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Copper, Silver, Lead, Vanadium, and Uranium Ores in Sandstone and Shale

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Copper, Silver, Lead, Vanadium, and Uranium Ores in Sandstone and Shale COPPER, SILVER, LEAD, VANADIUM, AND URANIUM ORES IN SANDSTONE AND SHALE. WALDEMAR LIN DGREN'. General Characteristics.--In widely separatedparts of the world and generallyfar away from igneousrocks ores of copper, lead, vanadiumand uranium appearin extensiveseries of sand- stone and shale under circumstances which indicate a common mode of origin. They are usuallyof low tenor and in the majorityof casescan not be utilized'. The primary ores are chalcocite, with small amounts of bornite, chalcopyrite and pyrite; galena;roscoelite, a vanadiummica; carnotite,a vana- dateof uranium. Smallamounts of nickel,cobalt, molybdenum, ' barium,and seleniumare often found. While all thesesome- timesoccur together, they are more commonlysegregated into separatedeposits in which one metal predominates.Gangue mineralsare conspicuouslyabsent or confinedto a little calcite, barite, and gypsum,the latter probablysecondary. Where exposedto the atmosphereoxidized minerals develop. The depositsare rather conspicuouslyconfined to certain formationsor memberswithin the Permian, Jurassic,or Trias- sic,but do not ordinarilyfollow a givenhorizon without frequent interruptions.Characteristic occurrences appear in fractured and brecciatedbeds or whereplant fossilsabound. More rarely the oresappear in fissuresin the sameformations where they wereevidently deposited by ascendingor descendingatmospheric waters. Occasionallythe ores have been leachedand carried down into the lower strata. They appearto have no connection with thermal springs. Oricjin.mlntheir presentform the oresare assuredlyepi- genetic,But the evidenceequally clearly points to theirhaving been'concentratedby atmosphericwaters from smallquantities 568 COPPER-ORES IN SANDSTONE AND SHALE. 569 of metals disseminatedin the rocks. It is believed,though the evidence of this is less direct, that the metals were carried down as sedimentsand solutions from older ore depositsin the adja- cent continental areas. The sedimentsare in many cases of shallowwater marine origin, but in part certainly land deposits, and often indicate arid conditions. The waters which concentrated the ores are believed to have beenmainly sodiumchloride and calcium sulphatesolutions con- taining sulphates and perhaps chlorides of copper and lead. Mineral associationand geologicalfeatures indicate low temper- ature depositionat shallowdepths, probably well below •ooø C., but below the zone'of direct oxidation. Very likely these ores havebeen forming continuously since the establishmentof active water circulation in the beds; in favorable placesbelow the sur- face concentrationmay now be in progress. CO1'1'ER ANr• L•Ar• rmPOSITS • SAN•)STO•. European Occurrenceg.•--The European occurrencesare con- fined to the Permian and the Triassic, both largely agesof arid climate and saline deposits. The Russian Permian, extending far west from the Urals, consistsin its lower divisionof sandstones,marls, in part marine, and conglomerates. The sandstonesare rich in vegetable remains. Copperores are found over wide areas,but have not beenworked extensivelyof late years. They are saidto average 0.9 per cent. copper. The chalcociteores replace plant remains and treetrunks, or appearin the•cementof the sandstones.The minerals mentionedare (besidessecondary malachite and azu- rite): chalcocite,chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite (?), barite, vanadi- nite,volborthite (vanadate of copperand calcium). Much interesthas lately been taken in the copperdeposits of the Khirgiz Steppes2 betweenthe Urals and the Altai in the x For an excellent review of European localities, as well as complete index of literature, in part difficultlyaccessible, see Stelzner-Bergeat:Die Erzlager- stStten, I9o4, pp. 388-439. •Addiasseurch,A., "A Journey to Central Asia," Trans. Ir•st. Min. and Met., •7, •9o7-•9o8, pp. 498-522. 570 kV.'tLDEM.'tR LINDGREN. Karkaralinsk and Akmolinsk districts. Very rich copper ores have here been found in sandstones said to be Paleozoic, and they consistof malachite,azurite, bornite; little exact informa- tion is available. At Nankat, west of Kokand in Turkestan, new discoverieshave been made of metallic copperin sandstones and gypsiferousmarls of Tertiary age; fossil wood and chalco- cite are also found. 1 In Bohemia• the lower Permian (Rothliegende.)along the south slope of the Riesengebirgecontains similar ores. The lower bedscarry chalcocitewith a little silver, also somepyrite in several horizons of the arcosic rocks, which contain abundant plant remains. The Permian of the Palatinate in Germanyyields nodulesof chalcociteand chalcopyrite. Most important from an economicstandpoint and curiously connectedwith the mineralizationof the Permian is the "Kuper- schiefer,"or copper-bearingshale of Central Germany; this is describedon a subsequentpage (578). Over a large part of WesternEurope the Trias is a copper- bearing formation, and together with the. coppermore or less lead is found. In England,at Alderley Edge and Mottram St. Andrews,g southof Manchester,copper ores have been mined. They occur in the cement of Triassic sandstones and conglomerates and consist of copper carbonates,galena, pyromorphite,and vanadinite;also some 'barite, manganese and cobalt. The ores are said to carry at most 1.4 per cent. copper. The mineral mottramite, a vanadate of copper and lead, was discoveredat this place. In Germanythe Trias is dividedin three parts: The lower variegatedsandstone (" Buntsandstein");the middleshell lime- stone (Muschelkalk); and the upper marls and sandstones (Keuper); of thesethe lower and upperdivisions contain lead and copper ores. • Beck, R., "Lehre yon den Erzlagerst/itten,"I9o9, 2, 172. a Gfirich, F., Z. f. prakt. Geol., I893, pp. 37o-37I. * Phillips,and Louis, "Ore Deposits,"I896, pp. 266-269. COPPER-ORES IN SANDSTONE AND SHALE. 571 In Bavaria the Keuper contains galena and chalcopyritein certain gypsiferousbeds, and this is associatedwith a little zinc- blende and barite. In Wiirttemberg galena with a little oxidized copperore and barite is generally distributedin the Corbula bed of the lower, gypsiferous Keuper. In the Palatinate, the littoral character- istics are plainly indicated and there is an abundanceof fossil wood; in two horizons the sandstonescontain galena and cerus- site and were formerly worked. In the "Buntsandstein" in Prussia and Lorraine, near Saar- louis and other places,a horizon known as the Voltzia sandstone, is particularly rich in lead and copperores, which at times have been worked. The bed contains abundant plant remains. The mineralsare cerussite,galena, chalcocite (?) and carbonates. The best known depositsof the Trias are thoseof Commern and Mechernich,not far from Aix-la-Chapelle, in Prussia. Lead ores have been mined here for several hundred years, but it is reported that the mines may soon be closed. The ores-are of low grade and are mined in opencuts by removingabout I3O feet of overburden. In I9O3 the ores averaged I. 5 per cent. lead (Stelzner-Bergeat). The ores are galena, cerussite,oxidized copperores, with a little chalcopyriteand barite, the latter filling veins and veinlets in the sandstone. A little silver, nickel and cobalt are present. The thicknessof the ore-bearingsandstone is about 20 meters. Very remarkableis the general occurrence of the galenain so-called"Knoten" or knotty concretionsoften enclosingseveral sand g/'ains and sometimesbounded by the crystalfaces of thegalena. The epigeneticcharacter of theore is beyond doubt. American Occurrences2--On the North American continent aDumble, E. T., First Ann. Rept. Geol. Surv. Texas, I889, p. •86. Schmitz, E. J., "Copper Ores in the Permian of Texas," Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Eng., 26, 1896,pp. m5•-m52. ' Emmons,S. F., "Copper in the Red Beds,"in Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No. 260, 19o5, pp. 221-232. Emroohs,W. H., "The Cashin Mine," Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No. 285, I9O6,'pp. 125-128. Jennings,E. P., Trans.Am. Inst. Min. Eng.,34, P- 839. (Footnote continued on following page.) 572 kV.4LDEM.4R LINDGREN. copperores are of widespreadoccurrence in the Red Bedsof the Southwest. They occur in Texas, Oklahoma,New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,Utah and Idaho, always conspicuousby the colorsof malachiteand azurite, but rarely proving of economic importance. More successthan elsewherehas attendedtheir exploitation in New Mexico. The ore occursin arkose sandstone,conglomerate, and clay- shale usually associatedwith plant remains and fossil wood. These strata were accumulatedin shallow seasor as land deposits by a processof rapiddegradation of adjacentland areasof the RockyMountain region. They havebeen referred to the Upper Carboniferous,Permian, Trias andJura; in part the identification of horizons difficult on account of lack of fossils, but it seems certainthat they are presentboth in the Upper Carboniferous and the Jurassic. In Texas they appearover large areasin Permiansandstones and shalesat several horizons, in strata rich in plant remains; •ovellite,.chalcocite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite are the minerals mentioned.They are saidto extendfrom 33ø to 34ø in latitude and from 980 to •ooø in longitude. In Oklahomaoccurrences are notedby Tarr in red shalesand sandstonesof probablePermian age; in Stillwaterand Payne counties. Fossil wood is often converted to chalcocite, some- times with a shell of chalcopyrite;here unusuallyhigh silver valuesof 3• ouncesper ton are reportedand traces of gold. In Colorado these ores have been observed at several places, notablyat Red Gluch,Fremont County, from whereLindgren describesnodules of chalcocitewith barite in black
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