Park County, Colorado
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U. S. Gam.,, .. _ JVEY FP-ld Library Albuquerque, New Mexico Results of Reconnaissance for Radioactivity in Parts of the Alma District, Park County, Colorado By C. T. Pierson and Q. D. Singewald Trace Elements Investigations Report 248 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY metadc304524 1..._ - OFFICIAL USE ONLY Geology and Mineralogy This document consists of 28 pages, plus 2 figures 0 Series A. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RESULTS OF RECONNAISSANCE FOR RADIOACTIVITY IN PARTS OF THE ALMA DISTRICT, PARK COUNTY, COLORADO* By Co T. Pierson and Q. D. Singewald April 1953 Trace Elements Investigations Report 248 This preliminary report is distributed without editorial and technical review for conformity with official standards and nomenclature. It is not for public inspection or quotation0 *This report concerns work done on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. When separated from Part II, handle Part I as UNCLASSIFIED. OFFICIAL USE ONLY 2 USGS - TEI - 245 GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY Distribution (Series A) No0 of copies American Cyanamid Company, Winchester. 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 0 .0 .e .0 1 Argonne National Laboratory 0 . o0000000 0 0 . 0 .0 .0 0 0 .O 1 Atomic Energy Commission, Washington . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 .0 O 1 Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 .0 .0 0 O 1 Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company, Y-12 Area 0 0 .0 .o .O 0 0 O 1 Division of Raw Materials, Grants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 0 .0 O 1 Division of Raw Materials, Denver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 O 1 Division of Raw Materials , Hot Springs0o0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 1 Division of Raw Materials, New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 6 Division of Raw Materials, Salt Lake City 0 0 0 0 . .0 .0 .0 .0 0 O 1 Division of Raw Materials, Richfield0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 .0 .O 1 Division of Raw Materials, Butte0o0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 .0 .0 O 1 Division of Raw Materials, Washington 0 0 0 0 0 0 . .0 .0 .0 0 .0 O 3 Dow Chemical Company, Pittsburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 .0 0 0 O 1 Exploration Division , Grand Junction Operations 0.ffice.o 0 0 0 0 1 Grand Junction Operations Office0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 1 Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Tennessee Valley Authority, Wilson Dam0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 .0 0 1 U. So Geological Survey: Mineral Deposits Branch, Washington 0 0 0 0 0 O O 0 2 Geochemistry and Petrology Branch, Washington O O .0 1 Geophysics Branch, Washington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .- 0 1 Alaskan Geology Branch, Washington0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .O .0 1 Fuels Branch, Washington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O 0 1 D, M. Lemmon, Washington. 3 0 0 0 .: 0. .O 0 1 L0 R0 Page , Denver0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O 0 2 R0 P. Fischer, Grand Junction 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . .O .0 1 A. E0 Weissenborn, Spokane0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O .0 1 C0 B0 Hunt , Plant City 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O .0 1 J 0 F. Smith, Jr.9 Denver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O 0 1 No M. Denson, Denver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . .O .0 1 R. W0 Swanson, Spokane0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. O O 0 1 Lo So Gardner, Albuquerque. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O .0 1 M. R. Klepper, Washington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O .0 1 J. D0 Love 9 Laramie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . .O .0 1 A0 H. Koschmann, Denver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . .O a 1 E0 H. Bailey, San Francisco.0 0. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .o 0 1 J 0 RD Cooper, Denver 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ... O .0 1 W 0 P0 Williams, Joplin0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O .0 1 C 0 E 0 Dutton, Madison 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O .0 1 R0 A0 Laurence, Knoxville 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O a 1 R0 J0 Roberts, Salt 'Lake City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O .O .0 2 Q0 D0 Singewald , Beltsville .0* 0 .0 0 . 0 O O 0 2 TEPCO, Washington: Resource Compilation Section .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 0 0 .0 0 2 Reports Processing Section.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 3 (Including master) 3 CONTENTS Page Abstract 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O O O O O 0 0 4 Introduction 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 . 0 5 Field work and acknowledgments 0 . 0 . 0 .O . .0 0 .0 . 0 5 Location and accessiblity0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 .0 5 General geology and ore deposit s.. 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 .0 0 0 . 0 7 Method of reconnaissance for radioactivity 0 0 O 0 .0 .0 0 0 0 9 Radioactivity measurements 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 The uranium occurrences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Veins in pre-Cambrian rocks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 London vein system 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .s 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 Veins east of Cooper Gulch fault 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 22 Dis equilibria in the uranium occurrences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Non-anomalously radioactive localities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 23 Origin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0 .0 .0 .0 0 0 24 Literature cited. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O .O.O O O 0 0 24 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure l Index map of Colorado showing location of the Alma district 0 .. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2. Geologic sketch map, part of Orphan Boy mine, Alma mining district, Park County, Colorado, showing radioactive localities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o .e In envelope 3. Generalized geologic map of the Alma district, Park County, Colorado, showing areas radio- metrically tested. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 In envelope TABLES Table 10 Localities tested for radioactivity in the Alma mining district. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2. Relationship between (1) ratio of maximum radio- activity measurements to average background and (2) percentages of equivalent uranium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 4 RESULTS OF RECONNAISSANCE FOR RADIOACTIVITY IN PARTS OF THE ALMA DISTRICT, PARK COUNTY, COLORADO By C. To Pierson and Q. Do Singewald ABSTRACT Pitchblende was discovered in July 1951 in the Alma mining district, Park County, Colo0 , by the U0 S. Geological Survey acting on behalf of the U. So Atomic Energy Commission. The pitchblende is associated with Tertiary veins of three differ- ent geologic environments: 1) veins in pre-Cambrian rocks, 2) the London vein system the footwall block of the London fault, and 3) veins in a mineralized area east of the Cooper Gulch fault. Pitchblende is proba- bly not associated with silver-lead replacement deposits in dolomite0 Secondary uranium minerals, as yet undetermined, are associated with pitchblende on two London vein system mine dumps, and occur in oxidized vein material.Lfrom dumps of mines in the other environments0 Although none of the known occurrences are of commercial importance, the Alma district is considered a moderately favorable area in which to prospect for uranium ore, because twenty-four of the forty-three localities examined show anomalous radioactivity; samples from anomalously radioactive localities, which include mine dumps and some underground workings, have uranium contents ranging from 0.001 to l.66 percent.