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Geochemical, isotopic, and geochronlologic constraints on the formation of the Eagle Point basement-hosted uranium deposit, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada and recent remobilization of primary uraninite in secondary structures
Citation
Cloutier, J and Kyser, K and Olivo, GR and Brisbin, D, Geochemical, isotopic, and geochronlologic constraints on the formation of the Eagle Point basement-hosted uranium deposit, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada and recent remobilization of primary uraninite in secondary structures, Mineralium Deposita, 46, (1) pp. 35-56. ISSN 0026-4598 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2010 Springer-Verlag
DOI: doi:10.1007/s00126-010-0308-5
Abstract
The Athabasca Basin hosts many world-class unconformity-related uranium deposits. Recently, uranium reserves for the Eagle Point basement-hosted deposit have increased with the discovery of new mineralized zones within secondary structures. A paragenetic study of Eagle Point reveals the presence of three temporally distinct alteration stages: a pre-Athabasca alteration, a main alteration and mineralization comprised of three substages, and a post-main alteration and mineralization stage that culminated in remobilization of uraninite from primary to secondary structures. The pre-Athabasca alteration stage consists of minor amounts of clinochlore, followed by dolomite and calcite alteration in the hanging wall of major fault zones and kaolinitization of plagioclase and K-feldspar caused by surface weathering. The main alteration and uranium mineralization stage is related to three temporally distinct substages, all of which were produced by isotopically similar fluids. A major early alteration substage characterized by muscovite alteration and by precipitation Ca-Sr-LREE-rich aluminum phosphate-sulfate minerals, both from basinal fluids at temperatures around 240°C prior to 1,600 Ma. The mineralization substage involved uraninite and hematite precipitated in primary structures. The late alteration substage consists of dravite, uranophane-beta veins, calcite veins, and sudoite alteration from Mg-Ca-rich chemically modified basinal fluids with temperatures around 180°C. The post-main alteration and mineralization stage is characterized by remobilization of main stage uraninite from primary to secondary structures at a minimum age of ca. 535 Ma. U-Pb resetting events recorded on primary and remobilized uraninites are coincident with fluid flow induced by distal orogenies, remobilizing radiogenic Pb to a distance of at least 225 m above the mineralized zones.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | basement-hosted, Eagle Point, geochemistry, geochronology, secondary uraninite, unconformity-related uranium deposit, fault zone, geochemistry, geochronology, mineral alteration, mineral deposit, mineralization, uraninite, uranium, Athabasca Basin |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Geochemistry |
Research Field: | Exploration geochemistry |
Objective Division: | Energy |
Objective Group: | Energy exploration |
Objective Field: | Uranium exploration |
UTAS Author: | Cloutier, J (Mr Jonathan Cloutier) |
ID Code: | 133527 |
Year Published: | 2011 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 32 |
Deposited By: | CODES ARC |
Deposited On: | 2019-06-30 |
Last Modified: | 2019-08-30 |
Downloads: | 14 View Download Statistics |
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