Uranium Traps in Phreatic Sandstone-type Prospect, Taunsa Area, Dera Ghazi Khan, Eastern Sulaiman Range, Pakistan: Evidences from Autoradiography and Optical Microscopy

Authors

  • Rahman Ullah State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China, Atomic Energy Minerals Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Nie Fengjuin State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  • Zhang Xin State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  • Zhang Chengyong State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  • Asim Ali State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China . Atomic Energy Minerals Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Zhang Pengfei State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46660/int.j.econ.environ.geol..v11i01.768

Abstract

Taunsa uranium occurrence like other uranium resources in Pakistan is hosted by the Late Miocene-Pliocene
age Litra Formation of the Siwalik Group molasse sediments. Taunsa uranium prospect is a unique phreatic-type
uranium resource in terms of its disturbed geological setting of the eastern limb of the Zindapir anticline in the eastern
Sulaiman range. Autoradiography technique was used to locate the spots of anomalous uranium concentration in thin
sections from ore of Taunsa prospect. Twenty polished thin sections from uranium ore ranging from 200 ppm-600 ppm
were attached to detectors for a month which produced prominent alpha track which were used to find the traps of
uranium. Subsequently, these spots were studied under SEM and EPMA for further investigations of uranium phases.
Autoradiography revealed that Taunsa uranium ore is mostly associated with organic matter (probably petroleum),
black shale clasts, biotite, fougerite (a green colour rusty mineral) and with micritic clasts. This study suggests that
prospective facies of the host sandstone containing relatively abundant black shale clasts, organic matter and biotite
may be targeted during exploratory drilling in Taunsa uranium deposit and its extensions in the eastern limb of Zindapir
anticline.

Keywords: Uranium prospect, traps, autoradiography, Litra Formation, Sulaiman range.

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Published

2020-01-30

How to Cite

Rahman Ullah, Nie Fengjuin, Zhang Xin, Zhang Chengyong, Asim Ali, & Zhang Pengfei. (2020). Uranium Traps in Phreatic Sandstone-type Prospect, Taunsa Area, Dera Ghazi Khan, Eastern Sulaiman Range, Pakistan: Evidences from Autoradiography and Optical Microscopy . International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology, 11(01), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.46660/int.j.econ.environ.geol.v11i01.768

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 01 (2020): Jan-March

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2020 Rahman Ullah, Nie Fengjuin, Zhang Xin, Zhang Chengyong, Asim Ali, Zhang Pengfei

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

 

Publisher: Society of Economic Geologists and Mineral Technologists (SEGMITE)

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