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Hassan Z. Harraz
Tanta University
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Hassan Z. Harraz
hharraz2006@yahoo.com
2012- 2013
5
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Basic Geochemistry, Mineralogy
Uranium normally occurs in 2 valence states: reduced +4 and oxidized +6
Uranous ion: U+4 is quite insoluble
Uraninite: UO2 [- U3O8 w/ 1%+ Th & REE]
Pitchblende if fine-grained, massive
Density 6.5-8.5
Coffinite: U(SiO4)1-X(OH)4X
Brannerite: (U,Ca,Ce)(Ti,Fe)2O6
Density 4.5-5.4 Pitchblende (black), or uraninite,
Uranyl ion: U+6 is quite soluble and forms many stable aqueous complexes and
then minerals when additional cations become available
Carnotite: K2(UO2)2 (VO4)2 • 3H2O
Tyuymunite: Ca(UO2)2 (VO4)2 • 5-8H2O
Autunite: Ca(UO2)2 (PO4)2 • 10H2O
Tobernite: Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 • 12H2O
Uranophane: Ca(UO2)2SiO3(OH)2 • 5H2O
Complexes with: CO3 =, OH-, H-, PO4 =, F-, Cl
8
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
In Oxidizing Groundwater
9
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Uranium Ore Minerals
Primary ore mineral
The major primary ore mineral is uraninite or pitchblende (UO2 + UO3, nominally U3O8),
though a range of other uranium minerals is found in particular deposits.
These include
Carnotite (uranium potassium vanadate),
Davidite-brannerite-absite type uranium titanates, and
Euxenite-fergusonite-samarskite group (niobates of uranium and rare earths).
10
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Uranium Deposits
Through Time
11
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Uranium Geology
Source rock of uranium (X ppm) > process of removal > concentration in
favorable conditions (X000 ppm) > ?URANIUM DEPOSIT
Uranium occurrence: A naturally occurring, anomalous concentration of
uranium
Uranium deposit: A mass of naturally occurring mineral from which uranium
could be exploited at present or in the future (under given economic
conditions)
Types of Uranium Deposits
Uranium deposits occur in many different rock types from sedimentary to
volcanic.
One thing almost all economic uranium deposits have in common is that the
uranium is remobilized from one area (i.e., leached from a source rock
containing minute quantities of U or as mineral grains with elevated U
concentrations) and re-precipitated in a host rock where chemical
conditions (reducing) are conducive to concentrating the uranium in higher
concentrations or re-deposited due to water action (waves on beaches or
water flow in rivers) in placer deposits.
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Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Types of U Deposits
Unconformity type (39%)
Sandstone or ‘Roll Front’ (29%)
Metasomatic (10%)
Hematite breccia type (9%)
Volcanic (8%)
Paleoplacers (2%)
Igneous (1%)
[percentages are production in 2004]
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Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
1) Unconformity-related Deposits
An unconformity is time gap in the rock record between two rock units where the lower unit may be
deformed, brecciated or altered and the overlying units are less deformed.
Uranium deposits can occur in the underlying or overlying units. In the underlying units, there may be a
weathering zone, fault zone or some other feature that increases the rocks porosity and permeability. In
the overlying units, it may be the sandstones or some other features that allows the concentration of
uranium.
Unconformity-related deposits arise from geological changes occurring close to major unconformities.
Below the unconformity, the metasedimentary rocks which host the mineralisation are usually faulted
and brecciated. The overlying younger Proterozoic sandstones are usually undeformed.
Deposits of this type are common in Australia, Canada and India
Unconformity-related deposits constitute approximately 33% of the World Outside Centrally Planned
Economies Area (WOCA)'s uranium resources and they include some of the largest and richest deposits.
Minerals are uraninite and pitchblende. The main deposits occur in Canada (the Athabasca Basin,
Saskatchewan and Thelon Basin, Northwest Territories); and Australia (the Alligator Rivers region in the
Pine Creek Geosyncline, NT and Rudall River area, WA).
Unconformity-related deposits- constitute a major proportion (22%) of Australia's total uranium
resources and more than 80% of Australia's total production since 1980 has been mined from two of
these deposits - Ranger #1 and Nabarlek (now mined out). Other major deposits in the Alligator Rivers
region are Ranger # 3, Jabiluka (North Ranger), Koongarra and Ranger 68.
Global Distribution
Recognized in early 1970’s almost simultaneously in:
Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada
Pine Creek Basin, NT, Australia
These 2 regions are only ones producing although there are some additional minor examples in Canada and Australia
-500 m level
-450
0 10 20 meters
Graphitic gneiss
Ore body
Sunday-Uranium-Mine-Tour-veins-sm
4 May 2016 46
Known Recoverable Resources* of Uranium 2007
tonnes U percentage of world
Australia 1,243,000 23%
Kazakhstan 817,000 15%
Russia 546,000 10%
South Africa 435,000 8%
Canada 423,000 8%
USA 342,000 6%
Brazil 278,000 5%
Namibia 275,000 5%
Niger 274,000 5%
Ukraine 200,000 4%
Jordan 112,000 2%
Uzbekistan 111,000 2%
India 73,000 1%
China 68,000 1%
Mongolia 62,000 1%
other 210,000 4%
World total 5,469,000
Reasonably Assured Resources plus Inferred Resources, to US$ 130/kg U, 1/1/07, from OECD NEA &
IAEA, Uranium 2007: Resources, Production and Demand ("Red Book").
Sources: World Nuclear Association
• Shallow
• Open Pit or
• In-Situ Recovery
• UNCONFORMITY-STYLE
• GRANITE-PEGMATITE HOSTED
51
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation
Types of Uranium Deposits in Egypt
Uranium mineralization is known in varied environments in Egypt. It is known in association with some Carboniferous and Cretaceous black shales, and in
phosphorite deposits. It was also discovered in the Oligocene sandstones and associated rocks at Gabal Qatrani, where uranium of up to 0.3% U3O8, is
concentrated in the intersitital spaces between sand grains (Said, 1962).
Uranium - thorium exploration activity started in Egypt as early as 1956. These activities led to the discovery of several uranium anomalies and
occurrences, especially in the younger granites. In almost all of these occurrences, the U-mineralization is structurally controlled with preferable
development at the marginal zones of the enclosing granites or associated with wide scale alteration features. But, the question is why some Egyptian
younger granitic masses do not show any valuable U-anomalies, in spite of the presence of fracturing and large scale alteration.
Thus, not only secondary processes (as fracturing or alteration) but also the magmatic processes may represent the main factors controlling U-
distribution. In other words, the composition of magma may introduce U-poor or U-rich granites. Alteration and fracturing of U-rich granites help
meteoric water and hydrothermal solutions to liberate labile uranium and precipitate their loads along microfractures, joints and fault planes.
The uranium-bearing deposits of Egypt can be described as follows:
1) In black sands (in the northern coast from Rasheed to Rafah city).
2) In sabkha deposits (e.g., in Sitra, Nuweirnicya, Bahrein and El Arag lakes in the Western Desert).
3) In phosphate deposits (e.g., Abu Tartour, Hamarwain, Mahamid).
4) In shales and the carbonaceous sediments (e.g., Um Bogma, Um Kharit Qattrani, Bahariya oases)
5) In episyenites (e.g., Gabal Kab Ameri and Gabal Gattar).
6) In felsites (e.g., Atshan area, Wadi EI-Kareim).
7) In younger granites (e.g., Gattar, Missikat, El Erediya and Gabal Um Ara).
8) In siltstone of Hammamat deposits (e.g., Um Tawat, Wadi EI-Kareim).
The Egyptian Shield rocks show very wide range due to lithologic variation, the younger granites show the highest radioactivity level followed by the
acidic volcanics but the other rock types display the lowest radioactivity levels.
The distribution of uranium and thorium in the Egyptian Shield rocks, however, most of the attention is paid to the younger granites. It is thought that
younger granites could contribute more than the others and are abnormal. The uranium mineralization related to granite masses, where it occurs either
as disseminations in the autometasomatically altered parts (greisens and albitites), or where it forms veinlets and stringers across granite masses
(Hussein et al., 1986).
Several plutons of these granites in the Eastern Desert, host a variety of rare metal mineralization including uranium. The Gattar granite pluton, at the
northern-part on the Eastern Desert, hosts vein-type uranium mineralization associated with molybdenite. Two younger granite plutons: namely El
Missikat and El Erediya (El Maghrabiya area), in the central part of the Eastern desert, host siliceous vein-type uranium mineralization, which is
structurally controlled by faults and their leather joints associated with NE and NNE trending shear zones. At the southern part of the Eastern Desert, Um
Ara granite hosts uranium as disseminated unconformity contact type. The estimation of the uranium potentiality of the four younger granite plutons is
14000 tons uranium as speculative resources.