Integrated Computational Fluid Flow Modeling in Association with the Formation of Unconformity-Related Uranium Deposits in Sedimentary Basins

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Hydrothermal fluid flow is fundamental to the formation of almost every class of economic mineral deposit in sedimentary basins. Numerical modeling has proven to be an efficient tool for testing, comparing and contrasting various hypotheses regarding subsurface fluid flow and the resulting ore-forming processes. The proposed research program is aimed at developing and applying geologically and geochemically realistic numerical models for quantifying ore genesis, in particular in unconformity-type uranium mineralization in sedimentary basins. The research will include two components: highly conceptualized fluid flow modeling and geologically realistic fluid flow modeling, with particular reference to the southeastern Athabasca Basins of Canada and the Chanziping uranium district of China. An integrated computational modeling approach with a new software package that fully couples thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical processes will be employed to advance our understanding of uranium ore mineralization. The proposed research will result in a theoretical framework to quantify hydrothermal ore-forming fluid flow and its controlling factors under realistic geological, structural and geochemical conditions, and refine a range of effective exploration criteria to target new major uranium deposits in the selected regions and in other similar areas elsewhere in the world. Two Ph.D. students, three M.Sc. students and five undergraduate students will participate in different stages of the proposed research.