Distribution of radioelements and its relation to uranium migration, el-erediya exploratory tunnels, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

Abstract EN

Uranium mineralization, connected mainly to jasperoid veins, occupying shear and fracture zones, was discovered in 1970 at El-Erediya post-tectonic granitic mass, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt.

Exploratory tunnels were excavated, at wadi (valley) level, following these shear zones, in order to determine extensions of the mineralized parts and evaluate their potentiality.

Excavation works revealed the presence of massive and disseminated pitchblende, as well as its secondary associations, in some sections of the explored shear zones.

The granite along the shear zone is more or less altered.

The main alteration features are silicification, mylonitization, kaolinization and, to a less extent, sericitization.

An extensive gamma-ray spectrometric survey was carried out on two of the mineralized sections and the unaltered granite.

Spectrometric data were statistically treated in order to evaluate the uranium potentiality and its migration trend.

The study shows that there is a close relationship between the distribution of radioelements and the lithology.

It also shows that migration of uranium took place inside in the silicified granite, while the migration is in outward in case of the pink and kaolinized granite.-