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Spatial variations in fluid composition along structures hosting unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Canada: implications for ore-controlling factors

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Abstract 

Unconformity-related uranium (URU) deposits in the Athabasca Basin occur in local areas near the intersections of the basal unconformity of the basin and regional-scale, basement-rooted faults. This study examines the ore-controlling factors through analysis of fluid inclusions from syn-mineralization drusy quartz in mineralized and distal (> 500 m away from mineralized zones) barren areas of two major URU-hosting structures: the P2 fault in the eastern, and the Patterson Lake corridor (PLC) in the southwestern, parts of the basin. Microthermometric data indicate that fluids in mineralized zones have salinities ranging from 24.8 to 31.7 wt.% NaCl + CaCl2 and homogenization temperatures (Th) from 64 to 227 °C, which are comparable with those from distal barren areas with salinities ranging from 25.2 to 32.5 wt.% NaCl + CaCl2 and Th from 91 to 213 °C. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analyses of individual fluid inclusions indicate that the fluids have elevated concentrations of U in both mineralized zones (0.50 to 109 mg/kg) and distal barren areas (0.32 to 73.8 mg/kg). Bulk fluid inclusion analyses also indicate elevated U concentrations for mineralized zones (0.39 to 1560 mg/kg) and distal barren areas (0.12 to 1.5 mg/kg), and U was detected in fluid inclusions from both mineralized and distal areas with synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping. The development of uraniferous fluids with similar geochemistry in distant areas with different basement lithologies supports the hypothesis that U for mineralization was mainly derived from the basin. The presence of uraniferous fluids with similar thermal and compositional characteristics in both mineralized zones and distal barren areas along the same structures with similar lithologies suggests that mixing of U-rich fluids with reductants-carrying fluids played a critical role in ore precipitation; lack or low flux of either or both fluids resulted in lack or poor development of mineralization.

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Acknowledgements

This project is supported by the Geological Survey of Canada – Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI) program and by NSERC-Discovery grant (G. Chi). We would like to thank Haiming Yang, Gerard Zaluski, Vicki Tschirhart, Jeremy Powell, Colin Card, Sean Bosman, Kathryn Bethune, and Dillon Johnstone for their help in the field and discussions. We thank Pierre Pelchat (GSC) for his help with ICP-ES measurements. Cameco Corp, Purepoint Uranium Group Inc., Fission Uranium Corp, and NexGen Energy Ltd. and their geologists are thanked for logistic support in the field and for permission to study the core samples. Big Bear Contracting provided logistic support to access the PLC properties. Detailed and constructive reviews by Tobias Fusswinkel and an anonymous reviewer as well as Associate Editor Julien Mercadier, and editing by Editor Georges Beaudoin, have greatly improved the paper. NRCan contribution number 20200756.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, S4S 0A2, Canada

    Morteza Rabiei & Guoxiang Chi

  2. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E8, Canada

    Eric G. Potter & Duane C. Petts

  3. Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Feiyue Wang

  4. Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 2V3, Canada

    Renfei Feng

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  1. Morteza Rabiei
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Rabiei, M., Chi, G., Potter, E.G. et al. Spatial variations in fluid composition along structures hosting unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Canada: implications for ore-controlling factors. Miner Deposita 58, 1075–1099 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-023-01171-1

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