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The Organ Mountains Wilderness Study Area (NM-030-074) is located in the Organ Mountains, Dona Ana County, southern New Mexico. At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, a total of 7,283 acres were studied (fig. 1). In this report, the area studied is referred to simply as "the study area." Field work for this report was conducted in 1984 and 1985. About 83 claims and prospects have been located within and adjacent to the study area; none are presently active. Inferred subeconomic resources of common variety carbonate rock and sand and gravel have been mined occasionally for limited local use. No other identified resources are located within the study area, although immediately adjacent to, and surrounded by the study area, copper resources are present at the Torpedo mine; silver, lead, zinc, and possible gold resources are present at the Stephenson-Bennett mine; and fluorspar resources are present at the Ruby mine (fig. 2). . The mineral resource potential for copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver is high in an area along the northern edge of the study area, where a porphyry coppermolybdenum system has been emplaced at the margins of a granitic batholith of mid-Tertiary age (see geologic time chart in the Appendix for geologic time terms). The potential for lead, zinc, copper, silver, gold, and fluorspar resources is moderate near the western edge of the study area, where steeply dipping, faulted Paleozoic sedimentary rocks are Publication approved by the Director, U.S. Geological Survey, March 15, 1988. intruded by the batholith. Although the batholith is expressed by both gravity and magnetic anomalies, the subsurface extent of the mineralized phase of the batholith is not well-constrained by the geophysical anomaly data. Geochemical studies confirm the presence of known mineralized areas and help constrain the delineation of tracts with mineral resource potential. The mineral resource potential for oil and gas, and for geothermal energy is low throughout the study area. Character and Setting The Organ Mountains Wilderness Study Area is located in the northern end of the Organ Mountains, in Dona Ana County in southernmost New Mexico, about 15 mi (miles) northeast of Las Cruces, N. Mex. The study area straddles the mountain crest, which is about 8,000 ft (feet) high. Most of the central and eastern part of the study area is underlain by units of the Oligocene Organ batholith. In the western part of the study area, the rocks are primarily westward-dipping Paleozoic shales and carbonate rocks. The entire study area is part of an uplifted and west-tilted fault block. The topography is very rugged, with narrow ridges and needles of intrusive rock falling abruptly away into deep, narrow canyons. A broad pediment is developed on the Organ batholith on the east side of the range; on the west, the mountains are flanked by thick alluvial fans. Mining and prospecting began at least as early as the 1840's when silver, lead, and zinc ore was discovered at what is now the Stephenson-Bennett mine, although legends exist that describe much earlier mining activity, possibly in the 18th century, when the area was part of New Spain. Mining activity peaked in the early part of the 20th century and had nearly ceased by 1935. Organ Mountains Wilderness Study Area D1 Recent exploration activity has focused just north of the study area where extensive exploration of a porphyry copper-molybdenum system was carried out by several major mining companies throughout the 1970's (Newcomer, 1984). Identified Resources Inferred subeconomic resources of carbonate rock and sand and gravel exist in the study area. No other identified resources are within the study area, although immediately adjacent to the study area, copper resources are present at the Torpedo mine; silver, lead, zinc, and possibly gold resources are present at the Stephenson-Bennett mine; and fluorspar resources are present at the Ruby mine (fig. 2). Mineral Resource Potential The northern edge of the wilderness study area has high mineral resource potential for copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold and the western edge has moderate resource potential for lead, zinc, copper, silver, gold, and fluorspar (fig2). Mineral deposits and occurrences in and near the study area are primarily related to intrusion of rocks of the Organ batholith, and are found in two major environments: (1) In the northern part of the area, within and near the probable top of the Sugarloaf Peak phase of the batholith, a porphyry copper-molybdenum system has developed, along with associated copper-bearing breccia pipe deposits, and (2) along the west side of the area, where steeply dipping Paleozoic rocks cut by fault zones are found on the flanks of the batholith, the geologic environment is permissive for skarn deposits, polymetallic replacement deposits, lowgrade precious metal deposits, and vein fluorspar deposits. The northern area is defined by the presence of existing deposits, hydrothermally altered rocks, geochemical anomalies, and drilling results. This area has a high mineral resource potential for copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in porphyry copper-molybdenum deposits, and a moderate potential for copper in copper-bearing breccia-pipe deposits. The second area is defined by the presence of existing deposits, silicified, brecciated, and hydrothermally altered rocks, and geochemical anomalies. This area has moderate mineral resource potential for copper, silver, lead, and zinc in skarn deposits, and moderate potential for lead, zinc, copper, silver, and gold in polymetallic replacement deposits. In addition, altered rock and geochemical anomalies indicate a moderate mineral resource potential for silver and gold in large, low-grade deposits. The area also has moderate potential for fluorspar in vein deposits. The potential for oil and gas resources and for geothermal energy resources is low.

Mineral resources of the Organ Mountains Wilderness Study Area, Dona Ana County, New Mexico