Uranium 3 (in Selawik Hills)

The Uranium 3 (in Selawik Hills) is a thorium and uranium mine located in Alaska.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Uranium 3 (in Selawik Hills)

Commodity

Primary: Thorium
Primary: Uranium
Secondary: Yttrium
Secondary: Niobium (Columbium)

Location

State: Alaska
District: Selawik

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Prospect
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant:

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: An unidentified red, waxy mineral is altered to goethe and limonite.

Rocks

Name: Hornblendite
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Name: Hornblendite
Role: Host
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Xenotime
Ore: Zircon
Gangue: Epidote
Gangue: Fluorite
Gangue: Goethite
Gangue: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Workings): Workings / Exploration = Shallow prospect pits and at least 2 drill holes are evidence of earlier exploration. The exploration apparently took place in the mid-1970's and may have been more extensive than is evident. No information is available on that exploration (Barker, 1985).

Comment (Reference): Primary Reference = Barker, 1985

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Unidentified Nb-U-Ti mineral

Comment (Exploration): Status = Inactive

Comment (Geology): Age = Cretaceous.

Comment (Commodity): Ore Material = Unidentified Nb-U-Ti mineral

Comment (Deposit): Model Name = Disseminated radioactive minerals in syenite.

Comment (Geology): Geologic Description = The country rock in the area of this prospect is the mid-Cretaceous Selawik Hills alkaline intrusive complex. The prospect is one of several areas of anomalous radioactivity within the complex. At this location, a zone of altered porphyritic hornblende syenite contains accessory to minor amounts of zircon, xenotime, sphene, epidote, fluorite, goethite and an unidentified red, waxy mineral. The zone is over 10 feet wide and 100 to 250 feet long. Rock sample 23R contained 734 ppm U3O8, 875 ppm Th, and 535 ppm Nb. Emission spectrographic analysis of a split of this sample indicates 0.01% La, 0.1% Nb, 0.005% Y, and 1.0% Zr. A diamond drill hole is located to the southwest of the sample site (Barker, 1985).

References

Reference (Deposit): Grybeck, D.J., 1977, Known mineral deposits of the Brooks Range, Alaska: US Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-166C, 41 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.

Reference (Deposit): Barker, J.C., 1985, Sampling and analytical results of a mineral reconnaissance in the Selawik Hills area, northwestern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 43-85, 67 p.

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