Draft SEORMP Amendment and EIS Appendix F 

Internal Review Draft – Southeastern Oregon

Resource Management Plan Amendment 

and Environmental Impact Statement 

Appendix F 

Mineral Potential 

Classification System 
 

 

 

Draft SEORMP Amendment and EIS Appendix F 

From: Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–B 

Version 1.1, October 28, 2016 

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management 

Geology and Mineral Resources of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex

(Oregon and Nevada), the Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada, and the Southern Idaho 

and Northern Nevada (and Utah) Sagebrush Focal Areas 

Chapter B of Mineral Resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, 

and Wyoming 

F-1 
Draft SEORMP Amendment and EIS Appendix F

Appendix 1. Mineral Potential Classification System 

The approach to classification of the qualitative mineralresource potential for locatable minerals followed that prescribed 

in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Manual Sections 3031

and 3060 defined originally by Goudarzi (1984) (fig. 1-1).

Level of Potential 

N. The geologic environment, the inferred geologic processes,

and the lack of mineral occurrences do not indicate 

potential for accumulation of mineral resources. 

L. The geologic environment and the inferred geologic processes

indicate low potential for accumulation of mineral 

resources. 

M. The geologic environment, the inferred geologic processes,

and the reported mineral occurrences or valid geochemical/

geophysical anomaly indicate moderate potential for 

accumulation of mineral resources. 

H. The geologic environment, the inferred geologic processes,

the reported mineral occurrences and (or) valid 

geochemical/geophysical anomaly, and the known mines or

deposits indicate high potential for accumulation of mineral 

resources. The “known mines and deposits” do not have

to be within the area that is being classified, but have to be

within the same type of geologic environment. 

ND. Minerals potential not determined due to lack of useful data.

This does not require a level of certainty qualifier.

Level of Certainty 

A. The available data are insufficient and (or) cannot be

considered as direct or indirect evidence to support or 

refute the possible existence of mineral resources within 

the respective area. 

B. The available data provide indirect evidence to support or

refute the possible existence of mineral resources. 

C. The available data provide direct but quantitatively minimal

evidence to support or refute the possible existence of 

mineral resources. 

D. The available data provide abundant direct and indirect 

evidence to support or refute the possible existence of 

mineral resources. 

For the determination of “no potential” use N/D. This 

class shall be seldom used, and when used it should be for a 

specific commodity only. For example, if the available data 

show that the surface and subsurface types of rock in the 

respective area are batholithic (igneous intrusive), one can 

conclude, with reasonable certainty, that the area does not 

have potential for coal. 

As used in this classification, potential refers to potential 

for the presence (occurrence) of a concentration of one or 

more energy and (or) mineral resources. It does not refer to 

or imply potential for development and (or) extraction of 

the mineral resource(s). It does not imply that the potential 

concentration is or may be economic, that is, could be 

extracted profitably. 

Reference Cited 

Goudarzi, G.H., compiler, 1984, Guide to preparation of mineral survey reports on public lands: U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 84–787, 41 p., accessed December 9, 

2015, at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr84787. 

F-2
H/A High potential with High potential with High potential with High potential with H/B H/C H/D abundant direct and insufficient evidence indirect evidence direct evidence indirect evidence 

M/A 

L/A 

Contains 2 or more of the following: Contains 2 or more of the following: Contains 2 or more of the following: 

Attractive exploration targets. Minor past production. Current production/significant inventor. 

Active or pending notices or mine plans. Attractive exploration targets. Significant past production. 

Numerous active claims. Active or pending notices or mine plans. Active or pending notices or mine plans. 

USMIN active exploration. Numerous active claims. Numerous active claims. 

Prospects, geochemical anomaly, USMIN active exploration. USMIN active exploration. 

geophysical anomaly, and (or) Prospects, geochemical anomaly, Prospects, geochemical anomaly, 

related deposit type. geophysical anomaly, and (or) geophysical anomaly, and (or) 

related deposit type. related deposit type. 

Permissive host rocks +/- previous assessment 

Moderate potential Moderate potential Moderate potential Moderate potential with M/B M/C M/D with insufficient with indirect evidence with direct evidence abundant direct and 

evidence indirect evidence 

Contains 1 or more of the following: Contains 1 or more of the following: Contains 1 or more of the following: 

Attractive exploration targets. Minor past production. Current production/significant inventory. 

Active or pending notices or mine plans. Attractive exploration targets. Significant past production. 

Numerous active claims. Active or pending notices or mine plans. Active or pending notices or mine plans. 

USMIN active exploration. Numerous active claims. Numerous active claims. 

Prospects, geochemical anomaly, USMIN active exploration. USMIN active exploration. 

geophysical anomaly, and (or) Prospects, geochemical anomaly, Prospects, geochemical anomaly, 

related deposit type. geophysical anomaly, and (or) geophysical anomaly, and (or) 

related deposit type. related deposit type. 

Permissive host rocks +/- previous assessment 

Low potential with Low potential with Low potential with Low potential with L/B L/C L/D insufficient evidence indirect evidence direct evidence abundant direct and 

indirect evidence 

No active exploration. Historical mining. Few active claims. 

No claims. Historical claims. Historical mining. 

No other applicable data. No active notices or mine plans. No USMIN active exploration. 

Prospects, geochemical anomaly, No active notices or mine plans. geophysical anomaly, and (or) Prospects, geochemical anomaly, related deposit type. geophysical anomaly, and (or) 

related deposit type. 

Permissive host rocks +/- previous assessment 

N/D No potential 

Reserved for a specific type of 

resource in a well-defined area. For 

example, it is appropriate to say that 

there is no oil potential in an area 

where the only rocks present are 

unfractured Precambrian granite, 

but the term ”low” is appropriate if 

there is a slight possibility for the 

presence of resources. 

 

t

X

L 

Draft SEORMP Amendment and EIS Appendix F

Appendix F

Level of resource potential 

H 

M 

N 

A B C D 

Level of certainty 

Figure 1-1. Matrix showing the classification system used for qualitative mineral-resource potential for locatable minerals 

in the Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (Goudarzi, 1984) (see text for abbreviations). USMIN, U.S. Geological Survey 

Mineral Deposit Database. 

F-3