My graduate research project is investigating conditions of formation of the uranium ore deposits in the southern portion of the Powder River Basin. I am working under Drs. Carol Frost and Susan Swapp.
Over the last two decades, in-situ mining of uranium has become increasingly popular in Wyoming’s roll-front deposits. Overall it is far more environmentally sound than traditional pit mining, but an inability to anticipate the uranium mineralogy during site exploration has produced varied results. Our research is working to establish the conditions of formation that influence the uranium mineralogy in order to better understand the evolution and redox drivers of roll-type ore deposits and better predict uranium mineralogy for future site development. To do this we will be using sulfur isotope fractionation trends in pyrite, a mineral almost universally coupled with uranium in the ore zone of the roll-front deposits.