International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project

IUREP N.F.S. No. 162 December 1977 Distr. LIMITED Original: ENGLISH

International Atomic Energy Agency

INTERNATIONAL URANIUM RESOURCES EVALUATION PROJECT

IUREP

NATIONAL PAVOURABILITT STUDIES

BELGIUM

78-1843

INTERNATIONAL URANIUM RESOURCES EVALUATION PROJECT

I U R E P

NATIONAL FAVOURABILITY STUDIES

IUREP N,F.S. No. 162

BELGIUM

CONTENTS

PAGE

A. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL GEOGRAPHY 1.

B. GEOLOGY IN RELATION TO POTENTIALLY FAVOURABLE URANIUM BEARING AREAS

C. PAST EXPLORATION 4.

D. URANIUM OCCURRENCES AND RESOURCES 4.

E. PRESENT STATUS OP EXPLORATION 5«

P. POTENTIAL FOR NEW DISCOVERIES 5.

REFERENCES 7.

FIGURE No. 1 MAP OF BELGIUM

BELGIUM

I. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL GEOGRAPHY

(a) Geographical and Historical Note

Belgium is a small country (ll?782 sq. miles* 30-515 sq. kilo- metres) situated in Western Europe* It has a limited coastline on the North Sea and is bordered by the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and France*

It is generally a low-lying country with a flat coastal plain extending from the North Sea up to the Ardennes hills and forests of the south east which reach a maximum height of just over 2,000 feet.

Culturally, Belgium is divided between the Walloons, a French- speaking people, and the Flemings, a Dutch-speaking people* It is one of the nine member states of the European Economic Community*

Belgium comprises four main physical regions*-

(1) The Ardennes, which is part of the Heroynian Belt reaching from Western Ireland through to Germany* It forms a plateau deeply dissected by the Meuse River. (2) The Ardennes foothills, which comprise a number of limestone valleys cut into sandstones. (3) Anglo-Belgian lowlands. This is a region of sand and clay soils extending westwards incorporating the lowland extending to the North, Sea. This region includes the coal mining dis- trict, which stretches as a narrow band across central Belgium. Mining conditions are difficult and costly. However, coal is Belgium's only significant mineral resource. (4) Belgian Lorraine. Situated south of the Ardennes, this is an area of hills with north-facing scarps. Half of it remains wooded, and in the south is a small region containing iron ore deposits.

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(b) Climate Belgium, situated as it is on the vest of Europe, has a temperate maritime climate. However, within this limit, the weather is highly variable. Rainy and overcast weather is frequent with ah average annual rainfall of up to 40 inches. Mean temperatures range from about 35 F in December to over 60°P in July, depending on altitude and distance from

: the .sea. •. - ,; . . . • •. •.•• • •"

(c) . Access There are numerous roads and motorways linking the major towns. Brussels, the capital, is the heart of a railway system that has links with the rest of Europe. Antwerp is*the heart of Belgium's maritime trade, which includes extensive inland waterways. Brussels has a major international airport with smaller facilities at Antwerp aiid1 Liege.

II. GEOLOGY IN RELATION TO POTENTIALLY FAVOURABLE URANIUM BEARING AREAS

In general terms the structual framework of Western Europe has been controlled since the Precambrian by three rigid blocks, i.e. the Baltic Shield, the North African Shield and a North-Western European Shield. Belgium is. underlain by the remnants of an intervening area of more mobile crust. Part of North Belgium is underlain by the remnant of the Caledenides and Central and Southern Belgium is underlain by part of the east-west trending Hercynian Massif which in South East Belgium form3 the Ardennes. In the Mesozoic much of the Hercynian fold belt became submerged under a thick accumulation of marine sediments.

Within a broad setting of mainly marine sedimentation it is evident that' a significant amount of Belgium is underlain by Palaeozoic strata. Besides the Ardennes themselves the remnants of the Brabant Massif underly Central Western Belgium.

In the south-east of Belgium are four areas where Cambrian rocks outcrop. In Central Western Belgium the Brabant Massif is exposed mainly in valleys where the Eocene sediments that have been deposited on the Cambrian and Silurian strata have been eroded away,

• • •/ • * • The Cambrian is highly metamorphosed especially within the Ardennes. Much of the Cambrian deposits are composed of quartzitea and phyllites. The Upper Cambrian (Revinian RV 5) contains some graphitic black schist©s that are equivalent to the culm of Sweden.

Especially within the Brabant Massif itself the lower Palaeozoic rocks are interbedded with a variety of lavas, tuffs, ignirabrites and rhyolites* From the work carried out so far it appears that the majority of these rocks are extrusive*

Of the small igneous intrusions that are found within the Cam- brian none are granitic. However, two of the intrusions are acidic (characterised by molydenite) that is at Quenast within the Brabant Massif and at La Helle within the Stavelot Massif*

A large area of Devonian sediments outcrop in South East Belgium following a general east-west trend and forming rauch of the Ardennes wwV its foothills. The Lower Devonian comprises mainly marine sandstones and schistes, the Upper Devonian is made up of limestones and dolomites. horizons Within the Carbonifrous are some phosphatic / that have some interest from a uranium viewpoint. Within the limestone succession and near Vise the Visean itself restsdiscordently on the Devonian and at this boundary are number of solution pockets containing enrichments of phosphate.

The Mesozoic outcrops as an east-west trending central zone. Of the Mesozoic sedimentation only the Upper Cretaceores (Maestrichtien) is of interest from a uranium viewpoint as it contains significant phosphatic zones especially near Liege,

The Tertiary and Quaternary sediments that form the lowlands extending into the Netherlands and to the North Sea comprise mainly clays and sands.

v ft •/ . * < - 4 -

III. PAST EXPLORATION

Prospecting for radioactive minerals in Belgium has been limited. No airborne surveys are known to have been carried out. Between 1955 and 1962 some ground scintillometer surveys were carried out by the Geological Survey of Belgium (see map). Almost 10$ of Belgium was covered. The Centre for Nuclear Studies carried out in 1958 a ground scintillometer survey in the area of Vielsalm - Salm Chateau and Ottre. A number of drillholes have also been logged with a gamma probe. Resulting from this work a number of

small uranium occurences were identified (see I?)f but in general only normal background values were recorded. A very small amount of exploration has also been carried out by private companies but they have not indicated (3 identifying any new uranium occurences. , , ,

IV. URANIUM OCCURENCES AND RESOURCES

To date the uranium identified in Belgium is limited to a number of Qccurences and none of these have as yet proved significant from a reserve or resource viewpoint. The main uranium occurences ares

(1) In the Upper Cambrian graphatie schistes corresponding to the culm of Sweden small zones are found (30 - 50 cm thick) with an average of 20 ppm uranium.

(2) Near Vise at the base of the Carboniferous the Visean formation is discordantly superimposed on the Permian (Frasnian) and overlain by shales and phyllites. Solution pockets at the boundary contain phosphatic lenses that contain uranium values of up to 200 ppm. Autunite and Torbernite are the main uranium minerals associated with a number of complex phosphatic minerals.

Within the Chalk (Maestrichtien) of the Mons basin, that is mainly in the Ciply - St. Symphorien and Baudow dis- trict* Here is found enrichment of uranium up to I40 ppm over large areas related to phosphatic chalk. The thick- ness of the zone varies from a few to 20 metres. However, as the P2O5 content is not high fnough for the deposits

e • »/ » . . (3) contd. to be exploited at present for phosphate there is little possibility of the uranium "being concentrated at high enough levels to be exploited for itself alone. (4) Near to Vielsalm (in the Stavelot Massif) are some thin quartz veins containing small amounts of copper and uranium minerals (Torbornite). Values of up to 70 ppm are recorded* (5) A number of low uranium values are recorded associated with phosphatic nodules and zones in the Lower Pleistocene and Tertiary.

V. PRESEHT STATUS OF EXPLORATION

The University Libre de Bruxelles with funding from the EEC is carrying out research on the uranium occurences in the Vise" area. The Geological Survey of Belgium is also again involved in examining possible uranium targets.

There are no special regulations relating specifically to uranium exploration in Belgium. Uranium exploration is thus covered in the general regulations relating to mineral exploration -'Arret Royal1 of the 28 Novem- ber 1939 requiring declaration of any sub-surfaoe work and the associated 'Arret Royal1 of the 5 January 1940. Details of mineral rights are held by thf Belgium Mines Department.

VI, POTENTIAL OF MEW DISCOVERIES

From, the preceeding paragraphs it can be seen that in fact the work carried out so far in Belgium has been limited. Certainly further examination of possible host rocks should "be carried out.

* • •/* * • - .6 -

Initially three targets are apparent:™

(a) Farther examination of the acid intrusions to see if they axe of interest from a uranium viewpoint. (b) Within the Stavelot Massif is a small area of continental Permian sediments that could have possibilities as an attractive host rock. (c) Determine the controls of uraniwn mineralisation in the quarts veins of the Vielsalm area.

Prom the very preliminary data available it is difficult to place an order of magnitude on the uranium potential of Belgium, but as there are already some targets and areas of interest we would give Belgium a Group 2 IUHEP classification*

Compiled by GEC December 1977» - 7 -

BIBLIOGRAgHIE (co'iijdiiad by the -Geological Survey of Belgium)

P, BARTHOLOME, (1975). La Belgique doit parfciciper a la prospection pour assurer son approvisionnement en Uranium. Journal "Le Soir" du 27 septembre 1975, • : -j-p* 15..;" " ' ':.' " -

0. BALEINE, J.M. CHARXET, CH. buPUIS, Hi MEYS, (1976), Dosage par spectxoHietrie y des radioeiements naturels. Application a 1'etude de quelqu.es formations du bassin de Mons. Annales scientifiqued du Departement Mines-Geologie, Faculte polytechni- e que de Mons, n 2, pp.9-29, 8 £ig,s 2 tabl.f bibliog,, Mons.

G. CESARO, 1898. Description des mineraux phosphates, carbonates et sulfates du sol beige. Mem. Acad. toy. Belg., Mem. cour, in 4°, t,53, n*4, 136 pp., 54 fig., Bruxelles.

J.M. CHARLET, CH. DUPUIS, H. MEYS, (1976). Spectrometrie garama et geologie appli- quee. Annales des Mines de Belgique, 12° livraison, pp. 1017-1025.

J.M. CHARLET, CH. DUPUIS, Y. QUINIF, (1977). Applications de la thermoluniscence a la prospection desgisements d'uranium caches : resultats preliminaires. C.R. Acad. Sc. Paris, serie D.,pp. 1497-1499.

J.H. CHAiiLET, CH. DUPUIS, Y. QUINIF, (1977). Perspectives de la prospection de 1*uranium a l'echelle nationale. Annales des Mines de Belgique, 5° livraison, p. 522-531.

V. CIZA, (1976). Contribution a 1'optimalisation de l'gtude par spectrometrie gamma d'une anoraalie radioactive. T.F.E., Faculti polytechnique de Mons, 58 p.

1. de MAGNEE, 1951. Observations sur la radioactivite des horizons marins du Westphalien Beige. 3eme Congres de Stratigraphie et de Geologie du Carbonifere, Heerlen, 1951, pp. 429-434, 6 fig. bibliog.

G. DEWALQUE, 1880. Coffipta rendu d'une excursion dans le Luxembourg. Blocs errati- ques, cailloux impressionnes, chalcolithe. Observations dans la tranchee d'Arlon a. Longwy. Ann. Soc. geol. Belg. (1879-1880) t.7, pp. 118-123, Li§ge.

A. DUMONT, 1852. Cristaux de chalcolite trouves pres de Vielsalm. Bull. Acad. roy. Belg., t. 19, 2em© partie, pp. 343-344, Bruxelies.

A.M. FRANSOLET, J. JEDWAB, R. VAN TASSEL, 1974 a. Inventaire minSraiogique de Richelle - Belgique. Ann. Soc. geol. Belg. t. 97 (1974), fasc, I, pp. 23-26, 1 tab., bibliog. Liege.

A.M. FRANSOLET, J. JEDWAB, R. VAN TASSEL, 1974 b. La fluellite de Richelle, pres de Vise - Belgique. Ann. Soc. geol. Belg. t. 97 (1974), fasc. I, pp. 27-38, 2 pi., 5 tabl., bibliog., Liege.

J.M. GRAULICH, 1963. La phase sudete de 1'Orogene varisque dans le synclinorium de Hamur a X'Esfc du Samson. Bull. Soc. beige G&ol. Pal. Hydr. I. 7J (1962), fasc. 2, pp. 181-199, 5 fig. , bibliog., Bruxelles. - 8 -

J» JEDWAB, 1959 a. Presence de corbemite a Richelle (Province de Liege). Bull. Soc. beige Geol. Pal,. Hydroi. t; 67 (1958), fasc. 2, pp. 300-303, bibliog., Bruxelles, J. JEDWAB, 1959 b. Presence de gres uranifere a Argenteau (Province de L£6ge). Bull. Soc. beige Giol. Pal. Hydrol. t. 68 (1959), tasc. 2, pp. 319-323, bibliog. Bruxelles. R, LEGRAND, 1958. Breches radioactives aux environs de Vise. Bull. Soc. beige Geol. Pal. Hydr. £.66 (1957), fasc. 2, pp. 211-217, 4 pi. Bruxelles. R. LEGRAND, 1959. Compte rendu de 1'excursion do 26 juin 1958 dans la region de Vise". Bull. Soc. beige Geol. Pal. Hydrol. t. 67 (5 953), fasc, 2, pp. 290-295, 3 photos* Bruxelles. H. MEYS, (1975). Dosage par spectrotnetrie gamma des radioSleaenta. V«7h*K* Interet en prospection geophysique. T.F.E. Faculte polytechnique de Metis, 45 p. R. VAN TASSEL, 1956. Note sur la jarosite et la destine"2ite d'Argenteau. Publ. Ass. Et. Pal. Strat. houil. Publication n*25 (1956), p. 95-98. R. VAN TASSEL, 1959 a. Autunite, apatite,