Show POINTERS FOR prospectors D L blake on the colorado plateau the two formations which have the greatest potential in uranium bearing bili ties are known as the morrison and the sandstone sand s these are both sedimentary types of rock MORRISON it is believed that the colorado pla eau was once completely cover ed by the morrison formation per haps this is why the morrison is the most important uranium bearing sandstone on the plateau the morrison formation may be recognized by its dark tan color and old weather beaten appearance the large split chunks of the morrison rock are in layers one on top of the other in some localities there may be half a dozen or more layers the morrison formation can range from feet to about 1000 feet thick it has two members in its make up the higher member is while the lower member is an inter bedded sandstone and layer uranium deposits are usually found in this lower lay er the second most important and productive uranium formation is called the conglomerate it is a gray edg elike formation just under the another uranium bearing formation its thickness ranges from a fraction of an inch to feet or more the is found on a much lower position on the geologic map than is the morn morri son this is because the is an older rock it was formed about million years ago in the triassic age while the morrison was laid down about million years ago in the upper jurassic age the other good ore bearing for lations though less prominent are the camlee the entrada sandstone and the limestone the formation belongs to the triassic period and forms steep slopes at about 30 degrees it can range up to about 1000 feet thick the usually run from light gray to dark bluish in color but can be a variety of colors I 1 its shape and location on the geologic map are the first indications to look for ENTRADA the entrada sandstone is below the morrison formation and was formed in the jurassic age it ranges from about 50 feet thick in parts of colorado to 1000 feet thick in south ern utah its color is a pecolar pink or reddish shade it is extremely massive and has a smooth rounded surface it is popularly called slick rock the Tod olito limestone is a minor bed found to be ore bearing in west ern new mexico and eastern an ari zona it was formed in the jurassic age and lies just above the entrada formation CUTLER this is another minor formation found to be ore bearing in the indian creek area of southeastern utah rhe the cutler is the lowest on the geo logic agic scale and so it is the oldest having been formed in the permian age million years ago it may be wise to study this ceolo gic section and to get the formations and their locations in relation to each other well memorized once you ve gotten out in the field and had some practice in identifying the dif ferent rock strata you 11 gain confidence soon you U 11 know what to look for it is fun to recognize the rock at which you are looking until next week happy hunting |