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Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria Formation in Montana, 1949-50: part I

The U.S. Geological Survey has recently measured and sampled the Phosphoria formation at many localities in Montana and other western states. These data will not be fully synthesized for many years, but segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, are published as preliminary reports as they are assembled. This report, which contains abstracts of the sections measured in southwestern Montana (fig. 1) is one of this series and is the third Montana report; it includes about half of the data gathered in Montana during 1949 and 1950. The field and laboratory procedures adopted in these investigations are described rather fully in a previous report (McKelvey and others, 1953). Many people have taken part in this investigation. The program which this work is a part was organized by V. E. McKelvey and the field program was supervised by R. W. Swanson, T. M. Cheney, J. L. Elliott, F. D. Frieske, R. F. Gosman, R. S. Jones, B. K. Replogle, and R. G. Waring participated in the description of strata and the collection of samples referred to in this report. Crushing and splitting of the samples in the field was done by T. K. Rigby. The laboratory preparation of samples for chemical analysis was done in Denver, Colo., under the direction of W. P. Huleatt.

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Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria Formation in Montana, 1949-50: part II

The U.S. Geological Survey has recently measured and sampled the Phosphoria formation at many localities in Montana and other western states. These data will not be fully synthesized and analyzed for several years, but segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, are published as preliminary reports as they are assembled. This report, which contains abstracts of many of the sections in southwestern Montana (fig. 1), is one of this series and is the fourth Montana report; it includes the second half of the data gathered in Montana during 1949 and 1950. The field and laboratory procedures adopted in these investigations are described rather fully in a previous report (McKelvey and others, 1953). Many people have taken part in this investigation. The program of which this work is a part was organized by V. E. McKelvey. J. L. Elliott, W. J. Garmoe, R. F. Gosman, C. W. Tandy, and W. H. Wilson participated in the description of strata and the collection of samples referred to in this report. Crushing and splitting of the samples in the field was done by T. K. Rigby. The laboratory preparation of samples for chemical analysis was done in Denver, Colo., under the direction of W. P. Huleatt.

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Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria formation in Montana, 1951

The U.S. Geological Survey has recently measured and sampled the Phosphoria formation at many localities in Montana and other western states. These data will not be fully synthesized and analyzed for several years, but segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, are published as preliminary reports as they are assembled. This report, which contains abstracts of the sections measured in southwestern Montana (fig. 1), during 1951, is the fifth Montana report of this series. The field and laboratory procedures adopted in these investigations are described in a previous report (McKelvey and others, 1953). Many people have taken part in this investigation. Crushing and splitting of the samples in the field were done by T. K. Rigby. The laboratory preparation of samples for chemical analysis was done in Denver, Colo., under the direction of W. P. Huleatt. The P 2 0 5 and acid insoluble analyses were made for the Survey by the U.S. Bureau of Mines at the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory, Albany, Oreg., under the direction of S. M. Sheldon and M. L. Wright.

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Evaluation of streamflow records in Flathead River basin, Montana

This report presents data which are, in general, supplementary to those of the surface-water investigations made in the past by the Geological Survey. Those investigations have consisted essentially of the operation of the many gaging stations on the Flathead River and tributaries. The data presented were obtained from a detailed field investigation of the various manmade devices that are factors influencing the quantity or regimen of the flow at the gaging stations. These factors include diversions from the stream, bypass channels carrying water around the gaging stations, return flow from irrigation or other projects, storage and release of flood waters, and other similar factors. Where feasible, the location, size, effect upon the streamflow, periods of use, method of operation, and similar information are given. The information is segregated into sections corresponding to areas determined by the location of gaging stations. An index of streamflow records is included. A section dealing with the adequacy of .available water-resources data, including location and period of record, also is included. This information is given in general terms only, and is portrayed mainly by maps and graphs.

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Uranium-bearing deposits west of Clancey, Jefferson County, Montana

Nine uranium deposits occur in a small area vest of Clancey,Jefferson County, Mont. These deposits are all in or near silicifiedfracture zones in quarts monsonite and related rocks of the Boulderbatholith. The deposits contain pockets of uranium minerals in cavities in brecciated silicified rock. The primary uranium mineral pitch-blende has been found in one pod. Secondary uranium minerals occur as fracture linings and in pore spaces in and adjacent to the silicified zones. Uranium in the Clancey district was deposited probably during oneof the later of at least four periods of silicification. The quartsmonsonite, rather than the younger alaskitic dike rocks, is the host rock of the deposits. Newmont Mining Corp. has leased the properties containing theuranium deposits and has begun development of one of these deposits.

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Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria in Montana, 1947-48

The U. S. Geological Survey has recently measured and sampled the Phosphoria formation at many localities in Montana and other western states. These data will not be fully synthesized and analyzed for several years, but segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, will be published as preliminary reports as they are assembled. This report, which contains abstracts of many of the sections measured in southwestern Montana (pl. 1), is one of this series. The field and laboratory procedures adopted in these investigations are described rather fully in a companion report (McKelvey and others, 1952). Many people have taken part in this investigation. The program of which this work is a part was organized by V. E. McKelvey. J. G. Evans, J. E. Joyce, J. A. Kelleher, R. L. Konizeski, J. A. Mann, R. L. Parker, J. E Smedley, L. A. Thomas, and W. H. Wilson participated in the description of strata and collection of samples referred to in this report. The laboratory preparation of samples for chemical analysis was done in Denver, Colo., under the direction of W. P. Huleatt. All the P 2 O 5 , F, V 2 O 5 , and acid-insoluble analyses were made for the Survey by the U. S. Bureau of Mines at the Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory, Albany, Oreg., under the direction of S. M. Shelton and M. L. Wright. The Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and loss-on-ignition analyses were about equally distributed between the Bureau of Mines and the Trace Elements Section laboratory of the Survey in Washington, D. C., under the direction of J. C. Rabbit by chemists I. Barlow, A. Caemmerer, J. Greene, N. Guttag, and E. H. Humphrey. The spectrographic analyses were made by D. M. Mortimer, of the Bureau Mines in Albany, and the oil-shale analyses were made by the Bureau of Mines Petroleum and Oil-Shale Experiment Station at Laramie, Wyo. Compilation of the data has been largely by R. P. Sheldon and F. D. Frieske. Organization of the tabular data has been largely by Anita Cozzetto.

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Preliminary report on the Comet area, Jefferson County, Montana

Several radioactivity anomalies and a few specimens of sooty pitchblende and other uranium minerals have been found on the mine dumps of formerly productive base-and precious-metal mines along the Comet-Gray Eagle shear zone in the Comet area in southwestern Montana. The shear zone is from 50 to 200 feet wide and has been traced for at least 5 1/2 miles. It trends N. 80° W. across the northern part of the area and cuts the quartz monzonitic rocks of the Boulder batholith and younger silicic intrusive rocks, as well as the pre-batholitic volcanic rocks, and is in turn cut by dacite and andesite dikes. The youngest period of mineralization is represented by chalcedonic vein zones comprising one or more discontinuous stringers and veins of cryptocrystalline silica in silicified quartz monzonite and in alaskite that has not been appreciably silicified. In some places these zones contain no distinct chalcedonic veins, but are represented only by silicified quartz monzonite. These zones locally contain uranium in association with very small amounts of the following minerals: pyrite, galena, ruby silver, argentite, native silver, molybdenite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, and barite. At the Free Enterprise mine, uranium has been produced from a narrow chalcedonic vein that contains disseminated secondary uranium minerals and local small pods of pitchblende and from disseminated secondary uranium minerals in the adjacent quartz monzonite. Undiscovered commercial deposits of uranium ore may occur spatially associated with the base-and precious-metal deposits along the Comet-Gray Eagle shear zone, and chalcedonic vein zones similar to the Free Enterprise.

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Geology of the area adjacent to the Free Enterprise uranium-silver Mine, Boulder District, Jefferson County, Montana

Uranium minerals.occur in pods associated with cryptocrystalline silica, silver minerals, and scattered sulfide mineral grains in a hydrothermal vein that cuts quartz monzonite and alaskite at the Free Enterprise mine, 2 miles west of Boulder, Mont. The Free Enterprise vein is one of many silicified reef-like structures in this area, most of which trend about N. 60° E. The cryptocrystalline silica zones of the area are lenticular and are bordered by an altered zone where quartz monzonite is the wall rock. No alteration was noticed where alaskite is adjacent to silica zones. No uranium minerals were observed at the surface, but radioactivity anomalies were noted at 57 outcrops. Underground mining has shown that leaching by downward percolating waters has removed most of the uranium from the near-surface part of the Free Enterprise vein and probably has enriched slightly, parts of the vein and the adjacent wall rock from the bottom of the leached zone to the ground-water level. It is possible that other veins that show low to moderate radioactivity at the surface may contain significant concentrations of uranium minerals at relatively shallow depth. The quartz monzonite appears to be a more favorable host rock for the cryptocrystalline silica and associated uranium minerals than the alaskite. The alaskite occurs as vertical_dikes plug-like masses, and as irregularly shaped, gently dipping masses that are believed to have been intruded into open fractures formed during the cooling of the quartz monzonite.

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Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria formation in Montana

The first of a series of reports giving detailed stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria formation in the Western phosphate field as measured and described by the Geological Survey will be released as Circulars within the next few months. Because of the needs of industry for many of these data during the 1951 field season, and in view of the unavoidable delays attendant on publication, the tabular data to be included in these Circulars are hereby placed on open file in simple reproduction form (prepared by Ozalid from photographic negatives) and without explanatory text so that immediate use may be made of the data. The tables include data on sections in four states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah; and the tables for each of these states are bound together as individual reports. The tables include name and location of section measured, brief description of geologic setting, acknowledgments for field and analytical work, abstract data on the sections (bed number, rock name, sample number, and thickness), and analytical data on the samples. The analytical data include reports on P 2 O 5 and acid insoluble for all samples and additional analyses, such as Al 2 0 3 , Fe 7 0 3 , loss on ignition, F, and V 2 O 5 , for selected samples. Spectrographic analyses for a large number of elements are included samples from selected localities, and special analyses have been made of a few samples. The work in Montana has been done with the aid of Missouri River Basin funds as part of a Program of appraisal of the Missouri Basin mineral resources. These reports are placed on open file at the offices of the Geological Survey in Washington, D. C., Spokane, Washington, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Montpelier, Idaho, and at the offices of the Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology, Moscow, Idaho, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Butte, Montana, the Wyoming Geological Survey, Laramie, Wyoming, and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

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