Geochemical reanalysis of rock and sediment samples from the Middle Fork and South Fork of the Salmon River collected in the mid-1960s through the early 1970s as part of the Idaho Primitive Area studies

This data release is a geochemical data set from the reanalysis of 23 rock and 85 sediment samples collected between 1966 and 1970 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for a series of studies investigating the mineral resources of the Idaho Primitive Area (Cater et al., 1973). The samples are from the upper Middle Fork Salmon River and the South Fork Salmon River, including the tributaries of East Fork of the South Fork and Porphyry Creek. The overall objective of this study is to characterize the regional impact of legacy mining for the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness Area. In 1980 the U. S. Congress passed the Central Idaho Wilderness Act which combined the Idaho Primitive Area, the Salmon Rivers Breaks Primitive Area, [...]