Near-surface lithogeochemical halo as an aid to discovery of deeply buried unconformity-type uranium deposits, Athabasca Basin, Canada |
| |
| Authors: | Lloyd A Clark |
| |
| Abstract: | Unconformity-type U deposits are being found to depths of more than 400 m where graphitic rocks underlie the Proterozoic sandstone unconformity. Exploration to date involves drilling weak electromagnetic conductors that reflect the graphitic basement. The deposits are believed to have formed through circulation of heated formation waters which discharged essentially vertically above the deposits. Geochemically detectable zones of alteration are reported for cross-sections through the Deilmann, Midwest, and McClean deposits. Information on the areal dimensions of near-surface haloes was required to justify the drilling of grids of shallow holes along conductors or favourable structures as a cost-effective exploration alternative to deep holes, and to define grid spacings.Orientation surveys were undertaken by sampling the uppermost 10 m of sandstone in a selection of holes from the Cigar Lake, Dawn Lake, and Wolf Lake areas where the deposits are, respectively, 400–430 m, 100–160 m, and 180–210 m below surface. The first two deposits have published reserves of 385 and 30–40 million pounds U3O8, respectively, while Wolf Lake is much smaller.Well-developed anomalies lie vertically above the richest portion of the Cigar Lake deposit in an area 150 × 600 m and a weak anomaly in many elements continues over the 1800-m length that was sampled. Total and leachable U are 13 to 8 times background with maximum values of 53 and 26 ppm, respectively. Anomalies of 14 to 8 times background are also present for V, Na2O and Zn, and 5 to 3 times background for Sr, Y, Pb, Th, As, and P.Of the four Dawn Lake mineralized zones, only the 11B Zone was studied, with partial coverage of the 11A Zone. Anomalies 50–100 m by 250–600 m in size are often displaced up to 100 m northeast of the 11B Zone. B, MgO, Pb and both total and leachable U anomalies are 16 to 8 times background with Y, V and As 7 to 5 times background.By contrast, at the Wolf Lake deposit, only irregular variations occur for most of these elements. The unusual patterns may reflect post-alteration tectonism of the sandstone overlying the deposit as regional thrust faulting occurs nearby.Detection of near-surface lithogeochemical haloes using grids of shallow holes would facilitate discovery of deep deposits and reduce expensive, deep drilling. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
