| Show U-Search U Bec Becomes mes More Costly as Field Narrows The days when a geiger geJger counter and a little luck were all aU that was wall needed to find uranium ore are aret just about over Geologists figure most of the areas on t the Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado Plateau easily accessible by Jeep or truck were staked out last Jast summer And now uranium prospecting Is moving into the realm of big business business busi bust ness Hess requiring airplanes and well organized scientific searching par par- parties ties More and more the demand 10 Is for technical experience In mineral mineral min mineral min min- eral hunting This new phase of prospecting spurred on perhaps by the governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's guaranteed ore purchasing program which will continue until 1962 unless ended by Congress has attracted many long establish ed mining companies and oil firms into the field One oil firm staked out over claims recently in some of the roughest regions of Colorado and Arizona In Montrose county Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- Colorado rado they have claims in the Davis Mesa group and they have another south of Glenwood Springs Near Flagstaff Arizona the company staked claims In the Shadow Mountain group And all aU i of the prospecting prospecting- done so far farby farby farby by this one company has required only about 50 hours flying time in small aircraft According to one It I is possible to obtain i i read readings rigs on on n which narrow down the search to about one square mile From then on the search Is by foot trudging over mountains and around canon eanon rims to remote areas where uranIum uranium uranium uran uran- ium deposits are suspected Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times there is disappointment too when a too not study of maps has resulted in leading ground searchers to already out ed-out claims Too hunting uranium Is an expensive expensive expensive ex ex- pensive proposition If by air all itis it itis itis is necessary to use a meter which meter which costs all aJl the way from rom to 2000 Once the search Is on the ground there is a geiger gelger counter t to to be used or even a 24 geiger gelger tube which costs as much as Expenses dont don't stop once the claim is staked and the record filed at the county courthouse The government insists that at at least a year be spent on each acre claim and that money cannot cannot can can- not be marked off as geological expenses such as incurred when buying geiger gelger counters It must be spent In iu actual drilling or improvements improvements im im- such as road building Then in Colorado there is an old state law Jaw dating back to terri days making it even rough er cr on shoestring operators toughs This law Jaw requires that a pit at least 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep must be dug on each claim just as it was in the days day of the silver and gold rush Wyoming recently changed tt n. n mining laws Jaws to require only th the drilling of small core cora holes in or of der to secure samples That leaves only Colorado on the Colorado Plateau with the antiquated pit pil law But Dut uranium seekers are not discouraged discouraged dis dig because of the pit law If they find a uranium deposit they are most willing to dig a hOle holt in order to extract it from Mother 1 Earths Earth's bosom |
