| OCR Text |
Show 44 consideration. .To be more specific the vanadium-bearing Morrison sandstones are limited to high mesas on the southwest flank of the plateau southeast from Gateway; over large areas the Morrison formations have been eroded. The main plateau is a flat, elongate area 10 to 15 miles wide and over 100 miles long. Structurally it is an asymmetric anticline with nearly horizontal beds on top, but the dip increases northeastward towards the Gunnison River. Along a zone of folding and faulting near the southwestern margin of the plateau the beds dip 30° to 40° southwest but where the vanadium deposits occur the dip is about 10°. In contrast to the flat area that is the plateau, the flanks are dissected by deep canyons, making a very rugged topography. The elevations range from about 5,000 feet at Gateway to about 9,500 feet along the crest of the plateau, which in nearby areas is exceeded only by the La Sal Mountains to the southwest In Utah. The Morrison formation is present on the plateau east and north of Gateway and along the northeast flank, but no vanadium mineralization is known in these areas. Other flat areas too numerous to describe individually occur throughout the area, but the largest mesas usually capped by Dakota sandstone that are well known by name are so indicated on the maps. Extensive flat areas that do not stand high above the surrounding terrain commonly are formed on the top or more Important vanadium-bearing sandstones of the Salt Wash member of the Morrison formation, |
