| Abstract: | A fossil wood cell texture with pitchblende and coffinite found at a sandstone-hosted roll-type uranium deposit, Xinjiang, NW China, is first reported here for the country. In the mineralized sandstone, detrital grains consisting of quartz, feldspar, rock fragments, carbonaceous trashes, mica and accessory minerals were deposited in early Turassic time and were cemented by clays and minor authigenic calcite and quartz. Pitchblende and minor coffinite are principal ore minerals at the deposit, and selectively replaced carbonized fossil wood remnants or filled fossil wood cells. An excellent fossil wood cell texture with primary uranium minerals formed. Replacement of organic debris by primary uranium minerals may be due to a local reducing environment resulting from the production of CH4, H2S or H2SO3 in its decomposition, and a biochemical reaction indicated by the common presence of framboidal pyrite. |
