Iron in uranium deposits

这项申请是为了支持皇后大学和Cameco公司之间为期三年的合作研究，以调查铁在形成铀矿床中的作用，以及使用粘土矿物和全岩样品中铁的氧化态（Fe 2 +/Fe 3+比）作为勘探工具的可行性。核心前提是铁还原铀形成存款，因此Fe 2 +/Fe 3+比值将作为铀矿化的函数而变化。测试案例将是阿萨巴斯卡盆地的麦克阿瑟河存款，这是世界上最大的高品位铀存款，将从存款周围的近端和远端地区收集样本。该项目的目的将是调查铀矿化的可能载体，并评估铁氧化态作为间接勘探工具的可行性，无论是单独使用还是与其他地球化学参数结合使用。最终目标是开发新的地球化学工具，用于不整合相关的铀矿勘探，开发的技术和协议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。这项研究将涉及一名硕士生，一名博士后研究员和一名教职员工在女王大学，沿着与工作人员在Cameco公司的地质学家所产生的知识将通过书面和口头沟通传播与Cameco公司，并通过科学文献中的出版物。

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.