Abstract The genetic model for the giant unconformity-related uranium deposits of the Athabasca Basin is still being debated, with one of the main issues being the source of the uranium concentrated by Mesoproterozoic era (ca. 1.60–1.00 Ga) diagenetic-hydrothermal events at the interface between the Athabasca Basin and the underlying Archean/Paleoproterozoic basement rocks. Currently, accessory minerals like monazite, zircon, and/or apatite from the sedimentary basin and basement rocks are proposed as the primary uranium source for these high-grade uranium deposits. Numerous occurrences of U mineralization of Hudsonian age have been documented for decades all around the Athabasca Basin; however, so far these have not been regarded as viable U sources. Here, a systematic and detailed study of two areas of basement rocks near the eastern part of the Athabasca Basin is presented (i.e., the Way Lake property, lying outside the current margin of the basin, and the Moore Lakes property, currently covered by the basin). This study highlights the significant and widespread occurrence of Hudsonian (ca. 1.81–1.76 Ga) uranium oxide (UO2) mineralization in these zones. Two types of mineralization are identified and documented here: magmatic uranium oxides related to granitic pegmatites and leucogranites, which are more common, and high-temperature, vein-hosted uranium oxides, which have the highest grades. The two types were formed during the peak (1.82–1.81 Ga) and/or postthermal peak (1.81–1.72 Ga) events related to the evolution of the Trans-Hudson orogeny. The magmatic uranium oxides formed by partial melting of Wollaston Group metasedimentary rocks. The origin of the vein-type occurrences is unclear, but their high thorium and rare earth element (REE) contents suggest a high-temperature process associated with Ca and/or Na metasomatism. The uranium oxides are associated with other U-, Th-, and REE-bearing accessory minerals like U-rich thorite, thorite, zircon, and/or monazite, adding to the exceptional U contents (100–2,460 ppm) of these UO2-bearing rocks (up to 200 times more primarily enriched in U than other basement or basin rock types). A 3-D model of a 1,300 × 630 × 200-m basement zone from the Way Lake property indicates that uraninite-bearing granitic pegmatites and leucogranites represent 7% of the total volume of crystalline rock. Within this rock volume are approximately 8,121 (assuming a mean U content of 250 ppm) to 16,242 (assuming a mean U content of 500 ppm) tonnes U. The U tonnage of this limited rock volume, contained mainly by the Hudsonian-age UO2, corresponds to between 4% (for McArthur River) and 103% (for Rabbit Lake) of the U tonnage of known unconformity-related U deposits of the basin. Some of the studied rock samples, even macroscopically fresh and located far away from any known unconformity-related U deposit, present clear evidence of alteration, including clay minerals, aluminophosphate-sulfate (APS) minerals, and UO2 dissolution, indicating the percolation of the brines associated with the formation of unconformity-related uranium deposits when the basin was far more geographically extensive. Due to geologic similarities between the studied zones and the basement domains from the eastern part of the Athabasca Basin, i.e., the Hearne province, it is proposed that these domains hosted widespread Hudsonian-age uranium oxide protores. These protores provided easily leachable uranium for the metal enrichment of basinal brines during their percolation within the basement and the formation of the unconformity-related U deposits. These observations bring new insight to the debate about the genetic model of unconformity-related U deposits, and reinforce the metal source potential of the basement compared to that of the sedimentary basin.
Abstract Giant hydrothermal ore deposits form where fluids carrying massive amounts of metals scavenged from source rocks or magmas encounter conditions favorable for their localized deposition. However, in most cases, the ultimate origin of metals remains highly disputed. Here, we show for the first time that two metal sources have provided, in comparable amounts, the 8 Mt of lead of the giant McArthur River zinc-lead deposit (McArthur Basin, Northern Territory, Australia). By using high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis of lead isotopes in galena, we demonstrate that the two metal sources were repeatedly involved in the metal deposition in the different ore lenses ca. 1640 Ma. Modeling of lead isotope fractionation between mantle and crustal reservoirs implicates felsic rocks of the crystalline basement and the derived sedimentary rocks in the basin as the main lead sources that were leached by the ore-forming fluids. This sheds light on the crucial importance of metal tracing as a prerequisite to constrain large-scale ore-forming systems, and calls for a paradigm shift in the way hydrothermal systems form giant ore deposits: leaching of metals from several sources may be key in accounting for their huge metal tonnage.
Abstract To support economic decisions and exploration targeting, as well as to understand processes controlling the mineralization, three-dimensional structural and lithological boundary models of the Kiruna mining district have been built using surface (outcrop observations and measurements) and subsurface (drill hole data and mine wall mapping) data. Rule-based hybrid implicit-explicit modeling techniques were used to create district-scale models of areas with high disproportion in data resolution characterized by dense, clustered, and distant data spacing. Densely sampled areas were integrated with established conceptual studies using geologic conditions and the addition of synthetic data, leading to variably constrained surfaces that facilitate the visualization, interpretation, and further integration of the geologic models. This modeling approach proved to be efficient in integrating local, frequently sampled areas with district-scale, sparsely sampled regions. Dominantly S-plunging lineation on N-S–trending fracture planes, characteristic fracture mineral fill, and weak rock mass at the ore contact indicated by poor core orientation quality and rock quality description suggest that ore-parallel fractures in the Kiirunavaara area were more commonly reactivated. Slight variation in the angular relationship of fracture sets situated in different fault-bounded blocks suggests that strain accommodation across the orebodies was uneven. The location of brittle faults identified in drill core, deposit-scale structural analysis, and aeromagnetic geophysical maps indicate a close relationship between fault locations and the iron oxide-apatite mineralization, suggesting that uneven stress accommodation and proximity of conjugate fault sets played an important role in juxtaposing blocks from different crustal depths and control the location of the iron oxide-apatite orebodies.
Seismic exploration of orogenic belts has significantly improved our understanding of their geodynamic evolution and structural architecture. A complete orogenic cycle includes two distinct phases: 1) orogenic growth related to convergent plate boundaries that involve major lithospheric‐scale compressive deformation and tectonic burial and 2) late‐to‐post orogenic collapse, achieved by extension and/or erosion exhuming the root of the orogens. The deeply exhumed Paleoproterozoic (1.8Ga) Trans‐ Hudson Orogen (THO) went through the entire process of orogenic growth and collapse, thus preserves many features observed remotely within modern orogens. Seismic sections from the western margin of the THO (LITHOPROBE, COCORP, EXTECH‐IV) are of good quality and image the orogen on different scales.
Summary 2D and 3D geomodelling is a great tool for visualization of different geological systems and allows us to better understand a given prospective mineralized area. In this research study, 2D/3D geological-geophysical models of some areas within the Canadian (Alces Lake property (SK, Canada) and Ukrainian (Azov Block) Shields were constructed. The Alces Lake property is located within the Beaverlodge Domain, about 28 km north of the Athabasca Basin margin and has one of the highest rare earth element (REE) grades in the world. The REEs within Alces Lake are hosted in monazites within granitic to residual melt pegmatites, which are associated with biotite-rich (+/− sulfides) paragneisses. In Ukraine, most of the REE deposits and occurrences are located within the Ukrainian Shield with the Azov Block being one of the most promising areas. The Yeliseyev field of differentiated REE pegmatites, the Zelena Mogyla and The Balka Kruta deposit were studied. During the process of geomodelling, three-dimensional structures, surfaces, and mineralization objects were built based on drill hole core/down-hole data, geophysical data (magnetics/gravity/EM), geochemical data, topographic data, assessment and technical reports, and geological maps etc. The resulting models show the distribution of REEs within the different properties and outline some potential targets.
