Uranium and Thorium Exploration in India

Uranium and Thorium exploration in India
Pratap Singh Parihar

Director
Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
Department of Atomic Energy
Government of India
Resurgent India Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi
Outline
Uranium exploration methodology
Major uranium provinces of India
Promising provinces
Indias uranium resources
Thorium exploration in India
Beach and inland placer deposits
Thorium resources
Indias three stage nuclear power programme

Stage I
Natural uranium used as fuel in
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR)
Fissile isotope U-235 (0.7% of natural U)
will sustain a chain reaction
Fertile isotope U-238 on absorbing a
neutron yields fissile Pu-239
The spent fuel is reprocessed to get Pu-239
Stage II

Setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs)

FBRs produce more fuel than they
consume
Increases fuel utilization by about 60 times
of what is possible with PHWRs
Pu-U (produced in stage-I) Mixed Oxide is
used as fuel with Thorium blanket
FBRs generate electricity and build up fuel
inventory
Stage III
Setting up of Advanced Heavy Water
Reactors (AHWRs). Use U-233 from stage-II
Convert Th into nuclear fuel i.e., Uranium233
Fuel inventory further increased many fold
along with production of power
Uranium exploration
Exploration methodology
Major uranium provinces in India
North Delhi Fold Belt,

Rajasthan and Haryana
Mahadek basin,
Meghalaya
Singhbhum
Shear Zone,
Jharkhand
Kaladgi basin, Karnataka
Bhima basin,
Karnataka
Vein type
North
Cuddapah basin,
Andhra Pradesh
South
Cuddapah Basin,
Andhra Pradesh
Sandstone type
Unconformity related
Dolostone hosted Stratabound
Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand

Sixteen low grade - small to medium
size uranium deposits
Six production mines
One mine under construction
Two mills
Only producing mines in India so far
Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh

0
200
400 km
Delhi
Hyderabad
Cuddapah Basin
Kaladgi Basin
Bhima Basin
Pakhal Basin
Vindhyan Basin
Chhattisgarh Basin
Khairargarh Basin
Ampani Basin
Abhujhmar Basin
Indravati Basin
Sukma Basin
Shillong Basin
Kunjar Basin
Gwalior Basin
Cuddapah basin accounts for >50% of

Indias uranium
Hold potential for more resources
A mine and mill commissioned recently in
Tummalapalle deposit
8
Bhima basin, Karnataka

F
GEOLOGICAL MAP OF BHIMA BASIN

5
10
15Km
17
15'
Kagna river
F
F
17 '
F
F
F
Fracture zone
INDEX
LATERITE
DECCAN TRAP
16
45'
GOGI
CHERT BEDS (INTER - TRAPPEANS)
PURPLE SHALE(HARWAL Fm.)
LIMESTONE( KATAMDEVARHALLI Fm.)

SAND STONE/ SHALE(HALKAL Fm.)
LIMESTONE(SHAHABAD Fm)
SHALE
ARENITE
16
30'
DYKE
(RABANPALLI Fm)
YOUNGER GRANITE
YOUNGER SCHIST BELT
PENINSULAR GNEISS
OLDER SCHIST BELT (SARGUR)

F
FAULT
SURFACE RADIOACTIVITY
16
15'
76 15'
0
76 30'
76 45'
0
77
77 15'
0
77 30'
0
North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan & Haryana
ROHIL PROSPECT
Section
DISTT. SIKAR , RAJASTHAN
T.S.of BH.NO.GTR-166,81,100, 120,18,19,39 & RHL-16,19,18(p) & 44
50m
WEST
GTR-166
GTR-81
50
EAST
100m
GTR-120 GTR-18
GTR-19
500m
488.22m
486.70m
450
495.30m GTR-100
B1
10
0
0.126X1.51m
m 1+7 m
.75
.50
84
89
.1 DD.2
DD
D
D
0.039X4.94m
0.041X9.27m
200
7.3
.43
DD
5m
0m
5.1
.71
DD
0m
19.6
0.036x1.17*
m
0.024x1.15m
0.030x4.59m
0.033x4.06m
50
33+7
3+7
0.024X1.73m*
0.030X1.21m
0.041X1.63m
0.058X1.34m
0.103x1.32m
1a
A
1+7
6.2
.73
DD
3 4
0.035x4.65m
0.041X5.55m
0.064X1.34m
5m
5.8
.92
DD
DD
.7
93
.95
m
0m
800m
0.064 x 7.02m
0.058 x 6.09m
0.078 x 12.79m B3
486.82m
41 1
14
14
1
1
1
INDEX
D
D
0.049x1.08m
0.037X2.21m
0.043X3.07mB4
489.35m RHL-44
1+1a
0.075x1.58m
1
3 0.050x1.49m
3
0.057x6.82m
00
RHL-18(P)
DD
.5
38
.40
m
.6
DD
100
-100
0.077X15.50m
1a
0.059X4.17m
7
7
1+ 1a3a 0.107x1.01m
1+ 1a
0.066x1.16m
0.063X1.53m
0.039x6.55m
0.024x1.16m
0.050x1.58m
150
-50
0.028X1.39m
7
1+
4 1+1a
1a
+7
1a10.055X4.85m
40
0
250
486.20m 486.60m 487.10m
A A1
m
05
1.
25
300
1
1a
1
0.023X2.21m
1+1a
7
1+
+7
31
350
GTR-39 RHL-16 RHL-19
0.025X2.15m
0.043X2.22m
400
486.90m
40
2.
40
m
495.01m
N-2
B2 0.081x 6.32m
OVER BURDEN
ZONE OF ALTERATION
QUARTZ VIEN /REEF
ALBITITE /ACID INTRUSIES
4
3 3a
2
1 1a
AMPHIBOLITE / BASIC INTRUSIVES

QUARTZITE / AMPHIBOLE QUARTZITE a: GRAPHITIC
CALC SILICATE /IMPURE MARBLE
QBS WITH QUARTZITE INTERCALATIONS a: GRAPHITIC
U - MINERALISATIONS AT 0.020% eU3O8 CUT-OFF GRADE
& TRUE THICKNESS
Additional Lodes
10
Mahadek basin, Meghalaya
Holds nearly 10% of Indias uranium resources

Ore body occur as a blanket at shallow level (<50m)
Suitable for opencast mining
Prospect for more resources in the basin
11
Promising uranium provinces

Lesser Himalayas
Western Rajasthan
Surficial type
Gondwana basins
of Central India
Kaladgi basin
Dharwar QPC
Vindhyan basin
Bijawar basin
Shillong basin
Chhattisgarh
basin
Dongargarh
Province
Abujhmar basin
Dharmapuri
Shear zone
Indravati basin
12
Distribution of uranium deposits
1,84,446 t U3O8
(As on June 2012)
7.42 million tonne U3O8

(Red Book-2009)
13
Future exploration strategy

Conventional exploration inputs are augmented with:
Airborne Geophysical Survey

TDEM and Z-TEM
Gradient Gravimetry
Hyper Spectral Remote Sensing
Radiometric and Ground Geophysical and Geochemical Surveys

Delineation of potential target zones by
Geochemical maps
Alteration studies
Geo-modeling of exploration data
Quick and accurate analytical and other laboratory inputs
Development of Potential Target Zones (Systematic Reconnoitory/Exploratory Drilling)
Faster, deeper and accurate drilling with modern rigs
Optimisation of drilling grids and reserve calculation by state of the art statistical
techniques/ softwares
14
Thorium exploration
15
Thorium mineralisation
Heavy Mineral Placer Sand deposits
Shoreline Placer
Alluvial Placer
Inland aeolian Placer
Late-stage Igneous rocks

Alkaline Complexes
Carbonatite
Alkali granite/Pegmatite
Pegmatite
Hydrothermal veins
Quaternary sediments
High grade Metamorphic rocks
16
Thorium mineralisation
Source for Th and REE
Discovery in the year 1909 from beach sands from
Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu.
Occurs in placer sands along with ilmenite, rutile,
leucoxene, garnet, zircon & sillimanite.
Monazite-bearing placer sands found along the coast-line
and also inland in aeolian and riverine environments.
Recovered as by-product at:
Chavara, Kerala
Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu
Chattarpur, Odisha
17
Monazite
Grade in different environments
Beach sands
: upto 1%
(up to 5% in some places in Kerala,
Tamil Nadu)
Teri Sands Tamil Nadu :Upto 0.10%
Siri River, Chhattisgarh: Upto 0.8% (Riverine Placer)
ThO2
up to 9-10% (av.)
U3O8
0.3%
REO
60%
P2O5
27%
18
Beach and inland placer deposits
19
Beach placer resources in India
Heavy Mineral
Total Resource (March 2012)

(million tonnes)
Ilmenite
520.38
Rutile
29.11
Monazite
10.70
Zircon
32.28
Garnet
154.26
Sillimanite
195.85
Total
942.58
20
Berm-line, Pudukottai, TN
Red sediments, Sattankulam, TN

Chavara Deposit, Kerala
Tandava-Varaha coast, Visakhapatnam, A. P.

21
Exploration strategy for thorium
exploration will be continued for inland placers in

areas of paleo-strandlines along the coast.
Known beach placer deposits are explored only up

to a depth of 10m. Resources below 10m will be
exoplored
Exploration for Non-placer resources, particularly

hard rock terrains.
Geophysical
deposits.
techniques
for
surveying
deeper
22
Thanks
23

Uranium and Thorium Exploration in India

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Uranium and Thorium Exploration in India

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Uranium and Thorium exploration in India

Pratap Singh Parihar

Indias three stage nuclear power programme

Setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs)

Major uranium provinces in India

North Delhi Fold Belt,

Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand

Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh

Cuddapah basin accounts for >50% of

Bhima basin, Karnataka

GEOLOGICAL MAP OF BHIMA BASIN

CHERT BEDS (INTER - TRAPPEANS)

PURPLE SHALE(HARWAL Fm.)

LIMESTONE( KATAMDEVARHALLI Fm.)

OLDER SCHIST BELT (SARGUR)

North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan & Haryana

486.20m 486.60m 487.10m

GTR-39 RHL-16 RHL-19

QUARTZ VIEN /REEF

ALBITITE /ACID INTRUSIES

AMPHIBOLITE / BASIC INTRUSIVES

Mahadek basin, Meghalaya

Holds nearly 10% of Indias uranium resources

Promising uranium provinces

Distribution of uranium deposits

7.42 million tonne U3O8

Future exploration strategy

Airborne Geophysical Survey

Radiometric and Ground Geophysical and Geochemical Surveys

Late-stage Igneous rocks

Beach and inland placer deposits

Beach placer resources in India

Total Resource (March 2012)

Red sediments, Sattankulam, TN

Chavara Deposit, Kerala

Tandava-Varaha coast, Visakhapatnam, A. P.

Exploration strategy for thorium

exploration will be continued for inland placers in

Known beach placer deposits are explored only up

Exploration for Non-placer resources, particularly

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