Uranium in Granites
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uranium in granites 1982 PAPER 81-23 URANIUM IN GRANITES edited by Y.T. MAURICE 1982 Proceedings of a workshop held in Ottawa, Ontario, 25-26 November, 1980 © Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1982 Available in Canada through authorized bookstore agents and other bookstores or by mail from Canadian Government Publishing Centre Supply and Services Canada Hull, Quebec, Canada K1A 0S9 and from Geological Survey of Canada 601 Booth Street Ottawa, Canada K1A 0E8 A deposit copy of this publication is also available for reference in public libraries across Canada Cat. No. M44-81/23E Canada: $12.00 ISSN 0-660-111^1-1 Other countries: $14.40 Price subject to change without notice Production Editing and Layout M.J. Kiel Text Preparation Sharon Parnham Shirley Kostiew Susan Gagnon Janet Gilliland Janet Legere Uranophane crystals in red pegmatite, Faraday Cristaux d'uranophane dans une pegmatite Mine, Hastings Co., Ontario. National Mineral rouge, Mine Faraday, comte de Hastings. Collection, specimen no. 6264*. Ontario. Collection nationale de mineraux. (GSC 202899-E) specimen no. H2H4-1. (CGC 202N99-F.) FOREWORD AVANT-PROPOS This volume consists of papers presented at the Ce volume est compose de communications presentees Uranium in Granites Workshop, which was held in Ottawa on a VAtelier sur I'uranium dans les granites, tenu a Ottawa les 25-26 November, 1980. The purpose of this workshop was to 25 et 26 novembre 1980. Le but de eel atelier e'tait de provide the participants in the Canadian Uranium in Granites fournir aux participants a VEtude canadienne sur Vuranium Study with an opportunity to discuss the results of their most dans les granites I'occasion de discuter des re'sultats de leurs recent research activities. plus re'eentes activite's de recherche. The Canadian Uranium in Granites Study had its origin L'Etude canadienne sur I'uranium dans les granites in 1976 when the Nuclear Energy Agency, a division of the de'buta en 1976 lorsque I'Agence pour Ve'nergie nucle'aire, une Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development des divisions de VOrganisation de cooperation et de de'velop- located in Paris, and the International Atomic Energy pement e'eonomique situe'e a Paris et VAgence Internationale Agency, a United Nations organization based in Vienna, de Venergie atomique des Nations-ilnies situee a Vienne, ont established a joint working group to be concerned with e'tabli un groupe de travail conjoint s'inte'ressant a la research and development into methods of uranium recherche et au de'veloppement de methodes d'exploration de exploration. This working group was charged with I'uranium. Ce groupe de travail fut charge d'e'tablir une se'rie establishing a series of projects suitable for international de projets de recherche pouvant s'accomplir en collaboration collaborative research relevant to a variety of problems and Internationale et touchant une varie'te de problemes et de situations encountered in uranium exploration. The projects situations rencontres dans I'exploration de I'uranium. Les range through geophysical and geochemical techniques to projets vonl des techniques ge'ophysiques et ge'ochimiques au instrumentation development, and to mineralogical, developpement d'instruments et incluent des sujets aussi petrological and broader geological topics. vastes que la mine'ralogie, la petrologie et la geologie. The proposal for a project on uraniferous granites Ce projet sur les granites uraniferes fut propose originated in France, following from the fact that most of initialement en France, car la majeure partie de I'uranium the French uranium production has been derived from vein produit dans ce pays provient de veines et de gisements en and pipe-like bodies within granites. Much detailed research forme de cheminees dans les granites. Beaucoup de has been undertaken in France on uraniferous granites, and recherches tres de'taille'es ont ete' entreprises en France sur the resulting ideas on the origin of granites and their les granites uraniferes, et les idees qui en resultent sur associated mineralization are of theoretical and practical I'origine des granites et leur mine'ralisation associe'e sont d'un interest to explorationists in Canada. With this in mind, and inte'ret the'orique et pratique pour les prospecteurs au in order to prepare a Canadian contribution to the NEA/IAEA Canada. Ayant cela a Vesprit et afin de preparer la contribu- project, a group of Canadian geologists from the GSC and tion canadienne au projet de VAEN/AIEA, un groupe de several of the provincial geological surveys and some ge'ologues canadiens travaillant pour les services geologiques universities agreed to share their experience on granites. du gouvernement federal et de plusieurs gouvernements The workshop was designed to bring together a cross-section provinciaux ainsi que de quelques universite's ont accepte de of their recent work. mettre en commun leur experience sur les granites. L'atelier a ete congu pour rassembler les grandes lignes de leurs travaux recents. Much interesting work is being done, but it is apparent Un travail tres inte'ressant est en vote d'etre accompli that current research in any particular locality is generally mais il est clair que la recherche actuelle dans chaque confined to a few types of investigation. There are a few localite particuliere est ge'neralement limitee a certains places where a variety of complementary geological, types d'investigations. II y a quelques endroits oil Von a pu petrological, geochemical and geophysical data are being obtenir diverses donnees comple'mentaires geologiques, obtained but unfortunately these are all too rare. Yet most petrologiques, ge'ochimiques et ge'ophysiques, mais scientists will acknowledge that convincing answers to funda- malheureusement ces cas sont trap rares. Pourtant, la mental questions such as origin and economic questions such plupart des specialistes reconnaitror.t que pour obtenir des as mineralization potential, can only be obtained through reponses convaincantes aux questions fondamentales comme broad-based investigations. So by indicating where there are I'origine, et a des problemes d'ordre e'eonomique tel le partially investigated granites awaiting further work this potentiel de mineralisation, on ne peut se fier qu'a des publication will provide a valuable service, especially if recherches tres approfondies. Ainsi, en indiquant ou se researchers can be persuaded to fill in the gaps. It is my trouvent les granites partiellement e'tudie's, qui hope that the foJiowing papers will create greater awareness nc-ssiteraient de plus amples etudes, cette publication of the importance and interest of uranium in granites and rendra un service valable surtout si des chercheurs peuvent generate ideas for new research. etre persuades d'entreprendre des etudes complementaires. J'espere que les communications qui suivent seront a I'origine d'une plus grande prise de conscience de I'importance et de I'interet de I'uranium dans les granites et susciteront des idees pour entreprendre de nouvelles recherches. Thanks are due to Dr. Y.T. Maurice for making all the Nous devons remercier specialement Y.T. Maurice qui preparations and arrangements necessary to hold this s'est charge de preparer Vatelier, et d'assurer la liaison workshop, for subsequent liaison with the authors, and for posterieure avec les auteurs ainsi que de Vedition des editing the manuscripts. manuscrits. A.G. Darnley, A.C. Darnley Chairman, NEA/IAEA Joint Group on President du groupe conjoint AEN/AIEA Uranium Exploration R & D sur la recherche en exploration de I'uranium INDEX MAP CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Y.T. Maurice 'HOT' GRANITES: SOME GENERAL REMARKS A.G. Darnley (1) 11 GEOCHEMISTRY AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF URANIUM AND THORIUM IN THE GRANITOID ROCKS OF THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN BATHOLITH, NOVA SCOTIA: SOME GENETIC AND EXPLORATION IMPLICATIONS A.K. Charterjee and G.K. Muecke (2) 19 MINERALOGICAL AND PETROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF HETEROGENEOUS GRANITOID ROCKS FROM RADIOACTIVE OCCURRENCES IN THE GRENVILLE STRUCTURAL PROVINCE, ONTARIO AND QUEBEC 3. Rimsaite (3) 31 URANIUM IN ALKALINE INTRUSIONS, SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA R.A. Burwash and K.A. Berndt (4) 37 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OKANAGAN HIGHLANDS INTRUSIVE COMPLEX AS A SOURCE FOR BASAL-TYPE URANIUM DEPOSITS, SOUTH-CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA D.R. Boyle (5) THE BEHAVIOUR OF U, Th AND OTHER TRACE ELEMENTS DURING EVOLUTION OF THE GUICHON CREEK BATHOLITH, BRITISH COLUMBIA W.3. McMillan (6) 55 GEOCHEMISTRY OF GRANITOID PLUTONS OF CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA Sandra M. Ban- (7) 61 URANIFEROUS GRANITOID ROCKS FROM THE SUPERIOR PROVINCE OF NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO F.W. Breaks (8) 71 PETROCHEMISTRY OF THE BLACHFORD LAKE COMPLEX NEAR YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES A. Davidson (9) SI COMPARATIVE PETROCHEMISTRY OF TWO COGENETIC MONZONITIC LACCOLITHS AND GENESIS OF ASSOCIATED URANIFEROUS ACTINOLITE-APATITE-MAGNETITE VEINS, EAST ARM OF GREAT SLAVE LAKE, DISTRICT OF MACKENZIE S.S. Gandhi and N. Prasad (10) Numbers in brackets refer to report numbers, see Index Map for location. RADIOMETR1C STUDY OF THREE RADIOACTIVE GRANITES IN THE CANADIAN SHIELD: ELLIOT LAKE, ONTARIO; FORT SMITH, AND FURY AND HECLA, N.W.T. B.W. Charbonneau(ll) 101 URANIFEROUS GRANITES AND ASSOCIATED MINERALIZATION IN THE FURY AND HECLA STRAIT AREA, BAFFIN ISLAND, N.W.T. Y.T. Maurice (12) 115 ANOMALY '60': A URANIFEROUS GRANITIC PLUTON ON MELVILLE PENINSULA, N.W.T. Michel E. Delpierre (13) 119 AIRBORNE RADIOMETRIC ANOMALIES CAUSED BY LATE KINEMATIC GRANITIC ROCKS IN THE MOLSON LAKE-RED SUCKER LAKE AREA, EAST-CENTRAL MANITOBA Werner Weber, David C.P. Schledewitz and Nashir M. Soonawala (14) 125 URANIFEROUS PEGMATITES OF THE 5HARBOT LAKE AREA, ONTARIO K.L. Ford (15) 139 INFLUENCE OF A METAMORPHOSED GABBRO IN THE CONTROL OF URAN/UM- BEARING PEGMATITE DYKES, MADAWASKA MINES, BANCROFT, ONTARIO Richard L. Bedeil (16) URANIUM MINERALIZATION AND LITHOGEOCHEMISTRY OF THE SURPRISE LAKE BATHOL1TH, ATLIN, BRITISH COLUMBIA S.B. Ballantyne and A.L. Littlejohn (17) 157 IMAGE PROCESSING OF COINCIDENT BINARY PATTERNS FROM GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL MAPS OF MINERALIZED AREAS Andrea G.