Iron in uranium deposits

这项申请是为了支持皇后大学和Cameco公司为期三年的合作研究，以调查铁在形成铀矿床中所起的作用，以及将粘土矿物和全岩样品中铁的氧化态(Fe2+/Fe3+比率)用作勘探工具的可行性。中心前提是铁还原铀形成矿床，因此Fe2+/Fe3+比值将随着铀矿化距离的不同而变化。测试案例将是阿萨巴斯卡盆地的麦克阿瑟河矿床，这是世界上最大的高品位铀矿床，样品将从该矿床周围的近端和远端地区采集。该项目的目的将是调查铀矿化的可能载体，并单独或结合其他地球化学参数评估铁氧化态作为间接勘探工具的可行性。最终目标是开发与不整合有关的铀勘探的新的地球化学工具，所开发的技术和方案适用于阿萨巴斯卡盆地的其他矿床和其他类型的铀矿，从而使工业受益。这项研究将涉及皇后大学的一名硕士学生、一名博士后研究员和一名教职员工，以及Cameco公司的工作人员地质学家。产生的知识将通过与Cameco公司的书面和口头交流以及通过科学文献中的出版物来传播。

This application is for support of collaborative research for a duration of three years between Queen's University and Cameco Corp. to investigate the role that iron plays in forming uranium deposits and the viability of using the oxidation state of iron (Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio) in clay minerals and whole-rock samples as an exploration tool. The central premise is that iron reduces uranium to form the deposit so that the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio will vary as a function of proximity to uranium mineralization. The test-case will be the McArthur River deposit in the Athabasca Basin, the world's largest high-grade uranium deposit, and samples will be collected from both proximal and distal areas around the deposit. The purpose of the project will be to investigate possible vectors to uranium mineralization and estimate the feasibility of Fe oxidation state as an indirect exploration tool, both in isolation and in conjunction with other geochemical parameters. The ultimate goal is to develop novel geochemical tools for unconformity-related uranium exploration, with the techniques and protocols developed applicable to other deposits in the Athabasca Basin and to other types of uranium deposits, thereby benefitting industry. This research will involve one MSc student, one Post-Doctoral Fellow and one faculty member at Queen's University, along with staff geologists at Cameco Corp. The knowledge generated will be disseminated by written and oral communications with Cameco Corp and through publications in the scientific literature.