Geology and mineral potential of the Antelope Range mining district, Iron County, Utah

By: M. A. Shubat and W. S. McIntosh

The Antelope Range mining district, located approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Cedar City, Utah, contains many occurrences of epithermal, base and precious metals mineralized veins. Host rocks in the district range from limestone of the Carmel Formation through a sequence of Tertiary ash-flow tuffs. Neogene extensional faulting produced northwest-striking structures that host mineralized veins. The mineralization and hydrothermal alteration is approximately 8.5 Ma. Ore and gangue minerals show a paragenetic sequence that consists of an earlier base metals stage followed by a later silver sulfosalt stage. Maximum precious metal values from vein samples are 9 oz/ ton silver and 0.22 oz/ton gold. Factor analysis results of geochemical data independently corroborate the paragenetic sequence. Both lateral and vertical geochemical zonations are inferred. Mineralization is interpreted to be the product of a boiling hydrothermal system induced by rhyolitic and dacitic volcanism. Potential exists for the discovery of silver-bearing epithermal vein deposits.

Other Information:
Published: 1988
Pages: 26 p.
Plates: 2 pl.
Scale: 1:24,000
Location: Iron County
Media Type: Paper Publication