Uranium Resources of Northwestern NewMexico GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 603 Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Uranium Resources of Northwestern NewMexicc By LOWELL S. HILPERT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 603 Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission A description of the stratigraphic and structural relations of the various types of uranium deposits in one of the world''s great uranium-producing regions UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1969 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HICKEL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. OS 68-390 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Pate Stratigraphy Continued Abstract_ __.----_____-__--_____-__-___.__________ 1 Rocks of Jurassic age Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 1 Morrison Formation Continued Purpose and scope of this report._________________ 1 Salt Wash Member.. ___ _. _ ____ 19 Geography __________________________________ 2 Recapture Member. ____________________ 19 Previous investigations._________________________ 2 Westwater Canyon Member. ____________ 19 Sources of data and methods of study _____________ 2 Brushy Basin Member_ _________________ 20 Geologic nomenclature-_________________________ 4 Rocks of Cretaceous age___ ______________________ 21 Acknowledgments__ _ __________________________ 4 Dakota Sandstone. __________-_-_-___-_-____ 21 History of mining and ore production _________________ 5 Mancos Shale______--_____-_-_-___-_------- 21 Geologic setting.___________________________________ 9 Gallup Sandstone___ ________________________ 21 Stratigraphy.______________________________________ 9 Crevasse Canyon Formation. ________________ 22 Rocks of Precambrian age_______________________ 10 Point Lookout Sandstone. ___________________ 22 Ortega Quartzite of Just (1937) and associated Menefee Formation. ________________________ 22 rocks_ _ __________________________________ 10 Cliff House Sandstone. ______________________ 22 Rocks of Cambrian (?) age_ ______________________ 10 Mesaverde Group undivided- _______-__--_-_- 22 Rocks of Devonian age__________________________ 10 Lewis Shale _ __ _________________ -__ 22 Elbert Formation.__________________________ 10 Pictured Cliffs Sandstone, _______ _ _________ 22 Rocks of Mississippian age_______________________ 10 Fruitland Formation and Kirtland Shale ____ 23 Leadville Limestone.________________________ 10 Ojo Alamo Sandstone. _____________-__----__ 23 Caloso Formation of Kelley and Silver (1952), Animas Formation (Upper Cretaceous and Kelly Limestone, and Arroyo Penasco Forma- Paleocene) ____-________-__---_-____------ 23 tion_ ____________________________________ 11 Rocks of Tertiary age______ __________________ 23 Rocks of Pennsylvania^ age______________________ 11 San Juan Basin___----___---_---___-,_------- 23 Molas, Hermosa, and lower part of Rico Forma­ Nacimiento Formation. _________________ 24 tions ____________________________________ 11 San Jose Formation. ____________________ 24 Sandia Formation_________________________ 11 Chuska Sandstone. _____________________ 24 Madera Limestone._________________________ 11 Datil section-___-------_-----_-_------ -- 24 Sandstone and siltstone____________________ 12 Baca Formation.. _____-___-_-_-_--__--- 24 Rocks of Permian age.__________________________ 12 Datil Formation_--__--__-------------_- 24 Bursum Formation________________________ 12 Rio Grande trough and vicinity. _____________ 25 Abo Formation.____________________________ 12 Older volcanic rocks of Jemez Mountains. _ _ 25 Cutler Formation.__________________________ 13 Galisteo Formation______--__-_-_------- 25 Yeso Formation and Glorieta Sandstone_____ 13 Espinaso Volcanics of Stearns (1943) __--__ 25 San Andres Limestone_____________________ 13 Popotosa Formation. ___________________ 25 Bernal Formation.__________________________ 13 Sante Fe Group (Miocene to Pleistocene?) _ _ 25 Rocks of Triassic age__________________________ 13 Intrusive rocks of varied composition and form_ _ 25 Moenkopi(?) Formation.____________________ 14 Structure. _________-___------_--------------------- 25 Chinle Formation.._________________________ 14 Geologic history. ______-_____--__---_-------_------- 28 West and south sides of the San Juan Basin. 14 Uranium deposits___-___-_--_----------------------- 31 Shinarump Member_______________ 14 Peneconcordant deposits in sandstone____ ________ 60 Lower red member.________________ 15 Morrison Formation, __________-_-_-__--_-_- 60 Petrified Forest Member and included Ambrosia Lake district. _________________ 60 Sonsela Sandstone Bed.___________ 15 Stratigraphy. ________--_--_------_- 60 East side of the San Juan Basin __________ 15 Structure- __-____-_-----_--_------- 61 Agua Zarca Sandstone Member and Mineralogy and form_ ____________ 63 Poleo Sandstone Lentil-.__________ 16 Stratigraphic relations of the deposits. _ 65 Dockum Formation._______________________ 17 Wingate Sandstone.________________________ 17 Structural relations of the deposits..-- 68 69 Rocks of Jurassic age___________________________ 17 Color relations of the host rocks. _____ Entrada Sandstone________________________ 17 Laguna district..-..--.-.--------------- 69 Todilto Limestone._________________________ 18 Stratigraphy- _______-_-_-___--_---- 71 Summerville Formation____________________ 18 Structure. ___________--__----_-_-__ 72 Bluff Sandstone__________________________ 18 Mineralogy and form_ ____________ 72 Morrison Formation ________________________ 18 Stratigraphic relations of the deposits _ 74 IV CONTENTS Uranium deposits Continued Distribution of elements in the ores Continued Peneconcordant deposits in sandstone Continued Exceptional characteristics of some ore sample Morrison Formation Continued groups Continued Laguna district Continued San Andres Limestone _ _-_----_____________ 125 Structural relations of the deposits.. __ 74 Madera Limestone. _________________________ 125 Color relations of the host rocks _ _____ 75 Summary and conclusions _ _____________________ 125 Gallup district. _________________________ 75 Distribution of elements in the Todilto Limestone. _ 126 Stratigraphy. ..___________---__-____ 75 Purpose and methods of analysis, _ __________ 126 Structure. _________________________ 77 Elements that decrease in concentration away Mineralogy and habits. _____________ 77 from ore_____-___________________________ 134 Stratigraphic and structural relations Elements that increase in concentration away of the deposits- __________________ 80 from ore__ _______________________________ 134 Color relations of the host rocks _ _____ 81 Elements concentrated between ore and barren Shiprock district... _____________________ 81 ground- _________________________________ 137 Stratigraphy. ..________---_-___--___ 81 Elements in the gypsum unit. ________________ 138 Structure. _________________________ 83 Summary and conclusions __ ________________ 139 Mineralogy and habits. _____________ 83 Ages of emplacement-. __________________________ 139 Structural relations of the deposits____ 84 Geologic controls. ______________________________ 141 Chuska district- ________________________ 84 Origin __ _________ ___ ________ _____ _ ____ 143 Stratigraphy-. _____________________ 86 Uranium resources__________________________________ 145 Structure-- _--_--_----------------_ 86 Precambrian rocks______________________________ 146 Mineralogy and form __ ____________ 85 Ortega Quartzite of Just (1937) and other rocks. 146 Structural relations of the deposits. ___ 87 Cambrian(?) rocks______________________________ 146 Other districts or areas. _________________ 87 Unnamed conglomeratic sandstone and shale. __ 146 Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Triassic rocks____ 88 Devonian rccks_________________________________ 146 Mineralogy and habits. ________-_---_-__ 88 Elbert Formation___________________________ 146 Stratigraphic and structural relations______ 88 Mississippian rocks. ____________________________ 146 Cretaceous rocks. _ ________________________ 89 Leadville Limestone, Caloso Formation o* Kelley Mineralogy and habits ___ _ _____________ 90 and Silver (1952), Kelly Limestone, and Stratigraphic and structural relations _ _ __ 90 Arroyo Penasco Formation _ ______________ 146 Tertiary and Quaternary rocks _ _ ____________ 93 Pennsylvanian rocks ___ _______________________ 146 Mineralogy and habits ___ _ _ ________.- . 93 Molas, Hermosa, and lower part of Rico Formar Stratigraphic and structural relations______ 93 tions ____________________________________ 146 Peneconcordant deposits in Todilto Limestone and Sandia Formation __ _______________________ 146 adjacent formations. ______________________ 95 Madera Limestone__ ________________________ 146 Stratigraphy. ______________________________ 95 Permian rocks _ _______________________________ 147 Structure. _ ________________________________ 97 Bursum Formation__________________________ 147 Mineralogy and form____ ____________________ 100 Abo Formation_____________________ ________ 147 Stratigraphic relations of the deposits _________ 102 Cutler Formation___________________________ 147 Structural relations of the deposits. _ __________ 102 Yeso Formation and Glorieta San dstone. _______ 147 Peneconcordant deposits in shale and coal__________ 103 San Andres Limestone- ________-_-______-_-_- 147 Mineralogy and habits ___ __________________ 104