boutwell.1  VANADIUM    AND    URANIUM    IN    UTAH.  203 
general  lithologic  characteristics,  and  there  again  form  the  country 
rock  for  vanacliferous  and  uraniferous  deposits. 
The  principal  Utah  deposits,  which  are  at  Richardson,  Grand 
County,  on  Grand  River,  are  predominantly  high-grade  vanadium 
ores,  with  some  carnotite.  At  other  localities  low-grade  carnotite 
ores  are  found.  The  carnotite  and  certain  of  the  vanacliferous  miner- 
als associated  with  the  Richardson  deposits  occur  in  particular  beds 
of  sandstone  adjacent  to  a  strong  fracture,  and  are  in  general  like 
replacement  deposits  of  metallic  ores  in  limestone  beds.  The  San 
Rafael  deposits,  near  San  Rafael  River,  are  disseminations  of  car- 
notite apparently  restricted  to  those  sandstones  and  conglomerate 
beds  in  which  plant  remains  occur. 
As  regards  their  quantity  and  grade,  the  deposits  of  carnotite  which 
have  been  discovered  thus  far  in  Utah  are  poorer  than  those  on  La 
Sal  and  Roc  creeks  in  Colorado,  and,  so  far  as  known,  no  vanacliferous 
sandstone  equal  in  commercial  value  to  the  Placerville  deposits  has 
been  found  in  Utah.  The  vanacliferous  minerals  of  Richardson, 
Utah,  which  are  the  most  valuable  deposits  of  this  class  yet  discov- 
ered in  the  State,  have  a  high  commercial  value,  and  have  not,  so  far 
as  known,  been  found  in  Colorado.  Carnotite  deposits  northeast  of 
San  Rafael  Swell  have  not  proved  of  sufficiently  high  grade  to  be  of 
commercial  value.  The  possibilities  of  a  carbonaceous  sandstone, 
which  is  said  to  occur  in  large  quantities  southeast  of  San  Rafael 
Swell  and  to  contain  some  vanadium,  remain  to  be  determined. 
RICHARDSON   DEPOSITS. 
Location. — The  Richardson  deposits  occur  in  southeastern  Utah, 
in  the  canyon  of  the  Grand  River,  near  Richardson  post-office.  This 
locality  may  be  most  conveniently  reached  from  Cisco,  on  the  Rio 
Grande  Western  Railway,  by  regular  stage  down  the  canyon,  a  dis- 
tance of  27  miles.  The  deposit  may  be  reached  also,  though  more 
indirectly,  by  taking  stage  at  Thompsons,  on  the  Rio  Grande  Western, 
for  Moab,  35  miles  southwest,  and  driving  thence  up  the  canyon, 
about  12  miles,  to  Richardson.  Trails  also  lead  into  Richardson 
from  various  eastern  points,  including  several  mining  camps  in  the 
La  Sal  Mountains. 
At  its  junction  with  several  strong  streams  from  the  northwest 
slopes  of  the  La  Sal  Mountains  the  canyon  of  the  Grand  River  opens 
out  into  an  extensive  amphitheater.  Its  flat  bottom  extends  along 
Grand  River  and  eastward  from  the  stream  for  several  miles,  and  is 
inclosed  by  precipitous  cliffs  carved  into  massive  erosion  forms, 
mammoth  tables,  lofty  columns,  and  graceful  spires.  About  2  miles 
east  of  the  little  settlement  of  Richardson,  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
