Structural Controls of Uranium Mineralization in the Basement of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada

Table 1

Most common and frequent structures observed both on core and from ATV data from Spitfire drill holes. Although the uranium mineralization is hosted within ductile shear zones (red cells), mineralization is inferred to be the result of post-Athabasca faulting reactivating the inherited ductile structures.

Structure type

Chronology

Orientation

Dominant kinematics

Infill and/or associated alteration

Reverse

Normal

RL SS

LL SS

Umin

Clay alt

Desilicif

Mafic (?)

Chl

Qtz

Hem

CaCO3

Py

Drav

Carb

Pegm

Ductile shear zones

1

N040 (NE-SW)

X

X

X

X

X

1

N015 (NNE)

X

X

X

X

1

E-W

X

X

X

Fault zones/isolated faults/fracture corridors

2

E-W

X

X

X

X

X

3

NW-SE

X

X

4

N-S (NNW to NNE)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

?

NE-SW

X

X

X

X

X

?

N-S low angle dip

X

?

E-W low angle dip

X

?

NE-SW low angle dip

X

X

RL SS: right-lateral strike-slip; LL SS: left-lateral strike-slip; Umin: uranium mineralization; Clay alt: clay alteration; Desilicif: desilicification; Chl: chlorite; Qtz: quartz; Hem: hematite; CaCO₃: calcite; Py: pyrite; Drav: dravite; carb: undetermined carbonates; Pegm: pegmatite.