X-ray mineralogy of the Parachute Creek Member, Green River Formation, in the northern Piceance Creek basin, Colorado

Distribution and Origin of Analcime in Marginal Lacustrine Mudstones of the Green River Formation, South-Central Uinta Basin, Utah

“…Location; szratigraphic interval Lithology Proposed origin Dyni (1976) Cole and Picard (1978) Bradley 1929Brobst and Tucker (1974) Brobst and Tucker (1973) Hosterman and Dyni (1972) Smith and Milton (1966) Desborough (1975) Goodwin (1973) Surdam and Parker (1972) Roehler 1972Goodwin and Surdam (1967) Iijima and Hay (1968) Ratterman and Surdam (1981) Utah silicic glass or clay ~ zeolite precursor analcime dissolution products of silicic glass + salts in take ~ analcime silicic glass ~ precursor clays and zeolites ~ analcime silicic glass ~ precursor clays and zeolites ~ analcime; and from alteration products of detrital clays (not specified) nepheline and halloysite ~ analcime (not specified) silicic glass ~ alkali zeolites ~ analcime silicic glass ~ alkali zeolites ~ analcime silicic glass ~ montmorillonite clinoptilolite and mordenite ~ analeime silicic glass -alkali zeolites ~ analcime silicic glass ~ precursor zeolite ~ analcime silicic glass ~ precursor zeolite + upwelling Na-carbonate brine ~ analcime X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses of marginal lacustrine rocks of the Green River Formation (Eocene) in the south-central Uinta basin, Utah ( Figure 1), performed as part of a study of depositional environments, revealed the presence of abundant analcime in red and green marginal-lacustrine mudstones (Remy and Ferrell, 1987). Although analcime is a common accessory mineral in the Green River Formation, a review of reported occurrences of analcime in the formation (Table l) shows that: (1) most reported analcime occurs in tufts or oil shales, not mudstones, (2) analcime had not previously been reported in marginal lacustrine rocks of the south-central Uinta basin, and (3) most researchers argue that analcime in the formation formed by the reactions: silicic glass ~ precursor zeolite ~ analcime.…”

“…The reaction of alkali zeolite to analcime is favored by an increase in salinity and alkalinity because an increase in these parameters decreases the activity of water and the Si/AI ratio and increases the Na+/H § ratio, all of which favor the formation of analcime (Surdam and Sheppard, 1978). In addition to alkali zeolites, gels (Surdam and Eugster, 1976) and clay minerals (Brobst and Tucker, 1973) derived from glass have been proposed as precursors for analcime in saline, alkaline lakes. Analcime has altered to potassium feldspar in the presence of highly saline and alkaline solutions (Surdam and Sheppard, 1978).…”

Bulk mineralogy, micromineralogy, and authigenic minerals in the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation, southeastern Idaho

“…Many prior studies of authigenic feldspars in sedimentary rocks show that orthoclase and albite may form in saline lakes due to alteration of volcanic glass. Gulbrandsen (1974) also recognized that low temperature varieties of these two feldspars occur in oil shales (Smith and Milton, 1966;lijima and Hay, 1968;Surdam and Parker, 1972;Brobst and Tucker, 1973) of the Eocene Green River Formation (of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming) that contains no associated tuffaceous rocks. The authigenic feldspars in Green River Formation oil shales are typically very small (< 0.005-0.010 mm) and are relatively high purity end members; the albites are of intermediate structural state, and the orthoclases are disordered (Desborough, 1975).…”

Water resources and potential hydrologic effects of oil-shale development in the southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado

“…Data obtained since September 1978 appear in annual releases entitled "Water Resources Data for Utah" (U.S. Geological Survey, 1980-82). Results of drilling and testing are given in Holmes (1980); and results of all interpretive work appear in Butler and England (1979), Holmes (1979), Holmes and Kimball (1983), Jurado and Fields (1978), Kimball (1981), Lindskov and Kimball (1982), Naten and Fuller (1981), Seiler and Tooley (1982), and Waltemeyer (1982).…”

“…A diverse mineralogy has been described for the Green River Formation (Milton and Eugster, 1959;Brobst and Tucker, 1973;Dyni, 1976). The minerals provide many possible sources of dissolved solids (including trace elements) in the natural waters of the area; however, most of the major solutes in streams are derived from only a few major minerals (Kimball, 1981, p. 9-13).…”