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Geochronology of unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada and their integration in the evolution of the basin

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Abstract

The importance of geochronology in the study of mineral deposits in general, and of unconformity-type uranium deposits in particular, resides in the possibility to situate the critical ore-related processes in the context of the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions in the studied area. The present paper gives the results of laser step heating 40Ar/39Ar dating of metamorphic host-rock minerals, pre-ore and syn-ore alteration clay minerals, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U/Pb dating of uraninite from a number of basement- and sediment-hosted unconformity-related deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Canada. Post-peak metamorphic cooling during the Trans-Hudson Orogen of rocks from the basement occurred at ca 1,750 Ma and gives a maximum age for the formation of the overlying Athabasca Basin. Pre-ore alteration occurred simultaneously in both basement- and sandstone-hosted mineralizations at ca 1,675 Ma, as indicated by the 40Ar/39Ar dating of pre-ore alteration illite and chlorite. The uranium mineralization age is ca 1,590 Ma, given by LA-ICP-MS U/Pb dating of uraninite and 40Ar/39Ar dating of syn-ore illite, and is the same throughout the basin and in both basement- and sandstone-hosted deposits. The mineralization event, older than previously proposed, as well as several fluid circulation events that subsequently affected all minerals studied probably correspond to far-field, continent-wide tectonic events such as the metamorphic events in Wyoming and the Mazatzal Orogeny (ca 1.6 to 1.5 Ga), the Berthoud Orogeny (ca 1.4 Ga), the emplacement of the McKenzie mafic dyke swarms (ca 1.27 Ga), the Grenville Orogeny (ca 1.15 to 1 Ga), and the assemblage and break-up of Rodinia (ca 1 to 0.85 Ga). The results of the present work underline the importance of basin evolution between ca 1.75 Ga (basin formation) and ca 1.59 Ga (ore deposition) for understanding the conditions necessary for the formation of unconformity-type uranium deposits.

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Acknowledgements

This work benefited from financial contribution by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) via Discovery, Major Facility Access and Collaborative Research and Development grants. Cameco Corp. is acknowledged for its financial support. Vladimir Sopuck, Ken Wasyliuk, and Dan Jiricka are thanked for their field support and constructive discussions. Two anonymous reviewers contributed to the overall quality of the paper by thorough, detailed, and constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    Paul Alexandre, Kurt Kyser & Paul Polito

  2. Cameco Corporation, 2121, 11th Street West, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7M 1J3

    Dave Thomas & Jim Marlat

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  1. Paul Alexandre
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  2. Kurt Kyser
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Correspondence to Paul Alexandre.

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Editorial handling: M. Cuney

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Complete analytical data for 40Ar/39Ar analyses of various metamorphic and alteration minerals from the studied basement-hosted and sandstone-hosted deposits and prospects. (XLS 214 kb)

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Alexandre, P., Kyser, K., Thomas, D. et al. Geochronology of unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada and their integration in the evolution of the basin. Miner Deposita 44, 41–59 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-007-0153-3

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