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<br />beryllium, and lithium, have been produced in small <br />quantities from localized ore deposits. Currently, the <br />sprawling taconite (low-grade iron ore) open-pit opera- <br />tion developed near Atlantic City, Wyo., and the large <br />but not yet completely defined molybdenum ore body <br />being developed near Empire, Colo., have a potential for <br />volume production. <br />The largest gold-mining operation in the United <br />States is in the Black Hills at Lead, S. Dak. (Sub- <br />area 3A). Among the States, Wyoming is the second <br /> <br />largest producer of uranium (Subareas SA and 2B). The <br />world's largest molybdenum mine is just west of the <br />Continental Divide and outside the region in Colorado, <br />but other deposits are being developed within the region <br />in Colorado. Both economic and marginal deposits of <br />iron, uranium, vanadium, beryllium, tungsten. copper, <br />lead, zinc, and silver occur at several locations along the <br />Rocky Mountain l1ank of the Missouri Region. Eco- <br />nomic reserves of silver have been enlarged by recent <br />price increases. <br /> <br /> <br />Homestake Gold Mine, Lead, South Dakota, is the Nation's Largest Operating Gold Mine <br />Shafts and Hoists (J & 3), Offices (2), Compressor (4), Mill (5), Cyanide Plants (6 & 7), <br />Gold Refinery (8). <br /> <br />Uranium and thorium resources of Subareas I B, 38, <br />SA, and 5B, which include Jefferson County, Mont., the <br />western Dakotas, eastern Wyoming, and the "eastern <br />slope" of Colorado, respectively, are large enough to <br />produce significant quantities. Southeastern Montana <br />and southwestern South Dakota, Subareas 2C and 3A <br />respectively, are expected to yield additional ore. With <br />the increasing use of nuclear fuel in powerplants and the <br />continuing development of other peaceful uses of <br /> <br />30 <br /> <br />radioactive materials, these resources are expected to be <br />in great demand. <br />In common with established open-pit uranium mines <br />in Wyoming and the remaining underground gold opera- <br />tions in South Dakota, the large taconite mine and the <br />developing molybdenum operation accent the recent <br />trend towards development of large, low-grade, metal- <br />bearing resources in the region. Bureau of Mines studies <br />in the early 1960's revealed the existence of a number of <br />