Geological environments of sandstone-type uranium deposits

The great surge of interest and activity in exploration for uranium deposits over the last decade has added significantly to our knowledge of uranium geology and the nature of uranium deposits. Much of the information that has been developed by government and industry programmes has not been widely available and in many cases has not had the benefit of systematic gathering, organization and publication. With the current cut-back in uranium exploration and research efforts there is a real danger that much of the knowledge gained will be lost and, with the anticipated resurgence of activities, will again have to be developed, with a consequent loss of time, money and effort. In an effort to gather together the most important information on the types of uranium deposits, a series of reports is being prepared, each covering a specific type of deposit. These reports are a product of the Agency's Working Group on Uranium Geology. This group, which has been active since 1970, has gathered and exchanged information on key questions of uranium geology and co-ordinated investigations on important geological questions. The projects of the Working Group on Uranium Geology and the project leaders are:

Sedimentary Basins and Sandstone Type Deposits — Warren Finch

Uranium Deposits in Proterozoic Quartz-Pebble Conglomerates — Desmond Pretorius

Vein Type Uranium Deposits — Helmut Fuchs

Proterozoic Unconformity and Stratabound Uranium Deposits — John Ferguson

Surficial Deposits — Dennis Toens

The success of the projects is due to the dedication and efforts of the project leaders and their organizations, and the active participation and contribution of world experts on the types of deposits involved. The Agency wishes to extend its thanks to all involved in the projects for their efforts. The reports constitute an important addition to the literature on uranium geology and as such are expected to have a warm reception by the Member States of the Agency and the uranium community, world-wide.

A special word of thanks is extended to Warren Finch for his work in organizing and guiding this project and for editing the text, and to Jim Davis for his participation in the editing of this report on sandstone type uranium deposits.