Uranium Deposit Report
Deposit : |
Valencia |
Country : |
Namibia |
General Information |
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Geological District |
Namibia | ||
Geological Region |
Namibia | ||
Political/Geographical Province |
Swakopmund | ||
Last Data Update |
2009-01-01 | ||
Owner(s) |
Paladin Resources Ltd | ||
Operator |
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Technical Information |
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Tonnage Range (t U)
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10,000 - 25,000 | ||
Grade Range (% U)
|
< 0.03 | ||
Deposit Status
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Exploration | ||
Current Processing Plant
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Cumulative Production (t U)
|
0 | ||
Production Period
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Produced Grade (% U)
|
0 | ||
General Remarks |
The Valencia deposit is located 35 km along strike to the Rossing mine and 40 km north of the Langer Heinrich deposit. The Valencia uranium project was intensively explored by the Trekkopje Exploration and Mining Company betwen 1973-1977. A feasability study completed in 1981 did not result in a favorable outcome. Forsys started exploration and drilling in 2006. | ||
Geological Information |
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Deposit Type |
Intrusive | ||
Geological Setting |
Uranium mineralisation occurs within leucocratic alcali granites (alaskites) that were emplaced within metasedimentary rocks of the Damara Supergroup in the closure of an antiformal structure that plunges 45° to the south. The Valencia project area is situated in the Central Zone of the intra-continental branch of the Damara Orogenic Belt. The Central Zone is characterized by medium to high grade of metamorphism and voluminous granitic intrusions. All of the uraniferous granite occurences discovered in Namibia are located in the Central Zone. Karoo age dolerite (150 Ma) are common throughout the Central Zone. In the Valencia area, rocks of both the Khan Formation and Swakop Group of the Damara sequence occur. They have been intruded by numerous alcali leucocratic granitic pegmatites (alaskites) present as massive stock-like bodies, dykes of varying thickness and veins and veinlets, which can be either conformable with or transgressive to the host rock. At least eight phases of alaskites have been identified. | ||
Age of Mineralization |
Uraniferous granites were emplaced after the F3 event, approximately at 550 Ma. | ||
Mineralization |
Uranium mineralisation is present as uraninite and the secondary uranium minerals uranophane and uranothallite. No betafite has been identified. Uraninite is usually fresh. Secondary uranium minerals occur as yellow coatings on exfolation planes and joints, where they form specks and tiny flakes. Uranium mineralisation predominantly occurs in the finer-grained alaskites and rarely in the coarse pegmatitic phases. A close relationship also exists between the uranium and biotite content as well as the degree of uranium mineralisation and the apatite content. Uranium is variably distributed through the alaskite intrusions. | ||
MetallogenicAspects |
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Age of Mineralization |
Uraniferous granites were emplaced after the F3 event, approximately at 550 Ma. | ||
DepositShape |
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DepositDimensions |
Uranium mineralisation has been identified over an area of 1100m north-south by 500m east-west. It dips at approximately 35° to the south and has been identified to a depth of 380m. | ||
GeologicalRemarks |
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Metallogenic Aspects |
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