Aluminum phosphate-sulfate minerals associated with Proterozoic unconformity-type uranium deposits in the East Alligator River Uranium Field, Northern Territories, Australia

Canadian Mineralogist

Volumn 43, Issue 2, 2005, Pages 813-827

  Gaboreau, Stéphane ^a   Beaufort, Daniel ^a   Vieillard, Philippe ^a   Patrier, Patricia ^a   Bruneton, Patrice ^b  

^a UNIVERSITÉ DE POITIERS   (France)

^b COGEMA BUM DEX ^*  (France)

Author keywords

Aluminum sulfate phosphate minerals; Australia; Clay minerals; East Alligator River Uranium Field; Florencite; Goyazite; Paleo conditions of redox and pH; Svanbergite; Unconformity type uranium deposits

Indexed keywords

CATCHMENTS; COMPOSITION; GEOLOGY; PH EFFECTS; SULFATE MINERALS; URANIUM;

ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE-SULFATE (APS); EAST ALIGATOR RIVER URANIUM FIELDS (EARUF); GOYAZITE; URANIUM OREBODIES;

ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS;

ORE DEPOSIT; PROTEROZOIC; UNCONFORMITY; URANIUM;

AUSTRALASIA; AUSTRALIA; EAST ALLIGATOR RIVER; EASTERN HEMISPHERE; NORTHERN TERRITORY; WORLD;

ALLIGATOR;

EID: 21844431870     PISSN: 00084476     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2113/gscanmin.43.2.813     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Beaufort, D., Patrier, P., Laverret, E., Bruneton, P. & Mondy, J. (2005): Clay alteration associated with Proterozoic unconformity-type uranium deposits in the East Alligator River uranium field (Northern Territory, Australia). Econ. Geol. (in press).
2. Derome, D., Cuney, M., Cathelineau, M., Fabre, C., Dubessy, J., Bruneton, P. & Hubert, A. (2003): A detailed fluid inclusion study in silicified breccias from the Kombolgie sandstones (Northern Territory, Australia): application to the genesis of middle Proterozoic unconformity-type uranium deposits. J. Geochem. Explor. 80, 259-275.
3. Dill, H.G. (2001): The geology of aluminium phosphates and sulphates of the alunite group minerals: a review. Earth-Sci. Rev. 53, 35-93.
4. Fayek, M. & Kyser, T.K. (1997): Characterization of multiple fluid-flow events and Fare-earth-element mobility associated with formation of unconformity-type uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan. Can. Mineral. 35, 627-658.
5. Gaboreau, S. & Vieillard, P. (2004): Prediction of Gibbs free eneigies of formation of minerals of the alunite supergroup. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 3307-3316.
6. Gustafson. L.B. & Curtis, L.W. (1983): Post Kombolgie metasomatism at Jabiluka, Northern Territory, Australia, and its significance in the formation of high grade uranium mineralization in lower Proterozoic rocks. Econ. Geol. 78, 26-56.
7. Hecht, L. & Cuney, M. (2000): Hydrothermal alteration of monazite in the Precambrian crystalline basement of the Athabasca basin (Saskatchewan, Canada): implications for the formation of unconformity-related uranium deposits. Mineral. Deposita 35, 791-795.
8. Helgeson, H.C., Delany, J.M., Nesbitt, H.W. & Bird, D.K. (1978): Summary and critique of the thermodynamic properties of the rock-forming minerals. Am. J. Sci. 278-A, 1229.
9. Hoeve, J. & Quirt, D. (1984): Mineralization and host rock alteration in relation to clay mineral diagenesis and evolution of the middle-Proterozoic Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Saskatchewan Research Council, Tech. Rep. 187.
10. Iida, Y. (1993): Alteration and ore forming processes of unconformity related uranium deposits. Resource Geol. 15, 299-308.
11. Jambor, J.L. (1999): Nomenclature of the alumite supergroup. Can. Mineral. 37, 1323-1341.
12. Johnson, J.W., Oelkers, E.H. & Helgeson, H.C. (1992): suport 92: a software package foi calculating the standard molal thermodynamic properties of minerals, gases, aqueous species and reactions from 1 to 5000 bars and 0°C to 1000°C. Comput. Geosci. 18, 899-947.
13. Kolitsch, U. & Pring, A. (2001): Crystal chemistry of the crandallite, beudantite and alunite groups: a review and evaluation of the suitability as storage materials for toxic metals. J. Mineral. Petrol. Sci. 96, 67-78.
14. Komninou, A. & Sverjensky, D.A. (1996): Geochemical modeling of the formation of an unconformity-type uranium deposit. Econ. Geol. 91, 590-606.
15. Kyser, K., Hiatt, E., Renac, C., Durocher, K., Holk, G. & Deckart, K. (2000): Diagenetic fluids in paleo- and meso-Proterozoic sedimentary basins and their implications for long protracted fluid histories. In Fluids and Basin Evolution (T.K. Kyser, ed.). Mineral. Assoc. Can., Short Course Vol. 28, 225-262.
16. Lorilleux, G. (2001): Les brèches associées aux gisements d'uranium de type discordance du bassin d'Athabasca, Saskatchewan, Canada. Thèse doctorate, Univ. Nancy, Nancy. France.
17. Maas, R. (1989): Nd-Sr isotope constraints on the age and origin of unconformity-type uranium deposits in the Alligator River uranium field, Northern Territory, Australia. Econ. Geol. 84, 64-90.
18. Miller, A.R. (1983): A progress report: uranium-phosphorus association in the Helikian Thelon Formation and sub-Thelon saprolite, central District of Keewatin. Geol. Surv. Can., Pap. 83-1A, 449-456.
19. Mordberg, L.E., Stanley, C.J. & Germann, K. (2000): Rare earth element anomalies in crandallite group minerals from the Schugorsk bauxite deposit, Timan, Russia. Eur. J. Mineral. 12, 1229-1243.
20. Needham, R.S. (1988): Geology of the Alligator River uranium field, Northern Territory. Bur. Mineral Resources, Bull. 96.
21. Nutt, C.J. (1989): Chloritization and associated alteration at the Jabiluka unconformity-type uranium deposit, Northern Territory, Australia. Can. Mineral. 27, 41-58.
22. Ojakangas, R.W. (1986): Sedimentology of the basal Kombolgie Formation. Northern Territory. Australia: a Proterozoic fluvial quartzose sequence. In Sediments Down Under. Int. S.-B.M.R. Australia. Highland Press, Fishwick, Canberra, Australia.
23. 1 illite in deeply buried sandstones from the middle Proterozoic Kombolgie Formation (Northern Territory. Australia). Clays Clay Minerals 51, 102-116.
24. Plant, J.A., Simpson, P.R., Smith, B. & Windley, B.F. (1999): Uranium ore deposits-products of the radioactive earth. In Uranium: Mineralogy, Geochemistry and the Environment (P.C. Burns & R. Finch, eds.). Rev. Mineral. 38, 255-319.
25. Quirt, D., Kotzer, T. & Kyser, T.K. (1991): Tourmaline, phosphate minerals, zircon and pitchblende in the Athabasca group: Maw Zone and McArthur River Areas, Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Geol. Surv., Tech. Rep. 91-4, 181-191.
26. Rasmussen, B. (1996): Early-diagenetic REE-phosphate minerals (florencite, gorceixite, crandallite, and xenotime) in marine sandstones: a major sink for oceanic phosphorus. Am. J. Sci. 296, 601-632.
27. Schwab, R.G., Gotz, C., Herold, H. & Oliveira, N.P. (1993): Compounds of the crandallite type-thermodynamic properties of Ca-phosphates, Sr-phosphates, Ba-phosphates, Pb-phosphates, La-phosphates, Ce-phosphates to Gd-phosphates and Ca-arsenates, Sr-arsenates, Ba-arsenates, Pb-arsenates, La-arsenates, Ce-arsenate. Neues Jahrb. Mineral., Monatsh., 551-568.
28. Scott, K.M. (1987): Solid solution in, and classification of, gossan-derived members of the alunite-jarosite family. northwest Queensland, Australia. Am. Mineral. 72, 178-187.
29. Spötl, C. (1990): Authigenic aluminium phosphate-sulphates in sandstones of the Mitterberg Formation, northern Calcareous Alps, Austria. Sedimentology 37, 837-845.
30. Stoffregen, R.E. (1993): Stability relations of jarosite and natrojarosite at 150-250°C. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 57, 2417-2429.
31. Stoffregen, R.E., & Alpers, C.N. (1987): Woodhouseite and svanbergite in hydrothermal ore deposits: products of apatite destruction during advanced argillic alteration. Can. Mineral. 25, 201-211.
32. Stoffregen, R.E., Alpers, C.N., & Jambor, J.L. (2000): Alunite-jarosite crystallography, thermodynamics, and geochronology. In Sulfate Minerals - Crystallography, Geochemistry, and Environmental Significance (C.N. Alpers, J.L. Jambor & D.K. Nordstrom, eds.). Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 40, 453-479.
33. 16O and D-H fractionation factors between alunite and water at 250-450°C. Geochim. Cosmohim. Acta 58, 903-916.
34. Sweet, I.P., Brakel, A.T. & Carson, L. (1999): The Kombolgie Subgroup, a new look at an old "formation". AGSO Res. Lett. 30, 26-28.
35. Vieillard, P., Tardy, Y. & Nahon, D. (1979): Stability fields of clays and aluminum phosphates: parageneses in lateritic weathering of argillaceous phosphatic sediments. Am. Mineral. 64, 626-634.
36. Wilde, A.R., Mernagh, T.P., Bloom, M.S. & Hoffmann, C.F. (1989): Fluid inclusion evidence of the origin of some Australian unconformity-related uranium deposits. Econ. Geol. 84, 1627-1642.
37. Wilson, J.A. (1984): Crandallite group minerals in the Helikian Athabasca group in Alberta. Canada. Can. J. Earth Sci. 22, 637-641.