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Saskatchewan Office Exploration Office Phone: +1.705.567.5351 UCR | TSX.V
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Home > Uranium 101 Uranium 101
Geologically speaking, Uranium deposits in the Uranium City area can be classed into 3 types, namely pegmatite deposits, uraninite in country rock type deposits and pitchblende type deposits. These pitchblende type deposits can then be further sub-divided into complex and simple mineralogies. Within the Uranium City region, by 1969 exploration geologists had identified 284 pitchblende type deposits. A total of 16 of these eventually became producing mines (see below). The pitchblende type deposits in the area are associated with faults and high strain zones. Today we recognize these zones as the Black Bay fault, St. Mary's fault, the Zeemel, Iso, Heatherington, Spring Dome faults, the Tom fault, the St. Louis fault, and the ABC and Camdeck faults. Uranium mineralization was introduced into these faults on 4 occasions, namely 1.78 billion years ago, 1.1 billion years ago, 270 million years ago and 100 million years ago. It must be noted that the geology in the Uranium City area differs markedly from the geology in the Athbasca Basin located further south in the Province of Saskatchewan. In Canada, all of the current uranium production is from "unconformity-related" deposits located in this Athabasca Basin area. An "unconformity" is a break or gap in the geologic record, where an older rock unit is overlain by a significantly younger unit following a period of erosion and/or non-deposition. In the Athabasca Basin, the overlying younger rocks are relatively un-deformed mid-Proterozoic-aged sedimentary rocks, primarily sandstones. They were deposited in an inland sea on top of an older eroded Precambrian basement, made up of highly-metamorphosed intrusive, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The contact between the sandstones and the basement rocks is called the "unconformity".The uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin occur below, across and immediately above the unconformity, which can be up to 1000 metres deep near the Basin's centre. These deposits formed by extensive hydrothermal systems occurring at the unconformity's structural boundary between the older and younger rock units. Major deep-seated structures are also interpreted to have played an important role in the hydrothermal process, likely acting as conduits for hot mineralized fluids that eventually pooled and crystallized in the structural traps provided by the unconformity. Exploration efforts in the Uranium City area are thus somewhat easier than in the Basin proper as drilling efforts do not need to go through the thick layer of sandstone. This means more cost effective exploration.Uranium Unconformity  The history of Uranium Mining in Saskatchewan extends all the way back to the mid-1930’s when Pitchblende mineralization was discovered around the settlement of Goldfields on the north shore of Lake Athabasca. World War II heralded an age of military significance for Uranium and in 1943 the Canadian Federal Government imposed a ban on the staking and mining of radioactive materials by the private sector and by 1944 Crown corporation Eldorado Nuclear had begun an intensive effort to identify and develop new sources of Uranium. Using hand held Geiger counters, prospectors found more than 1000 Pitchblende showings during the 1945 field exploration season. In 1946, Philip St. Louis discovered Pitchblende mineralization near a significant geological fault zone in the area. Recognition of this fault eventually led to the development of the Ace, Fay and Verna mines. Today this fault is aptly named the St. Louis Fault. In 1948 the private sector ban on staking was lifted and one of the largest staking rushes in Canadian history resulted. By 1952 the town of Uranium City had been established complete with electric power and other amenities. In the three decades (1953 – 1981) that followed, more than 200 companies staked claims and a total of 16 mines came into production with the Eldorado operations at Ace, Fay and Verna being the most prolific and producing over 40 million pounds of Uranium. At its peak, Uranium City was home to nearly 3500 residents. The early 1980’s proved difficult for Uranium. The near melt-down at the 3-Mile Island nuclear facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania cast a dark shadow on the generation of power using nuclear fuels. The price of Uranium fell from over US$40 per pound to under US$19 per pound. With the outlook bleak, Eldorado Nuclear made the decision in 1982 to shut down its operations in Uranium City. Uranium prices remained depressed in the years that followed and the 1986 incident at Chernobyl in the USSR inflicted further doubt on the use of nuclear fuels as an energy source. However,the 1990’s provided hope for the future of Uranium. The massive Chinese economy stirred to life and gave the markets cause for concern. Where would such a massive economy as China find adequate sources of energy to help it grow? The answer - nuclear energy. It is often said that history repeats itself. The past several years have seen a staking and exploration rush in northern Saskatchewan almost as intense as what was seen in the years following 1948. Uranium City Resources is proud to be leading the way for Uranium exploration in the Beaverlodge/Uranium City District. |
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