A range of other uranium minerals can be found in various deposits. The primary uranium ore mineral is uraninite uo 2 previously known as pitchblende. Where the bedrock contains high levels of uranium the calcrete is locally uraniferous and may constitute a. The central namib plains in the erongo region of namibia and the deserts and xeric shrublands biome. Calcrete uranium deposits have not been previously reported in the united states. Uranium mineralization in central jordan resulted from the interplay of tectonic, climatic, hydrologic, and depositional events. It can be found almost everywhere in rock, soil, rivers, and oceans. Ring australia development of the falea polymetallic uranium project download presentation. Natural organic matter and its implications in uranium. Uranium is one of the more common elements in the earths crust, being 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. In western australia, extensive surface or near surface.
Uranium is one of the more common elements in the earths crust, some 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. Uranium mineralization and granite magmatism in the. Uranium deposits in calcrete are the largest of the surficial deposits. Calcretehosted surficial uranium systems in western. The discovery and character of pleistocene calcrete uranium. Aug 23, 20 these impurities create the reducing environment with the circulating uranium rich fluids, to form the uranium ore bodies. The site is approximately 80km south of francistown near the town of serule, and is adjacent to the main highway and railway, linking gaborone and francistown.
But few people have studied the relationship between uranium mineralization and organic matter of carbonanceoussiliceouspelitic rock type uranium deposit. Read mineralogy and origin of surficial uranium deposits hosted in travertine and calcrete from central jordan, applied geochemistry on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. Blaze is confident about the potential of their yeelirrie tenements to host calcrete uranium mineralization. Potential uranium mineralization similar to that of block a has been identified in mkuju and madaba areas figure 1 of southern tanzania kilimanjaro mining company, 2008.
Carnotite mineralization resides mostly in sands and sandy clays as finely disseminated particles and blobs up to 5cm long. The uranium content of whole rock samples, analysed by the delayed neutron. Mineralogy and origin of surficial uranium deposits hosted in. Uranium mineralization is associated with calcretization of valleyfill fluvial sediments in an extensive tertiary palaeochannel drainage system.
Hauck abstract primary uranium deposits formed by granitic magmas can be classified on two bases. Pxp reports its completion at the marble ridge zone of calcretehosted uranium mineralization on the dome property, namibia. The west texas uranium deposits share characteristics with some calcrete uranium deposits in western australiauraniumvanadium minerals. Mineralogy and origin of surficial uranium deposits hosted. The discovery and character of pleistocene calcrete. Modes of occurrence and distribution as schematically depicted in figure 2a, laminar calcrete normally forms the uppermost calcrete horizon in the drainage system with breccia calcrete underlying it on. These sediments, also known as the langer heinrich. An introduction to uranium deposits geology for investors. Leaching behaviour and the solution consumption of uranium.
A listing of the recognized types of uranium mineralization shows nineteen determinable types out of. Inhomogeneous unusual surface uranium mineralization hosted by chalk marltravertine and calcretetop soil covers large areas in central jordan. The worldwide production of uranium in 2015 amounted to 60,496 tonnes. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. Sandstone uranium deposits are generally of two types. Uranium and vanadium mineral ores are located within one meter from the surface. But different kinds of organic matter are not of equal importance in the geochemistry of uranium. The napperby project in australia uranium mining srk. Geochemical examination of surficial soil overlying. Laguna sirven project is a calcretetype of uranium deposit, where mineralization occurs within sandy material and unconsolidated gravels. Assessment results for identified and undiscovered uranium resources in calcrete uranium deposits within the southern high plains region of the united states.
Mineralization in calcrete calcium and magnesium carbonates are the largest of. Geological survey estimates a mean of 40 million pounds of inplace uranium oxide remaining as potential undiscovered resources in the southern high plains region of texas, new mexico, and oklahoma. The discovery of a major uranium deposit in the calcretes of western australia. The 373 deposit,as a typical carbonanceoussiliceouspelitic rock type uranium deposit,is rich in organic matter and pyrite. There are several themes of uranium ore deposit formation, which are caused by geological. Paleovalleyrelated uranium deposits in australia and. This estimate used a geologybased assessment method specific to. Nearsurface uranium deposits offer best economics for. Argentina has the most advanced nuclear energy industry in. Beneficiation upgrades and rapid leaching a new paradigm. Calcrete deposits represent 5% of australias total reserves and resources of uranium. To fuel its growing nuclear industry and push toward clean energy, argentina is open to the development of nearsurface uranium deposits.
Prospectivity map for calcrete uranium mineral systems in the paterson area. Uranium deposits uranium is a very dense metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated energy. Assessment results for identified and undiscovered uranium resources in calcrete uranium deposits within the southern high plains region of. International symposium on uranium raw material for the nuclear fuel cycle. Uranium is so intimately associated with carbonaceous matter in marine black shales and some sands tonetype uranium deposits that it is said to be fixed by organic matter. Paleovalleyrelated uranium deposits in australia and china. Calcrete hosted surficial uranium deposits are typically low to very lowgrade range 0. The above model of calcretehosted deposits shows that their formation is closely related to the evolution of the drainage system. Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within the. Varieties of granitic uranium deposits and favorable exploration areas in the eastern united states john j. Ppt uranium deposits powerpoint presentation free to. Uranium mineralisation is in fine grained surficial sand and clay, cemented by calcium and magnesium carbonates. International symposium on uranium raw material for the. The calcrete is a surficial limestone formed by nearsurface.
Nonpedogenic calcretes are known to host many large uranium deposits such as langer heinrich in namibia and yeelirrie and lake maitland in western australia. Kyser, mineralogical association of canada, society for geology applied to mineral deposits. The secondary surficial uranium minerals are known only in calcrete and form uranium rich ores by evapotranspiration in fluviatile to playa systems in a semiarid to arid climate. Vangosen2 1 us geological survey energy resources program, us geological survey, box 25046, m. Pxp reports its completion at the marble ridge zone of calcrete hosted uranium mineralization on the dome property, namibia. Adequate services, expertise and modern technologies are needed to ensure a sustainable supply of uranium raw materials to fuel both operating and future nuclear power reactors. It occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4. In block b, calcrete hosted uranium mineralization was identified which include manyoni deposit present study. A supergene origin for veintype uranium ores in the light of the. The relationships between uranium mineralization and organic. A listing of the recognized types of uranium mineralization shows nineteen determinable types out of which only six can be classified as of economic significance at present.
Usgs estimates 40 million pounds of potential uranium. Beneficiation upgrades and rapid leaching download presentation. Assuming that waters from fertile uraniferous sources are flowing through the calcrete gypsite sediments. Pdf exploring for calcretehosted uranium deposits in the.
The mineralization occurs within a 20km paleochannel, trending approximately eastnortheast. The blaze yeelirrie tenements contain extensions and palaeo catchment drainage areas from the worlds largest calcrete hosted uranium deposit wned by bhp billiton bhpb. Pdf uranium mineralization and granite magmatism in the. Geological survey estimates a mean of 40 million pounds of in place uranium oxide u3o8 remaining as potential undiscovered resources in the southern high plains region of texas, new mexico, and oklahoma. Uranium deposits in sedimentary rocks include those in sandstone in canada and the western us, precambrian unconformities in canada, phosphate, precambrian quartzpebble conglomerate, collapse breccia pipes see arizona breccia pipe uranium mineralization, and calcrete. Assessment of undiscovered resources in calcrete uranium. A series of uranium deposits formed through redox processes. This sample came from near the sulfur springs draw in texas. In 2008, acap resources ltd appointed srk to undertake a scoping study of their letlhakane uranium project located in eastcentral botswana. The relationships between uranium mineralization and. Geological survey estimates a mean of 40 million pounds of inplace uranium oxide u3o8 remaining as potential undiscovered resources in the southern high plains region of texas, new mexico, and oklahoma. Carnotite mineralization of the calcrete profiles is probably not contemporaneous with calcretization.
Usgs conducted an assessment of uranium resources in this region in 2015. The nature and origin of organic matter in uranium deposits and its role in the transport and concentration of uranium. Important notes and conditions this program is for the personal use of fulltime. Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within the earths crust. Uranium mineralization and granite magmatism in the british isles. Quarries and trenches with bituminous marl, varicolored marble, travertine and caliche were sampled to understand the geochemistry of the uranium deposits. Factors which favour uranium mineralisation include the presence of. The west texas uranium deposits share characteristics with some calcrete uranium deposits in western australia uranium vanadium minerals.
This report describes the discovery and geology of two nearsurface uranium deposits within calcareous lacustrine strata of pleistocene age in west texas, united states. The napperby uranium project is located 175km northwest of alice springs in the northern territory of australia. The economic calcretetype uranium deposits occur typically in australia, namibia, south africa. Uranium mineralization associated with granites in the caledonian and hercynian provinces of the british isles is shown to be genetically related to the uranium content and distribution, age, and. Kazakhstan, canada, and australia are the top three producers and together account for 70% of world uranium production. Exploring for calcretehosted uranium deposits in the. Uranium dissolution and transport usually take place under oxidizing conditions as bicarbonate mckay and miezitis, 2001. In column a, after 142 days of leaching the uranium.
At this point the extraction rates were very slow thus leaching was ceased. Uranium mineralization occurs in the form of carnotite, which is a secondary uranium and vanadium mineral and has been precipitated from groundwater. The west texas uranium deposits share characteristics with some calcrete uranium deposits in western australiauraniumvanadium minerals hosted by nonpedogenic calcretes deposited in saline lacustrine environments. Pdf on sep 1, 2011, songfa liu and others published exploring for calcrete hosted uranium deposits in the paterson region, western australia find, read and cite all the research you need on. The main anomalies detected are between 500 and 700 ppm of u 3 o 8 and from 400 to 600 ppm of v 2 o. Varieties of granitic uranium deposits and favorable. All known economically significant uranium deposits related to na metasomatism are about 1. Iaea, 2009, as compared to other uranium deposit types. U 606ppm calcrete langer heinrich na uranium origin of material this material was supplied by paladin energy from their langer heinrich mine, 80km east of swakopmund in namibia. Oligomictic quartz pebble conglomerates, sandstone types, calcretes, intraintrusive types, hydrothermal veins, veinlike types.
Potential of calcretehosted uranium mineral systems in the paterson region. Domestic uranium assessment assessment of undiscovered. Classification and genesis of calcrete and gypsite. Where the bedrock contains high levels of uranium the calcrete is locally uraniferous and may constitute a workable ore, e. Uranium as well as vanadium originates from the proterozoic country rock, the former was most likely sourced from granites, whereas the latter was probably sourced from mafic schists. Pdf exploring for calcretehosted uranium deposits in. Geochemical examination of surficial soil overlying uranium. Beneficiation upgrades and rapid leaching a new paradigm for. Recent and notsorecent developments in uranium deposits and implications for exploration michel cuney, t. Exploring for calcretehosted uranium deposits in the paterson region, western australia. The napperby project in australia the mineralization occurs within a 20km paleochannel, trending approximately eastnortheast.
Results from these deposit types are not discussed in this paper. Recent and notsorecent developments in uranium deposits. However, the high concentration of uranium, thorium and potassium of the background granite which produce hot rock districts may cause redistribution of uranium by hydrothermal mineralization during periods of high average heat flow from the mantle as in the. The daviditebranneriteabsite type uranium titanates, and the euxenitefergusonitesamarskite group are other uranium minerals a large variety of secondary uranium minerals are. Apr 01, 2014 read mineralogy and origin of surficial uranium deposits hosted in travertine and calcrete from central jordan, applied geochemistry on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. Modes of occurrence and distribution as schematically depicted in figure 2a, laminar calcrete normally forms the uppermost calcrete horizon in the drainage system with breccia calcrete underlying it on topographic highs. Close relationships exist between organic matter and uranium mineralization in a lot of uranium deposits. Effective regulation, sound environmental management, training and education are required to minimize the impact of uranium mining and production and to contribute to public acceptance of the global nuclear industry in. Litvinenko russian federation improvement of the technology of treatment of uranium ores from the streltsovsky group of deposits.
In the mid1970s, kerrmcgee corporation conducted a regional uranium exploration program in the southern high plains province of. Recent and notsorecent developments in uranium deposits and. Uranium mineralization, in the form of uraninite, coffinite and sometimes brannerite, forms along changes in the sandstone chemistry these deposits only occur in rocks that are around 400 million years old. These include carnotite, tyuyamunite, torbernite and autunite. Exploration, mining, production, supply and demand, economics and environmental issues reguibat surface uranium project, mauritania beneficiation upgrades and rapid leaching a new paradigm for calcrete uranium projects. The yeelirrie calcrete uranium deposit western australia. The uranium occurs in a type of rock formation called calcrete, which has been welldocumented in noted uraniumproducing countries like australia and namibia. Pitchstone completes namibia uranium drilling program inn. This estimate used a geologybased assessment method specific to calcrete uranium deposits. Surficial uranium deposits are hosted in thick travertine and calcrete. Calcrete is a comprehensive suite of 16 computer aided elearning modules on concrete materials, design and construction, containing essential material and information for all construction professionals from architects to site engineers latest build.
The results of the geochemical modeling and key mineralization processes and controls on calcrete uranium deposits are discussed in section 5. Finally, a matrix summarizing the processes, exploration criteria and spatial proxies for targeting calcrete uranium deposits is presented in section 6. Surficial deposits comprise about 4% of world uranium resources. Evolution of uranium fractionation processes through time. Calcrete type calcium and magnesium carbonates are the largest subtype of surficial deposits, and usually form in regions where deeply weathered, uranium rich granites or sandstones as well as.
1216 1550 58 1275 287 473 1326 1606 535 1538 747 229 694 589 484 1148 898 32 490 1235 81 1364 621 769 1043 1262 1492 1084 307 375 838 1054 238 1579 565 294 1333 958 64 663 614 976 63 1014