MINERALOGY AND URANIUM DISTRIBUTION IN SOME SUBSURFACE SECTIONS FROM EL-MISSIKAT AND EL-EREDIYA URANIUM OCCURRENCES, EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

A.M., OSMAN; A.B., SALMAN; M.M., EL-MANSI; I. M., ABDEL GHANI; S.M., ABDALLAH

doi:10.21608/djs.2005.158259

MINERALOGY AND URANIUM DISTRIBUTION IN SOME SUBSURFACE SECTIONS FROM EL-MISSIKAT AND EL-EREDIYA URANIUM OCCURRENCES, EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

Document Type : Research and Reference

Authors

¹ FACULTY OF SCIENCE, AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY

² NUCLEAR MATERIALS AUTHORITY, CAIRO, EGYPT

10.21608/djs.2005.158259

Abstract

Twelve boreholes were drilled, two at El-Missikat uranium occurrence and tenat El-Erediya uranium occurrences. Studying the two boreholes of El-Missikat area (MS-2 and MS-3) and four boreholes from El-Erediya area (Er-1, Er-4M-30, Er-7M-60 and Er-8M-90) reveals the presence of some high radioactive anomalies are also recorded related to some fractures around the main shear zone. The radioactive anomalies are mainly related to uranium concentration and not to thorium concentration. They are not related to any of the fresh sulphide zones but mainly related to the goethite (pseudomorph after pyrite) zone.
There is no general trend for increasing or decreasing of either uranium or thorium with depth for any of the studied boreholes. Also, the uranium mineralizations are of secondary nature and intimately related to shear zones and fracture system and accordingly to type and degree of alteration.
Uranothorite and cassiterite are only encountered in core samples at level more than 80m depth (below the main adit level) of El-Erediya boreholes indicating a transitional area between the oxidation and reduction zones. They are not encountered in core samples at any depth of El-Missikat boreholes indicating oxidation zone till 150m depth below the Wadi level.