From exploration to operation: overview of Bear Creek uranium project

The deposits at Bear Creek, as elsewhere in the southern Powder River Basin, are typical roll-front type deposits. Uranium was transported to the sites of deposition by alkaline groundwaters, which distinctively altered the channel sandstone conduits. As the orebodies were approached, the alteration changed from the pink hematite staining to a rusty limonite stain. The best mineralization occurs in a ''C''-shaped roll at the contact between altered sandstone and finer-grained gray unoxidized sandstone. The tailings management, reclamation and stabilization plans are designed to be a walk-away system. Tailings will be ''sandwiched'' between clay layers and covered with overburden. Topsoil will then be brought in and the entire area revegetated