Mineral Chemistry of Two-Mica Granite Rare Metals: Impact of Geophysics on the Distribution of Uranium Mineralization at El Sela Shear Zone, Egypt

• 作者: Ahmed Abdel Gawad Ibrahim Gaafar Michel Cuney
• 来源期刊: 地质学期刊(英文)
• 学科: 地球科学
• 关键词: BOREHOLES SHEAR Zone RADON Spectrometric Magnetic CONDUCTIVITY
• 年，卷（期）: 2014,（4）
• 页码范围: 137-160
• 页数: 24页
• 分类号: P5

摘要

The present work aims at identifying Nb-Ta-, Zr-Hf-, REE-, Th-U-bearing two-mica granite from geological, geophysical cross-sections and mineral chemistry studies from three boreholes at G. El Sela shear zone. Microscopically, the three boreholes are composed mainly of two-mica granite. They are composed of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, biotite and muscovite. Accessories are pyrite, zircon, fluorite, rutile, monazite with Th-U-mineralization identified by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron probe-microanalyses (EPMA). Chlorite, muscovite, sericite, kaolinite are secondary minerals. Geochemically, two-mica granite boreholes are A-type granites and peraluminous characteristics. They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE;Ba, Rb and Sr), high field strength elements (Y, Zr and Nb), and LREE but depleted in HREE with negative Eu anomaly. U-enrichment associated with chloritization, muscovitization, albitization, sericitization, kaolinization and argillization results from convective hydrothermal circulation of fluids through brittle structures along the ENE-WSW main shear zone. The ratios Nb/Ta (7.7 - 17.7) and Zr/Hf (16.9 - 26.4) are relatively enriched in the lighter isovalents Ta and Hf. The accessory minerals observed in the two-mica granites are represented by metallic sulfides (pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite), Nb-rutile, Hf-zircon, fluorite, monazite, columbite, betafite, thorite, phosphothorite, uranothorite, brannerite, uraninite, coffinite and pitchblende at G. El Sela shear zone. Uraninite with a low Th content indicates a hydrothermal origin of U-mineralization, Thorite, uranothorite, monazite and zircon is the main uranium bearing minerals of magmatic origin within the enclosing granite. The primary U-mineralization has been observed in two boreholes. In order to illustrate the geophysical signature of El Sela U-mineralization, the radiometric, magnetic, and VLF-EM data as well as radon concentration are included. The magnetic, electrical conductivity