Basin-related uranium mineral systems in Australia: A review of critical features

Jaireth, Subhash; Roach, Ian C.; Bastrakov, Evgeniy; Liu, Songfa

doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2015.08.006

Cited by 49 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 95 publications

(143 reference statements)

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“…Such massive and high grade uranium deposits are found close to the unconformity between an Archean to Paleoproterozoic metamorphosed basement rocks and an overlying non-metamorphosed Paleoproterozoic sedimentary basin-infill (Dahlkamp, 1993). Major uranium deposits of this type are found in Canada, in the Athabasca Basin (i.e., the Cigar lake deposit, Dahlkamp, 1993;Jefferson et al, 2007), or in Australia, in the McArthur Basin (i.e., the Ranger deposit, Jaireth et al, 2016;Skirrow et al, 2016). The uranium ore is located within the basement (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contact uranium prospect, Kiggavik project, Nunavut (Canada): Tectonic history, structural constraints and timing of mineralization

Grare

Benedicto

Lacombe

et al. 2018

Ore Geology Reviews

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Uranium mineralization in the Kiggavik area, on the eastern border of the Thelon basin (Nunavut, Canada), hosts significant uranium resources within the basement and its understanding is critical to comprehending the genesis of unconformity-related deposits' structural controls and therefore exploration of these types of deposits in this prospective district. This article deciphers the complex multiphase fracture network associated with uranium mineralization of the most recently discovered, basement-hosted prospect in the Kiggavik area, named Contact. The Contact prospect is located along the Andrew Lake Fault (ALF), a major NE-SW fault corridor in the area. This study combines field work, drillcore logging, sampling, and macro-to micro-petro-structural analyses. Key results from this study highlight that the NEtrending ALF, along with the ENE-trending Thelon (TF) and Judge Sissons (JSF) faults, formed early during intracratonic rifting and deposition of the Baker Lake and Wharton groups (ca. 1850-1750 Ma) in response to the Thelon and Trans-Hudsonian orogeny. The ALF was affected by a strong silicification-brecciation event that likely developed at ca. 1750 Ma, and partitioned later deformation and fluid circulation. In the Contact prospect, the ALF was reactivated multiple times and mineralized in three stages with distinctive secondary fracture patterns, alteration, and mineralization types. Ten fracture stages have been identified at the Contact prospect, f1 to f10. The first stage of mineralization, coeval with f5, is related to fluids of unconstrained origin that circulated through E-W faults in the area that locally re-activated quartz veins of the brecciation event at the intersection with the ALF. Mineralization at this stage is polymetallic and associated with weak clay alteration. The second stage of uranium mineralization occurred coeval with transtensional reactivation of the NE-SW trending ALF (f6c) and in relation to circulation of oxidizing basinal brines within the fault zone. Mineralization at this stage is monometallic and associated with illite and sudoite alteration. Later reactivation of the inherited fracture network (f8) led to strong illitization and bleaching of the host rock, with local reworking of the ore body. Finally, reactivation of the fracture network during f9 and 10 lead to circulation of meteoric fluids that remobilized mineralization in a third stage of uranium re-concentration along redox fronts, with strong illitization and bleaching of the host rock. Unlike the classic unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin where clay alteration halos occur around the ore bodies related to mineralizing processes, in the Contact prospect the strongest clay alteration event (f8) postdates both main stages of mineralization. Along with uranium remobilization, the basement-hosted Contact prospect is likely a relict of what was once a larger deposit.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contact uranium prospect, Kiggavik project, Nunavut (Canada): Tectonic history, structural constraints and timing of mineralization

Grare

Benedicto

Lacombe

et al. 2018

Ore Geology Reviews

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“…temperature environment and open system (Bonnetti et al, 2020;Goswami et al, 2017;Jaireth et al, 2016), which may not be related to the deep hydrothermal fluid (Liu et al, 2017;X. Y. Yang et al, 2009).…”

Section: Uranium Metallogenic Dynamic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These exogenic deposits, occurring in the sedimentary strata and with a lenticular, tabular, and roll morphology (Hall, Mihalasky, Tureck, Hammarstrom, & Hannon, 2017; Hou, Keeling, & Li, 2017; Wulser, Brugger, Foden, & Pfeifer, 2011), formed by the infiltration of uranium‐bearing oxygenated groundwater and the process of reduction to concentrate uranium by various internal and external reducing media. These deposits are widely distributed in Mesozoic–Cenozoic basins throughout the world (F. F. Wang et al, 2017), such as the Wyoming and Colorado basins in United States (Bullock & Parnell, 2017; Hall et al, 2017; Wright, 1955), Ural in Russia (Golubev et al, 2013), Zoovch Ovoo in Mongolia (Rallakis, Michels, Brouand, Parize, & Cathelineau, 2019), the Chu‐Salesu Basin in Central Asia (Lach, Cathelineau, Brouand, & Fiet, 2015), the Callabonna Sub‐Basin in South Australia (Ingham, Cook, Cliff, Ciobanu, & Huddleston, 2014; Jaireth, Roach, Bastrakov, & Liu, 2016), and the Ili Basin in Western China (Dai et al, 2015). By 2019, 1,340 such deposits had been discovered, accounting for 39.6% of all uranium‐deposit types (International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litho‐mineralogy, geochemistry, and chronology for the genesis of the Kamust sandstone‐hosted uranium deposit, Junggar Basin, NW China

et al. 2021

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The Kamust sandstone‐hosted uranium deposit was recently discovered within the Middle Jurassic Toutunhe Formation of the eastern Junggar Basin. In this study, polarizing microscope and scanning electron microscope observation, electron microprobe analysis, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurement were carried out to define the petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of these sandstone‐hosted uranium ores. In addition, sulphur isotope signatures for the associated ore‐stage pyrites and the ore‐forming age were determined. The results show that the mineralized sandstones, which exhibit excellent reducibility with abundant organic matter and pyrites, are characterized by the secondary accumulation of uranium and are slightly enriched in rare earth elements (REE) and light REE (LREE). The uranium deposits are mainly composed of a large amount of uraninite, followed by some coffinites and uranium‐bearing titanium minerals and very few sorptive uranium‐bearing materials. Uranium minerals primarily exist within the interior and edge of clastic particles in colloidal, dispersed, and vein form, and some are closely interweaved with the colloidal and framboidal pyrites and carbonaceous detritus. Both uraninite and coffinite are strongly enriched in REE and LREE, as determined by in situ trace element measurements. Moreover, the δ34S values of the associated ore‐stage pyrites mostly range from −41.66 to −19.33‰, indicating biological origin, and light 32S demonstrates the relatively low‐temperature and open‐system mineralization processes related to the microbial anaerobic action on the organic matter. One of the δ34S values (6.88‰) is possibly caused by Rayleigh isotope fractionation due to the utilization of residual heavy 34S in the relatively later closed‐like mineralization system. The ore‐reforming ages of 27 ± 3.2 Ma, 22.4 ± 3.9 Ma, and 21.3 ± 2.3 Ma were obtained by U–Pb isotopic dating combined with U–Ra balance correction, corresponding to the rapid uplift event caused by the remote effect of the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates at the end of the Palaeogene. In conjunction with the tectonic–sedimentary evolution of the study region, a four‐stage ore‐forming model for the Middle Jurassic Toutunhe Formation is preliminarily constructed: ① Development of ore‐bearing strata, ② initiation of the mineralization stage from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, ③ deep burial by lacustrine and flood mudstone from the Cretaceous to the Palaeogene, and ④ the superimposed ore‐forming stage during the Neogene. These research results provide significant benefits for further uranium prospecting and in situ leach process mining in this basin.

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“…Granular uraninite occurs in magmatic-type uranium deposits, Na-metasomatic type uranium deposits, unconformity-related uranium deposits, and granite-type uranium deposits, but the crystal grains are small [1][2][3][4]. Although basin-related uranium deposits are the main source of uranium ore around the world [5], some of the uranium deposits that have close spatial relationships with migmatites are also important sources of uranium ore. Some of the uranium deposits in the Central Ukrainian Uranium Province are hosted in migmatite or the rock surrounding the deposit is migmatite.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-Situ LA-ICP-MS Uraninite U–Pb Dating and Genesis of the Datian Migmatite-Hosted Uranium Deposit, South China

et al. 2021

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The Datian uranium deposit is a migmatite-hosted, high temperature, hydrothermal deposit in the Kangdian region. Detailed information on the chemical composition and formation age of the uraninite remains lacking, which impedes our understanding of uraninite genesis. Two phases of uraninite have been identified according to their relationships with other minerals and their field relationships. The phase 1 (Ur1) uraninite is characterized by local development of microfractures and pores in the crystal of uraninite, a scattered distribution, and irregular crystal shapes, and it is associated with ilmenite, biotite, and rare earth element (REE) minerals (monazite and xenotime). The phase 2 uraninite (Ur2) has anhedral crystal shapes with well-developed microfractures and pores and is associated with pyrite, albite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite, zircon, and chlorite. X-ray element mapping revealed that the distributions of U, Th, and Pb in the Ur1 uraninite are homogeneous, whereas those in the Ur2 uraninite are heterogeneous. The results of the electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) show that the UO2 and PbO contents of the Ur1 and Ur2 uraninite do not vary significantly. The high ThO2 contents of the Ur1 (1.08–1.68 wt %) and Ur2 uraninite (3.41–4.83 wt %) indicate that they formed at different temperatures. The laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis results show that the ∑REE of the Ur1 uraninite (3747.5–7032.3 ppm) is lower than that of the Ur2 uraninite (8369.2–11,484.3 ppm), and the REE patterns of the Ur1 and Ur2 uraninite are sickle-shaped with large negative Eu anomalies. The LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating results revealed that the ages of the Ur1 (841.4 ± 4.0 Ma) and Ur2 (834.5 ± 4.1 Ma–837.2 ± 4.5 Ma) uraninite are in consistent with that of the migmatite. Thus, the Datian uranium deposit underwent at least two hydrothermal events, and the uraninite was formed due to the migmatization.

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Basin-related uranium mineral systems in Australia: A review of critical features

Cited by 49 publications

References 95 publications

The Contact uranium prospect, Kiggavik project, Nunavut (Canada): Tectonic history, structural constraints and timing of mineralization

The Contact uranium prospect, Kiggavik project, Nunavut (Canada): Tectonic history, structural constraints and timing of mineralization

Litho‐mineralogy, geochemistry, and chronology for the genesis of the Kamust sandstone‐hosted uranium deposit, Junggar Basin, NW China

In-Situ LA-ICP-MS Uraninite U–Pb Dating and Genesis of the Datian Migmatite-Hosted Uranium Deposit, South China

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