Mineral Resources Research Supports Land-Use Planning in the Northern Rocky Mountains

Recent digital compilation of geologic datasets allowed U.S. Geological Survey scientists to generate this generalized geologic map of the Northern Rocky Mountains. The information in the dataset can be used to understand Earth history; assess mineral, energy, and water resources; and delineate hazards related to Earth processes. Datasets can be combined with other information to produce ecological units, key to U.S. Forest Service forest management.

The U.S. Forest Service is working to integrate geoscience information into land-use planning processes. To help achieve this goal, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resource Program scientists are providing a wealth of information, including geologic maps, databases (geology, mineral locality, geochemical, and geophysical), and mineral assessments for the Northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, and Washington. This area is known for its world-class deposits of gold, copper, silver, platinum, garnet, and talc and has been the site of a variety of mineral resource assessment studies by the USGS.