Distribution of calcretes and gypcretes in southwestern United States and their uranium favorability, based on a study of deposits in Western Australia and South West Africa (Namibia)
Calcrete, dolocrete, and gypcrete carnotite are abundant in western Australia and Namib Desert, although only a few are of ore grade. The geology of these deposits are described. A genetic classification of calcretes emphasizing uranium favorability was developed, based on the distinction between pedogenic and nonpedogenic processes. Similarities between western Australia and South West Africa give support for the conclusions that lateral transport of U in groundwater is essential to ore deposition and that bedrock barriers or constrictions which narrow the channel of subsurface flow or force the water close to the land surface, greatly favor the formation of uraniferous calcretes. Criteria for uranium favorability deduced from the Australian and South West African studies were applied in a preliminary way to the southern Basin and Range Province of U.S. The procedure is to search for areas in which nonpedogenic calcrete or gypcrete may have developed. A caliche distribution map was compiled from soil survey and field data. Many areas were visited and some of the more interesting are described briefly, including parts of Clark County, Nevada, with occurrences of carnotite in calcrete. (DLC)
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-13-1664
- OSTI ID:
- 5049447
- Report Number(s):
- GJBX-29(78); TRN: 12-009030
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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CARNOTITE
MINERALIZATION
URANIUM DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
AUSTRALIA
DESERTS
SOUTH WEST AFRICA
USA
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AFRICA
ARID LANDS
AUSTRALASIA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE MINERALS
RESOURCES
SOUTH AFRICA
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM MINERALS
URANIUM VANADATES
VANADATES
VANADIUM COMPOUNDS
050100* - Nuclear Fuels- Reserves
Exploration
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