Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Depositional environments as a guide to uranium mineralization in the Chinle Formation, San Rafael Swell, Utah

May 1, 1977

Uranium deposits in the San Rafael Swell are related to sedimentary depositional environments in the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation. The sedimentary textures resulting from depositional processes operating in low-energy environments appear to have influenced uranium mineralization. The Ohinle consists of three fining-upward, fluvial-lacustrine sequences. Uranium minerals are concentrated in the lower part of the lowest sequence in areas where sediments of low-energy environments are complexly interbedded with sediments of other environments. Areas favorable for uranium exploration exist in the subsurface to the north, west, and south of the Chinle outcrop in the Swell. This determination is based on the spatial distribution of depositional environments and the pattern of Chinle deposition through time.

Publication Year 1977
Title Depositional environments as a guide to uranium mineralization in the Chinle Formation, San Rafael Swell, Utah
Authors Robert Lupe
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey
Index ID 70233559
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse