Thermal - hydrolic - mechanical - chemical (THMC) modeling of fluid flow and its control on localization of uranium deposits in the northeastern Athabasca basin, Saskatchewan

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Uranium is an important source of energy, and Canada is the second largest uranium producer in the world. Currently all the uranium production in Canada is from high-grade uranium deposits known as unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. Many of these deposits were discovered based on an empirical model that uranium mineralization took place near faults crosscutting the unconformity between the basin and the basement, where uranium-bearing oxidizing fluids met and reacted with reducing agents, especially graphite and hydrocarbons derived from it. However, with increasing degrees of exploration, this model is facing more and more challenges, and a better understanding of the factors controlling mineralization is needed.