SOME STRATIGRAPHIC, SEDIMENTARY, AND STRUCTURAL RELATIONS OF URANIUM DEPOSITS IN THE SALT WASH SANDSTONE

摘要

Under a contract between the University of Utah and the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, the writer has carried on a field and laboratory investigation of the uranium deposits in the Salt Wash sandstone of the Colorado Plateau. Chief aims of the project were to determine why certain areas are well mineralized while others are barren and to discover possible geologic guides to hidden ore deposits.nDuring the course of the investigation, the following general problems were investigated:(l) Nature and origin of primary structures and their use in tracing zones that are favorable or unfavorable to mineralization;(2) Relation of sedimentary properties of Salt Wash sandstones to primary structures and ore formation;(3) Occurrence and meaning of the repetition of rock types in the Salt Wash;(4) Relation of fossil plants or other organic material to sedimentary patterns and ore;and (5) Relation of sedimentary patterns to mineralized areas and to ancient structural features such as buried faults.