URANIUM IN CARBONACEOUS ROCKS IN THE TOWNSEND AND HELENA VALLEYS MONTANA
Journal Article
·
· U.S. Geol. Survey Bull.
OSTI ID:4334837
Uranium-bearing carbonaceous shale and lignite beds are exposed in four areas in the Townsend and Helena Valleys in western Montana. The greatest number of exposures is in an area of several square miles northeast of Winston in the Townsend Valley. The uraniumbearing beds are in the lower part of a Tertiary unit that consists largely of thin-bedded white to buff pure and impure tuffs, locally altered to bentonite. The uranium occurrences, none of which appear to be commercial, have three characteristics in common; (1) They are in and adjacent to carbonaceous shale or lignite interbedded with light-gray or white fine- grained tuffs and lapilli tuffs;(2) the stratigraphic section in the vicinity of the deposits includes bentonite and partly bentonized tuff; and (3) the distribution of the uranium in the favorable beds is erratic. The uranium was probably leached from the tuffs and lapilli tuffs by meteoric water during bentoaization and was concentrated in the carbonaceous shale and lignite. Similar Tertiary rocks are present in many of the major valleys in western Montana and probably warrant prospecting for uranium. Areas containing white fine-grained tuff or lapilli tuff, bentonite, and coal or carbonaceous shale would be particularly flavorable for prospecting. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Originating Research Org. not identified
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-010600
- OSTI ID:
- 4334837
- Journal Information:
- U.S. Geol. Survey Bull., Journal Name: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. Vol. Vol: 1046-G
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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