Maintaining the uranium resources data system and assessing the 1989 US uranium potential resources
- Geological Survey, Reston, VA (USA)
- Geological Survey, Denver, CO (USA)
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the EIA, US Department of Energy, and the US Geological Survey (USGS), US Department of the Interior, the USGS develops estimates of uranium endowment for selected geological environments in the United States. New estimates of endowment are used to update the Uranium Resources Assessment Data (URAD) System which, beginning in 1990, is maintained for EIA by the USGS. For 1989, estimates of US undiscovered resources were generated using revised economic index values (current to December 1989) in the URAD system's cost model. The increase in the estimates for the Estimated Additional Resources (EAR) and Speculative Resources (SR) classes resulted primarily from increases in the estimates of uranium endowment for the solution-collapse, breccia-pipe uranium deposit environment in the Colorado Plateau resource region. The mean values for $30-, $50-, and $100-per-pound U{sub 3}O{sub 8} forward-cost categories of EAR increased by about 8, 48, and 32 percent, respectively, as compared to 1988. Estimates of the 1989 undiscovered resources in the SR class also increased in all three forward-cost categories by 10, 5, and 9 percent, respectively. The original cost equations in the URAD System were designed to cover drilling costs related to extensive flat-lying tabular ore bodies. The equations do not adequately treat drilling costs for the smaller areas of vertical breccia pipe uranium deposits in the Colorado Plateau resource region. The development of appropriate cost equations for describing the economics of mining this type of deposit represents a major new task. 12 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- US Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/AD
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI01-90EI21822
- OSTI ID:
- 6150724
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EI/21822-T1; ON: DE91005990; TRN: 91-004582
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Summary of the geology and resources of uranium in the San Juan Basin and adjacent region, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado
Maintaining the Uranium Resources Assessment Data System and assessing the 1990 US uranium potential resources. Final report
Related Subjects
URANIUM RESERVES
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
USA
COLORADO
DRILLING
ECONOMICS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
IMPLEMENTATION
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
PROGRAMMING
PROGRESS REPORT
URANIUM OXIDES U3O8
US DOE
US DOI
US GS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPUTERS
DIGITAL COMPUTERS
DOCUMENT TYPES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
MANAGEMENT
MICROCOMPUTERS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESERVES
RESOURCES
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
US ORGANIZATIONS
050100* - Nuclear Fuels- Reserves
Exploration
& Mining