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Explore the microscale mineralogy and uranium distribution in the Miocene Oakville Formation through advanced petrographic techniques in this 47-minute geological lecture. Examine how roll-front uranium deposits form crescent-shaped concentrations in fluvial sandstones of Live Oak County, Texas, where meteoric and connate waters interact along fault systems. Learn about the litharenite and feldspathic litharenite composition of these sandstones, including their carbonate and volcanic rock fragments, quartz, feldspar, and reworked Cretaceous fossils. Discover the various cementation patterns from early clay cements to calcite, zeolite, and iron-rich cements in oxidized samples. Follow the detailed methodology using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to locate uranium and molybdenum at the micrometer scale. Investigate newly identified uranium- and molybdenum-bearing minerals including powellite, calcurmolite, brannerite, and umohoite, and understand their preferential association with clay coats and volcanic rock fragments. Gain insights into the challenges of mineral identification at low concentrations and the advantages of backscattered electron imaging for detecting high atomic number uranium minerals in these complex sedimentary systems.
