Rare Earth Elements in Wyoming Wayne M. Sutherland, Robert W. Gregory, Jacob D. Carnes, and Brett N. Worman Report of Investigation No. 65 • 2013 WYOMING STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas A. Drean, Director and State Geologist Director and State Geologist Thomas A. Drean Edited by: Mary Kate McCarney Design & Layout by: Chamois L. Andersen WSGS geologist Wayne Sutherland investigating the titaniferous black sandstone horizon in the Mesaverde Formation at Cottonwood Creek in the Bighorn Basin. Photo by Judy Sutherland. Rare Earth Elements in Wyoming Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) Report of Investigation No. 65, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-884589-59-1 Copyright© 2013 by the WSGS. All rights reserved. The WSGS encourages the fair use of its material. We request that credit be expressly given to the “Wyo- ming State Geological Survey” when citing information from this publication. Please contact the WSGS at 307-766-2286, ext. 224, or by email at [email protected] if you have any questions about citing ma- terials, preparing acknowledgments, or extensive use of this material. We appreciate your cooperation. $Q\XVHRIWUDGHSURGXFWRUÀUPQDPHVLQWKLVSXEOLFDWLRQLVIRUGHVFULSWLYHSXUSRVHVRQO\DQGGRHVQRW imply endorsement or approval by the State of Wyoming or the WSGS. Individuals with disabilities who require an alternative form of this publication should contact the WSGS (see contact information above). TTY relay operator 1-800-877-9975. For more information about the WSGS or to order publications and maps, please log on to www.wsgs.uwyo.edu, call 307-766-2286, ext. 224, or email [email protected]. Rare Earth Elements in Wyoming Wyoming State Geological Survey Report of Investigations No. 65 2013 Wayne M. Sutherland, Robert W. Gregory, Jacob D. Carnes, and Brett N. Worman Wyoming State Geological Survey, Laramie, Wyoming 82071 i ii Table of Contents Abstract . 1 Introduction . 1 Scope and Results of Project . 2 Samples and Analyses . 3 Rare Earth Elements Defined . 3 REE Uses . 7 Politics and Supplies . 7 REE Prices. 9 Extraction of REE. 11 General Geology of REE. 11 REE Minerals. 11 REE Production and Exploration in Wyoming. 14 Geologic Occurrences of Wyoming REE . 15 Bear Lodge Mountains Rare Earth Element Deposit . .16 Precambrian Occurrences . 21 Pegmatites . .21 Tie Siding Pegmatites. .21 Laramie Range Pegmatites. 27 Big Creek District . 29 Many Values Area. 32 Southern Bighorn and Owl Creek Mountains . 33 Other Precambrian Occurrences. 34 Union Pass – Warm Spring Area. 34 Clarence Wood Lode Claims. 37 Babbs Mine. 38 Tertiary-aged Igneous Occurrences. 39 Leucite Hills . 39 Sediment-hosted Occurrences . 39 Flathead Sandstone Paleoplacers . 41 Bald Mountain Paleoplacers, Big Horn and Sheridan Counties . 41 Rattlesnake Hills. 46 Union Pass – Warm Spring Area. 46 Mesaverde Formation Paleoplacers . 48 Separation Rim. 49 Cottonwood Creek . 50 Grass Creek . 50 Mud Creek . 51 Dugout Creek . 51 Lovell. 51 Other Potential Paleoplacers . 51 Frontier Formation . 51 Stump Formation. 54 Other Sandstone Hosted Occurrences . 54 iii Deacon’s Prayer Group Claims . .55 Phosphate-Rich Sedimentary Occurrences . 55 Uraniferous Phosphatic Horizons in the Wilkins Peak Member of the Green River Formation. 55 Phosphorite Beds in Western Wyoming. .60 Dahllite Concretions in the Thermopolis Shale, Big Horn County . .62 Occurrences of Other Elements . 62 Conclusion . 66 Acknowledgements . 66 References . 67 Index . 75 Figures Figure 1. Sample locations . 17 Figure 2. Sample of FMR dike at Bear Lodge REE project. 18 Figure 3. Map of Bear Lodge REE project. 20 Figure 4. Locations of Precambrian samples. 22 Figure 5. Tie Siding area geology and samples. 23 Figure 6. Tie Siding pegmatites. 24 Figure 7. Allanite from the Holiday Place pegmatite. 27 Figure 8. Big Creek area geology and samples. 30 Figure 9. Samples of the Big Creek - Platt pegmatites. 31 Figure 10. Union Pass-Warm Spring area geology and samples. 35 Figure 11. Wildcat Road, iron-rich pod- quartz monzonite contact. 36 Figure 12. Photomicrograph of zircon grain within biotite. 36 Figure 13. Locations of paleoplacer, placer, and other sandstone-hosted samples . 40 Figure 14. Conglomerate of the lower Flathead Sandstone. 41 Figure 15. Bald Mountain area geology and samples. 43 Figure 16. Gold flake and monazite grains. 47 Figure 17. Mesaverde Formation titaniferous black sandstone outcrops. 48 Figure 18. Cottonwood Creek Mesaverde Formation heavy sand. 50 Figure 19. Spring Gap Frontier Formation outcrop and samples . 52 Figure 20. Spring Gap area geology and samples. 53 Figure 21. Locations of phosphate-related samples. 56 Figure 22. South Firehole Canyon lithostratigraphy and samples. 59 Figure 23. South Firehole Canyon UPZ 2a within Wilkins Peak Member. 60 Figure 24. Phosphoria Formation outcrop near Hoback. 61 Figure 25. Dahllite-bearing Thermopolis Shale. 62 Figure 26. Dahllite concretions. 63 Figure 27. WSGS geologist Bob Gregory collecting a REE sample. 66 iv Tables Table 1. Periodic table of the elements . 4 Table 2. Estimated crustal abundances . 6 Table 3. Uses of rare earth elements. 8 Table 4. Prices of REE. ..