A vein-type uranium environment in the Precambrian Lovingston Formation, central Virginia
Baillieul TA and Daddazio PL. 1982. A vein-type uranium environment in the Precambrian Lovingston Formation, central Virginia. Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication. No. 38. Charlottesville, Virginia
Anomalous radioactivity is associated closely with major zones of cataclasis in the metasedimentary Lovingston gneiss and, to a lesser extent, with lenses of granitic rock contained in the Lovingston. Within the cataclastic zones, biotite-chlorite schist layers show the largest radioelement concentrations. Thorium is the dominant radioelement and monazite, uranothorite and thorogummite are the most common radioactive minerals. Chemical assays indicate up to 4,800 ppm uranium and up to 50,000 ppm thorium for samples of weathered rock and saprolite. Elements associated with relatively high radioactivity in the area include: lanthanum, niobium, phosphorus, scandium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, yttrium, and zinc. The radioactive occurrences may be the result of hydrothermal activity following late-stage magmatic differentiation of Grenville age granitic rocks. High thorium-to-uranium ratios suggest that uranium has been removed from the system and may be concentrated at depth below the saprolite zone.--Modified journal abstract.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Baillieul, T; Daddazio, P
- Date of Issue
- 1982
- Units
- SHEN
- Keywords
- Blue Ridge Province, central Virginia, Clastic Rocks, Eastern U.S., Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Gneisses, GRBIB, Ground Water, lanthanum, Lovingston Formation, Metal Ores, Metamorphic Rocks, Monazite, Monographic, niobium, phosphates, Phosphorus, Piedmont, Precambrian, Proterozoic, Saprolite, scandium, schists, Serial, SHEN, Shenandoah National Park VA, Southeastern U.S., thorium, thorogummite, tin, titanium, Trace Elements, tungsten, United States, Uranium Ores, uranothorite, vanadium, Virginia, yttrium, Zinc