Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Dillon NTMS Quadrangle, Montana/Idaho, including concentrations of forty-three additional elements

Technical Report · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6315662· OSTI ID:6315662

Broxton, D. E.

Surface waters were taken from flowing streams; ground waters were taken from springs and wells. All water samples were analyzed for uranium and 12 other elements. Sediment samples, collected from streams and springs, were analyzed for uranium, thorium, and 41 additional elements. The uranium contents of water samples range from below the detection limit of 0.02 ppB to 79.31 ppB. Most water samples having anomalously high uranium contents were collected in areas underlain by felsic rocks of the Boulder, Pioneer, and Idaho batholiths. Other groups of anomalous waters are associated with Belt metasediments in the Beaverhead and Salmon River Mountains and with Tertiary strata in intermontane basins. The uranium contents of sediment samples range between 0.95 and 130.50 ppM. Anomalous uranium values are associated with felsic rocks of Cretaceous batholiths and Belt quartzites near the Montana--Idaho border. Samples having uranium contents significantly above local background levels also occur in Tertiary strata adjacent to the anomalous areas in the crystalline terranes. Thorium concentrations in sediment samples range from 3.40 to 351.00 ppM. The average uranium/thorium (U/Th) ratio of samples with < 20 ppM uranium is 0.37, whereas samples with uranium concentrations > 20 ppM have an average ratio of 1.85. The association of high uranium values with relatively high U/Th ratios may be a useful tool for identifying uranium-enriched terranes.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-13-1664
• OSTI ID: 6315662
• Report Number(s): GJBX-38(79); LA-7347-MS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050200* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Exploration-- (-1987)
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IDAHO
INFORMATION
MONTANA
MULTI-ELEMENT ANALYSIS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION
RESOURCES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SEDIMENTS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TABLES
URANIUM DEPOSITS
USA
WATER