Unconformity-related uranium potential: clues from Wernecke Breccia, Yukon
Description
Unconformity-related uranium deposits are best known from the Athabasca Basin, Canada and the Pine Creek area of Australia. In both regions, fault-controlled mineralization is associated with a regional unconformity between Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic clastic rocks and locally carbonaceous Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks. A similar scenario exists in the Wernecke and Ogilvie Mountains of the Yukon where Mesoproterozoic Pinguicula Group strata unconformably overlie
Paleoproterozoic Wernecke Supergroup metasedimentary rocks. Uranium occurs in veins that cut Wernecke Supergroup rocks, most notably in association with Wernecke Breccia ¿ a large-scale Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic breccia system. Ages returned by uranium minerals are significantly younger than the ages of the host strata and may be reflecting mobilization of uranium during later tectonic and/or thermal events. The possibility that uranium occurrences in the Wernecke and Ogilvie mountains fit the unconformity model needs to be verified with further study, but is intriguing and raises the possibility that significant deposits may be found.
Resources
| Name |
Format |
Description |
Link |
| Yukon Geological Survey publication metadata |
HTML |
|
https://data.geology.gov.yk.ca/Reference/42263 |
| Original metadata (https://open.yukon.ca) |
HTML |
|
https://open.yukon.ca/information/6d1343b3-afe4-411f-bbb1-6ab74ba46cf3 |
| Report |
PDF |
|
https://ygsftp.gov.yk.ca/publications/yeg/yeg05/09_hunt.pdf |