Uranium Favorability of Tertiary Sedimentary Rocks of the Lower Spokane River Valley and of Northern Spokane County, Washington

Résumé du livre

Tertiary sedimentary rocks in the lower Spokane River valley and in northern Spokane County, northeastern Washington, were investigated to determine the favorability for potential uranium resources. This project involved measurement and sampling of surface sections, collection of samples from isolated outcrops, chemical and mineralogical analyses of samples, and examination of available water well lithologic logs. An area of very high favorability is in the Spokane Indian Reservation along the lower Spokane River valley--an area which not only contains visible uranium minerals, but from which there has also been uranium production. Areas of medium favorability are the Harker Canyon area in the lower Spokane River valley and a portion of northern Spokane County. The Harker Canyon area is underlain by rocks which are stratigraphically and structurally similar to, and probably an extension of, the very highly favorable rocks in the Spokane Indian Reservation. The Latah Formation in northern Spokane County is judged to have medium favorability based on the occurrence of thick sandstones derived partially from a quartz monzonite provenance and which reportedly contain organic material and volcanic derivatives.