Do the organics really matter?
Mr. Froede did not address the differential concentrations of both organic matter and its associated uranium found in vertical sections of the Chattanooga. Had the plant life in the sea been killed at the time of Mr. Froede’s hypothesized ash-fall, one would expect to see a single zone of carbonaceous material. This is not what is observed. As stated earlier, the Chattanooga has an exceptionally high organic content. Upwelling areas, with their high biologic activity, accumulate large amounts of organic materials, which become traps for dissolved uranium. This affinity of dissolved uranium for organic matter explains the correlation between organics and uranium (Swanson, 1960, figs. 6 and 7). Other units within the Chattanooga (see below), without concentrated organic material do not show this enrichment of uranium. Mr. Froede remarks: A syngenetic origin would also fit for radioactive elements derived from a blanket of volcanic ash. The only difference would be one of time. Work perfo
