| Show POINTERS FOR it prospectors av D L blake fei L t this weeks article isca ia aaion of the study of ore formations since the morrison formation has proved to be one of the most productive for uranium minerals brals on the colorado plateau let us first make a rather detailed study of it its location you 11 remember is just below the dakota sandstone the dakota formation is easily re cognized because usually it isi li in the form of hogbacks or bluffs of broken chunks of rock brown or dark tan in color loose chunks and boulders usually litter the shale slopes immediately below the dakota formation the yary vary in color from blue brown gray to dark red the morrison formation is a con of the shale deposits found under the dakota rock and it is easily recognized by the varity of shale colors present the entra antra da sandstone is just below the 1 morr 10 rr ison you will know it by its pink to reddish color and its smooth rounded surfaces along the rims where it has been exposed to ereg now certain layers of the morr ison formation are known to be banen banu of U uranium minerals so you will need to be thoroughly farni familiar har with all the layers of the for mation so that iou you will not waste time looking for uranium in a non productive strata the producing sandstones of the morrison formation may be rec ionized by their dark tan color and weathered appearance app earence there may be from one to eight layers of morr ison sandstone they are by layers of shale and clay which are easily observed and may be counted like the layers of a layer cake since it is so necessary to know your exact location on the morrison formation you will probably find it most expedient to walk the rim rock so that you may calculate your position on it in some localities you may find it necessary to drive by jeep or if the country is too rough by horseback for a considerable distance watching the dips curva tures aud merging of the layers so that you will know the possibilities of the area you youve ve se lecter the entire morrison formation including all its layers can range up to feet thick or it can pinch off into a comparatively thin strip As a hypothetical case let us assume that the formation at ot this point is at its thickest the layers can be broken down in regard to their ore bearing possibilities in the fol following lowin 9 manner from the topmost layer the first 65 feet of the morrison is barren of uranium ore the next 50 feet may be commercially productive the types of ore found here are either or rosc the following feet of rock will again be barren of uranium but th the e next 50 feet can contain uranium miner aliza tion again the lowest 50 feet is also barren so it is vitally important for you to know if the layers have merged or pinched out in m your location and which are the layers that are miss ing if you find that it is the pro layers that have disappear ed you should hunt them up and stake stale a claim where you find them I 1 or leave that area altogether until next week happy hunting |
