Volcanogenic uranium deposits: Geology, geochemical processes, and criteria for resource assessment

Nash, J. Thomas

doi:10.3133/ofr20101001

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This work is critical when assessing uranium potential in the Cumberland Hill Formation, as similar rocks in the Maritimes Basin have been identified as hosts of economic uranium mineralization (e.g., Dahlkamp 1993;Plant et al 1999;Cuney 2009;Nash 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry of Carboniferous peralkaline felsic volcanic rocks, central New Brunswick, Canada: examination of uranium potential

Gray¹,

Dostál²,

McLeod

et al. 2010

atgeol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Felsic volcanic rocks from the ca. 335 Ma Cumberland Hill Formation of southern New Brunswick consist of peralkaline rhyolite and trachyte. These rocks are interpreted to have undergone extensive fractional crystallization from an alkali basaltic magma, although their different geochemical signatures indicate that the rhyolite was not derived from the trachyte via continuous fractional crystallization. The rhyolite is highly enriched in incompatible trace elements including uranium (up to ca. 20 ppm). Cumberland Hill peralkaline rhyolite suggests that a potentially economic source of uranium exists in the basin, based on the elevated uranium concentrations and high potential for remobilization into surrounding sedimentary units. RÉSUMÉLes roches volcaniques felsiques de la Formation de Cumberland Hill, au sud du Nouveau-Brunswick, dont l'origine remonte à quelque 335 Ma se composent de rhyolite et de trachyte hyperalcalines. On estime que ces roches ont subi une cristallisation fractionnée intense à partir d'un magma de basalte alcalin, même si leurs diverses signatures géochimiques indiquent que la rhyolite n'est pas issue de la trachyte par un processus permanent de cristallisation fractionnée. La rhyolite est fortement enrichie d'éléments traces incompatibles, au nombre duquel se trouve de l'uranium (concentration qui peut atteindre environ 20 ppm). Si l'on se fie aux fortes concentrations d'uranium et à la grande possibilité de remobilisation dans les unités sédimentaires environnantes, la présence de la rhyolite hyperalcaline dans la Formation de Cumberland Hill porte à croire que le bassin pourrait contenir une source d'uranium vraisemblablement rentable. [Traduit par la redaction]

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry of Carboniferous peralkaline felsic volcanic rocks, central New Brunswick, Canada: examination of uranium potential

Gray¹,

Dostál²,

McLeod

et al. 2010

atgeol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rocks of the Kurišková U-Mo deposit show Th/U ratio << 1, i.e. significantly lower than the average Th/U of 2-3 for rhyolite rocks (Nash 2010). Other geochemical data show strong correlation between U, P and Pb (r > 0.9), but only a weak one with Mo (r ≤ 0.6).…”

Section: The U-mo Mineralizationmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Felsic volcanic rocks have long been considered to be primary source of uranium for many types of mineralization but volcanogenic U deposits s. s. do not generally belong to significant resources (Nash 2010). For purposes of exploration and resource assessment there have been designed various classifications or models of U deposits, focused on geological setting and ore characteristics, and/or additional factors such as volcanic environment, sedimentary relations, hydrothermal and tectonic activity, ore-forming uranium and related aqueous solutions, conditions of uranium mobilization, transport, redeposition and repetitive redistribution (Goodell 1981;Dahlkamp 1993Dahlkamp , 2009Dahlkamp , 2010Cuney and Kyser 2009).…”

Section: Genetic Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geology and Re-Os molybdenite geochronology of the Kurišková U-Mo deposit (Western Carpathians, Slovakia)

Kohút¹,

Trubač²,

Novotný³

et al. 2013

J. Geosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Kurišková U-Mo deposit from the Gemeric Unit of the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) is an example of polygenic deposit whose origin involved several events: endogenous, related to magmatism/volcanism, and exogenous, associated with precipitation from meteoric hydrothermal fluids in repeated tectonically-driven (fold & thrust and shear zones) channel ways penetrating the Permian Huta volcano-sedimentary complex. Sources of the U-Mo mineralization were multiple: (a) molybdenite was derived directly from juvenile hydrothermal fluids related to igneous activity, (b) the U mineralization formed from meteoric fluids circulating through altered and metamorphosed basaltic and rhyolitic volcanics intercalated by clastic sediments (sandstones and mudrocks), which interacted in an arid to humid climate with organic and carbonate substances within Permian basin. The principal ore-forming minerals are uraninite, coffinite, molybdenite and apatite with rare orthobrannerite and powellite. Two basic mineralization forms are present: (a) tabular -"stratiform like" and (b) stockwork intraformational and/or dislocation stockworks in shear zones. The Re-Os molybdenite dating confirmed crystallization from igneous source in Late Permian (Lopingian; 257.2 ± 3.0 Ma to 255.6 ± 3.7 Ma) for massive vein mineralization, whereas the superimposed U remobilization within shear zones occurred in the Triassic/Jurassic period. The Kurišková U-Mo deposit represents a polygenic endo/exogenous hydrothermal deposit of the Permian/Paleo-Alpine age, with metals sourced in Permian volcanosedimentary rocks that were leached by shear zone-related meteoric fluids.

show abstract

“…Accordingly, formation of ore is attributed to chemical reduction. Proposed reductants include reduced sulfur species (H 2 S, thiosulfate, and other polythionates) (Nash, 2010) and ferrous iron in wall-rock minerals. Carbonaceous matter in lacustrine sediments and some volcaniclastic rocks likely contributed to reduced sulfur forms in those rocks by local low-temperature bacterial sulfate reduction.…”

Section: Mineralizing Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Volcanism is a major contributor to the formation of important uranium deposits both close to centers of eruption and more distal as a result of deposition of ash with leachable uranium (Nash, 2010). Hydrothermal fluids that are driven by magmatic heat proximal to some volcanic centers directly form some deposits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deposit model for volcanogenic uranium deposits

Breit¹,

Hall²

2011

Open-File Report

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Volcanogenic uranium deposits: Geology, geochemical processes, and criteria for resource assessment

Cited by 25 publications

References 68 publications

Geochemistry of Carboniferous peralkaline felsic volcanic rocks, central New Brunswick, Canada: examination of uranium potential

Geochemistry of Carboniferous peralkaline felsic volcanic rocks, central New Brunswick, Canada: examination of uranium potential

Geology and Re-Os molybdenite geochronology of the Kurišková U-Mo deposit (Western Carpathians, Slovakia)

Deposit model for volcanogenic uranium deposits

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About