MINERALOGICAL ANALYSIS AND URANIUM DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEDIMENTARY-TYPE URANIUM ORES.

The ore body is generally a fine-grained, gray, well-sorted arkosic sandstone enclosed in finer-grained, poorly-sorted lagoonal or paludal mudstone or lignite. The depositional environment of the ore body is presumably a beach-barrier-bar sequence. The bulk mineralogy consists primarily of quartz, and feldspars with minor amounts of biotite, muscovite, augite, clinoptilolite and very minor amounts of hematite, pyrite and coffinite. High concentrations of uranium are generally associated with a high concentration of clays, zeolites and/or carbonaceous material. Additionally, uranium concentration usually increases with a decrease in size fraction. Thus, the expandable and absorptive smectite and/or the absorptive and ion exchangable zeolites could play a significant role in uranium mineralization.