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Hall, S.M.; Gosen, B.S.V.; Zielinski, R.A. |
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Title  |
Sandstone-hosted uranium deposits of the Colorado Plateau, USA |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Ore Geology Reviews |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
155 |
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105353 |
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Keywords |
Colorado, Plateau, Uranium, Vanadium |
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Abstract |
More than 4,000 sandstone-hosted uranium occurrences host over 1.2 billion pounds of mined and in situ U3O8 throughout the Colorado Plateau. Most of the resources are in two distinct mineral systems with deposits hosted in the Triassic Chinle and Jurassic Morrison Formations. In the Chinle mineral system, base metal sulfides typically accompany mineralization. The Morrison mineral system is characterized by V/U ratios up to 20. The uranium source was likely volcanic ash preserved as bentonitic mudstones in the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation, and lithic volcanic clasts, ash shards, and bentonitic clay in the lower part of the Chinle Formation. Vanadium originated from two possible sources: iron–titanium oxides that are extensively altered in bleached rock near deposits or from similar minerals in variably bleached red beds interbedded with and beneath the Morrison. In Chinle-hosted deposits, in addition to volcanic ash, a contributing source of both vanadium and uranium is proposed here for the first time to be underlying red beds in the Moenkopi and Cutler Formations that have undergone a cycle of reddening-bleaching-reoxidation. Transport in both systems was likely in groundwater through the more permeable sandstones and conglomerate units. The association of uranium minerals with carbonate and more rarely apatite, suggests that transport of uranium was as a carbonate or phosphate complex. The first comprehensive examination of paleoclimate, paleotopography, and subsurface structure of aquifers coupled with analysis of the geochronology of deposits suggests that that there were distinct pulses of uranium mineralization/redistribution during the period from about 259 Ma to 12 Ma when oxidized mineralizing fluids were intermittently rejuvenated in the Plateau in response to changes in tectonic regime and climate. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that deposits formed at ambient temperatures of about 25 °C to no greater than about 140 °C. In both systems, deposits formed where groundwater flow slowed and was subject to evaporative concentration. Stagnant conditions allowed for prolonged interaction of U- and V-enriched groundwater with ferrous iron-bearing reductants, such as illite and iron–titanium oxides, and more rarely organic material such as plant debris. Paragenetically late in the sequence, reducing fluids introduced additional organic matter to some deposits. Reducing fluids and introduced organic matter (now amorphous and altered by radiolysis) may originate from regional petroleum systems where peak oil and gas generation was from ∼ 82 to ∼ 5 Ma. Our novel analysis indicates that these reducing fluids bleached rock and protected affected deposits from remobilization during exposure and weathering that followed uplift of the Plateau (∼80 to 40 Ma). |
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0169-1368 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ hall_sandstone-hosted_2023 |
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111 |
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Su, X.; Liu, Z.; Yao, Y.; Du, Z. |
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Title |
Petrology, mineralogy, and ore leaching of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the Ordos Basin, North China |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
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Ore Geology Reviews |
Abbreviated Journal |
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127 |
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103768 |
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Keywords |
Geochemical composition, leach mining, Mineralogy, Ordos Basin, Sandstone-hosted uranium deposit |
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The Nalinggou–Daying uranium metallogenic belt is situated at the northern Ordos Basin, China. Petrographical, mineralogical and geochemical techniques were used to study the ore-bearing sandstones and host rocks in the Nalinggou–Daying uranium metallogenic belt. The present study shows that uranium minerals, i.e., coffinite, pitchblende, and brannerite, are mostly disseminated around pyrite and detrital particles. The ore-bearing sandstones are enriched in organic matter, with which this reductive environment influenced uranium leaching. The carbonate concentration of the uranium ores is markedly higher than that of the host rocks, and intense carbonatization occurs in the ore-bearing sandstones. In this case, the usage of the classical in-situ leach uranium mining technique by injecting H2SO4 + H2O2 solution produces calcium sulfate precipitate, which can lead to blocking of the ore-bearing strata. For this reason, laboratory and field uranium mining tests were conducted using CO2 + O2 in-situ leaching technology and were demonstrated to be successful, illustrating that this approach is technically feasible. Inhibiting ore bed blockage and increasing the amount of injected O2 are important for uranium leaching in this setting. |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ su_petrology_2020 |
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120 |
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Ren, Y.; Yang, X.; Hu, X.; Wei, J.; Tang, C. |
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Mineralogical and geochemical evidence for biogenic uranium mineralization in northern Songliao Basin, NE China |
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Journal Article |
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2022 |
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Ore Geology Reviews |
Abbreviated Journal |
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141 |
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104556 |
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Bacterial sulfate reduction, In-situ S isotope of pyrite, Northern Songliao basin, Sandstone-type uranium deposit, Sifangtai Formation |
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The sandstone-hosted uranium mineralization areas in the Sanzhao Sag of the northern Songliao Basin have been newly identified. The target stratum is the Upper Cretaceous Sifangtai Formation and the uranium mineralization mainly occurs in the bottom of Sifangtai Formation, corresponding to channel sand bodies in meandering river system, characterized by medium to fine-grained sandstone. This study proposes the uranium metallogenic model through petrographic observation, whole rock geochemistry, mineralogical study of uranium occurrence form (SEM), organic matter rock–eval pyrolysis analysis (REP) and in-situ sulfur isotope determination of different generations of pyrite by LA-MC-ICP-MS. Compared with the sandstones collected in barren reduction and oxidization zones, the mineralized sandstones show obvious increase in the contents of TOC, total sulfur, Y and U. Petrographic observations indicate that organic matters are mainly inherited from land plants. REP data display that the organic matter (OM) disseminated in the sandstone has very low hydrogen index (HI) from around 0 to 21 mg HC/g TOC and varied oxygen index (OI) from 44 to 115 mg CO2/g TOC, corresponding to Type Ⅳ kerogen (degraded kerogen). There are two types of coffinite with different grain size, micro-particles (μm-sized) and large aggregates (generally up to 100 μm) respectively. The coffinite micro spherules exhibit short rod-like or worm-like morphology occurring in clay matrix and cell cavities in degradofusinite or around subidiomorphic-idiomorphic pyrite. The coarse-grained coffinite contains other mineral facies (e.g. pyrite, quartz) and some of large coffinite aggregates display thrombolite-type microbial structures. The irregular pyrite relict particles in coarse-grained colloidal coffinite have light sulfur isotope compositions characterized by δ34S values from –39.96‰ to –49.89‰. The δ34S values of colloidal pyrite in replacement of OM or of the sub-idiomorphic FeS2 cement filling in the cavities of OM range from –52.77‰ to –13.88‰. Some of sub-idiomorphic pyrite cement and idiomorphic crystal have the heavier signature from – 27.06‰ to + 14.23‰. The light sulfur isotope signature suggests that the sulfur originates from bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR). The OM replacement by pyrite and the highest OI values recorded by REP in uranium mineralized samples are lines of evidence of biodegradation. Bacteria use the organic matter as food source and produce isotopically light reduced sulfur species. Oxygenated uranium-bearing waters infiltrated through the denudated windows at Daqing placanticline into the porous reduced sandstones deposited in the Sanzhao Sag. Uranium was indirectly reduced by BSR-derived iron disulfides or directly reduced by sulfate-reducing bacteria. |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ ren_mineralogical_2022 |
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144 |
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Min, M.; Chen, J.; Wang, J.; Wei, G.; Fayek, M. |
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Mineral paragenesis and textures associated with sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits, NW China |
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Journal Article |
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2005 |
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Ore Geology Reviews |
Abbreviated Journal |
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26 |
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1 |
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51-69 |
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Keywords |
China, Mineralogy, Paragenesis, Sandstone-hosted roll-type uranium deposit |
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We present a first paragenetic study of the Wuyier, Wuyisan, Wuyiyi and Shihongtan sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits, northwest China. The mineralization is hosted by Lower–Middle Jurassic coarse- to medium-grained sandstones, which are dark-gray to black due to a mixture of ore minerals and carbonaceous debris. The sandstone is alluvial fan-braided river facies. Minerals associated with these deposits can be broadly categorized as detrital, authigenic, and ore-stage mineralization. Ore minerals consist of uraninite and coffinite. This is the first noted occurrence of coffinite in this type of deposit in China. Sulfide minerals associated with the uranium minerals are pyrite, marcasite, and less commonly, sphalerite and galena. The sulfide minerals are largely in textural equilibrium with the uranium minerals. However, these sulfide minerals occasionally appear to predate, as well as postdate, the uranium minerals. This implies that there are multiple generations of sulfides associated with these deposits. The ore minerals occur interstitially between fossilized wood cells in the sandstones as well as replace fossilized wood and biotite. The deposits are generally low-grade. Primary uranium minerals associated with the low-grade deposits are generally too small, ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 μm in diameter, to be observed by optical microscopy and are only observed by electron microscopy. Mineral paragenesis and textures indicate that these deposits formed under low temperature (30–50 °C) conditions. |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ min_mineral_2005 |
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175 |
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Min, M.; Xu, H.; Chen, J.; Fayek, M. |
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Evidence of uranium biomineralization in sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits, northwestern China |
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2005 |
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Ore Geology Reviews |
Abbreviated Journal |
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26 |
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3 |
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198-206 |
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Biomineralization, China, Roll-front uranium deposit, Sandstone |
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We show evidence that the primary uranium minerals, uraninite and coffinite, from high-grade ore samples (U3O8\textgreater0.3%) in the Wuyiyi, Wuyier, and Wuyisan sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits, Xinjiang, northwestern China were biogenically precipitated and psuedomorphically replace fungi and bacteria. Uranium (VI), which was the sole electron acceptor, was likely to have been enzymically reduced. Post-mortem accumulation of uranium may have also occurred through physio-chemical interaction between uranium and negatively-charged cellular sites, and inorganic adsorption or precipitation reactions. These results suggest that microorganisms may have played a key role in formation of the sandstone- or roll-type uranium deposits, which are among the most economically significant uranium deposits in the world. |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ min_evidence_2005 |
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186 |
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