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r <br />• , { <br />GEOLOGY OF BENTONITE AREA <br />FRII~IONT COUNTY, COLORADO <br />LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY <br />Bentonita area includes lode mining claims which are <br />owned by Glen R. Lemberg and Sons of Salida, Colorado. The <br />area is located southeastward from the town of Howard. <br />Approximately 3 miles southeast of Howard a dirt road branches <br />off Highway 50 and leads westward to the bentonite claims. <br />The dirt road, about 2 miles long, is easily traversable. <br />Bentonita occurs mostly on gently to moderately rising slopes <br />of a ridge. Overburden does not exceed 1-6 feet in thickness. <br />Thus, the bentonite deposit is amenable to open-cutting. <br />GFT?ERAL GEOLOGY <br />Since our interest centers around size and extent of <br />the bentonite deposit, general geology of the deposit is not <br />discussed in detail. <br />In order of superposition, older to younger rocks exposed <br />in the examined area are Pennsylvanian red beds, Eocene monzon- <br />ite porphyry, Eocene or Miocene volcanic rocks, and recent <br />alluvium, The Pennsylvanian beds designated ae "Minturn member's <br />in south central Colorado predominate in the studied area. <br />These clestics consisting of red sandstones and shales appear <br />to have been intruded by monzonite porphyry. Volcanic rocks <br />such as andesite, latite, and basalt overlie the red beds and <br />monzonite and represent the latest phases of volcanic activity <br />in the claimed area and surrounding area. <br />