Uranium Exploration Potential, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada
•Download as PPT, PDF•
2 likes•1,267 views
The document discusses uranium exploration potential in the Athabasca Basin region of Saskatchewan, Canada. It outlines the geological setting, distribution of unconformity-type uranium deposits, genetic models and variants, exploration criteria at regional to local scales, exploration methods, deposit resources and grades, supply and demand factors, and exploration cycles. The region is a globally significant producer of high-grade unconformity-associated uranium deposits located at the unconformity between the Athabasca sandstone and underlying basement rocks.
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (7)
Similar to Uranium Exploration Potential, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada
Similar to Uranium Exploration Potential, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Uranium Exploration Potential, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada
- 1. Uranium Exploration Potential Athabasca Basin Saskatchewan, Canada
- 2. Presentation Outline • Geological Setting • Distribution of Unconformity-Type Deposits • Genetic Model and Variants • Uranium Exploration Criteria – Regional and District Scale – Local Scale • Uranium Exploration Methods – Summary • Uranium Deposit Resources and Grade • Uranium Supply/Demand • Uranium Exploration Cycles
- 3. Modified after Jefferson et al., 2007
- 4. After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 5. Athabasca Basin, Major Uranium Deposits 50 Km
- 6. Genetic Model for Athabasca Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Genetic Model: Diagenetic-Hydrothermal Oxidized, mineralized basinal fluids interact with graphitic metapelites resulting in reduction of uranium After Alexandre et al., 2005
- 7. Athabasca Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposit Model Variants Athabasca/Unconformity Hosted Basement/Unconformity Hosted Athabasca/Unconformity Basement Hosted Athabasca End Member Basement End-Member Athabasca/Basement Combined After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 8. Athabasca Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposit Model Variants Athabasca End Member Basement End-Member After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 9. Example of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposit Geometry McClean Lake North Pod 1 (Plan and 3D Views) (After Wallis, 1985)
- 10. Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Regional and District Scale Attributes • Athabasca Sandstone: Fluviatile Red Beds; Uranium Depleted • Unconformity: Athabasca Sandstone/Basement • Paleo-Regolith: Archean and Proterozoic Basement • Uranium-Rich Basement Complex: U-enriched Granite and Pegmatite • Ductile Deformation: Basement Zones of Weakness • Reactivated Regional Faults: Virgin River, Cable Bay, Black Bay • Graphitic Metapelite Gneiss: Zones of Weakness; Provides Reductant • Archean Granitoids: Spatial Association with some Uranium Deposits • Domain Boundary Transition: Wollaston-Mudjatic; Mudjatic-Virgin River • Regional Alteration Corridors: Illite-Chlorite-Dravite Corridor East Athabasca
- 11. Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 12. Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 13. Mudjatic Domain Wollaston-Mudjatic Transition Zone Wollaston Domain 50 Km Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Regional and District Scale
- 14. Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Regional and District Scale After Jefferson et al., 2007
- 15. Correlation between Uranium Deposits, EM Conductors, Magnetic Intensity, and DDH Locations CAMECO AREVA UEX DENISON FORUM 50 Km
- 16. Significant Exploration Characteristics of Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Local Scale Attributes • Athabasca/Unconformity Ore: Polymetallic (Complex Mineralogy) • Unconformity Basement Ore: Monometallic (Simple Mineralogy) • Brittle Structures: Faults, Fractures, Breccia • Deposit Morphology: Athabasca – Flattened, elongate, linear pods/bodies • Deposit Morphology: Basement – Shear-bounded ore lenses • Alteration: Athabasca – Illite-Kaolinite-Chlorite envelope/chimney • Alteration: Athabasca – High K2O / Al2O3 • Alteration: Basement – Illite-Sudoite-Fe Mg Chlorite envelope • Alteration: Paleoregolith – Bleaching (Illite) overprint of Hematite-Chlorite • Quartz Dissolution: Volume reduction, collapse of Athabasca Group strata • Late Silicification: Formation of drusy quartz along fractures • Perched Uranium Zones: Fracture/Fault controlled; above deposit
- 17. K2O / Al2O3 Ratios for Midwest Lake (After Sopuck, 1980; Abrahim, 1985) Example of Alteration ‘Chimney’ above ‘egress’ style deposits (Cigar Lake, Midwest Lake, McClean Lake) (Modified after Jefferson et al. 2007)
- 18. Example of Unconformity Uranium Deposit: Sue C From: Purepoint Uranium 2013 Corporate Presentation
- 21. Athabasca Unconformity-Type Uranium Deposits Geophysical and Geochemical Methods Modified after Jefferson, 2007; Fogwill, 1985
- 22. Trace and REE Elements in Athabasca Sandstone, Phoenix Deposit, Zone A and B
- 24. Uranium Deposit Mineral Resource 133 123 106 105 88 70 61 60 58 56 41 41 30 29 18 17 16 14 14 13 12 12 11 6 6 5 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 McArthurRiver CigarLake EaglePoint Deilman-KeyLake PattersonLake* Millenium SheaCreek Phoenix Centennial* Gaertner-KeyLake RoughriderW/E Midwest CollinsBayB RabbitLake DawnLake SueC Tamarack CollinsBayA Horseshoe Dominique-Peter D-JSouthandWest JZone CluffLakeD McClean Raven CollinsBayD Claude JEB CluffLakeN SueA SueB MauriceBay Dominique-Janine WestBear Fond-du-Lac CluffLakeOP MMLbsU3O8 342 589 Athabasca Unconformity Uranium Deposit Mineral Resources
- 27. Source: Cameco/UxC/Historical Uranium Spot and Long-Term Price Trend $0.00 $20.00 $40.00 $60.00 $80.00 $100.00 $120.00 $140.00 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Year $US/lbU3O8 Spot Long-Term GlobalRecession FukushimaDisaster
- 28. U3O8 Resource 58.30 530.00 983.00 105.98 293.97 118.39 5 16 7 2 4 2 0.00 200.00 400.00 600.00 800.00 1000.00 1200.00 1960-1970 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2014 Date Range MMlbsU3O8 MM Lbs U3O8 # Deposits RabbitLake,CluffLake KeyLake,McCleanLake MidwestLake,EaglePoint CigarLake,McArthurRiver SheaCreek,Tamarack Phoenix,Roughrider,Millennium PattersonLake,J-Zone Date Range MM Lbs U3O8 # Deposits Major Uranium Discoveries 1960-1970 58.30 5 Rabbit Lake, Cluff Lake 1970-1980 530.00 16 Key Lake, McClean Lake, Midwest Lake, Eagle Point 1980-1990 983.00 7 Cigar Lake, McArthur River, Sue, JEB 1990-2000 105.98 2 Shea Creek, Tamarack 2000-2010 293.97 4 Phoenix, Roughrider, Millenium, Centennial 2010-2014 118.39 2 Patterson Lake, J-Zone
- 29. Economic Uranium Deposit Discoveries in the Athabasca Basin referenced to the Spot Uranium Price and Exploration Expenditures
- 30. Beaverlodge Deposit Model (Classical Vein-Type Uranium) Elliot Lake Deposit Model (Placer Uranium) Unconformity Deposit Model (Diagenetic-Hydrothermal Uranium) New Deposit Model (Unconformity Variants?) 1950 1960 1970 2010 Selective History of Paradigm Shifts in Uranium Exploration Process (Modified after Marlatt and Kyser, 2011) Prospector Driven Exploration Research/Model/Technology Driven Exploration 1980 1990 2000
- 31. Athabasca Basin Uranium Exploration ‘Learning Curve’ (after Marlatt and Kyser, 2011) 300 m 600 m >900 m
- 32. From: Fission Uranium Presentation 2014
- 33. Contact Information Delio Tortosa, P.Eng., M.Sc. Geological Consultant Tel: 705 946-1040 Cell: 705 971-4768 Email: dtortosa@vianet.ca