Geochemistry and mineralogy of the colorado plateau uranium ores / Геохимия и минералогия урановых руд плато Колорадо

Geologic setting of the Colorado Plateau ores, by Alice D. Weeks and R. M. Garrels    
Characteristics of the host rock, by Robert A. Cadigan    
Elemental composition of the sandstone-type deposits, by E. M. Shoemaker, A. T. Miesch, W. L. Newman, and L. B. Riley    
Occurrence and chemical character of ground water in the Morrison formation, by David A. Phoenix    
Summary of the ore mineralogy, by Alice D. Weeks, Robert G. Coleman, and Mary E. Thompson    
Behavior of uranium minerals during oxidation, by R. M. Garrels and C. L. Christ    
The crystal chemistry and mineralogy of vana-, dium, by Koward TlsEvans, Jr    
Synthesis of calcium vanacfate minerals and related compounds, by Richard Marvin and George B. Magin, Jr    
Clay minerals in the mudstones of the ore-bearing formations, by W. D. Keller    
Chemical study of the mineralized clays, by Margaret D. Foster    
Mixed-layered structures in vanadium clays, by John C. Hathaway    
Association of uranium with carbonaceous materials, with special reference to the Temple Mountain region, by Irving A. Breger and
Maurice Deul    
Radium-uranium equilibrium and radium-uranium ages of some secondary minerals, by T. W. Stern and L. R. Stieff    
Some quantitative aspects of the oxidation and reduction of the ores, by R. M. Garrels and A. M. Pommer    
Detailed chemical and mineralogical relations in two vanadium-uranium ores, by R. M. Garrels, E.S. Larsen, 3d, A. M. Pommer, and R. G. Coleman    
Mineralogy of the uranium deposit at the Happy Jack mine, San Juan County, Utah, by Albert F.Trites, Jr., Randall T. Chew III, and Tom G. Lovering    
Sedimentary structures and localization and oxidation of ore at the Peanut mine, Montrose County, Colorado, by Carl H. Roach and Mary E. Thompson    
Geology and mineralogy of the J. J. mine, Montrose County, Colorado, by Donald P. Elston and Theodore Botinelly    
Mineralogy and geology of the Rifle and Garfield mines, Garfield County, Colorado, by Theodore Botinelly and R. P. Fischer    
Vanadium and uranium in rocks and ore deposits, by R. P. Fischer    

The uranium ores on the Colorado Plateau, which covers parts of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, are the principal domestic source of uranium. A very great effort has been devoted to unraveling the geologic relations of the ores to the enclosing rocks, and a great effort has gone into geochemical investigations of the ores.
Until very recently, most of the uranium came from ores in which uranium was in its highest valence state— U(VI), such as camotite—and was commonly associated with minerals containing vanadium in its highest valence state—Y (V). These are the typical carnotite ores.In the past few years, an increasingly large part of the uranium has come from ores in which the uranium is present in uraninite and coffinite; that is, the uranium is in part at least in its lowest stable valence state, U(IV), and the minerals accompanying it are low-valence vanadium oxides or hydrated oxides, pyrite, marcasite, and other base-metal sulfides. These are the typical “black ores.” In recent years, too, the carnotite-type ores have been found to grade downward in a number of deposits, through a zone of minerals of intermediate valence state, into the typical “black ores.” Many workers were convinced, on the basis of the geologic relations in the field and the min-eralogic character of the ores, that the “black ores” were the primary materials from which the high-valence (camotite-type) ores were derived by oxidation during weathering. This concept is now widely accepted.
The studies reported here have been aimed at (1) testing this oxidation concept, (2) developing a knowledge of the stability relations of vanadium and uranium minerals under varying conditions of pH and oxidation-reduction potentials (Eh), and (3) defining the nature and equilibrium conditions of the “primary” (low-valent) ores. The origin of the primary ores is not specifically considered in these reports.
The parts that follow are summary reports of more extensive studies, many of which are still in progress. The first 5 parts present topical data of general application to the Colorado Plateau deposits; <...>