Vernal Express | 1955-02-17 | Page 25 | Hunting Uranium? Look for Weeds

hunting uranium look for weeds GRANTS N M some uranium prospectors pros in northern new exico hunt the yellow mineral by looking closely at weeds helen L cannon of the U S geologic 1 survey wrote in 1953 that by hunting for certain plants it was possible t discover uranium ore deposits in the poison canon area it was noted that milk vetch and indian rice grass were growing in profusion at the base of an e outcrop and on the alluvium of the valley floor the vegetation was found to consist mainly of shad scale these plants thee ahr e through absorption of selenium an element usually associated with uranium ores through e weathering process some people believe selenium and uranium were carried to the valley floor in solutions uranium la Is soluble helen cannon also recommended analis of the needles of deep rooted trees growing on the limestone as a feasible prospecting method the average uranium content of pinon and juniper trees on th limestone was found to be ten times greater than in similar trees growing in g on sandstones elsewhere ewt on the h e colorado plateau