Molybdenum-uranium-vanadium geochemistry in the lower Paleozoic Alum Shale of Scandinavia: Implications for vanadium exploration

The lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation in the Sichuan Basin of the Yangtze Platform is one of the most proliferous petroleum sources. However, the basin-wide lower Cambrian (Qiongzhusi) environmental variation in the Sichuan Basin remains unclear, which could have impeded the unlocking of promising areas of organic matter accumulation. This paper presents the first detailed inorganic geochemical investigation of the lower Cambrian environmental reconstruction in the Sichuan Basin. The results of principal component analysis show that the lower Qiongzhusi succession (LQS) is enriched in carbonate-associated elements and rare earth elements (REE), whereas the middle–upper Qiongzhusi successions (MQS–UQS) are enriched in elements affiliated with aluminosilicates (e.g., Al and Ti). The conservative metal associations suggest that the provenance of the sediments was intermediate-felsic igneous rocks and the tectonic setting was a continental island arc. The combination of Sr/Ba and S/TOC values indicates that it was formed under brackish to normal marine conditions. In contrast to the middle Qiongzhusi succession, the lower and upper Qiongzhusi successions had elevated biological productivity (increased Cu/Al), low detrital inputs (decreased Ti/Al), low sedimentation rate (decreased Th/U), and reducing conditions. These attributes probably resulted in higher organic matter productivity and preservation. Temporally, the northern part of this basin had higher organic matter contents and was deposited under more reducing conditions, with a lower sedimentation rate of terrigenous materials.

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“…The PCA method was conducted through the program Past 3.26b . The detailed analytical procedures refer to Bian et al…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Organic Matter Accumulation of the Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, South China

Bian

Schovsbo

Chappaz

et al. 2022

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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“…Bian et al, 2021). An empirical diagram of V versus TOC concentrations (Figure 5b; Bian et al, 2021) was used for the Bakken Formation black shales (Sahoo et al, 2023;Scott et al, 2017) to test the mechanisms for the hyper-enrichment of V. Most of the Bakken Formation black shales including from cores B832 and D306 are distributed in areas III and IV which are related to the effect of organic matter, though a small portion of V with high concentrations caused by fine clay mineral adsorption can be observed (Figure 5b). These observations indicate that, regardless of redox (euxinic) conditions, the complexation of reduced V(IV) by organic matter and/or clay Note: MoEF, UEF and VEF were calculated according to the PAAS values (Taylor & McLennan, 1985).…”

Section: Mechanisms For Seawater Vanadium Accumulation In the Bakken ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coloured diamonds that indicate different cores are consistent with the coloured circles shown in Figure1a. [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] Cross-plots of (a) V EF versus Mo EF and (b) V versus TOC (afterBian et al, 2021) for the V hyper-enriched Bakken Formation black shales. In (b) areas I and II demonstrate that V accumulation is primarily linked to clay mineral adsorption, while areas III and IV indicate that V accumulation is mainly associated with organic matter complexation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Refining vanadium hyper‐enrichment in black shales of the Late Devonian–Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (USA)

Wang

2024

Terra Nova

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Vanadium hyper‐enrichment (V ≥ 500 μg g−1) is widespread in ancient marine organic‐rich sedimentary rocks and is controlled by its source and accumulation. To understand how V source and accumulation control V hyper‐enrichment, the V hyper‐enriched organic‐rich black shales of the Late Devonian–Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (USA) were investigated here. The results imply that V in the Bakken Formation black shales is mainly derived from detritus and open ocean. Its hyper‐enrichment was always related to the complexation of V(IV) species by organic matter and/or fine clay mineral adsorption, though extremely reducing (i.e. euxinic) depositional conditions sometimes assisted in accumulating V through forming V(IV)–sulphur structure and/or V(III). Vanadium is a frequently used seawater redox indicator, but its hyper‐enrichment in marine sediments/sedimentary rocks does not always need to be redox driven. This study, thus, reminds us to be more careful when reconstructing palaeoceanographic redox states using V‐involved proxies.

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“…Related, yet far less common, polymetallic (Ni-Mo-enriched) horizons are devoid of any signature of terrestrial input and appear to be constrained to iron-deficient euxinic conditions (Xu and Mao 2021). A recent study of the Alum Shale in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Estonia suggests that vanadium hyper-enrichment during the Lower Ordovician resulted from the upwelling of deep oceanic water (Bian et al 2021). These examples, together with many other studies, clearly indicate that while there are fundamental similarities in the depositional environments, there may be more than one way to reach a favourable depositional environment for the formation of hyper-vanadium-enriched black shales.…”

Section: Main Vanadium-bearing Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examples of black shales considered as potential sources of recoverable vanadium include the Woodruff Formation (Nevada, U.S.A; notably the Gibellini project; Hanson et al 2018), the Alum Shale (southern Sweden, particularly the Scania area; Bian et al 2021), the Devonian Shangling deposit (Guangxi Province, China; Zhang et al 2015), the Baiguoyuan Ag-V deposit (Hubei Province, China; Yi et al 2017), and other mineralised lower Cambrian black shale horizons in South China (Lehmann et al 2016; Shi et al 2021; Xu and Mao 2021). The late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken black shales in the Williston Basin of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are enriched in vanadium and zinc (Scott et al 2017) and may also contain stratigraphic intervals of interest as a potential source of vanadium.…”

Section: Main Vanadium-bearing Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vanadium as a critical material: economic geology with emphasis on market and the main deposit types

Simandl

Paradis

2022

Applied Earth Science

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Vanadium is currently considered a critical material in the European Union, the U.S.A., and other jurisdictions. The vanadium mine production for 2021 is estimated at more than 120 000 tonnes; however, the market base is expected to grow rapidly due to the increase in the use of vanadium for redox flow batteries. Currently, world-wide, many projects are in the advanced stages of exploration and development. In the longer term, should vanadium cease to be a critical material and the law of supply and demand applies, the marginal mines will be decommissioned, and the best deposits will remain economic. Depending on the prevailing regulations in specific jurisdictions, geological settings, and the most up-todate metallurgical research results, the main vanadium deposit types that could be considered as potential exploration and development targets are the vanadiferous titanomagnetite deposits, sandstone-hosted uranium-vanadium deposits (Salt Wash category), shale-hosted vanadium deposits, and base metal-related vanadate deposits. However, placer deposits, surficial uranium-vanadium type mineralisation, and the Minas Ragra type patrónite deposits should also be considered.

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Molybdenum-uranium-vanadium geochemistry in the lower Paleozoic Alum Shale of Scandinavia: Implications for vanadium exploration

Cited by 16 publications

References 64 publications

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Organic Matter Accumulation of the Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, South China

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Organic Matter Accumulation of the Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, South China

Refining vanadium hyper‐enrichment in black shales of the Late Devonian–Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (USA)

Vanadium as a critical material: economic geology with emphasis on market and the main deposit types

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