Abstract

The distribution of the favorable facies, arkosic sandstone, of the Wind River Formation limits the area in which uranium ore bodies are likely to be found. Thinning of the host rock and near-surface leaching of the host facies further limit the favorable areas.

Ore bodies, or rolls, are crescent shaped in cross section and extremely sinuous in plan. In horizontal dimensions they are irregularly narrow and many are continuous for thousands of feet. They ordinarily occur stacked on echelon one on top of the other to form frontal systems. Altered rock is on the concave sides of the rolls and unaltered rock is on the convex sides.

The West and Central Gas Hills are parts of the same frontal system, and the East Gas Hills is probably the eastward continuation of the same system.

The ore-forming solutions probably flowed from south to north and left a large prism of altered rock in their wake. This hypothesis severely limits the amount of ore expectable south of the Beaver Divide.

Production of U₃O₈ to the end of 1970 is estimated as 50 million pounds. Total U₃O₈ ultimately recoverable is estimated to be 150 million pounds. Moderate price reduction would reduce this estimate, but the total will still probably exceed 100 million pounds. Reasonably expectable price increases would assure a production of 150 million pounds and would probably increase yield to about 160 million pounds. Price increases not reasonably foreseeable in the near future could increase total recoverable U₃O₈ to about 200 million pounds. Even unlimited price increases, however, could not greatly increase production beyond 200 million pounds.