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GeneralUranium Ore and Associated minerals

22nd Jan 2017 02:19 UTCscott Nokes

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the Mindat forum and I'm a collector of Uranium ores and it various minerals like Tyuyamunite, Boltwoodite or even just plan old uranium etc.

I live in southern Illinois and close to Missouri and St Louis.

Can anyone suggest anywere I could go out to find my own specimens be it uranium or its secondarys. Ive been buyings my samples but I would love to be able to fond my own samples. I collect fossils too and I find my own ones of those. As far as uranium goes, I just don't know were down this way to go.

Please, if anyone can help, I would much appreciate any help

Thank you

Scott Nokes

22nd Jan 2017 02:58 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

Out west, Utah, Wyoming, and other states have had uranium mines. Some states are closing up mines and specimens could be hard to find. References will likely all be old and outdated.

22nd Jan 2017 02:59 UTCWayne Corwin

Scott

Do a Mindat search (bottom of the page) in the "location" search, type in your state, and others, 1 at a time, and goo thru the lists of minerals and then check their locations.

22nd Jan 2017 05:05 UTCBrent Thorne Expert

Hello Scott,

I am afraid that the State of Utah is trying to close and reclaim every mine in the State. The Federal Government has given the State millions of dollars to finance the closures. At one time, you could go to just about and uranium mine in the State and find some carnotite or tyuyamunite. Now it is very difficult to find much of anything. Recently President Obama approved the Bears Ears National Monument. This effectively made it so that hundreds of uranium mines, in the National Monument, are off limits to collectors. The other States in the West, where uranium can be found, are also closing and reclaiming all the mines. You may be better off just buying the uranium species from dealers who have old collections.

Brent

22nd Jan 2017 11:41 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

If Trump want to make America great again, he will be probably tempted to reopen the uranium mines and take away the national parks and monuments' status. :-D

22nd Jan 2017 14:42 UTCHarold Moritz 🌟 Expert

Many eastern US pegmatites have U minerals - uraninite, torbernite, autunite, uranophane, samarskite, fourmarierite, vandendriesscheite, sklodowsite, paulscherrerite, schoepite, etc. Some of these places are fee collecting sites (Ruggles just closed, but will probably open again at some point), or can be accessed via local club sponsored trips. And of course there are places in Canada, but i dont know they're status well, and getting the stuff across the border has sometimes been problematic (according to what I've read in threads here on mindat). PM me and I can get more specific, if you want.

25th Feb 2017 01:47 UTCFrank Karasti 🌟 Expert

I stopped by Charlie Steen's Mi Vida last fall and was pleased to see Mother Nature doing some fine work. Heavy rains have washed some of the reclamation cap down to bed rock.

I did find some excellent material near where the original shaft / stock pile was.

The gas co. maintains the road once and awhile but 4 wheel drive recommended.

25th Feb 2017 03:58 UTCTed Hadley

There are numerous small prospects and mines in the west. Brent is correct about the larger mines, but there are many small ones which are still accessible. Just last month I found autunite crystals on the side of the road. Get yourself a scintillometer and learn to do research on the internet.

Good luck and have fun

Ted Hadley

25th Feb 2017 04:57 UTCD Mike Reinke

Scott this is a long shot I have never tried it but I've thought about it I just haven't spent the money on a geiger counter. But I walk the shore of Lake Michigan and what washes up on shore can be from any of a number of places maybe something that washes up someday would be able to register on a geiger counter?? You might try that with the gravels from along the Mississippi. it's just a thought, If you want to spring for a geiger counter... Maybe someone else here would have some suggestions on how sensitive the one you might need, and I think the best you might find is a micromount, but it would be fun if it worked out!

Mike

25th Feb 2017 11:40 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

You won't be able to detect a micro size piece with a geiger counter, it would even be difficult with a scintillator. It is quite possible to find radioactives in gravel especially allanite which is commonly associated with granitic rocks but I doubt a geiger counter would be sensitive enough unless you had a two ton boulder loaded with allanite in which case you could see it. Also a scintillator would pick up potassium isotopes so it would distinguish K rich rocks from K poor ones.

25th Feb 2017 16:13 UTCAlfred L. Ostrander

Paul and other on other threads,Please stay out of american politics. I'm not saying anything about your politics or mine here on Mindat. I come here for things mineralogical, NOT POLITICS. Pardon my "raised voice" but I really think this must be said.

25th Feb 2017 22:06 UTCTravis Olds Expert

It would perhaps be the one thing he could do right by collectors and researchers studying U minerals in Utah, albeit removing the national park status is not ideal. I agree with you, Alfred, but it's something that affects U.S. collectors and researchers. For example the insane border laws which make my Chinese and Iranian lab-mates very scared/impossible to work on their mineralogical research.. If more mineralogists/scientists were politicians the world would be a much better place..

But to the point, unfortunately Illinois is far-removed for anyone looking for radioactives. Your best bet is N and NE as Harold mentioned. There are a few U prospects in Upper Michigan. Otherwise go west.

26th Feb 2017 02:54 UTCDean Allum Expert

Scott, Welcome to Mindat.

There is still plenty of uranium minerals that you can collect along the Colorado/Utah border.

Also consider Cibola County New Mexico. In addition to plenty of Uranium species there, you can visit the remains of the Uranium Cafe plus a mining museum in Grants, NM. While in the New Mexico, you could also visit the Nuclear Science museum in Albuquerque.

26th Feb 2017 22:02 UTCGary Moldovany

Thanks for saying this about politics, Alfred. I almost commented on another post last week, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Minerals and politics do not mix and let's keep it that way!

26th Feb 2017 22:16 UTCNelse Miller

At one time I purchased a specimen of carnotite from "Maunch Chunk, Carbon County, Pennsylvania". It is listed on MinDat but nothing about its current status. It is much closer than Utah.

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