Ore face, Happy Jack Mine, White Canyon District, Utah, USA

8”x10” palladium print from original 6x7 medium format negative

1/15 Limited Edition available.

While the majority of uranium mines on the Colorado Plateau are based on carnotite, a low grade uranium ore, several mines had ore deposits rich enough to be uraninite, including the Mi Vida and Happy Jack Mines. In this image, we see the ore face at the Happy Jack mine.

The sandstone sedimentary deposits of the Happy Jack Mine are enriched by irregular replacement of calcite cemented by the uranium ore minerals.  Portions of the ore zones contain elongated, black pods measuring from several inches to several feet long. These pods were found to be replacements of wood by uraninite and calcite. In some areas where replacements of wood were found, large logs were replaced by mineralization of uraninite and calcite.  Pyrite and galena were sometimes noted in the carbonaceous material. The Happy Jack Mine ores also contained copper, which ultimately provided a much greater diversity of secondary minerals. 

From a 1954 USGS publication, “The best development of relatively unoxidized, non-vanadiferous ore is the pitchblende-copper sulfide deposit in which the Happy Jack Mine is located at White Canyon, Utah.  The ore contains both sooty pitchblende and massive pitchblende that is so pure and of such high specific gravity (9.0) as to justify calling it uraninite.  Some of the pitchblende replaces fossil wood and some, in tabular masses, does not show wood structure.  It is closely associated with chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, chalcocite, sphalerite and galena, and traces of cobalt, nickel, molybdenum and silver.” 

In addition to uraninite, more than 60 other minerals have been identified from the ores of the Happy Jack Mine.