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The reactivation of inherited tectonic structures formed during the Paleoproterozoic Trans-Hudson Orogeny (THO) has played a significant role in generating high-grade unconformity-related uranium deposits in the eastern Athabasca Basin. The role of these tectonic structures is now investigated through a series of two-dimensional hydrothermal numerical models. Two modelling scenarios are considered: (1) models during the THO peak of metamorphism and (2) models with a permeable layer mimicking the presence of the Athabasca Basin, deposited unconformably over the THO basement. In the first scenario, general fluid patterns are strongly affected by the applied permeability configurations. Unidirectional high fluid flow zones (from 10-9 to 10-8 m·s-1) and high thermal gradients (up to 65°C·km-1) can be observed above and within the deep-seated tectonic structures. In the second scenario, well-established fluid convection cells or unidirectional fluid flow zones are observed within the basin layer, with upflow originating from the core of the deep-seated structures, regardless of the applied fluid pressure regime. These results highlight that these deep-seated structures can efficiently transport fluids and heat towards the upper parts of the crust and the basin. In the second scenario, the loci for preore alteration are then evaluated by computing a rock alteration index based on temperature and fluid velocity constraints. These alteration areas reside along and above the deep-seated structures and are potential regions for structural reactivation during mineralization. These results imply that the analysis of the inherited tectonic structures, combined with the alteration regions, can serve as markers for uranium exploration.

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<p><strong>Shortening of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic continental lithospheres: large strains, but no orogeny</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Denis Gapais<sup>1</sup>, Jonathan Poh<sup>1</sup>, Philippe Yamato<sup>1</sup>, Thibault Duretz<sup>1,</sup> Florence Cagnard<sup>2</sup></p><p> </p><ul><li>(1) Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes cedex, France</li> </ul><p> </p><ul><li>(2) Bureau de Recherche Géologique et minière, 3 avenue Claude-Guillemin, BP 36009 45060 Orléans Cedex 2, France</li> </ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>Denis.gapais@univ-rennes1.fr, jonathanpoh87@gmail.com, philippe.yamato@gmail.com, thibault.duretz@univ-rennes1.fr, f.cagnard@brgm.fr</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In many ancient deformation belts of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic age (e.g. Terre Adélie in East Antarctica, Finnish Svecofennides in Southern Finland, Murchison Belt in South Africa, Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba, Dharwar Craton in western India, Abitibi sub-Province in Québec, Trans-Hudson belt of Canada, Trans-Amazonian belt of Suriname), latest recorded deformations are compressive or transpressive. In these belts that involved hot and weak continental crusts, deformations are distributed with basically vertical tectonics and important crustal thickening. On the other hand, there is no evidence of syn-orogenic extension or late-orogenic collapse, as classically observed in modern orogens where extensional detachments are widespread.</p><p>Analogue and numerical models emphasize that shortening of weak and hot lithospheres basically favour downward motions, which result in limited topographies. Field evidence further point to metamorphic isogrades rather parallel to the Earth surface at belt scale. Hence, metamorphic conditions are rather monotonous at the scale of individual belts, with limited metamorphic jumps and typical P-T paths with no significant adiabatic retrograde segments. Consistently, localized deep detrital sedimentary basins like foreland or intra-mountain basins, are not documented. Sedimentary records rather suggest distributed sedimentation processes. In addition, several lines of evidence tend to point out that cooling of ancient hot deformation belts was rather slow, which is consistent with distributed topographies and long-lasting erosion-driven exhumation processes.</p><p> On these bases, we propose that gravity-driven collapse had no reason to occur in ancient hot deformation belts because important topographic gradients and orogeny could not develop as observed in modern mountain chains.</p>