Hydrogeochemical study of the Corbin sandstone member of the Pennsylvanian Lee Formation in eastern Kentucky for uranium and base metal mineralization

A hydrogeochemical survey for uranium and base metals in streams draining the Lower Pennsylvanian Corbin Sandstone Member of the Lee Formation on the eastern flank of the Cincinnati Arch in eastern Kentucky indicates that further study is warranted in the area skirting the 38th parallel, even though the unit as a whole is not a likely host for large-scale economic uranium mineralization. Stream sediment and surface water samples consistently reveal anomalous concentrations of uranium in the vicinity of the Kentucky River and Irvine-Paint Creek fault systems. Stream sediment samples also contain significant quantities of zinc, copper, total copper, and nickel in this area. Further, the occurrence of anomalous uranium and thorium values in sandstone samples in this region indicates that low-grade mineralization has occurred that may be intimately associated with these fault zones. These faults are believed to be an off-shoot of the east-west trending 38th parallel lineament, it is interesting to note that the Elliott County kimberlite dikes show an above normal uranium and thorium content. This suggests that the low-grade uranium mineralization found in Menifee County may well have for its source pneumatolytically derived uranium, which is often associated with the emplacement of such bodies. In any event, the presence of post-depositional base-metal mineralization in the Ohio Black Shale of Menifee County and the presence of normal Th/U ratios in the Corbin Sandstone indicates that the anomalous metal content of the 38th parallel region is most probably the result of externally derived solutions