The occurrence of Uranium enrichments
Introduction and purpose
The occurrence of Uranium enrichments happens in several areas in basin-fill units of the Maritimes basin adjacent to Atlantic Canada basement rocks. The presence of this naturally occurring Uranium poses some health concerns relating to humans. There has been interests to explore the mineral for purposes of producing fuel used in nuclear reactors, since it serves as a raw material in this process. For this reason there are rules to regulate Uranium exploration and its mining activities in Nova Scotia by the department of mines and energy. Due to these radioactivity and environmental issues caused by Uranium it is therefore necessary to evaluate the two sites Zinc Corp owns to determine the one suitable for building a resort. This paper will discuss the occurrence of Uranium and elements associated with it in Windsor and Tatamagouche areas exploring their properties and formation.
Most of the deposits in Windsor are said to have been formed from fluid migration in the granitoid emplacement. They occur in altered rocks in areas of shears and fractures in the last stages of granitoid emplacement. A deposit known as the millet brook appears to be the largest and most documented in the south mountain Batholith and Maritime Provinces. It weighs four hundred and fifty thousand kilograms and has copper and silver components. In its uppermost part has an occurrence of the U-phosphate minerals like Pb-meta-autunite, torbernite, and autunite. Macdonald (2001) Said that this mineral collection was due to a process of surface weathering. The upper part is also composed of additional minerals like kaolin, hematite, bornite, covellite, illitesmectite, chalcocite, and proustite. All these minerals are characterized by experiencing a weathering process of low temperatures surface. Other Uranium deposits relate to Precambrian rocks are formed as a result of erosion of weathering profiles on rocks and granitoid. Still, generally, most of them are found on rocks with a granitic composition. In Tatamagouche, minerals like gulf, lacana, and Noranda exist in sedimentary rocks when little radioactive incidences occur; they form a uranium deposit called sandstone.