skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Aerial gamma ray and magnetic survey: Raton Basin Project. The Shiprock and Gallup Quadrangles of Arizona/New Mexico and Albuquerque Quadrangle, New Mexico. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6083276

From October 26 to December 1, 1978, geoMetrics, Inc., collected 9576 line miles of high sensitivity airborne radiometric and magnetic data in New Mexico and Arizona within three 1/sup 0/ x 2/sup 0/ NTMS quadrangles (Albuquerque, Gallup and Shiprock). These maps represent one half of the Raton Basin Project. All radiometric and magnetic data were fully reduced and interpreted by geoMetrics, and are presented as 4 volumes (one Volume I and 3 Volume II's) in this report. These three quadrangles lie primarily within the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province. The San Juan Basin is the dominant geologic structure, occupying one third of the survey area. It is bordered by: the Defiance, Zuni, and Nacimiento Uplifts; Black Mesa Basin; and Rio Grande Rift. Two large Tertiary volcanic fields lie in the southeast. Major faulting occurs in the Rio Grande Rift and on the boundaries of the uplifts. The majority of exposed rocks are non-marine sediments of Mesozoic age. Major uranium ore deposits occur in Mesozoic rocks within the Grants Mineral Belt (Ambrosia Lake, Laguna, Gallup, and Shiprock Districts) and Monument Valley. Scattered minor occurrences of uranium are found in Phanerozoic and Precambrian rocks throughout the area. A total of 358 groups of statistically anomalous samples (Albuquerque, 99; Gallup, 129; Shiprock, 130) meet the criteria for valid anomalies and are discussed in the individual interpretation sections. Although a portion of the anomalies are clearly related to known uranium mines and milling operations, most lie in geologic units known either to (1) contain only minor deposits or, (2) contain no uranium deposits at all.

Research Organization:
GeoMetrics, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-13-1664
OSTI ID:
6083276
Report Number(s):
GJBX-116(79)(Vol.1); TRN: 79-019087
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English