Dawsonite NaAl(OH)2C03 is a rare mineral that occurs in relative abundance over hundreds of square miles in the Piceance Creek Basin of northwestern Colorado, as a rock-forming constituent of the oil shales in the green River Formation. In some specimens it makes up 25 percent by weight of the shale. Containing 35 percent of acid-soluble A1203, it has been viewed as a potential ore of aluminum. The dawsonite extends through 700 feet of continuous section of high-grade oil shale (averaging 25 gallons per ton), which may be as much as 1,500 feet in thickness. Its distribution, areally and stratigraphically, is reviewed; methods for its identification, and for its quantitative determination in the oil shale, with special reference to X-ray diffraction procedures are described; and the geochemistry of dawsonite, as it relates to the origin of the mineral, is considered. The scattered literature on dawsonite is briefly summarized. © 1966 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc..
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1966 |
---|---|
Title | Dawsonite in the green river formation of Colorado |
DOI | 10.2113/gsecongeo.61.6.1029 |
Authors | J.W. Smith, C. Milton |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Economic Geology |
Index ID | 70206437 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |