Knowledge-Driven Prospectivity Mapping for Granite-Related Polymetallic Sn–F–(REE) mineralization,Bushveld Igneous Complex,South Africa

This paper presents mineral prospectivity mapping to identify potential new exploration ground for polymetallic Sn–F–REE mineralization associated with the Bushveld granites of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa. The Lebowa Granite Suite, commonly known as the Bushveld granites, is host to a continuum of polymetallic mineralization with a wide range of metal assemblages (Sn–Mo–W–Cu–Pb–Zn–As–Au–Ag–Fe–F–U–REE), ranging from a high-temperature to a low-temperature magmatic hydrothermal mineralizing environment. The prospectivity map was generated by fuzzy logic modeling and a selection of targeting criteria (or spatial proxies) based on a conceptual mineral system highlighting critical processes responsible for the formation of the polymetallic mineralization. The spatial proxies include proximity to differentiated granites (as heat and metal-rich fluid sources), Rb geochemical map (fluid-focusing mechanism such as fractionation process), principal component maps (PC 4 Y–Th and PC 14 Sn–W, fluid pathways for both high- and low-temperature mineralization) and proximity to roof rocks (traps for fluids). Logarithmic functions were used to rescale rasterized evidential maps into continuous fuzzy membership scores in a range of [0, 1]. The evidential maps were combined in two-staged integration matrix using fuzzy AND, OR and gamma operators to produce the granite-related polymetallic Sn–F–(REE) prospectivity map. The conceptual mineral system model and corresponding prospectivity model developed in this study yielded an encouraging result by delineating the known mineral deposits and occurrences of Sn–F–(REE) mineralization that were not used to assign weights to the evidential maps. The prospectivity model predicted, on average, 77% of the known mineral occurrences in the BIC (i.e., 56 of 73 Sn occurrences, 12 of 15 F occurrences and 6 of 8 REE occurrences). Based on this validation, 13 new targets were outlined in this study.     

Optimizing a Knowledge-driven Prospectivity Model for Gold Deposits Within Peräpohja Belt,Northern Finland

This paper combines knowledge- and data-driven prospectivity mapping approaches by using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) spatial statistical technique to optimize the process of rescaling input datasets and the process of data integration when using a fuzzy logic prospectivity mapping method. The methodology is tested in an active mineral exploration terrain within the Paleoproterozoic Peräpohja Belt (PB) in the Northern Fennoscandian Shield, Finland. The PB comprises a greenschist to amphibolite facies, complexly deformed supracrustal sequence of variable quartzites, mafic volcanic rocks and volcaniclastic rocks, carbonate rocks, black shales, mica schists and graywackes. These formations were deposited on Archean basement and 2.44 Ga layered intrusions, during the multiple rifting of the Archean basement (2.44–1.92 Ga). Younger intrusive units in the PB comprise 2.20–2.13 Ga gabbroic sills or dikes and 1.98 Ga A-type granites. Metamorphism and complex deformation of the PB took place during the Svecofennian orogeny (1.9–1.8 Ga) and were followed by intrusions of post-orogenic granitoids (1.81–1.77 Ga). The recent mineral exploration activities have indicated several gold-bearing mineral occurrences within the PB. The Rompas Au-U mineralization is hosted within deformed and metamorphosed calc-silicate veins enclosed within mafic volcanic rocks and contains uranium-bearing zones without gold and very high-grade (>10,000 g/t Au) gold pockets with uraninite and uraninite-pyrobitumen nodules. In the vicinity of the Rompas, a magnesium skarn hosted disseminated-stockwork gold mineralization was also recognized at the Palokas-Rajapalot prospect. The exploration criteria translated into a fuzzy logic prospectivity model included data derived from regional till geochemistry (Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Au, Te, K), high-resolution airborne geophysics (magnetic field total intensity, electromagnetic, gamma radiation), ground gravity and regional bedrock map (structures). The current exploration licenses and exploration drilling sites for gold were used to validate the knowledge-driven mineral prospectivity model.     

Stable Isotopes (O, H, and S) in the Muteh Gold Deposit, Golpaygan Area, Iran

The Muteh gold district with nine gold deposits is located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone. Gold mineralization occurs in a pre-Permian complex which mainly consists of green schists, meta-volcanics, and gneiss rocks. Shear zones are the host of gold mineralization. Gold paragenesis minerals include pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and secondary minerals. Pyrites occur as pre-, syn-, and post-metamorphism minerals. To determine the source of the ore-bearing fluids, fifty samples were selected for petrographical and stable isotope studies. The mean values of 12.4‰, and −42‰ for δ¹⁸O and δD isotopes, respectively, and a mean value of 7.75‰ of calculated fractionation factors for δ¹⁸O H₂O, from quartz veins indicate that metamorphic host rocks are the most important source for the fluids and gold mineralization. Three generations of pyrite can be distinguished showing a wide range of δ³⁴S. Gold mineralization is closely associated with intense hydrothermal alteration along the ductile shear zones. The characteristics of the gold mineralization in the study area are similar to those of orogenic gold deposits elsewhere. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Geologically Constrained Fuzzy Mapping of Gold Mineralization Potential,Baguio District,Philippines

An application of the theory of fuzzy sets to the mapping of gold mineralization potential in the Baguio gold mining district of the Philippines is described. Proximity to geological features is translated into fuzzy membership functions based upon qualitative and quantitative knowledge of spatial associations between known gold occurrences and geological features in the area. Fuzzy sets of favorable distances to geological features and favorable lithologic formations are combined using fuzzy logic as the inference engine. The data capture, map operations, and spatial data analyses are carried out using a geographic information system. The fuzzy predictive maps delineate at least 68% of the known gold occurrences that are used to generate the model. The fuzzy predictive maps delineate at least 76% of the unknown gold occurrences that are not used to generate the model. The results are highly comparable with the results of previous stream-sediment geochemical survey in the area. The results demonstrate the usefulness of a geologically constrained fuzzy set approach to map mineral potential and to redirect surficial exploration work in the search for yet undiscovered gold mineralization in the mining district. The method described is applicable to other mining districts elsewhere.     

柴北缘地区印支期构造背景、岩浆活动及稀有金属成矿作用

柴北缘地区大地构造位置处于古亚洲构造域与特提斯构造域结合部位的多旋回弧盆造山系；岩浆活动强烈,印支期岩浆岩主要分布于新青界山、察汗诺、哈莉哈德山南以及橡皮山等地区,岩浆岩以中酸性岩为主,花岗岩类分异程度高,与稀有金属矿产关系密切,形成于印支期柴北缘活动大陆边缘俯冲碰撞环境。柴北缘地区伟晶岩脉断续出露200余公里,伟晶岩具有集中性、分片性产出特征,其成矿作用与岩浆活动密切相关；印支期是伟晶岩型稀有金属成矿重要时期；厘定出稀有金属主要成矿类型为伟晶岩型、花岗岩型。     

Multi-scale Numerical Simulation and 3D Modeling for Deep Mineral Exploration in the Jiaojia Gold District,China

In this study, deposit- and district-scale three-dimensional (3D) fault-and-intrusion structure models were constructed, based on which a numerical simulation was implemented in the Jiaojia gold district, China. The numerical simulation of the models shows the basic metallogenic path and trap of the gold deposits using mineral system theory. The objective of this study was to delineate the uncertainty of the geometry or buffer zones of the ore-forming and ore-controlling fault-and-intrusion domains in 3D environment representing the exploration criteria extraction and the gold potential targeting in the study area. The fast Lagrangian analysis of continua in three dimensions was used as the platform to define the stress deformation fracture ore storage and the hydrothermal seepage channel zone based on the gold deposit features and metallogenic model in the study area. The validity of the numerical simulation was verified by comparing it with robust 3D geological models of the large Xincheng gold deposit. The potential targeting zones are analyzed for uncertainty and then evaluated by Boolean operation in a 3D geological model using the computer-aided design platform. The research results are summarized as follows. (1) In the pre-mineralization period, the Jiaodong fault’s left lateral movement created the Jiaojia network faults and formed a fracture zone with NW- to NNW-trending dips of 20° to 40°. (2) During the mineralization period, hydrothermal flow was associated with the intrusion geometry and features. However, it was constrained by the Jiaojia fault, which blocked the vadose flow into the upper wall rock and made the hydrothermal route close to the fault in the footwall fracture zones. (3) Three gold potential targets were identified by the numerical simulation results in the study area: the NW-trending Sizhuang gold deposit, the NW-trending zone of Jiaojia gold deposit, and the NE-trending zone of the Xincheng gold deposit. (4) The numerical simulation results show the fault-and-intrusion metallogenic domain and the hydrothermal alteration zones, which reflect the main ore-controlling and ore-forming factors of mineralization. The information obtained through the numerical simulation discussed here can be used to define exploration criteria in the study area.

     

A Comparative Analysis of Weights of Evidence,Evidential Belief Functions,and Fuzzy Logic for Mineral Potential Mapping Using Incomplete Data at the Scale of Investigation

Large amounts of digital data must be analyzed and integrated to generate mineral potential maps, which can be used for exploration targeting. The quality of the mineral potential maps is dependent on the quality of the data used as inputs, with higher quality inputs producing higher quality outputs. In mineral exploration, particularly in regions with little to no exploration history, datasets are often incomplete at the scale of investigation with data missing due to incomplete mapping or the unavailability of data over certain areas. It is not always clear that datasets are incomplete, and this study examines how mineral potential mapping results may differ in this context. Different methods of mineral potential mapping provide different ways of dealing with analyzing and integrating incomplete data. This study examines the weights of evidence (WofE), evidential belief function and fuzzy logic methods of mineral potential mapping using incomplete data from the Carajás mineral province, Brazil to target for orogenic gold mineralization. Results demonstrate that WofE is the best one able to predict the location of known mineralization within the study area when either complete or unacknowledged incomplete data are used. It is suggested that this is due to the use of Bayes’ rule, which can account for “missing data.” The results indicate the effectiveness of WofE for mineral potential mapping with incomplete data.     

Data-Driven Index Overlay and Boolean Logic Mineral Prospectivity Modeling in Greenfields Exploration

Index overlay and Boolean logic are two techniques customarily applied for knowledge-driven modeling of prospectivity for mineral deposits, whereby weights of values in evidential maps and weights of every evidence map are assigned based on expert opinion. In the Boolean logic technique for mineral prospectivity modeling (MPM), threshold evidential values for creating binary maps are defined based on expert opinion as well. This practice of assigning weights based on expert opinion involves trial-and-error and introduces bias in evaluating relative importance of both evidential values and individual evidential maps. In this paper, we propose a data-driven index overlay MPM technique whereby weights of individual evidential maps are derived from data. We also propose a data-driven Boolean logic MPM technique, whereby thresholds for creating binary maps are defined based on data. For assigning weights and defining thresholds in these proposed data-driven MPM techniques, we applied a prediction-area plot from which we can estimate the predictive ability of each evidential map with respect to known mineral occurrences, and we use that predictive ability estimate to assign weights to evidential map and to select thresholds for generating binary predictor maps. To demonstrate these procedures, we applied them to an area in the Kerman province in southeast Iran as a MPM case study for porphyry-Cu deposits.     

Fractal pattern integration for mineral potential estimation

Concepts of fractal/multifractal dimensions and fractal measure were used to derive the prior and posterior probabilities that a small unit cell on a geological map contains one or more mineral deposits. This has led to a new version of the weights of evidence technique which is proposed for integrating spatial datasets that exhibit nonfractal and fractal patterns to predict mineral potential. The method is demonstrated with a case study of gold mineral potential estimation in the Iskut River area, northwestern British Columbia. Several geological, geophysical, and geochemical patterns (Paleozoic-Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic clastic rocks; buffer zones around the contacts between sedimentary rocks and Mesozoic intrusive rocks; a linear magnetic anomaly; and geochemical anomalies for Au and associated elements in stream sediments) were integrated with the gold mineral occurrences which have fractal and multifractal properties with a box-counting dimension of 1.335±0.077 and cluster dimension of 1.219±0.037.     

Using a Discrete Fracture Network and Spatial Point Processes to Populate Veins and Model Grade in a Coarse Gold Deposit

Vein-hosted gold deposits are characterized by mineralization, which is spatially restricted to narrow vein structures. Drillholes intersecting a mineralized vein can lead to unreliable and biased assay values compared to selective mining unit scale block grades. In this work, a discrete fracture network is simulated and adapted to model gold mineralization within the veins. Veins are assumed planar and the required inputs are distributions of vein orientation, vein length, and vein intensity (i.e., density). These inputs are collected from drillhole data, geological mapping, and expert knowledge of the deposit. A spatial point process is then applied to model gold grade as discrete events or “nuggets,” which are spatially restricted to the simulated quartz veins for the case of incomplete mineralization of the veins; when the vein is completely mineralized, a vein thickness distribution is required. The methodology is applied to an epithermal gold deposit in northwestern British Columbia, Canada and shows improvement in restricting the influence of the high-grade gold samples without resorting to ad-hoc manipulation of input assays through capping or cutting. The final output of this methodology is a block model of gold grade, which better honors the spatial structure of the veins in the deposit and is suitable for use in mine planning or resource estimation.     

Predictive Mapping of Prospectivity in the Gurupi Orogenic Gold Belt,North–Northeast Brazil: An Example of District-Scale Mineral System Approach to Exploration Targeting

The Gurupi Belt hosts a Paleoproterozoic gold province located in north–northeastern Brazil, at the borders of Pará and Maranhão states. It is considered to be an extension of the prolific West African Craton’s Birimian gold province into South America. Additionally, the belt has been the object of recent mineral exploration programs with significant resource discoveries. This study presents the results of predictive mapping using up-to-date mineral system concepts and recently finished regional-scale geological mapping, stream sediment and airborne geophysical surveys conducted by the Geological Survey of Brazil. We relate gold mineralization to an initially enriched crust, metamorphism, deep fluid pathways, structurally controlled damage zones and hydrothermal alteration. Prospective targets were generated using only regional public datasets and knowledge-driven targeting technique. This work did not incorporate any known gold deposits, yet it predicted the largest known deposits and their satellite targets. Besides, high prospective targets mapped almost 40% of known primary gold occurrences within 7% of the project area. This work allowed considerable search area reduction and identification of new target areas, thus collaborating on reducing costs, time and risk of mineral exploration. Results indicate that we achieved an efficient understanding of the geological processes related to the Gurupi Belt mineral system.     

GIS-Based Spatial Analysis of Regional-Scale Structural Controls on Gold Mineralization Along the Bétaré-Oya Shear Zone,Eastern Cameroon

Bétaré-Oya is one of the gold mining districts in the eastern region of Cameroon. Structural controls on gold mineralization were examined along the Bétaré-Oya Shear Zone, providing further clues on favorable areas for mineral exploration. GIS-based methods combining point pattern (i.e., quadrat count, Fry analysis) and distance distribution analysis were employed here to delineate the spatial patterns of known gold deposits and to evaluate their spatial association with geological structures. Results show that the gold deposits in this area are spatially clustered. At the regional scale, the Fry plot indicates an alignment of deposits, suggesting that gold mineralization is controlled by structures oriented NNE–SSW and NE–SW. At the deposit scale, an alignment is also evident, indicating that the mineralization is also controlled by ENE–WSW-trending structures. The cumulative relative frequency distribution of distances from lineament features to gold occurrence points (D_M) and to non-occurrence points (D_N) ratio (D_M/D_N) was used to rank these two major structural trends and their relative importance as mineralization control. The yielded grades show that NE–SW-trending lineaments, akin to P-type structures, play a major role in controlling the gold mineralization in the area compared to other structures. Beyond the goal to foster mineral prospection in the Bétaré-Oya gold district, information yielded in the present study provides relevant criteria for further exploration in the eastern region of Cameroon.

     

Radial Basis Functional Link Nets Used as a Prospectivity Mapping Tool for Orogenic Gold Deposits Within the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, Northern Fennoscandian Shield

Among the more popular spatial modeling techniques, artificial neural networks (ANN) are tools that can deal with non-linear relationships, can classify unknown data into categories by using known examples for training, and can deal with uncertainty; characteristics that provide new possibilities for data exploration. Radial basis functional link nets (RBFLN), a form of ANN, are applied to generate a series of prospectivity maps for orogenic gold deposits within the Paleoproterozoic Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, Northern Fennoscandian Shield, Finland, which is considered highly prospective yet clearly under explored. The supervised RBFLN performs better than previously applied statistical weights-of-evidence or conceptual fuzzy logic methods, and equal to logistic regression method, when applied to the same geophysical and geochemical data layers that are proxies for conceptual geological controls. By weighting the training feature vectors in terms of the size of the gold deposits, the classification of the neural network results provides an improved prediction of the distribution of the more important deposits/occurrences. Thus, ANN, more specifically RBFLN, potentially provide a better tool to other methodologies in the development of prospectivity maps for mineral deposits, hence aiding conceptual exploration.     

An AHP–TOPSIS Predictive Model for District-Scale Mapping of Porphyry Cu–Au Potential: A Case Study from Salafchegan Area (Central Iran)

The Salafchegan area in central Iran is a greenfield region of high porphyry Cu–Au potential, for which a sound prospectivity model is required to guide mineral exploration. Satellite imagery, geological geochemical, geophysical, and mineral occurrence datasets of the area were used to run an innovative integration model for porphyry Cu–Au exploration. Five favorable multi-class evidence maps, representing diagnostic porphyry Cu–Au recognition criteria (intermediate igneous intrusive and sub-volcanic host rocks, structural controls, hydrothermal alterations, stream sediment Cu anomalies, magnetic signatures), were combined using analytic hierarchy process and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to calculate a final map of porphyry Cu–Au potential in the Salafchegan area.     

云南勐满金矿硅质岩特征及其与金矿化关系

云南勐满金矿位于临沧——勐海花岗岩体西接触带之小南婆——西定铁金多金属成矿区,矿区内硅质岩发育。显微镜下观察,硅质岩无明显的生物迹象。而化学成分分析显示,W(Al)/W(Al+Fe+Mn)值远大于0.35,不具有热水沉积作用典型的高铁锰特征。综合各现象可初步判定硅质岩属交代沉淀成因。硅质岩的形成与金矿化之间存在密切的联系,因而可将硅质岩作为金矿勘探开发的一条重要找矿标志。     

Relationship between low-grade gold disseminations and high-grade veins in the Quartz Mountain district,Oregon

Gold and mercury mineralization related to epithermal hot springs occurs spatially associated with rhyolite dome complexes in the Quartz Mountain district, Lake County, Oregon. Drilling of over 800 holes from 1983 to 1991, mostly by Quartz Mountain Gold Corp., has resulted in a mineral inventory of at least 100,000,000 tons, averaging 0.0255 ounce gold per ton in two near-surface, disseminated gold ore bodies, Quartz Butte and Crone Hill. Extensive gold disseminations are underlain by and include rare, higher-grade veins that could be feeders for the near-surface, quasi-horizontal, pervasively mineralized gold dissemination. The veins contain about 2,000,000 tons of ore, aver-aging 0.29 ounce gold per ton. Approximately 750,000 tons of this underlie Quartz Butte, and the remainder is included in the Crone Hill low-grade dissemination. With a mineral inventory of about 3,000,000 ounces, Quartz Mountain is currently the largest known gold deposit in Oregon.As now known, the veins seem too few in number and too sporadically positioned to account for the volume of near-surface gold disseminations. We offer hypotheses to explain the apparent anomaly between the volume of disseminated gold ore and the paucity of feeders. Quartz Mountain has numerous alteration and mineralization similarities with the well-studied Steamboat Springs district (White and others, 1964). Coincidences between the two districts are noted.     

Stream Sediments Geochemical Exploration in the Northwestern Part of Wadi Allaqi Area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Geochemical stream sediments survey was conducted in the northwestern part of Wadi Allaqi area, Eastern Desert, Egypt. The area comprises Precambrian metasediments, intermediate metavolcanics, gabbro, and serpentinites, with intrusive masses of granites and quartz-porphyry and invaded by several quartz veins. The −1.0-mm size fraction is analyzed for As, Cu, S, Mo, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, Rb, Ba, Sr, Nb, V, U, Th, Cr, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, and Y. The geochemical survey is supported by heavy minerals study in the −0.125 + 0.0625-mm fraction. The geochemical data were statistically investigated using Q-mode cluster and R-mode factor analyses as well as the enrichment factor. Factors 1 (Zr, Nb, Nd, La, and Y), 2 (V, Sr, and Zn), and 4 (Ba and Rb) are mainly controlled by the lithological characters of the rocks hosting Au-sulfide mineralizations and their accompanied hydrothermal alteration zones. In the mineralization Factor 3 (Cu, S, As, Ce, and Mo), arsenic, Cu, S, and Mo are direct indicators, while Ce is indirect one for the Au-sulfide mineralizations. The Cu–S–As–Mo association with Pb and Zn anomalies in the stream sediments draining the quartz-porphyry point to its porphyry copper mineralization. Cobalt and Ni (Factor 5) are pathfinders for the Fe- and Cu-sulfides, whereas Zn and Pb of Factor 8 are additional pathfinders for the Au-sulfide mineralizations. The southern stream sediments having high U/Th ratios with U–Mo association and draining granites traversed by pegmatites, as well as the stream sediments draining Um Garayat area and the quartz-porphyry stock with high abundance of monazite, zircon, epidote, sphene, and ilmenite, could signify sources of U and Th (Factor 7). Two watershed areas have distinct enrichment factors for arsenic suggesting unexplored extensions of Au-sulfide mineralization linked to the Allaqi shear-zone. The enrichment of the mineralization Factor 3 in the drainage system is mainly controlled by the prevailed mechanical dispersion for the hosting heavy minerals in such arid region with minor role of hydromorphic dispersion. The chemistry and mineralogy of the stream sediments are evidently allied to the drained bedrocks and their hosted mineralizations that signify a promising area for detailed exploration.     

Developing a geographic expert system for regional mapping of volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit potential

A personal computer-based geographic information system (GIS) is used to develop a geographic expert system (GES) for mapping and evaluating volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit potential. The GES consists of an inference network to represent expert knowledge, and a GIS to handle the spatial analysis and mapping. Evidence from input maps is propagated through the inference network, combining information by means of fuzzy logic and Bayesian updating to yield new maps showing evaluation of hypotheses. Maps of evidence and hypotheses are defined on a probability scale between 0 and 1. Evaluation of the final hypothesis results in a mineral potential map, and the various intermediate hypotheses can also be shown in map form.The inference net, with associated parameters for weighting evidence, is based on a VMS deposit model for the Chisel Lake deposit, a producing mine in the Early Protoerzoic Snow Lake greenstone belt of northwest Manitoba. The model is applied to a small area mapped at a scale of 1:15,840. The geological map, showing lithological and alteration units, provides the basic input to the model. Spatial proximity to contacts of various kinds are particularly important. Three types of evidence are considered: stratigraphic, heat source, and alteration. The final product is a map showing the relative favorability for VMS deposits. The model is implemented as aFortran program, interfaced with the GIS. The sensitivity of the model to changes in the parameters is evaluated by comparing predicted areas of elevated potential with the spatial distribution of known VMS occurrences.     

Geology of epithermal silver-gold bulk-mining targets,bodie district,Mono County,California

The Bodie mining district in Mono County, California, is zoned with a core polymetallic-quartz vein system and silver- and gold-bearing quartz-adularia veins north and south of the core. The veins formed as a result of repeated normal faulting during doming shortly after extrusion of felsic flows and tuffs, and the magmatic-hydrothermal event seems to span at least 2 Ma.Epithermal mineralization accompanied repeated movement of the normal faults, resulting in vein development in the planes of the faults. The veins occur in a very large area of argillic alteration. Individual mineralized structures commonly formed new fracture planes during separate fault movements, with resulting broad zones of veinlets growing in the walls of the major vein-faults. The veinlet swarms have been found to constitute a target estimated at 75,000,000 tons, averaging 0.037 ounce gold per ton. The target is amenable to bulkmining exploitation.The epithermal mineralogy is simple, with electrum being the most important precious metal mineral. The host veins are typical low-sulfide banded epithermal quartz and adularia structures that filled voids created by the faulting. Historical data show that beneficiation of the simple vein mineralogy is very efficient. On the cover: Southeast view of Bodie mining district in Mono County, California, one of the more famous pioneer epithermal gold producers in the western U.S. Recent exploration drilling suggests an additional resource of 2 million ounces of gold. The townsite is at the intersection of roads near the center of the photo. The foreground is mainly tuff breccia of the Bodie Hills volcanic field. Arcuate lines in the valley beyond the hills are old Mono Lake shorelines. The White Mountains form the ridge on the skyline. Photo by Frank Kleinhampl, about 1970.