfire Collier No. 5-7 mining claims (ESMC# 2808-2810) (Fig. 4 & 8) were never worked. They were located in 1985 and forfeited/abandoned in 1990.

• Shinkle Mining Claims:

The Black Tail #1 mining claim (ESMC# 2689) (Fig. 4 & 8) was never worked, it was located in 1984 and relinquished in 1990.

• Angel Fire Mining Claim Group:

The Angel Fire No. 1-7 (Fig. 8) mining claims were never worked They were located in 1982 and forfeited/abandoned in 1985.

• Quartz Contracts:

OQC-249 (Fig. 5) was issued through a competitive sale in 1999 and was closed out in 2003 with no work ever having been conducted.

OQC-256 (Fig. 5) was issued through a competitive sale in 1999 and included within its boundaries the former workings of the DeLinde #4 Mining Claim/OQC-

034. However, due to the restrictions imposed through the NEPA analysis, no work was ever conducted on this contract, and it was closed out in 2003.

• The High Peak Crystal Mine was a quartz crystal mine located to the east of OQC-296

(Fig. 6). The mine was in existence when the Ouachita National Forest acquired the surface in 1967. When the Ouachita National Forest acquired this land, the minerals had been reserved until 1988. After the Ouachita National Forest acquired the land, Mr. H.D. Williams (who owned the mineral estate) was issued a permit to exercise his rights under mineral reservations. The mine then operated intermittently until 1985 when it was reclaimed. The mineral rights reservation expired in 1988 and the minerals reverted to the United States at that time (Appendix B).

None of the operations where a discovery of quartz was made, were located within the boundaries of OQC-296. The only known quartz deposits in the vicinity of OQC-296 were documented at the

High Peak Crystal Mine (approximately 100-150 ft to the east of OQC-296) and at the DeLinde

#4 mining claim are (located approximately 1,400 feet to the southeast of the southeast corner of

OQC-296).

VI. Potential for the Occurrence of Quartz Crystal on the nominated tract:

Quartz veins are numerous and widespread in the Ouachita Mountains, both in Arkansas and Oklahoma; and associated with these quartz veins at numerous localities are quartz crystal deposits. Most of the veins and crystals are restricted to a quartz belt approximately 30-40 miles wide which extends from Little Rock, AR to Broken Bow, OK (Miser, 1943). Most quartz deposits of economic value are being currently mined in the Collier Shale, Crystal Mountain Sandstone, Mazarn Shale, Big Fork Chert, Stanley Shale and Jackfork Sandstone. The crystal forms are relatively simple and uniform throughout this area. All six faces of the unit prism m are invariably present. The prisms are singly terminated by the positive rhombohedron r and the negative rhombohedron z. Additional forms include the right or left trigonal pyramids s; less commonly the right or the left positive trapezohedrons x; and a steeper rhombohedron M (Engel, 1952) (Fig. 1).

The quartz veins which house the quartz crystal run discontinously through the Ouachita Mountains. Veins with lengths from 30 to 200 feet are common in the sandstones, and a few scattered groups persist for up to 800 feet (e.g. Fisher Mountain). Widths of several inches to 6 feet are common, with the thickness of the quartz deposit ranging from a fraction of an inch to 3 feet. However, groups as much as 20 feet wide, composed of different proportions of sandstone or quartzite country rock and quartz, occur locally (Engel, 1952).

The quartz deposits in the Ouachita Mountains are characterized by abrupt variations in thickness, in their lateral and vertical extent, and in the position of crystal-bearing pockets. For this reason, Engel observed that it is difficult or impossible to estimate crystal reserves or predict deposits of quartz crystal without conducting prospecting operations: “Drill holes can indicate the persistence of quartz deposits at depth, but they reveal little about the crystal content; the presence of vein quartz by no means guarantees the presence of crystals. Adits driven to intersect the vein at depth may strike areas of pinched-out veins and miss a crystal pocket by only inches or feet. The only known way to ascertain the productivity of a deposit is to follow and selectively mine it as economically and efficiently as possible” (Engel, 1952).

In his research, Engel examined hundreds of veins and found that only a few were productive.

Large crystal-bearing veins in sandstones that are barren, thinned, or terminated at or only a few feet beyond the contact of a quartzose bed appear throughout the Blakely sandstone in the Chance area, in the Crystal Mountain sandstone in the Crystal Mountains, and to a more limited extent, perhaps in the Blakely sandstone on and near Miller Mountain (Engel, 1952).

Fig. 1. Faces present on simple crystals in the Arkansas Quartz Belt (Engel, 1952).

VII. Conclusions and Recommendations

While it has been well documented that there are numerous quartz veins and quartz crystal deposits found in the quartz belt of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma, it must be noted that a tract being located within this quartz belt and being in a geologic formation that is suitable for quartz crystals, does not in and of itself confirm that there is a suitable deposit of quartz crystal on any given tract. This analysis, as well as the cited research, has shown that exploration is necessary to prove a discovery of quartz on this tract which yields a quality and quantity of quartz crystal. Because of the erratic nature of hard rock minerals, such as quartz deposits, in the Ouachita

Mountains; and the fact that surface indications of quartz veins do not affirm that there will be quartz crystal deposits in the subsurface (Miser, 1943), it is unreasonable to assume that because a suitable deposit of quartz crystal was found 200 feet away, that that same deposit will continue, as was also concluded by Miser (1943) and Engel (1952) in their research. While past exploration and mining operations on nearby lands have demonstrated the existence on those lands, other past exploration on nearby lands and permits which overlap this nomination, have failed to demonstrate a suitable deposit or a discovery of quartz crystal (Fig. 4 & 14). Therefore, unless there is competitive interest in this tract, it is recommended that exploration under a quartz prospecting permit is necessary to determine the existence of a suitable deposit of quartz crystal on this tract in accordance with the Mineral Materials Act of 1947, 36 CFR 228 Subpart C and the Ouachita

National Forest’s Quartz Nomination Protocol issued on November 20, 2019.

Bibliography

Arkansas Geological Survey, 1942, Mineral Resources of Montgomery, Garland, Saline and

Pulaski Counties—County Mineral Report 3. Arkansas Geological Survey, Little Rock, AR.

Engel, A.E.J., 1952, Quartz crystal deposits of westernArkansas: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin

973-E, pg 173-260.

Haley, B.R., and Stone, C.G., 2006, Geologic Map of the Ouachita Mountain Region and a Portion of the Arkansas Valley Region in Arkansas: Arkansas Geological Commission Map DGM-

OMR-001, scale 1:125,000.

McFarland, John David, 2004, “Stratigraphic Summary of Arkansas” Information Circular 36.

Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas Geological Commission. 1998. Rev. 2004.

“Mineral Resources of Arkansas.” Bulletin No. 6. Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas Geological

& Conservation Commission. 1959.

Miser, H.D., 1943, Quartz Veins in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma (their relationship to Structure, Metamorphism and Metalliferous Deposits): Economic Geology,

v. 38, pg 91-118.

Figure 2. Thacker & Manley Quartz Nomination (11/5/2019)

Figure 3. Thacker & Manley Quartz Nomination (11/5/2019)

Figure 4. Quartz mining claims within 1,000 ft of OQC-296.

Figure 5. Quartz contracts within 1,000 ft of OQC-296.

Figure 6. Quartz operations within 1,000 ft of OQC-296.

Figure 7. N on-gold m ining in T3S R 24W

Sections 18 & 19 and in T3S R

25W Section 24.

Figure 8. Non-gold mining in T3S R24W Sections 18 & 19 and in T3S R25W Section 24.

Approximate Location of OQC-296

Figure 9. Physiographic Provinces of Arkansas (Mineral Resources of Arkansas, 1959).

Location of O Q

C -296

Figure 10. Physiographic Provinces of A rkansas (M ineral R esources of M ontgom ery, G arland, Saline & Pulaski C ounties, 1942).

Figure 11. Stratigraphic Column in Montgomery County (Mineral Resources of Montgomery, Garland, Saline &

Pulaski Counties, 1942).

Figure 12. Geologic Map of OQC-296.

Approximate Location of OQC-296

Figure 13. Structural Geology Map of OQC-296 (Haley & Stone, 2006).

Figure 14. Correspondence declaring no discovery of quartz on HRF mining claim group (June 19, 1989).

Appendix A

Appendix B