ELEMENTS ACCOMPANYING URANIUM IN EXOGENOUS EPIGENETIC ORE DEPOSITS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR LEACHING TOGETHER WITH THE URANIUM

Abstract

The exogenic uranium ore deposits that tend to occur in regions where the zones of stratal oxidation (ZSO) wedge out in the water-permeable rocks of the sedimentary cover constitute a special class of mineral deposits suitable for extraction by subsurface leaching (SL). We undertook to ascertain the patterns of localization of the elements accompanying uranium in the region where the ZSO wedges out and to estimate the potentials for their extraction by SL techniques. To this end, an extensive and systematic sampling of drill cores was done in one ore deposit, which was chosen as the standard. Not only the uranium ore deposit, but also the whole producing productive aquifer horizon, including the upper and lower water-impermeable strate, were analyzed. The study shows that subsurface leaching of uranium may also extract other useful elements provided they occur together with the uranium in a single ore-containing aquifer horizon.