slgwv's photos with the keyword: U

Uravan, Colorado

25 Aug 2015 467
Or rather, the former site thereof. This was a company town established by U.S. Vanadium Corp. in 1936, and at one point had as many as 800 people living here, with amenities such as schools, medical offices, and a recreation center. When the great uranium rush started after WW II, the tails were reworked for uranium, and it was recovered as well henceforth. Uranium and vanadium are often geochemically coherent, as here. So, by sheer dumb luck, US Vanadium found itself sitting on one of the Colorado Plateau uranium deposits, which became such a focus of attention--and made a few fortunes--in the 1950s, at least until the Federal Government yanked the subsidies about 1957. The mine closed in 1984 due to falling prices and increased environmental regulation, and the entire area was reclaimed. "Uravan", obviously, is a portmanteau of "uranium" and "vanadium."

Adit, Lowary Mine

27 Mar 2015 1 2 205
Mostly collapsed, but a few timbers remaining. A minor uranium producer from the 1950s. The uranium mineralization is said to follow the obvious high-angle fault where the adit is located. The mine was inactive by the mid-60s and presumably closed when the Federal Government yanked the subsidies in the late 50s or so. Now in the Incandescent Rocks scenic area, Nevada, USA, north of Reno.

Lowary Mine

27 Mar 2015 1 2 230
Now in the Incandescent Rocks scenic area, Nevada, USA, north of Reno. A minor uranium producer from the 1950s. The uranium mineralization is said to follow the obvious high-angle fault where the adit is located. The mine was inactive by the mid-60s and presumably closed when the Federal Government yanked the subsidies in the late 50s or so.