File:Pencillated gilsonite (Cottonwood Dike intruded in the Uinta Formation, Middle Eocene; south-southeast of Ouray, Utah, USA) 7.jpg
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Summary
| Description |
English: Gilsonite from the Tertiary of northeastern Utah, USA. (~3.4 centimeters across at its widest)
Gilsonite, also known as uintaite, is a variety of asphaltite - it's a solid hydrocarbon - basically solidified oil. Gilsonite usually has the appearance of obsidian or anthracite coal. It is jet black in color, very lightweight, brittle, and has a conchoidal fracture. The largest “deposits” of gilsonite in the world are in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, USA. Gilsonite occurs there as vertical NW-SE trending veins intruded within the Eocene-aged Uinta Formation. The source of the hydrocarbons is organic-rich beds in the underlying Green River Formation (Eocene) and Wasatch Formation (Paleocene). The sample seen here is a from a gilsonite mine developed on the Cottonwood Dike (Cottonwood Vein), a N60-64W striking, 13 to 16 kilometer long, 0.6 to 0.9 meter wide, vertical to subvertical gilsonite dike in the Willow Creek System. The dike was probably emplaced ~10 to 30 million years ago. The Cottonwood Dike is mined south-southeast of the tow of Ouray, Utah. Gilsonite material from Utah does not always have an obsidian-like appearance This sample differs from typical gilsonite in having abundant parallel fractures - a variety called "pencillated gilsonite". When viewed from the side, this material has a splintery appearance (from certain angles, it looks like hornblende schist). The only pencillated gilsonite material I've seen also has abundant fracture circlets. Gilsonite is not readily combustible and is not a fuel, but it does have economic value. Gilsonite is mined in northeastern Utah and processed and is used in numerous products and applications (e.g., see: www.geospectra.net/kite/gilsonite/gilson.htm). Approximate composition: 85% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 2.5% nitrogen, 1.5% oxygen, 0.3% sulfur, 0.2% silicon, nickel & trace elements. Locality: gilsonite mine south-southeast of the town of Ouray, south-central Uintah County, northeastern Utah, USA (section 35, T10S, R21E, Big Pack Mountain NE 7.5’ USGS topographic quadrangle) |
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| Source | https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/48645796292/ |
| Author | James St. John |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/48645796292. It was reviewed on 18 October 2020 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 02:42, 18 October 2020 | | 2,021 × 1,752 (2.63 MB) | Ser Amantio di Nicolao | Uploaded a work by James St. John from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/48645796292/ with UploadWizard |
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