Exploration Guides to New Uranium districts and Belts

Understanding Mineral Deposits

“…They resemble roll-front orebodies in their vertical extension through a sandstone unit, localization along a regional redox boundary that cuts across bedding, and low carbon content (Granger et al 1961, Rackley 1976). That they do not have the crescent shape, so typical of roll-front orebodies, is perhaps because of the influence of fracture zones on ore localization (Fischer 1974). …”

National Uranium Resource Evaluation: Cortez quadrangle, Colorado and Utah

“…5). North, east, and southeast from the distal alluvial fan facies Salt Wash sandstone beds become "more thinly and evenly bedded and more fine-grained, as if they accumulated under conditions of standing water" (Fischer, 1974). These thinly and evenly bedded sandstone beds are included in the marginal lacustrine and deltaic facies (or marginal lacustrine and minor fluvial facies) described earlier in this report.…”

Journal of Research of the U. S. Geological Survey, 1977, volume 5, issue 3

“…There is a close relationship between uranium deposits and the complexly interbedded, low-energy sediments; rocks in areas of uranium mineralization consist of sediment bodies of greatly contrasting textures that are interbedded on a relatively small scale. Apparently, interbedding of rocks of diverse textures influenced uranium mineralization an inference supported by Fischer (1974), who felt that interbedded sandstones and mudstones were favorable host rocks. It is not known exactly what rock properties hydrological, geochemical, or mineralogical influenced uranium mineralization.…”

“…Many researchers in the Colorado Plateau during the uranium "boom" of the fifties concluded that the texture and composition of the host rock helped control uranium mineralization (Finch, 1959, p. 144;Fischer, 1974). The rock compositions and textures resulted from sedimentary processes unique to each depositional environment; hence, the distribution of the rocks of certain depositional environments may be similar to the distribution of uranium host rocks.…”