EPR study of radiation-induced defects in quartz at the Arrow showing, northern Saskatchewan

本申请旨在建立萨斯喀彻温大学和 NexGen能源有限公司（温哥华）将在 图中箭头所示为最近在该地区西南部发现的高品位铀矿化。 阿萨巴斯卡盆地，北方萨斯喀彻温省。阿萨巴斯卡盆地西南部的铀矿化是 几乎完全位于基底岩性中，与东部对应物不同， 砂岩-基底不整合。由于这种地质上的差异，勘探技术得以发展 来自阿萨巴斯卡盆地东部的铀可能不直接适用于寻找新的铀矿， 盆地的西南部。建议的合作研究是为了调查 在箭头所示的基底岩性的石英中的辐射引起的缺陷，通过使用 阴极发光（CL）和电子顺磁共振（EPR）光谱。结果 拟议中的研究将与阿萨巴斯卡东部砂岩中石英的现有数据进行比较 盆地，其中一些硅空位空穴中心已被证明与发射的α粒子有关。 铀和钍，可用于探测和追踪含铀流体流动。拟议 研究预计将发展EPR技术，用于寻找铀矿化， 阿萨巴斯卡盆地西南部。

This application is intended to establish a new partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and the NexGen Energy Ltd (Vancouver) to conduct collaborative research on radiation-induced defects in quartz at the Arrow showing, a recent discovery of high-grade uranium mineralization in the south-western part of the Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan. Uranium mineralization in the south-western Athabasca Basin is hosted almost exclusively in basement lithologies, different from its eastern counterpart in close proximity to the sandstone-basement unconformity. Because of this geological difference, exploration techniques developed from the eastern Athabasca Basin may not be directly applicable to the search for new uranium deposits in the south-western part of the basin. The proposed collaborative research is initiated to investigate radiation-induced defects in quartz of basement lithologies at the Arrow showing, by use of cathodoluminescence (CL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Results from the proposed research will be compared with available data from quartz in sandstones from the eastern Athabasca Basin, where some silicon-vacancy hole centres have been shown to be related to alpha particles emitted from uranium and thorium and are useful for detecting and tracing uranium-bearing fluid flows. The proposed research is anticipated to develop the EPR technique for the search of uranium mineralization in the south-western Athabasca Basin.