Stratigraphy and sedimentology of radioactive Devonian--Mississippian shales of the central Appalachian Basin. Final report, April 1, 1975--December 31, 1976
In eastern Kentucky and nearby, the Ohio Shale--a radioactive, black, organic-rich shale of Late Devonian age--consists of two dominant lithologic types, which occur in a distinctive stratigraphic sequence. These two lithologies are brownish-black, organic-rich shale and greenish-gray, organic-poor shale and mudstone. Five to seven stratigraphic subunits can be recognized easily in both the subsurface and outcrop and are traceable over most of eastern Kentucky and into parts of adjacent states. These seven units are the Cleveland Shale, Three Lick Bed, Upper, Middle, and Lower Huron Shales, Olentangy Shale, and Marcellus Shale. Black shale within the Ohio Shale in Kentucky typically contains 30 ppM uranium, while lighter-colored, organic-poor shale contains only 15 ppM. Uranium content of samples from five stratigraphic subunits in Kentucky ranges from 6 to 74 ppM; average content is 27.7 +- 3.2 ppM at 90 percent confidence limits. For all samples from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, average uranium content is 32.9 +- 3.9 ppM at 90 percent confidence limits, with the amount of uranium varying from 1 to 106 ppM. The amount of uranium varies with lithology and geographically. The samples richest in uranium are those black shales from Tennessee and Alabama. In Kentucky, the thickest, most uraniferous units are the Cleveland Shale and the Lower Huron Shale, and the entire formation in the state is estimated to contain 6.28 x 10/sup 12/ tons of uranium. Black shales of Late Devonian age have a widespread geographic distribution in North America and on three other continents. The depositional settings of these black shales include: (1) shallow, cratonic seas, (2) distal facies of turbidites, and (3) basinal facies associated with reefs. The first two of these environments characterize the Ohio Shale and its equivalents in the central Appalachian Basin.
- Research Organization:
- Cincinnati Univ., OH (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-13-1650
- OSTI ID:
- 7111783
- Report Number(s):
- GJBX-37(77); TRN: 77-011215
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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