Wednesday, November 12 @ 10:00
The Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite complex, Gunnison County, Colorado—A potential source of several uncommon mineral resources
Bradley S. Van Gosen, USGS Minerals Team
The Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite, located about 35 km south-southwest of Gunnison, Colorado, is a 570 million-year-old alkalic intrusive complex with a prominent carbonatite stock at its core. The complex, well exposed across 31 km2, may be the best example of the carbonatite-alkalic rock association in the United States. It is composed of an outer ultramafic pyroxenite zone intruded by younger alkalic masses (uncompaghrite, ijolite, nepheline syenite) and the central carbonatite stock (youngest unit). In addition to its interesting petrologic and geologic characteristics, the Iron Hill complex is notable for enrichments of titanium, rare earth elements, thorium, niobium (columbium), vanadium and deposits of vermiculite. None of these resources has been...>>MORE
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