Cogjm.Search Apprais Radio Deposits Trace Elem Monthly Report Sept 1956.Pdf
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RMO - 1081 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SEARCH FOR AND APPRAISAL OF RADIOACTIVE DEPOSITS TRACE ELEMENTS MONTHLY REPORT ( Prepared for U.S. Atomic Energy Commission ( Monthly Report September 1956 '\ -··..::7 REPRODUCED FROM BEST AVAILABLE CQ,JY Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. ~2- 3 CONTENTS Page Highlights of the Trace Elements Programeaeoooooeaeaooo••o••• 5 Geologic mappingoooooooooooooooooooooooo•••o••o•o••••••• 5 Colorado Plateau region8 by Ao Lo BrokaWooooooooooo 5 Central regionooooooooooooooooooooooooooo••o•••o••• 6 Maybell-Lay area9 Colorado, by M. J. Bergin •••• 6 Eastern regionoooooooooo•••o•o•oooo~ooooo•o•oo••••• 7 Hauch Chlmk 9 Pennsylvania, by tlarry Klemic •••• 7 Geologic topical StUdiSSooooooooooooooooOooooooooooooooo 8 Alaskaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 8 Brazilooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 9 Geophysical investigationSoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 10 Colorado Plateau regional geophysical studies9 by Ho Ro Joestingooo•o•ooo•o•••••••••••• 10 Geophysical studies in uranium geology, by Ro Mo HazleWOOdooooooooooooooooooooooe•••••••• 1l Research, development and maintenance of radiation equipment, by w. w. Vaughn ••••••••••••• 12 Gamma-r~ logging9 by Co Mo Bunkeroooooooooooooooo• 12 Natural radioactivity of the atmosphere, c by Ho Eo EVanSoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo••• 12 \ Physical behavior of radon9 by A. B. Tanner •••••••• 13 Laboratory services and research on methods ••• o ••••••• .,. 13 Geochronology9 by LoR. Stieff••••••••••••••••••••• 13 X-r~ servicesD by George Ashby •• .,••••••••••••••••• 13 Analysis of raw materials 9 by Irving Hay ••••••••• , • 14 Mineralogy of uranium deposits, by A. D. Weeks •• ••• 15 Synthesis and solution chemistry of uranium- bearing mineralsD by c. R. Naeser •••••••••••••••• 16 Geochemistry of thorium, by E. S, Larsen9 3rd •••••• 18 Reports issued and processed for publication• by Donna Bow.man and Dora Conklinoooo••o••••••••••••••••••••••• 23 TEI Reports issuedooooooooooooooooooo••••••••••••••••••• 23 TEM Reports issuedoooooooooooooooooooooo•••••••••••••••• 23' TEI Reports in process9 October 1~ 1956••••••••••••••••• 23 TEM Reports in processD October 1 9 1956••••••••••••••••• 26 Trace Elements Reports published by the Survey •••••••••• 27 Trace Elements Reports published outside the Survey ••••• 27 4 T.ABLES Page 1. Analytical work completed and sample inventory, September 1956ooooooooooooooooooooooooooeoooooo•ooooo 19 2. Status of Trace Elements investigations, September 1956ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 20 5 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRACE ELEMENTS PROGRAM Geologic mapping Colorado Plateau Region by A. L. Brokaw Mapping of the Echo Cliffs monocline shows that two fault zones parallel the monocline: one system is slightly down-dip from the trace of the axial plane of the anticlinal bend of the monocline and extends for a distance of several miles; the other system coincides approximately with the trace of the axial plane of the synclinal bend of the monocline. Extreme fracturing in the Navajo sandstone is associated with the faulting. The fracture zones have been recemented with sufficient calcium carbonate to make the fault zones crop out as resistant ridges. Calcite, iron and map.ganese oxides occur along the faults ;;·here they cut the Shinarump member of the Chinle formation. In the Temple Mountain area of the San Rafael Swell, dolomitization and the development of chromium-bearing silicate minerals are spatially and, with little doubt, genetically related to the uranium deposits in the Moss Back sandstone member of the Chinle formation. This feature should be a good ore guide within the district. The Plio-Pleistocene conglomerate discovered in the L~ Sal Creek area, Utah-Colorado has been named the Deep Creek conglomerate. Further mapping has indicated that this unit \~as deposited prior to the last major structural movement of salt in the La Sal Hountains area. Inasmuch as the last major movement is believed to have occurred at the 6 end of Tertiary time 9 the Deep Creek conglomerate is tentatively con sidered to be of Pliocene(?) ageo Detailed mine studies in the Lisbon Valley area have shown that the uranium minerals occur more often in sandstone than in any other lithologic type and that the uranium and vanadium are not distri buted coincidentally o The vanadium tends to follow the bedding, while . the uranium is more irregular. Copper minerals are generally uncommon and show no close spatial relation to uranium or vanadium. The copper minerals are oxidized9 the uranium-vanadium minerals unoxidized.. Study of the ore bodies shm;s that there is rarely any discernible difference in lithology at the edge of an ore pod or between high and low grade pods of ore. lfust ore bodies contain orange chert which9 however, has no detailed relation to the grade of the ore. The chert occurs in mineralized and unmineralized rock, and in both the Chinle and Cutler formations. Central Region lfuybell-Lay area, Colorado, by !1. J. Bergin Geologic mapping of the area has shown that some north and northwest-trending normal faults displace the basal conglomerate of the Late Tertiary Browns Park formation 100 feet or more vertically. These faults are difficult to trace into the upper nonconglomeratic sandstone siltstone part of the Browns Park formation. which contains the larger known uranium deposits of the area. North-trending, nearly vertical faults of unknown displacement are exposed in mine and prospect pits in 7 ( two of the mineralized areas near !.faybell, but the role of the faults, if a:ny 9 in localizing the uranium minerals is not f'ulJ.;)r understopd. Eastern region Hauch Chunk, Pennsylvania. by Ha..=:ry Klemic Several small uranium occurrences in Columbia, Lycoming, and Sullivan Counties in north-central Pennsylvania, were examined during this period for comparison and correlation with the occurrences in Devonian rocks in Carbon County. The uranium is in gra::r and greenish- gra::r cupriferous sandstone and shale interbedded with red sandstone and shale in upper Devoilian rocks. The uranium is concentrated in silty zones with carbonaceous plant fossils in rock that generally is I stained with malachite or chrysocolla; at some localities azurite and \ chalcocite are in the radioactive rock. Some of these localities have been prospected for copper as well as for uranium, but appear to be too small or low grade to be economic for either copper or uranium. They are of interest, however, in that they indicate widespread uranium and copper mineralization in a favorable host rock, and there is a possi- bility that at some place either uranium or copper ma::r exist in con- centrations of economic value. 8 ( Geologic topical studies Alaska Geologic mapping and reconnaissance in the Kendrick Bay area of Prince of 11ales Island continued until September 12, when the field work was stopped for the year. During the field season, geologic map- ping of the area from the South Arm of Moira Sound to about a mile south of the West Arm of Kendrick Bay was completed. The prospects in this area were examined and the principal deposits of radioactiv~ minerals were mapped in detail. Information available from the drilling program of Climax Molybdenum Company was recorded. \'iork to be done ne:x:t summer includes the geologic mapping of the area between the Hest Arm ! I of Kendrick Bay and Stonerock Bay 9 examination of the prospects in this area, mapping of the principal deposits near Bokan Hountain as they are developed for mining, and a reconnaissance of the surrounding area to obtain the structural setting of the intrusives that contain the radio- active mineral deposits. A prospect in the \mite l{ountains near Lime (or Lion) !1ountain was examined. The claims are in a coarse-grained granite intrusive that gives the extremely high background readings of 0.07 to 0.11 mr/hr. No localizations of radioactivity were found nor were any prominent structures seen. The area is of interest because of the high radio- activity of the granite but no indication of the presence of a uranium deposit has as yet been found. I 9 ( In interior Alaska prospecting for radioactive minerals appeared to have decreased from the previous year, but several men were still actively engaged in uranium prospecting.. Areas in which prospecting is knmm to have been carried on include the Taylor and Steese Highways and the White !1ountains o Near the end of the season a radioactive anomaly was reported dmm-river from Eagle, Alaska. In southern Alaska there was some renewed interest in the Shirley Lake areao Bra.Zil No field work was done during the month inasmuch as all field operations were suspended on advice of the Embassy on August 31 in view ( of the published intention of the Brazilian Government to give