Overview
Stage
Accessing mining options for future feed stock to the mill
Location
Western Colorado
The Hansen/Taylor Ranch Uranium Project spans over 13,500 acres and is located in the Tallahassee Creek District of Colorado, about 150 kilometers southwest of Denver. This area is an established mining region, home to operations like AngloGold Ashanti's Cripple Creek gold mine. Historically, from 1954 to 1972, the district hosted 16 small-scale uranium mines, both open-pit and underground. The Hansen/Taylor Project includes multiple uranium deposits, such as Hansen, Taylor, Boyer, Noah, High Park, and Picnic Tree, making it one of the most prominent uranium projects in the United States. The majority of the mineral rights have been secured through lease and option agreements with surface landowners, as well as several state and federal leases.
The project holds significant uranium resources, with a JORC Code-compliant Indicated and Inferred resource estimate of approximately 90.9 million pounds of U3O8, at an average grade of 600 ppm U3O8. This makes it one of the largest uranium projects in the U.S., strategically positioned to contribute to growing uranium demand, especially as nuclear power gains renewed attention as a clean energy source.
The Hansen/Taylor deposits are located within the Echo Park formation, a sedimentary structure of Eocene age. This formation lies unconformably over pre-Cambrian rocks, such as quartz monzonites, granodiorites, gneisses, and schists, which were unevenly eroded over time. Faulting and uplift in the region created grabens and paleo-valleys, where sediments were deposited, concentrating uranium mineralization. The fluvial facies within the Echo Park formation, rich in carbonaceous material, played a critical role in uranium concentration, acting as a reducing agent that facilitated the deposition of uranium minerals from groundwater.
The source of the uranium is believed to be the Wall Mountain Tuff, a volcanic ash layer that leached uranium into the groundwater, which then traveled through the Echo Park sediments. The mineralized zones have been identified at depths between 150 and 190 meters, making them accessible for modern mining techniques. The project’s favorable geology, combined with its historical significance and resource potential, positions the Hansen/Taylor Ranch Uranium Project as a major player in the future of U.S. uranium production.
