The Sandstone-Hosted Beverley Uranium Deposit, Lake Frome Basin, South Australia: Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and a Time-Constrained Model for Its Genesis

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

“…The grains were inhomogeneous and porous and the LA-ICPMS analysis showed the presence of high proportions of common lead, indicating that the grains were open to lead loss since their formation. Three intersepts on the concordia plot of Wulser et al (2011) gave sub-concordant to concordant apparent ages between 6.7 Ma and 0.4 Ma. Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating by LA-ICPMS of carnotite disseminated in the Beverley Sands (upper mineralisation zone), and also filling cracks within kaolinite and alunite in the Beverley Clay unit, gave concordant to sub-concordant ages between 5.5 Ma and 3.4 Ma .…”

“…Wulser et al (2011) dated coffinite grains at the Beverley deposit. The grains were inhomogeneous and porous and the LA-ICPMS analysis showed the presence of high proportions of common lead, indicating that the grains were open to lead loss since their formation.…”

“…Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating by LA-ICPMS of carnotite disseminated in the Beverley Sands (upper mineralisation zone), and also filling cracks within kaolinite and alunite in the Beverley Clay unit, gave concordant to sub-concordant ages between 5.5 Ma and 3.4 Ma . The age data were interpreted to suggest that uranium mineralisation (coffinite and latestage carnotite) at Beverley is of Pliocene age (6.7 Ma-3.4 Ma; Wulser et al, 2011).…”

The Nuheting deposit, Erlian Basin, NE China: Synsedimentary to diagenetic uranium mineralization

“…However, no roll front-type U mineralization was identified in the area. We may also compare the Nuheting deposit with the tabular-shaped and sandstone-hosted Beverley uranium deposit, located in the Frome Embayment in South Australia (Wulser et al, 2011). The Beverley deposit is hosted within Miocene sediments of the Namba Formation that were deposited in lacustrine environment.…”

“…The Beverley deposit is hosted within Miocene sediments of the Namba Formation that were deposited in lacustrine environment. At Beverley, a significant difference with Nuheting is that primary U source (e.g., the Mt Painter Inlier; Wulser et al, 2011) was buried at the time of sedimentation. Therefore, very limited uranium was available in the basin during syngenetic/diagenetic processes, although traps such as S-reducersbearing aquifers and organic matter-rich facies were present.…”