The Mazatzal Wilderness and contiguous roadless areas are located in Tonto and Coconino National Forests, west and southwest of Payson, and are almost exactly in the geographic center of Arizona. This is a region of relatively small mining districts and few mines, but occurrences of many different metals are widespread.

The Mazatzal Mountains constitute the dominant physiographic feature of the wilderness. The eastern slopes of these mountains rise steeply from about 3,500 ft in altitude along the valley of Rye Creek east of the range, to 7,903 ft at Mazatzal Peak. To the west, the range slopes steeply from the crest then more gently along the lower flanks to the Werde River, one of the main drainage channels of Arizona. In the northern part of the wilderness, the East Werde River, a tributary of the Verde, occupies a deep canyon that separates the Mazatzal Mountains from mesas to the north. The lowest parts of the wilderness have altitudes of about 2,200 ft and are located near Bartlett Reservoir in the southwestern part of the area studied.

Two aeromagnetic surveys were flown and interpreted to aid in the delineation of subsurface lithology and structure: one survey was flown at a low level (1,000 ft above ground) and the other at a high level (9,000 ft above sea level). In addition, the results of a small-scale electromagnetic (EM) survey are briefly discussed; the surface EM survey took place in an area of copper concentrations and past exploration activity to look for evidence of massive sulfide mineralization.

Studies of the geology, geochemistry (Marsh and others, 1983a, b, Erickson, 1984), mines and prospects (Ellis, 1982), and mineral resource potential (Wrucke and others, 1983) of the Mazatzal Wilderness and contiguous roadless areas have been published elsewhere.