R1O-x14
-1-
UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
DIVISION OF RAW MATERIALS
EXPLORATION BRANCH
URANIUM DEPOSITS
GREEN VEIN MESA
SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH
by
Howard N. Jensen
and
Robert K. Pitman
AL
January 23, 1952 (Grand Junction, Colorado) RMO-$14
URANIUM DEPOSITS, GREEN VEIN MESA SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH
Names and Addresses of Property Owners:
Elden Bryant Foster Nelson Ferron, Utah Ervin Olsen Thomas Worthen
Lyman Staker Howard Staker ) Lawrence, Utah Martin Cullum Wallace Jensen
Farne Price Owne Price ) Salt Lake City, Utah Consolidated Uranium Co. )
Frank Blackburn ) Clawson, Utah
Bernard Iriart ) Price, Utah
James Bean ) Nephi, Utah
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.
metadcl393196 -3-
URANIUM DEPOSITS, GREEN VEIN MESA SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH
CONTENTS
Abstract ...... page 4
Introduction ...... 4
History of Operations ...... 5
Production ...... 6
General Geology ...... 6
Ore Deposits ...... 6 Ore Controls ...... 7 Structure ...... 8
Drilling Recommendations ...... 8
Summary ...... 9
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1 - Index Map, Green Vein Mesa, San Rafael Swell, Utah . . 10 Plate I - Geologic Map, Green Vein Mesa, Emery Co., Utah . . . . Appended II - Consolidated No. 1 and Green Vein No. 5 Mines, Emery Co., Utah ...... Appended -4- GJEB:HNJ:RKP
URANIUM DEPOSITS, GREEN VEIN MESA SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH
ABSTRACT
Green Vein Mesa in the southwestern part of the San Rafael Swell was examined to determine the extent of uranium mineralization. De- posits of uranium and vanadium in asphaltic and conglomeratic zones of the Shinarump formation are sufficiently large to mine profitably.
INTRODUCTION
Uranium was discovered on Green Vein Mesa in the spring of 1950. The study of this area was recommended in the summer of 1951, with the view of proving new reserves of uranium and vanadium. As a result an investigation program was carried on during June and November, 1951. Field methods used were: prospecting the rims with a Geiger-Mueller counter and scintillometer, studying the occurrence of the ores, sampling, subsurface mapping, and constructing a map from aerial photographs.
Green Vein Mesa is in the southwestern part of the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah, secs. 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 32, T. 23 S., R. 10 E., Salt Lake meridian (fig. 1). It is directly north of Family Butte and about 22 miles northwest of the steel granary on Tan Seep and is reached by traveling 39 miles south from Green River, Utah, over State Highway No. 24, which is a graded road, then 20 miles west over an unimproved road which passes near Temple Mountain and Tan Seep. This road forks one- fourth mile beyond the granary on Tan Seep and the right fork is followed northwest up a wash for 22 miles to Green Vein Mesa.
The nearest railroad and source of supplies is Green River, Utah. An excellent airstrip and weather station, maintained by the CAA, is located at Hanksville, Utah, a distance of about 41 miles.
The San Rafael Swell is located in a semiarid region. Temperatures range from 200 to 1100 F. Rainfall is from 5 to 10 inches annually. Snow- fall is seldom heavy enough in winter to hamper operations.
The following literature concerns the Green Vein Mesa:
Bain, George W., Impressions of the San Rafael Swell Area: USAEC, Grand Junction Exploration Branch Memorandum, August 7, 1951. -5-
Everhart. Donald L., Comments on the Current Status of Geologic Studies of Uranium Deposits Within the Shinarump Formation: DRM, New York, August 21, 1951.
Gilluly, James, Geology and Oil and Gas Prospects of Part of the San Rafael Swell, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 806-c, 1929.
Reyner, Millard L., Preliminary Report on Some Uranium Deposits Along the West Side of the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah: USAEC Spokane Extension, Spokane, Washington, pp. 29-39, October 1950.
HISTORY OF OPERATIONS
Most of the claims on Green Vein Mesa were located in the spring of 1950. Limited development work was done soon after the area was staked, but the most extensive development was between May and November 1951.
The Green Vein and Barter (not on map) groups of claims were located in the spring of 1950 by Elden Bryant, Foster Nelson, Ervin Olsen, and Thomas Worthen, all of Ferron, Utah, Frank Blackburn, Clawson, Utah; and Lyman Staker, Lawrence, Utah. Several small cuts were made on Green Vein Nos. 3 and 4 soon after they were staked. In the spring of 1951, all claims were leased to Magnolia Lead and Oil Company, Salt Lake City, Utah. Access roads, a camp, and an airstrip were constructed. Several hundred feet of the Moenkopi-Shinarump contact were stripped with a bulldozer on Green Vein Nos. 3 and 4 and short adits were driven on each. An adit, 100 feet long, was driven on the Green Vein No. 5 at a place called "Pink Face" (because of the abundant cobalt bloom), but mineralization ended about 25 feet in from the portal. Development work on the Green Vein group ceased after September 1951.
The Pay Day claim was located by Elden Bryant and Foster Nelson, Ferron, Utah, in the spring of 1950. A 40-foot cut was made along the Moenkopi-Shinarump contact and three short adits were driven.
Consolidated Nos. 1 and 2 claims were located in the spring of 1950 by Fane Price and Owen Price, of Salt Lake City, Utah. A 50-foot cut was made along the Moenkopi-Shinarump contact and a 12-foot adit was driven. An ore chute was constructed, but apparently no ore was shipped. In June 1951, these claims were leased to Curtis W. Jones (?),Howard B. Nielson, and Joseph E. Sherman, of Sinbad Mining Co., Price, Utah, who constructed access roads, built an ore bin, and drove a 90-foot adit.
The Hertz No. 1 claim was located in April 1950, by Lyman Staker, Howard Staker, Martin Cullum, and Wallace Jensen, all of Lawrence, Utah. A 12-foot and a 4-foot adit were driven soon after the claims were located and in the fall of 1951, the 12-foot adit was extended an additional 8 feet. An ore bin was constructed, but no ore was shipped.
Sunset No. 1 claim (not on map) was located on June 6, 1951, by Bernard Iriart, Price, Utah, and Frank Brough and James Bean, Nephi, Utah. No development work has been done. The Green Vein owners located several claims on the western side of the mesa, but the claim names and descriptions are unknown; no work has been done. Consolidated Uranium Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, has located and surveyed a group of claims covering the center of the mesa not claimed by owners on the east and west sides.
PRODUCTION
Mine Shipper Shipment Date Tonnage 5 U3 Og
Green Vein No. 3 E. Bryant April 1950 7.9 0.40 Green Vein No. 3 ) Green Vein No. 4 ) Magnolia Lead May to July 131.9 0.27 Green Vein No. 5 ) & Oil Co. 1951 Consolidated No. 1 Sinbad Mining July to 519.4 0.22 Co. October 1951
GENERAL GEOLOGY
The San Rafael Swell is an elliptical dome about 70 miles in length which has been deeply eroded, leaving a topographically low inner core of older rocks completely surrounded by a "reef" of upwarped resistant younger rocks. The "Swell" is asymmetrical; the beds on the eastern flank dip more steeply than do those on the western flank.
ORE DEPOSITS
Uranium deposits on Green Vein Mesa are confined to the lower part of the Shinarump formation near the unconformable contact with the under- lying Moenkopi formation. Deposits are exposed on the east, south, and west sides of +he mesa, but not on the north side where the mesa adjoins the main "reef."
Yellow and green secondary uranium minerals, together with copper carbonates, calcium carbonate, marcasite, pink cobalt bloom, and un- identified vanadium minerals, are usually associated with seams of carbon and hydrocarbon in permeable zones of sandstone and conglomerate directly above the Moenkopi "red beds."
The ore on the Consolidated Nos. 1 and 2 claims occurs in hydrocarbon and carbonaceous seams along bedding planes of a light gray porous sand- stone. The lime content of the rock increased as the mining progressed so that in the two drifts farthest from the portal, it is more than 20 per cent. On the weathered surfaces near the mine portal, there are abundant yellow and green stains of uranium and copper, respectively. Also there is pale pink "cobalt bloom", marcasite, and a small amount of vanadium. This mineralization was traced for over 200 feet along the -7-
outcrop and was still of ore-grade at the breast of the mine, 90 feet in from the portal. An 8-foot thickness of ore has been mined, and weak radioactivity extends another 10 feet above the mined zone.
Hertz No. 1 claim is located approximately 1,500 feet from the Consolidated claims on the opposite side of the mesa. The lithology (hydrocarbon and carbonaceous material along the bedding planes of sand- stone) on Hertz No. 1 is similar to that of Consolidated Nos. 1 and 2. There is an excellent possibility that the two mineralized outcrops are both located on one continuous permeable channel sandstone.
The mineralization on the Pay Day claim is along seams of hydro- carbon in a limy conglomerate directly above the Moenkopi "red beds." The uranium and vanadium minerals are marked by the hydrocarbon, but green and blue copper stains are plainly visible. The lime content is high (pl. I).
The mineralized zone on the Green Vein in No. 4 contains logs and hydrocarbon along a porous light gray sandstone bed, which lies directly above the "red beds," and below steeply dipping interbedded mudstone and siltstone. This mineralized sandstone pinches out a few feet to the east of the adit at the eastern end of the claim and reaches a maximum thick- ness of about 5 feet along the exposed outcrop. The host sandstone appears to lie on the unevenly eroded top of the Moenkopi formation, the thickest part of the sandstone being present in the deepest scours. Mineralization stopped about 15 feet in from the portal where the sand- stone interfingers with Moenkopi "red beds."
Mineralization on the Green Vein No. 5 is associated with hydro- carbon and carbonized logs in a gray channel sandstone. Radioactivity extends from the "Pink Face" (where adit was driven) eastward along the rim for about 200 feet. Talus obscures the Shinarump to the west. "Cobalt bloom" is abundant and vanadium minerals are present in small amounts. The adit extends about 100 feet into the hillside and although the odor of petroleum is present, mineralization is terminated by joints about 25 feet in from the portal.
On the west side of the mesa and east of Reds Canyon, readings of several times background were recorded on a scintillometer in several places, but no samples were obtained which assayed more than .05% uranium.
Ore Controls
It is believed that mineralization is controlled by permeability, for in every area which has been mineralized, the host rock is either a loosely cemented conglomerate or a porous sandstone deposited as lenses and channel-fill on the scoured surface of the Moenkopi. Channeling is not easily perceptible on Green Vein Mesa, but on the Consolidated claims, there appears to be a scour about 200 feet to the right of the mine adit. Structure
Green Vein Mesa lies on the gentle west dipping flank of the San Rafael Swell and is essentially a long narrow bench extending from a ridge capped by the Wingate formation. Although only three faults with very minor displacement were observed on the mesa, there is a fault of large vertical displacement between the south end of the mesa and Family Butte. Green Vein Mesa is on the upthrown side and Family Butte is on the downthrown side of the fault.
DRILLING RECOMMENDATIONS
Core drilling is recommended on Green Vein Mesa to extend, broaden, and increase the known ore bodies. Core drilling is recommended for the following reasons:
1. Known mineralization occurs in "scours" which can be better recognized and projected with core.
2. Ore is concentrated in the more permeable parts of the Shinarump and this permeability can be detected only with core.
Drilling should commence behind the following (pl. I):
Consolidated No. 1 Consolidated No. 2 Hertz No. 1 Pay Day- Green Vein No. 3 Green Vein No. 4 Green Vein No. 5
Samples: 14051 14053 14054
Approximately 5,000-15,000 feet of hole will be necessary to explore the mesa. The first holes should be spaced 100 feet apart and spaced according to the size of the ore bodies thereafter. Holes will average 70 feet in depth and should bottom in the Moenkopi "red beds."
It is recommended that if possible structure control be established by widely scattered holes before actual drilling commences. Structure control may be augmented by obtaining elevations on the Moenkopi-Shinarump contact with a plane table and alidade.
Access to the top of the mesa may best be attained by extending the road to Green Vein No. 4 mine. Bulldozing and blasting will be necessary to reach the mesa top, but once on top, only a few days of "cat" work should be needed for leveling drill sites. Ample water can be obtained from the Muddy River, a distance of 19 miles. -9- SUMMARY
The deposits on Green Vein Mesa have not been large producers of uranium because the grade of the ore has been too low in proportion to the lime content. However, the number of mineralized outcrops and the probable presence of channeling make this a favorable area for proving moderate reserves of uranium ore by exploratory drilling. The are-a between the Consolidated and Hertz claims seems to be a part of the same permeable zone and is especially favorable. -10-
W YO IJTA H
SALT LAKE CITY
W Heber Vernal
\ Provo
ThIstl
Price I0 HO..J Prace F- -DO
89 Castle Dale 6 Manti
10
GR EE N 4> rrvr Thompsons r/GR AND JUNCT10 VEIN . -' 3, MESA
L +Moab 1
Loa HanKsv ile
U.S. INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS Mnve- STATE HIGHWAYS
SHite - HARD SURFACED ROADS rrzs GRADED EARTH ROADS FIG. I -::z UNIMPROVED ROADS INDEX MAP
+ 43mi + DISTANCE BETWEEN POINTS GREEN VEIN MESA SAN RAFAEL SWELL,UTAH SCALE I"= 27 MI. APPROX- MARCH 1951 7500 's
+-GR EEN VEIN
7000 A s- A Ts CONSOLIDATED
s
-7Horizontal Scale! 100 f ~- -Vertical i Scae:' . 500 4 1/-1Sz.
0 29 A' il I~I /' ../ J r r I
SAMPLE %U 0 WIDTH 3 0 %U05 /% %CACo 3 % CU. ~ ~\ NO. RADIO CHEM. 0-O SAMPLE 14051 0.05 0.04 0.10 2.5 14053 0.03 0.03 2.0 4054 0.02 2.0 4076 0.03 1.0 C 14079 0.16 0.05 0.07 1.5 2.5
S 1 16057 0.12 0.07 0.52 17.9 2.0 -REEN- --- 16058 0.97 0.95 0.03 58.8 0.52 1. 5 16059 0.07 0.08 0.01 49.3 3.0 16060 0.27 0.08 0.02 4.2 5.88 1.5 / Tm- k 16061 0.26 0.17 0.02 0.7 1.5
WEIGHTED AVERAGE U3308 CHEM. = 0.164 RADIO. = 0.202
11 41205 = 0.090 NO.51-
GREENEN EI
CNSODATE6059032
6-59N-. N
14405114
TZc
FAM ILY BU ~~rr2> T
1405\ 14053 TRs
Ts
-- ] I -- r c Wingate ' Green Vein 4 Mine workings
s A SSIC 16059 Assay Sample LocationY
w ' . m c C ranle Fault s
s S r -rumpMine Roads PLA TEE _ Moenkopi U. S. ATOMIC ENEERGY , COMMISSION ------. Drainage ~ GRAND JUNCTION E XPLOR ATION EBRANCH DIVISION OF RAW MATERIALS -... _TG E' a G MAP rGREEN VEIN MESA --- LfLI111LU1,rJI11 - -%7 E MERY CO., UTAH NOTE Map compiled b1 Photogrammetric SCALE: 000 CONTOUR INTERVAL: Methods Seclions showy are ir: RED CANYON-1 '-fl GEOL. BY' R F M ACCOMPANIES: T 23S RIOE Salt L.Jke Meric fn TOPO. BY: CHECKED: J WS. DATE: DEC 1951 090 500 0 1000 2000 F T. DRAWN BY: R F M CORRECT: CH LARGE TRACED BY: J SAMPLE DATA
16064 SAMPLE No. %U 308 %U30 8 %/V2 05 %C Co3 SAMPLE (RADIO) (CHEM.) WIDTH
14076 0.15 0.05 0.07 3.0 Feet
14077 0.32 0.24 0.03 4.0
14094 0.82 0.82 0.15 6.0 16063 14081 0.17 0.14 0.16 6.0
16063 0.09 0.11 Nil. 30.2 5.0 16066 16064 0.14 0.18 0.02 22.0 6.0
16065 0.05 0.06 0.02 3.3 2.0
14094 16066 0.12 0.14 0.03 10.6 6.0
WEIGHTED AVERAGE U 308 CHEM. = 0.249
U3 08 RADIO = 0.257 16065 V2 05 = 0.076
14076 TR S 14081 4077 ' - SCALE: I"= 20' Mai; i Cliff PLAN OF ADIT- CONSOLIDATED No. I
SCALE: I"= 20' Ma C PLAN OF ADIT-
GREEN VEIN No. 5 PLATE I U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION GRAND JUNCTION EXPLORATION BRANCH DIVISION OF R"-W M.TE-IALS CONSOLIDATED No. I AND GREEN VEIN No.5 MINES EMERY CO., UTAH SCALE: CONTOUR INTERVAL: GEOL. BY.- ACCOMPANIES: TOPO. BY : CHECKED : DATE: DRAWN BY: CORRECT: CHARGE' TR RY- c ' 9 JAPPROVFD FFR F !NDFX .... _.. , ... y._ - A!ED