CONTACT INFORMATION Mining Records Curator Arizona Geological Survey 416 W. Congress St., Suite 100 Tucson, Arizona 85701 602-771-1601 http://www.azgs.az.gov [email protected] The following file is part of the Grover Heinrichs Mining Collection ACCESS STATEMENT These digitized collections are accessible for purposes of education and research. We have indicated what we know about copyright and rights of privacy, publicity, or trademark. Due to the nature of archival collections, we are not always able to identify this information. We are eager to hear from any rights owners, so that we may obtain accurate information. Upon request, we will remove material from public view while we address a rights issue. CONSTRAINTS STATEMENT The Arizona Geological Survey does not claim to control all rights for all materials in its collection. These rights include, but are not limited to: copyright, privacy rights, and cultural protection rights. The User hereby assumes all responsibility for obtaining any rights to use the material in excess of “fair use.” The Survey makes no intellectual property claims to the products created by individual authors in the manuscript collections, except when the author deeded those rights to the Survey or when those authors were employed by the State of Arizona and created intellectual products as a function of their official duties. The Survey does maintain property rights to the physical and digital representations of the works. QUALITY STATEMENT The Arizona Geological Survey is not responsible for the accuracy of the records, information, or opinions that may be contained in the files. The Survey collects, catalogs, and archives data on mineral properties regardless of its views of the veracity or accuracy of those data. XLI C-d--- GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 217 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE WHITE CANYON AREA SAN JUAN COUNTY UTAH By W. E. Benson, A. F. Trites, Jr., E. P. Beroni, and J. A. Feeger UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CmCULAR 217 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE WHITE CANYON AREA SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH By W. E. Benson, A. F. Trites, Jr., E. P. Beroni, and J. A Feeger This report concerns work done on behalf of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission and is published with the permission of the Commission ... Washington, D. C., 1962. Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page ) • Abstract . ......... ........... ....... ... 1 Uranium deposits--Continued Introduction .....•.....•...........••..... 1 Localization of deposits--Continued Location . .. ........•... .....• ... .. 1 Summary... ....... .. ........... 7 Previous work ... ..•. ......•. .... .. 1 Mineralogy of the deposits .....•.•••••••. 7 Purpose of work. .. 1 Origin of the ores . • . • . • . .. 8 Field methods . ... ... .. ....... ..... , 2 Grade............... ................... 8 General geology .... ....... .... .... ... ... ,. 2 Production ...•. ' .' . • . .. 8 Carboniferous rocks (Pennsylvanian). .. 2 Results of work. .. ... 8 Hermosa formation . .. 2 Ore criteria. .. 8 Permian(?) rocks . • . ... 2. Features observed only in mineralized Rico formation. .. 2 areas .. ....... .... ... ... ...... 9 Permian rocks. 3 Visible uranium minerals ....... 9 Cutler formation . ...... .. ..... ... ... 3 Sulfide minerals. 9 Cedar Mesa sandstone Secondary copper minerals . 9 . member ........ ... ... ... 4 Alunite . .... ,.................. 9 Organ Rock tongue. .... .. .. 4 Hydrocarbons . ..... .. .•....... 9 White Rim sandstone Features observed at many deposits member .... .......... .... .. .. 4 but seen in unmineralized areas as Triassic roc ks . ........ .... .. .. .. .. 4 well....... ... .. ............... 9 Moenkopi formation .... ...•......... 4 Bleaching and alteration in the Shinarump conglomerate. .. 4 Moenkopi formation ...... ... .. 9 Chinle formation. • . .. 4 Fracturing ........... .. ....... 9 Jurassic(?) rocks ..... .. ... .. .. ....... 5 Iron and manganese Glen Canyon group. ... 5 staining.. ............ .. ....... 9 Wingate sandstone .... .... .. 5 Carbonized wood fragments Kayenta formation. .. 5 and vegetal material . • . ... 9 Navajo sandstone. .. 5 Channel filling ................. 9 Structure . ... .. .. ..•. .... .. ... ... ..... 5 Jarosite( ?) ................... 10 Uranium deposits ........................... 5 Facies change within the Localization of deposits . ... 5 Shinarump conglomerate. • . 10 Relation of deposits to channel fills .. " 5 Features not apparently related to Relation of deposits to structure .... " 6 ore deposits .... ...... ... ........ 10 Relation of deposits to chemical Literature cited ........................... : 10 controls. .. .. .. 7 ILL USTRA TIONS Page • Plate 1. Geologic map showing part of White Canyon district, San Juan County, utah ... ..... •. Inside back cover Figure 1. Index map of Utah ...• •.. .• • ..•...•. .•.. ......•...... .. .... .. .... ........ ......•... 2 2. White Canyon and surrounding area. .. .. .. • . .. .. 6 '- iii PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE WHITE CANYON AREA .SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH ABSTRACT lead- uranium age determination of 50 to 60 million years for the pitchblende in the Happy Jack mine favor \ The White Canyon area in San Juan County, Utah, the hypothesis· that the ores are of hydrothermal origin . 1' contains known deposits of copper-uranium ore and is and were deposited in early Tertiary time. currently being mapped and studied by the Geological Survey. To date, approximately 75 square miles, or Criteria believed to be the most useful in pros­ about 20 percent of the area, has been mapped on a pecting for new deposits are (1) visible uranium min­ scale 1 inch=l mile. erals; (2) visible copper miner als; (3) alunite; (4) hydrocarbons; and (5) bleaching of the underlying The White Canyon area is underlain by more Moenkopi formation. than 2,000 feet of sedimentary rocks, Carboniferous to Jurassic( 7) in age. The area is on the flank of the INTRODUCTION Elk Ridge anticline, and the strata have a r egional dip of 1 0 to 2 0 SW. Location The Shinarump conglomerate of Late Triassic The White Canyon area is in the central par t of age is the principal ore-bearing formation. The San Juan County, Utah (fig. 1). It is bounded on the Shinarump consists of lenticular beds of sandstone, north by Dark Canyon, on the east by Elk Ridge, on conglomeratic sandstone, clay, and siltstone, and the south by Red Canyon, and on the west by the Colo­ ranges in thickness from a feather edge to as much as rado River; it is about the size of two 15- minut e quad­ 75 feet. Locally the ·sandstones contain silicified and rangles. carbonized wood and fragments of charcoal. These. vegetal remains are especially common in channel­ The area is accessible from the east and west fill deposits. by Utah Highway 95, a graded dirt road. Bl~ding, Utah, is 50 miles east and Hanksville, Utah, is Jointing is. prominent in the western part of the 65 miles west across the Colorado River. A ferry area, and apparently affects all formations. Adjacent at Hite, Utah, provides the only vehicular crossing to the joints some of the redbeds in the sequence are of the Colorado River in the area. bleached. Previous work Deposits of copper- uranium minerals have been found in the Moenkopi, Shinarump, and Chinle forma­ A reconnaissance of the White Canyon area was tions, but the only production of ore has been from the made between 1925 and 1929 by H. E. Gregory (1938, Shinarump conglomerate. The largest concentration 123 pp. ). 1 Some of the uranium deposits in White of these minerals is in the lower third of the Shinarump, Canyon were examined briefly by H. C. Granger and and the deposits seem to be controlled in part by E. P . Beroni (1950) for the U. S. Geological Survey, ancient channel fills and in part by fractures. Locally and a report on the Happy Jack mine was made by precipitation of the copper and uranium minerals P. H. Dodd (1950, 23 pp.) for the U. S. Atomic Energy appar ently has been aided by charcoal and clays. Commission. Other reports on the ur anium deposits of the area have been made by Fischer and King (1948) , Visible uranium minerals include both hard and Smyth (1949), and Gruner and Gardner (1950). soft pitchblende and secondary hydrosulfates, phos­ ,e phates, and silicates. In addition, unidentified ura­ Purpose of work nium compounds are present in carbonized wood and charcoal, and in veinlets of hydrocarbons. Base­ The principal objectives of the present investi­ metal sulfides have been identified in all prospects gation in the White Canyon area were (1) to map the that extend beyond the oxidized zone. Secondary general geology and determine the regional relation­ copper minerals in the oxidized zone include the ships of the uraniul11 deposits; (2) to study the physical hydrous sulfates and carbonates, and possibly chrysocolla. and mineralogic characteristics of the uranium deposits The principal gangue minerals are quartz, clay to establish ore controls and guides; and (3) to select minerals, chlorite, oxides of iron ·and manganese, areas favorable for exploration for concealed deposits alunite, calcite, gypsum, pyrite, allophane, gibbsite, in the Shinarump conglomerate and other Triassic opal, and chalcedony. formations. This work was done on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials of the U. S. Atomic Energy The origin of the copper-uranium ores has not Commission. Field work for this report was done been determined, but the association of many deposits during