MOUNTAIN LAKE WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA.

A mineral survey of the Mountain Lake Wilderness Study Area, Virginia concluded that the area contains folded and faulted clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age that have a substantiated iron resource potential and abundant rock suitable for construction materials. The area has an estimated 1000 million long tons of inferred low-grade iron resources in hematitic sandstone that may average as much as 20 percent iron, or 200 million long tons of contained iron. Minor deposits of limonitic sandstone and manganese oxides occur along the eastern part of the area but are not classified as having resource potential. The sedimentary rocks have some promise for the accumulation of natural gas but little promise for the occurrence of oil.