Live Oak County Research Articles

Hyperspectral (VNIR-SWIR) analysis of roll front uranium host rocks and industrial minerals from Karnes and Live Oak Counties, Texas Coastal Plain

VNIR-SWIR (400–2500 nm) reflectance measurements were made on the surfaces of various cores, cuttings and sample splits of sedimentary rocks from the Tertiary Jackson Group, and Catahoula, Oakville and Goliad Formations. These rocks vary in composition and texture from mudstone and claystone to sandstone and are known host rocks for roll front uranium occurrences in Karnes and Live Oak Counties, Texas. Spectral reflectance profiles, 569 in total, were reduced to 125 representative spectral signatures, which were analyzed using the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Material Identification and Characterization Algorithm (MICA). MICA uses an automated continuum-removal procedure together with a least-squares linear regression to determine the fit of observed sample spectral absorption features to those of reference mineral standards in a spectral library. The reference minerals include various clay, mica, carbonate, ferric and ferrous iron minerals and their mixtures. In addition, absorption feature band-depth analysis was done to identify rock surfaces exhibiting absorption features related to uranium and zeolite minerals, which were not included in the command files used to execute MICA.Rocks from each of the four geologic units produced broadly similar spectral signatures as a result of comparable mineral compositions, but there were some notable differences. For example, Ca- and Na-montmorillonite was matched most frequently to the spectral absorption features in 2-μm (∼2000–2500 nm) wavelengths, while goethite occurred often at 1-μm (∼400–1000 nm) wavelengths. The latter is related to limonitic iron-staining in and around oxidized zones of the uranium roll front as described in previous papers. Rocks of the Jackson Group differed from those of the Catahoula, Oakville and Goliad units in that the former exhibited spectral features we interpret as being due to the presence of lignite-bearing mudstone layers. Goliad rocks exhibit spectral features related to dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite, and an unidentified green clay mineral that is possibly glauconite. Jackson Group rocks also exhibit weak but well-resolved absorption features at 964 and 1157 nm related to either or both zeolite minerals clinoptilolite and heulandite. These zeolite minerals and a few spectra exhibiting hydrous silica absorption features are indicative of alteration of volcanic glass in tuffaceous mudstone and claystone layers. A few sample spectra exhibited strong absorption features at around 1135 nm related to the uranium mineral coffinite. Both the 1135 nm coffinite and 1157 nm zeolite absorption features overlap somewhat, potentially making them difficult to distinguish without additional hyperspectral field, laboratory or remote sensing data.The results of this study were compared to mixtures of minerals described for ore, gangue and alteration minerals in deposit models for sandstone-hosted uranium, sedimentary bentonite and sedimentary zeolite. Use of these spectra can help facilitate mapping of both waste materials from the legacy mining of the above commodities, as well as future exploration and resource assessment activities.

Mapping Abandoned Uranium Mine Features Using Worldview-3 Imagery in Portions of Karnes, Atascosa and Live Oak Counties, Texas

Worldview-3 (WV3) 16-band multispectral data were used to map exposed bedrock and mine waste piles associated with legacy open-pit mining of sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits along the South Texas Coastal Plain. We used the “spectral hourglass” approach to extract spectral endmembers representative of these features from the image. This approach first requires calibrating the imagery to reflectance, then masking for vegetation, followed by spatial and spectral data reduction using a principal component analysis-based procedure that reduces noise and identifies homogeneous targets which are “pure” enough to be considered spectral endmembers. In this case, we used a single WV3 image which covered an ~11.5 km by ~19.5 km area of Karnes, Atascosa and Live Oak Counties, underlain by mined rocks from the Jackson Group and Catahoula Formation. Up to 58 spectral endmembers were identified using a further multi-dimensional class segregation method and were used as inputs for spectral angle mapper (SAM) classification. SAM classification resulted in the identification of at least 117 mine- and mine waste-related features, most of which were previously unknown. Class similarity was further evaluated, and the dominant minerals in each class were identified by comparison to spectral libraries and measured samples of actual Jackson Group uranium host rocks. Redundant classes were eliminated, and SAM was run a second time using a reduced set of 23 endmembers, which were found to map these same features as effectively as using the full 58 set of endmembers, but with significantly reduced noise and spectral outliers. Our classification results were validated by evaluating detailed scale mapping of three known mine sites (Esse-Spoonamore, Wright-McCrady and Garbysch-Thane) with published ground truth information about the vegetation cover, extent of erosion and exposure of waste pile materials and/or geologic information about host lithology and mineralization. Despite successful demonstration of the utility of WV3 data for inventorying mine features, additional landscape features such as bare agricultural fields and oil and gas drill pads were also identified. The elimination of such features will require combining the spectral classification maps presented in this study with high-quality topographic data. Also, the spectral endmembers identified during the course of this study could be useful for larger-scale mapping efforts using additional well-calibrated WV3 images beyond the coverage of our initial study area.

Machine Learning Reveals Additional Hydraulic Fracture‐Induced Seismicity in the Eagle Ford Shale

AbstractA recent study found ∼90% of earthquakes in the Eagle Ford shale in Texas from 2014 to 2018 were spatiotemporally related to hydraulic fracturing (HF) wells. Since then, earthquakes have remained prevalent, including a new region of seismicity in Live Oak county. We sought to perform a deeper exploration of how HF has contributed to recent seismicity using template matching and repeating signal detection (RSD), which employs machine learning to search for repeating earthquakes with the potential to find something different than the template catalog. RSD identified new bursts of seismicity with a shorter S‐P time (∼2 s) than the previous catalog (>4 s), which temporally correlated with HF near station N4 735B. The short S‐P events have smaller magnitudes (ML < 2.0), consistent with the idea that HF‐induced seismicity in the Eagle Ford is likely more pervasive than previously reported, but detection is limited by the density of stations. RSD and template matching identified 1,600 earthquakes correlated with HF from 2019 to February 2020. We confirmed newly detected HF‐induced seismicity in Live Oak county did not occur until January 2019. Despite similar cumulative volume prior to and after 2019, the onset of detectable seismicity did not occur until HF injection exceeded 2 million barrels per month over this area, supporting the notion that injection flux is a stronger influence on the seismicity occurrence than cumulative volume. When considering the full catalog, the likelihood of seismicity also correlated with proximity to mapped faults, with 13% of wells <2 km from faults having seismicity compared to only 3% of wells >2 km.

Ownership and Spatial Distribution of Eagle Ford Mineral Wealth in Live Oak County, Texas

U.S. unconventional hydrocarbon production is a driver of economic growth, but mineral wealth ownership is poorly understood and shrouded in “local wealth” mythology that claims royalties from hydrocarbons mostly benefit people who live near sites of production. Mineral property tax appraisals, as proxies for mineral wealth from Live Oak County, a representative Eagle Ford Shale county in Texas, show that 96 percent of assessed mineral wealth concentrates among energy firms and individuals in Texas metropolitan regions; 1.95 percent of mineral wealth remains “local” to the production county, challenging local wealth myths. Deviating from nation-state scalar approaches, local and regional spatial studies of other energy regions might reveal similar wealth distributions, enabling generalizations about hydrocarbon production economic outcomes.

Abstract: Mid-Tertiary Hydrovolcanism in the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain and the Smectite-to-Illite Transition

ABSTRACT The smectite-to-illite transition within Gulf Coast sediments is generally recognized as a major diagenetic process. Over the past four decades, this transition has been well characterized and has been linked to overpressure. Current models for the transition suggest dissolution of smectite and crystallization of illite, a process needing water flow to supply reactants and remove waste products. Traditionally, the transition is ascribed to burial diagenesis, whereby temperature rises with depth and compaction drives fluids into surrounding units. However, two separate age-dating studies, one based on a well in Brazoria County, TX and the other on a well in DeWitt County, TX, suggest that the transition is due to mid-Tertiary episodic diagenesis; i.e., occurring at a single time, geologically, in response to fluid flow through the entire system. Such a process would require rapid, pervasive flow of water through Gulf Coast sediments, an event difficult to explain in the passive-margin environment of Gulf Coast Tertiary deposition. Recently, it has been suggested that mid-Tertiary hydrovolcanism took place beneath the Gulf Coastal plain. This interpretation is based on volcaniclastics within the Catahoula tuff (Oligocene to lower Miocene?) exposed in Live Oak County, TX. Such volcanism would result in rapid heating of subsurface water, with subsequent migration of heated fluids through the sediment column. Thus, I propose that the Gulf Coast smectite-to-illite transition may be related spatially and temporally to a mid-Tertiary volcanic event and was due to hydrothermal alteration, not burial diagenesis.

Archaeological Investigations at the Loma Sandia Site (41LK28): A Prehistoric Cemetery and Campsite in Live Oak County, Texas

So it was that I determined to look again, to try to rediscover this monster (Steinbeck 1962: 5). As someone who was originally trained in Texas archaeology (a land monstrous in its diversity), but who had left the region over 15 years ago, I was anxious to rediscover the archaeology of that land. The opportunity to review Archaeological Investigations at the Loma Sandia Site (41LK28) presented an opportunity to see how archaeology in Texas, and archaeology in general, had changed over 15 years. The Loma Sandia site is a remarkable example of a late Middle Archaic (850-550 B.c.) cemetery with the remains of approximately 205 individuals and associated burial items. Located on a sandy hill in the center of south Texas, 90 miles south of San Antonio, the site bears some similarity to other, less well-reported Archaic cemeteries and provides an astonishing glimpse of Archaic society close to the Gulf Coast. Investigations were conducted by archaeologists with the State Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) primarily in 1977 and 1978, and much of the remaining core area of the site was destroyed by highway construction later in 1978. Based on observations during construction, it appears that the majority of the site was detected and excavated by the archaeologists. In reading this immense two-volume work, three fundamental questions came to mind; they are simple ones, and yet they seem rarely discussed in American archaeology. First, what should an archaeological site report be? Second, what can we learn from a spectacular site such as Loma Sandia? Finally, how do the early historical accounts of a particular culture area continue to affect, even hinder, our vision of the past? What should a site report be? The Loma Sandia site report is a compendium of provenience data, feature interpretations, excellent summaries of the archaeology and ethnohistory of the area, the results of numerous specialist studies of the artifacts and human skeletal remains, and several summaries placing the Loma Sandia site into the context of other Archaic cemeteries in Texas. At 846

Relations among hydrocarbon reservoirs, epigenetic sulfidization, and rock magnetization: Examples from the south Texas coastal plain

This paper focuses on the association between concentrations of iron disulfide [Formula: see text] minerals in the shallow subsurface and underlying hydrocarbon accumulations. Such [Formula: see text] concentrations are the result of migration of either [Formula: see text] or organic constituents from the underlying hydrocarbons. The [Formula: see text] from reservoirs is produced inorganically from sulfate in the reservoir rocks at high temperature (>90°C) and migrates to shallower beds to react inorganically with iron to form [Formula: see text]. Organic constituents from reservoirs, in contrast, provide nourishment for sulfate reducing bacteria in shallow relatively cool (<90°C) beds. Sandstone in the Ray Point uranium district in Live Oak County, Texas contains abundant [Formula: see text] which formed both from deep‐seated [Formula: see text] and from [Formula: see text] produced in the shallow subsurface by bacteria that utilized organic materials from depth. Deep petroleum reservoirs were physically connected to near‐surface (<100 m) beds containing epigenetic [Formula: see text] by the Oakville fault. Epigenetic iron sulfide formation occurred in at least four episodes over at least five million years. Evidence from the Ray Point district and elsewhere in Texas illustrates that sulfidization reactions have destroyed magnetic iron‐titanium oxide minerals in the vicinity of major growth faults, resulting in a systematic decrease in magnetic susceptibility and magnitude of remanent magnetization in the vicinity of such faults. Growth faults which tap hydrocarbon deposits may be detectable using aeromagnetic methods.

Eustatic Cycles, Shoreline Stacking, and Stratigraphic Traps: Atkinson Field, Live Oak and Karnes Counties, Texas: ABSTRACT

Atkinson field in south Texas produces gas from the updip pinch-out of a shoreline sand body deposited during a stillstand or minor regression within the early middle Eocene transgression of the Texas Gulf Coast. The sand body is elongate parallel to depositional strike and pinches out downdip into marine shales of the Reklaw Formation. The sand has a maximum thickness of 60 ft, extends 9 mi along strike, and reaches a width of 2 mi. Electric log patterns indicate interfingering between sand and shale on the updip edge of the sand body and a coarsening-upward sequence from shale to sand on the downdip edge of the sand body. Most logs from wells in the central part of the sand body have blocky patterns, indicating abrupt transitions with the overlying and underlying shales and no systematic variation in grain size. Many ancient shoreline sandstones have similar characteristics. The producing sand in Atkinson field occurs in the regressive phase of a fourth-order cycle of change in relative sea level, within the transgressive phase of the third-order cycle that comprises the early middle Eocene advance and retreat of the sea in the Gulf Coast region. Other shoreline sand bodies occur at the samemore » stratigraphic zone along depositional strike. Models of shoreline stacking patterns within third-order cycles indicate that similar sand bodies and traps should be present in younger fourth-order cycles higher on paleoslope.« less

Ore petrography of a sedimentary uranium deposit, Live Oak County, Texas

Samples from the McLean 5 open-pit uranium mine, a small high-grade deposit located along a normal fault in the Miocene Oakville sandstone of Live Oak County, Texas, have been studied for uranium abundance, distribution, and nature of occurrence on the microscopic level. The host sandstone is composed of quartz, feldspars, and volcanic rock fragments, cemented by sparry calcite. Authigenic minerals include iron disulfide minerals (dominantly pyrite and some marcasite) and small amounts of clays, Ti oxides, and opal. High-grade ore (to 3% U) occurs along the fault, decreasing to less than 1,000 ppm within 10 m from the fault. The ore mineral is amorphous pitchblende and exhibits botryoidal morphology.The microscopic occurrence of uranium, documented by fission-track mapping of petrographic thin sections, is presented in detail. Uranium occurs abundantly as grain coatings and fillings in intergranular spaces in samples with high uranium content, where calcite cement has been partially or totally leached as mineralization proceeded. Lesser amounts are adsorbed onto leucoxene (microcrystalline anatase), mud clasts, and altered igneous rock fragments. Adsorbed uranium is the major mode of occurrence in samples, with lower uranium contents farther from the orebody.Textural relations indicate that iron sulfides formed both before and after mineralization. Initial mineralization was by adsorption onto aggregates of fine particles of Ti oxide and clay minerals of various origins. With dissolution of cement and continued uranium influx, uranium precipitated as grain coatings and pore fillings.

An Archaeological Survey of the Probst and McGriff Leases in Live Oak County, Texas

During March 1984, an archaeological survey was carried out on the Probst and McGriff leases in Live Oak County, Texas, for Chevron Resources Company. No cultural resources were found on the Probst lease. However, two prehistoric sites (41 LK 270 and 41 LK 271) were located on the McGriff lease. The two archaeological sites are described as lithic scatters which are eroded and otherwise disturbed by land modifications. The sites are not considered to be potentially significant cultural resources, and therefore not deemed eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. We recommend that no further work is needed.

Excavations at Sites 41LK31/32 and 41LK202 in the Choke Canyon Reservoir, South Texas

Site 41 LK 31/32 is located in Live Oak County, southern Texas on a wide horseshoe bend of the Frio River, approximately 16 km west of the Frio's confluence with the Nueces River. Construction of the Choke Canyon Reservoir by the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) had necessitated an excavation program at the site prior to destruction. Investigations conducted by the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, were carried out in two stages, culminating in a major excavation during the summer of 1978. An indication of the depth and significance of cultural deposits at the site occurred in 1977 when the Bureau of Reclamation dug a series of 9 m deep geological test pits. Prehistoric occupation zones beginning at a depth of 2.5 meters and continuing to the surface were exposed. The coincidental location of necessary dam ingredients--specific clays and gravel and the site-prompted testing and, later, intensive excavation by the Center for Archaeological Research. Artifacts and depositional information derived from the field work established 41LK31/32 as the location of intermittent occupation by hunting and gathering peoples for more than 5000 years stretching from the Early Archaic through the Late Archaic.

Historical Resources of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas; Historical Archaeological Resources of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas

Historical Resources of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas; Historical Archaeological Resources of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas

An Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas

An intensive cultural resource survey was carried out on approximately 2544 hectares (6285 acres) of the proposed Choke Canyon Reservoir by the Cultural Resources Institute (CRI) of Texas Tech University from August through October 1977. The project was undertaken in response to needs of the Bureau of Reclamation. This report is one of a multivolume study.'concerning the area's cultural resources. During the 1977 survey, 113 archaeological sites, 42 low density artifact scatters, and five isolated finds were located and recorded. A no-collection policy was maintained, except isolated finds. In the late fall 1977, 15 of the recorded sites were subjected to limited testing activities. The cultural resources recorded during the survey document the presence of human groups in the reservoir beginning in late Paleo-Indian times and extending to the present. Based upon the limited occurrence of diagnostic artifacts, most of the prehistoric occupation occurred during the Archaic. Historic sites recorded were occupied primarily during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. This report documents the research design and particularly the methodology utilized during the project. Special emphasis is given to describing the systematic and intensive survey, as well as to the random/judgmental approach of selecting the various sites for limited testing. Cultural material recovered during testing activities are described in techno-morphological terms. The nature of survey projects in general and the paucity of reliable time markers recovered during field work severely limited the development of a cultural chronology for the study area. Research efforts resulted in the developmert of a model of lithic technology based on the ready availability of raw materials. Also presented is a settlement and subsistence pattern model which is based primarily on a rainy and dry season dichotomy and the availability of food resources. i

Historical Archaeological Resources of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas

During previous surveys of the Choke Canyon Reservoir area in Live Oak and McMullen Counties, Texas, 17 historic sites (structures, refuse areas, cemeteries) had been located and examined. Further work in this area is described in this report and is summarized as follows: Most of the above sites and 5 newly located ones underwent surface collection and 'test excavation. Sites were recorded and the collected artifacts described and classified. Suggested chronology and occupation are correlated with the findings of the historical research study (Everett, Part I of this report). Evidence indicates that the area was most intensively occupied during the second half of the nineteenth century and that the inhabitants were Anglo-American, Black, Mexican, and possibly Mexican-American families. They were dependent on stock raising and strongly affected by the regional economy.

Characterization of Uranium Ores from House-Seale Deposit, Catahoula Formation, Texas Coastal Plain: ABSTRACT

Sandstones and mudstones of the House-Seale deposit, Live Oak County, Texas, contain up to 8,000 ppm uranium as U3O8; however, no uranium minerals have been detected in the ore. Autoradiography of slabbed rocks and thin sections show that uranium is inhomogeneously distributed throughout the ore on both a macroscopic and microscopic scale. Thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe examination of these enriched regions proves that uranium is associated with platy, layered grain-coating material and clayey matrix between grains. Selective dissolution analysis indicates that 61 to 64% of total uranium is held on ion exchange sites and 36 to 39% is associated with amorphous aluminosilicate material. No significant ur nium concentrations are found in amorphous iron or manganese oxides or hydroxides, nor is uranium present in other minerals. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1677------------

Breeding Biology of Curve-Billed Thrashers and Long-Billed Thrashers in Southern Texas

Curve-billed Thrashers and Long-billed Thrashers were studied in Live Oak County, Texas, during the summers of 1977 and 1978. Curve-billed Thrashers nested and foraged mostly within open habitats, although they also nested in dense chaparral if clearings were nearby. Long-billed Thrashers nested and foraged exclusively within dense chaparral. Curve-billed Thrashers often nested in exposed sites whereas Long-billed Thrashers always nested in shelter. Curve-billed Thrashers constructed deeper nests, incubated their eggs for less time each day, and brooded their young for many more days than did Long-billed Thrashers. Curve-billed Thrashers had greater reproductive success (37%) than did Long-billed Thrashers (26%). This difference was attributed to the frequent use of Yucca for nest support by Curve-billed Thrashers. Nest success was not significantly affected by nest height, brood size, or the date when the nest was initiated. Snakes were the primary predators of thrasher eggs and nestlings. The roles of the sexes of Curve-billed Thrashers were examined during the breeding cycle. Females incubated and fed the nestlings significantly more often than males. Only females brooded the young. Male participation varied greatly among pairs and between nesting attempts.

An Archaeological Assessment of the Gentry-McLean Leases, Live Oak County, Texas

On June 26 and 27, 1980, archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), conducted cultural resource surveys on the McLean and Gentry leases north of Oakville, Live Oak County, Texas. The survey was done under contract between the CAR and the Exxon Minerals Company, U.S.A. (Work Order No. 00212, dated June 6, 1980). The fieldwork was carried out by Thomas C. Kelly and Michael Woerner, CAR archaeologists, under the supervision of Dr. Thomas R. Hester, Director, and Jack D. Eaton, Acting Director.

Developments in South Texas in 1979

The South Texas report includes 58 counties in Texas Railroad Districts 1, 2, and 4 and parts of the Texas offshore. District 1 exploration activity increased 8.9% from 1978. However, the success rate was down from 30.7% in 1978 to 23.1% for this year. Drilling for Upper Cretaceous pays was the focus of activity in 1979. Average well depth was 539 ft shallower than last year because of a decline in exploration for deep Cretaceous objectives. District 2 exploration activity decreased 15.4% with 394 wells drilled. The success rate was 2% higher than in 1978; there were 146 gas and 25 oil completions. Activity continued to be heavy in the Frio trend within Victoria, Jackson, and Calhoun Counties. Exploration increased in the deeper Wilcox trend in Live Oak, Karnes, Bee, and Dewitt Counties. District 4 exploration activity was up sharply this year with a 33% increase over 1978 totals. The success rate was 56%. The Frio trend was most active, recording 268 exploratory attempts. The deepest completion in the district in 1979 was in the Vicksburg at 15,532 ft. Vicksburg trend activity was up 67% this year with 127 wells drilled. Very active drilling in the Wilcox Lobo trend produced significant new extensions north of the town of Laredo. The downdip Wilcox trend was successfully explored in northeast Zapata County on strike with northeast Thompsonville field, 20 mi away. Exploration activity in the South Texas offshore area declined from the 1978 total of 143 wells to 119 for 1979. Average footage per well, however, increased by 543 ft.

Marcasite in Roll-Type Uranium Deposits: ABSTRACT

Iron disulfide minerals occur in anomalously high concentrations in uranium-bearing zones of roll-type uranium deposits and are thus important components of the geochemical system that governs formation of these uranium orebodies. These high concentrations have been interpreted by previous workers as resulting from an ore-stage generation of sulfide superimposed upon a pre-ore generation. We have examined petrographically over 500 polished sections from five roll-type deposits, three from Texas and two in Wyoming, and have recognized both pre-ore and ore-stage generations of iron disulfides in each deposit. The two generations may be distinguished by textural relations. In each deposit, marcasite is present as an ore-stage sulfide; in End_Page 514------------------------------ two Texas deposits (one in Webb County, the other in Live Oak County), it is the dominant ore-stage sulfide. This ore-stage marcasite occurs as intergrowths within and overgrowths on uranium-bearing phases and in close association with ferroselite near the redox boundary. Ore-stage marcasite occurs commonly as overgrowths on pre-ore sulfides that are dominantly pyrite both in ore and in a more extensive halo around the altered tongue. In two of the Texas deposits, ore-stage marcasite is present as much as 200 m (Webb County) and 400 m (Live Oak County) downdip from the roll front. Because of the close association of marcasite and uranium mineralization, understanding the conditions that lead to marcasite precipitation enables clearer determination of the geochemical environment of ore deposition. Kinetic factors are shown to favor marcasite over pyrite and we suggest that undersaturation with monosulfide-type phases such as mackinaurite and greigite are a prerequisite for marcasite formation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 515------------

A Preliminary Archaeological Survey for the Conquista Project In Gonzalez, Atascosa, and Live Oak Counties, Texas

During late February and early March 1979, an archaeological and historical survey for the Jacobs, Tom Retzloff and Smith-Striddle properties in Gonzalez, Atascosa and Live Oak Counties was conducted. These properties are leased by the Continental Oil Company. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the archaeological and historic potential of these properties before the leases are extensively modified by proposed uranium mining operations. The survey was conducted under the terms of a contract between Continental Oil Company’s Project, as represented by Mr. Morris Merritt and Mr. Charles Salsman, and Dr. Thomas R. Hester, Director, Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.