An Investigation of the Mineralogy and Petrography of Uranium-Bearing Shales [Thesis]

The relationships between and among the mineral, organic, and trace element constituents of samples of the Chattanooga and the Ohio shales in the United States, the St. Hippolyte of France, and the Alum shale of Sweden have been investigated and discussed in terms of the geochemical environments. The relative importance of the environmental factors was evaluated. A total of 280 samples were analyzed for total carbon, organic carbon, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon, carbonate, total iron, iron oxides, pyrite, total silicates, quartz, kaolinite, illite, amorphous silicates, uranium, molybdenum, manganese, and quartz grain size. The methods for the analysis of the hydrocarbons, the silicate minerals and molybdenum and manganese were developed or improved by the writer in order that suitable quantitative data could be obtained. The amounts of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons obtainable from a shale by CS extraction were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The amounts of quartz, kaolinite, illite, and amorphous silicates were determined by first roasting and acid leaching the samples and then obtaining x-ray diffractometer tracings. The molybdenum and manganese were quantitatively determined by using a method which combined the advantages of solution - spark and mutual standard emission spectroscopy. The data obtained were analyzed using correlation and factor analysis statistics. Thesis is titled "An Investigation of the Relationships Between Selected Minerals, Trace Elements and Organic Constituents of Several Black Shales."