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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~f'i:1"~1 <br />U~L._~"t <br /> <br />CHAPTER VI <br /> <br />MINERALS <br /> <br />Minerals comprise one of the more important resources of the San Juan <br />Area. A mineral study was made by the Utah Geological and Mineralogical <br />Survey in its Special Study No. 24 of San Juan County, Utah, and adjacent <br />areas. That agency's two-volume report published in 1969 is the basis <br />for the summary information in this chapter. <br /> <br />Many minerals of economic value are associated with sedimentary rocks <br />in the study area. These minerals coat fracture surfaces, sand grains, <br />and fossil vegetal material, impregnate spaces between clastic grains and, <br />in many localities, replace the host rock or carbonaceous debris. Metal- <br />lic constituents of these minerals include vanadium, uranium, radium, cop- <br />per, lead, zinc, molybdenum, iron, chromium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, ar- <br />senic, selenium, yttrium, and silver. Vanadium, uranium, copper, radium, <br />and perhaps manganese have been extracted commercially, and other elements <br />may be recovered in the future as price and technology advance. The major <br />portion of Utah's proven oil and gas reserves is in San Juan County. <br /> <br />Minerals that are currently most important economically in the area <br />are (1) petroleum and natural gas, (2) uranium and associated met~ls of <br />sedimentary type ores, and (3) potash. The value of mineral production <br />in the area in the last 10 years has fluctuated between $75 million and <br />$150 million annually and has been dominated by petroleum and uranium. <br />Petroleum is presently responsible for 75 to 80 percent of the produc- / <br />tion value, uranium and vanadium 7 to 15 percent, and potash 5 percent.~ <br />Other miscellaneous minerals are responsible for about 2 percent of the <br />production value. A map showing the locations of principal known mineral <br />deposits appears on the following page. <br /> <br />Petroleum <br /> <br />Petroleum activity has centered around the Greater Aneth and Lisbon <br />fields. During periods of discovery of these fields in the late 1950's <br />and early 1960's, the industry was spurred into the drilling of numerous <br />development and wildcat wells, creating a petroleum boom. In more recent <br />years many unsuccessful wildcats have been drilled, causing development <br />to proceed more cautio~sly through a careful step-out drilling program. <br />Drilling density in the San Juan study area is light except for a portion <br />of the Paradox Basin and the Great Aneth Area and vicinity. <br /> <br />1/ Potash is produced at the Texas <br />a deposit partly within the study area. <br />site bank of the Colorado River from the <br /> <br />Gulf Sulphur Company mine from <br />The mine shaft is on the oppo- <br />area. <br /> <br />59 <br />