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The Geology and Production History of the Uranium-Vanadium Deposits In

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The Geology and Production History of the Uranium-Vanadium Deposits In THE GEOLOGY AND PRODOCTION HISTORY OF THE URANIUM - VANADIUM DEPOSITS IN THE LUKACHUKAI MOUNTAINS, APACHE COUNTY ARIZONA by William L. Chenoweth Arizona Geological Survey Open-File Report 88-19 September 1988 Arizona Geological Survey 416 W. Congress, Suite #100, Tucson, Arizona 85701 This report is preliminary and has not been edited or reviewed for conformity with Arizona Geological Survey standards TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract••••• ............... ............... 1 Introduction•••••••••••.•••••• 2 Location and accessibility. 2 Geography and topography ••• ..... 4 Climate, vegetation and water resources. 4 Land status••••• ...... 8 Mining methods. 9 Previous work •• ...... 10 Acknowledgements•• ......... 10 General geology•••••••••••••••• 10 Stratigraphy adn sedimentary rocks. ... 12 Triassis strata. 12 Jurassic strata•• 12 Cretaceous strata••••• .... ..... 17 Tertiary strata•• 17 Igneous rocks •• 18 Structure••• .. 18 Regional ••••••.•••• . 18 Local •••• ................ 20 Uranium-vanadium deposits••.••• 22 Host rocks. 22 Lithology •• .... 22 Ore geometry•• ........... 23 Ore distribution•••.•.••••..•• 25 Mineralogy. ...... .......... 26 Ore guides. ...................... 27 Sources of the uranium and vanadium. 28 Summary ••••••••••••• ... 29 AEC drilling projects. 29 Introduction•••••••• .... 29 Project activities. ...... 32 Summary ••••••••••••••••• 34 Production history•.•••• .......................... 36 Historical background. ..... 36 Earlyactivities.•• .. 38 The Kerr-McGee era. .. ..... 43 VCA the final years. 51 References. .. .. 55 Appendix •••• ...................... 62 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURES Page 1. Index map of the Four Corners region••••••••.• 3 2. Aerial photo looking northeasterly across the Lukachukai Mountains showing AEC drill roads and mine access roads••••••.•••••••••••• 5 3. Mine location map, Lukachukai Mountains, Apache County, Arizona•••••••••••••••••••.•••. 6 4. Mesa II, Mine 1 P-2l, No.3 level map •••••.••• 11 5. Tectonic map, Four Corners region•.••••••••••• 19 6. Typical ore occurrence, Camp and Mesa III Mines .............•...•.............. 24 7. Uranium production Lukachukai Mountains, Apache County, Arizona••••••••••.•••••.•••••.• 40 8. Navajo mines with burro tramming ore, Frank No.1 Mine .............•................ 61 TABLES 1. Names of mines shown on figure 3 .••••••••••••• 7 2. Summary of drilling statistics, AEC projects Lukachukai Mountains, Arizona••••••••••••••••• 31 3. Details of uranium-vanadium production, Lukachukai Mountains, Apache County, Arizona •• 55 4. AEC reports resulting from exploration in the Lukachukai Mountains••.•••••.••••••••••••• 62 THE GEOLOGY AND PRODUCTION HISTORY OF THE URANIUM - VANADIUM DEPOSITS IN THE LUKACHUKAI MOUNTAINS, APACHE COUNTY ARIZONA By William L. Chenoweth ABSTRACT Uranium-vanadium deposits have been discovered and mined in the Lukachukai Mountains, a high, rugged northwest spur of the Chuska Mountains in northeastern Arizona. All of the economic deposits are in the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation of Jurassic age. Ore bodies occur some 30 to 80 feet above the base of the Salt Wash which is roughly the middle half of the member. All of the significant deposits are located in a well-defined belt which trends nearly north-south across the southeast end of the moun­ tains. This belt accounts for 99.6 percent of the total produc­ tion and includes an area of 6.5 square miles. The ore bodies are elongate and horizontally lenticular in shape and consist of one or more ore pods surrounded or separated by protore. The composite length of ore bodies consisting of two or more ore pods separated by protore ranges up to 1,100 feet; individual ore pods range up to 350 feet in length. The length is usually at least three times the width and is parallel to paleostream depositional trends measured in and near the ore bodies. Thicknesses of the ore bodies range from 1 to 22 feet. Claystone and/or siltstone beds nearly always underlie and frequently overlie the host sandstone units. Ore occurs most commonly in trough-type, cross-stratified sand­ stone which fills scours and channels in the underlying claystone. Lithofacies maps and mine mapping show that ore bodies are restricted to areas of rapid lateral color change which, in general, are also areas of rapid change in the ratio of mudstone to sandstone. It is common for the elongation of ore pods to deviate from the paleostream depositional trend and parallel the prominent joint set. This feature suggests some redistribution of the ore. Tyuyamunite, the calcium uranium vandate, is the most common ore mineral. It occurs irregularly disseminated, concentrated in lenses, or distributed in bands. It may fill the sand interstices, or only coat sand grains, or it may replace calcite and carbon. Due to the remoteness of the mountains, the deposits were not discovered until 1949. Since this was a new district in the Salt Wash, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was interested in devel­ oping the uranium resources of the area. Between September 1950 and August 1955, 1,835 holes with a total footage of 374,198 feet were drilled in the Lukachukai Mountains. This drilling was highly successful and greatly aided mining companies in developing minable ore reserves. Mining of the deposits commenced in the spring of 1950 and contin­ ued until early 1968. During this 19 year period, some 53 individ­ ual mines produced 724,754 tons of ore that averaged 0.24 percent U308 and 1.02 percent V205 and contained 3,483,231 pounds of U308 and 14,729,693 pounds V205 • Kerr-McGee Oil Indus­ tries, Inc. acquired properties in the mountains in 1952 and was the leading producer until 1963, at which time their holdings were acquired by the Vanadium Corporation of America. INTRODUCTION Location And Accessibility The Lukachukai Mountains are located on the Navajo Indian Reserva­ tion in northeastern Apache County, Arizona. The Navajo community of Cove, Ar izona, including a day school and trading post, is located at the northeastern foot of the mountains (fig. 1). Cove is reached by traveling south from Shiprock, New Mexico, seven miles on U. S. Highway 666 to Tribal Highway No. 13 and then west 23 miles to Red Rock Trading Post. A graveled road continues southwest 13 miles to Cove. Unimproved dirt roads to the mines and drilling areas in the mountains. Haulage distances f rom the mines to Cove range from 4 to 13 miles. An airstrip suitable for light planes is located 2~ airlines miles northeast of Cove. 2 ~~"',... ""," ~_~(--=:;';ilt\ll" ....._....,,' ~-~- ~ ~; Sonsela euites • '-......'- ~ , _.... • .,. ' ~"'IIIJI~'_,' "'~ ......~~l"'~. ,/'/ ~'~~,~_. af:;~ ~;'}'~I'\~ • I /~ . ~"'-~ ~ -.... S<JntOStee ~'~ ·'1,,,lt\ , ~ .. ~ ,~ --" ~/ll"- .,'~'e:-' .- ,-4. : ,.,.... ~ '0 -i:t.:I1\' ~l _ ~ \. -~~ , ",- .;" " '.. .,,_,- - ~ -" 7':7 ~ \ ~~ .~ .~~~' ,,::::' ~_ ~ ~ ~ t , \ .... ' ~ee.u.tlfu.J o ~-,..-"'.,..,."tCli" ; \,-... ~,,"':-"- ",~~\\" / ~- _,- ----, -I; ~I.·.... ,~ ~ ,..\\\~ , '\. "" " .,/ I ': •••:;..:1·\,......... \.\.\: _ , .. __ ....... ~ r/ Itllh\\~':III\\\t'.·,f. ~ _.... ~ "'- I \ \Ship"oc;k S.... Il.o<k ......'..• " ,)" '.Y,~\!II.!IllI!.·.;;;;,;;ii.'·~~,~~ ~;::.* ~(\' } ~ ",'\ ..' -'-. •.•.. _ ..' ~'~~~"'~' ~ I " "?lbiflJz z ?t,.. "'Ill- l\\ll\\ "G ,~I --__..11/__, ~ ...." .....,. .···..····Z!.-"" ...- _---- 1t1~.:4.'c. \4,~t~'" JS ,..aSCfwood ~"\ ....... .. ,-- ~t"t·..:~ ,'_ ~'- ~.. -- -... / .::::..' ~ •.•••. '-. ~ _,::'-' ~":'_~d"""'" ~ ~~.. " -'-~q L ...kaChu.ko.; ~' ..., : ,......, O~ed Q<Xk 7'''-' ~I\\~~'::~, ~ '....... ,V " T.... ~ !i>. ·r.\','o... ')~·· i!;;, ••' -='/,,\ '. ,.\ \ ••••••••••• ./ "... >••••,.... ,·o//,iJI::\I%i1l\'<~I1"f.;4:1( . -Lu VA CIH) vA' • ~' ._~, 1\' ,'" • :'. ~'~' ..~>/ -"-"___ cove' . ~/f o~.MOV1v'TItI~S . ~y ( ~. f ~/ --.0 • 2"; , --.........."- ..., • ,_~ -"r. ~.~ '\ ..... \ ......... ''''~'{.-J? 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" ~.. ~ ~ y ~ " ~ ~lir " ~I w~:~#..._ .' ,; Sketch of the Four Corners region showing the location of the Lukachukai Mountains. Kenneth G. Hatfield, 1953. SAN COUNTY UT H ARIZONA ...~ .l@ .........__r:::;.:::;;- SHIPROCK Newcomb • 01246 8 10 I !, , ! I I APPROX. MILES APACHE COUNTY Figure I. Index map of the Four Corners Region 3 Geography And Topography The Lukachukai Mountains are the northwestern spur of the Chuska Mountains and Buffalo Pass separates them from the main mountain mass (fig. 1). "Lukachukai" is a Navajo word meaning "patches of white reeds" and no doubt refers to the many lakes occurring on the main flat-topped ridge of the mountains. The elevation of this ridge is about 8,800 feet above sea
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