URANIUM-ORGANIC MATTER ASSOCIATION AT LA-BAJADA, NEW-MEXICO

Urano-organic matter at La Bajada is associated with sulfide mineralization along a fault in an altered tuff-breccia (Oligocene). The deposit is believed to be hydrothermal and probably represents an aftermath of igneous activity. Underlying coal- and oil-bearing units (Mesa Verde) are believed to have provided the organic fractions in the urano-organic matter. Physico-chemical evidence indicates that petroleum was the major source. Geological features and mineral associations suggest that petroleum derivatives escaped to the place of deposition soon after the fracturing of the rocks and were then followed by the uranium-bearing hydrothermal solutions. Although specific uranium minerals have not been identified in the ore, preliminary data suggest that most of the uranium is associated with submicroscopic mineral matter disseminated through the organic components. © 1972 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.