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GEOLOGIC APPRAISAL OF NEAR-SURFACE MINERAL RESOIIRCES <br />USING TEST PIT DATA <br />POWDER MOUNTAIN RANCH PROPERTY <br />14.03-ACRE PARCEL IN SECTION 2 <br />MESA COUNTY, COLORADO <br />FEBRDARY, 2000 <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Powder Mountain Ranch owns several parcels of land in the <br />vicinity of Rapid Creek near Palisade, Colorado. The purpose <br />of this appraisal, as requested by Dr. Robert L. Orr, is to <br />describe and quantify the near-surface mineral resources <br />principally clay, sand, gravel cobbles, and boulders) on a <br />parcel of 14.03 acres in the NE~ of Section 2, T 11 S, R 98 W, <br />Sixth Principal Meridian. The site is adjacent to the Ute Water <br />Treatment Plant and is bordered on the north and west by a <br />gravel-surfaced county road. Utilities on the property include <br />a natural gas pipeline and an overhead powerline. <br />This appraisal is based on surface reconnaissance of the site, <br />four test pits excavated in February, 2000, and a report by <br />the Colorado Geological Survey titled "Mineral Resources Survey <br />of Mesa County", by Stephen D. Schwochow, 1978. This report <br />is intended to supersede a previous report by Barnes Geologic <br />Consulting, Inc, dated March, 1999 titled "Geologic Appraisal <br />of Gravel Resource, 14.03-Acre Parcel in Section 2", which was <br />based solely on surface observations. <br />The site consists of a low terrace along Rapid Creek, and about <br />80 feet in elevation above the creek. The terrace is underlain <br />by a thick gravelly deposit which is the subject of this report. <br />The site is steep along the creek, but otherwise is gently _ <br />sloping, and has vegetation of mostly sagebrush and juniper <br />trees. The present use is mostly for pasture land and wildlife. <br />GENERAL GEOLOGY <br />The subject area lies between the 10,000 foot-high, lava capped <br />Grand Mesa to the southeast and the Bookcliffs, an east-west <br />trending ridge. These two features are separated by a narrow, <br />deep canyon, known as DeBeque Canyon, eroded into sedimentary <br />rocks of the Mesaverde Formation by the Colorado River. The <br />dip of the beds is about 3° to the northeast away from the nearby <br />Uncompahgre Uplift. <br />1 <br />