Hyperspectral Alteration Information from Drill Cores and Deep Uranium Exploration in the Baiyanghe Uranium Deposit in the Xuemisitan Area, Xinjiang, China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Geological Setting
2.1. Geology of the Baiyanghe Uranium Deposit
2.2. Uranium Mineralization of the Baiyanghe Deposit
2.3. Wall-Rock Alteration of the Baiyanghe Deposit
3. Methodology
3.1. Working Method
3.2. Hyperspectral Data Collection from the Drill Cores
3.3. Identification of Alteration Minerals
4. Results
4.1. Geological Characteristics of Drill Hole ZK5630-1
4.2. Alteration Zoning Characteristics of Drill Hole ZK5630-1
4.3. Alteration Zoning Characteristics of the Cross Sections
4.4. SWIR-IC Analysis of the Drill Holes
4.5. X-ray Diffraction Analysis of Altered Sample Rocks
5. Discussion
5.1. P-T Characteristics of the Hydrothermal Fluid
5.2. Alteration and Uranium Exploration
6. Conclusions
- (1)
- The hyperspectral alteration characteristics of the drill cores from the deeper sections of the Baiyanghe deposit were measureable. The alteration mineral assemblages could be divided into three sections: (1) an upper section, which contains long-wavelength illite and minor hematite, limonite, and montmorillonite; (2) a middle section, which contains three types of illite (long-, short- and medium-wavelength) and minor montmorillonite, carbonate, hematite and limonite; and (3) a lower section, which contains short-wavelength illite, chlorite, and carbonate.
- (2)
- The variations in the absorption-peak wavelength (1000–2500 nm) of illite at 2200 nm [11] and the SWIR-IC (1000–2500 nm) values of the nine drill cores revealed that the hydrothermal fluid was likely characterized by relatively high temperatures and high pressures at greater depths and relatively low temperatures and low pressures at shallower depths in the Baiyanghe uranium deposit, and that the vicinity of the fault and fracture zone represented the center of hydrothermal fluid activity or mineralization.
- (3)
- The hydrothermal alteration was closely related to the uranium mineralization. The alteration minerals illite (short- and medium-wavelength), hematite and fluorite could be used as surface indicators of uranium at depth and at-depth indicators of the contents of these same minerals in the Baiyanghe uranium deposit in the Xuemisitan area to guide deep uranium exploration.
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Alteration Zones | Alteration Styles | Alteration Minerals |
---|---|---|
Northern alteration zone | Ferric Iron alteration | Hematite Limonite |
Illite alteration | Illite | |
Fluoritization | Fluorite | |
Chloritization | Chlorite | |
Southern alteration zone | Illite alteration | Illite |
Carbonatization | Carbonate | |
Western and Eastern alteration zones | Illite alteration | Illite |
Chloritization | Chlorite | |
Carbonatization | Carbonate | |
Fluoritization | Fluorite | |
Rock body alteration zone | Ferric Iron alteration | Hematite Limonite |
Silicification | ||
Carbonatization | Carbonate |
Depth (m) * | Spectral Number ** | Uγ Value (ppm) | Identified Mineral |
---|---|---|---|
310.00 | 1265–1266 | 54.10 | Limonite |
1295–1296 | Limonite | ||
322.00 | 1321–1324 | Illite | |
1323–1324 | 206.09 | Illite | |
1325–1326 | Illite | ||
323.67 | 1327–1328 | Illite | |
1329–1330 | 489.44 | Illite | |
1331–1332 | Illite | ||
1339–1340 | Illite, Hematite | ||
324.00 | 1341–1342 | 1817.27 | Illite |
1349–1350 | Hematite | ||
1353–1354 | Hematite | ||
1355–1356 | 1173.04 | Hematite | |
326.00 | 1357–1358 | Illite | |
1359–1360 | Illite, Hematite | ||
1363–1364 | 2175.50 | Hematite | |
1369–1370 | Hematite | ||
328.00 | 1373–1374 | Hematite | |
1377–1378 | Limonite | ||
1381–1382 | 771.96 | Limonite | |
1387–1388 | Hematite | ||
1393–1394 | Hematite | ||
332.00 | 1401–1402 | Hematite | |
1403–1404 | Hematite | ||
1427–1428 | 78.71 | Hematite | |
1429–1430 | Illite | ||
335.00 | 1431–1432 | Illite |
Alteration Minerals | Characteristic Absorption-Peak Location (s) |
---|---|
Short-wavelength illite | 2195–2202 nm, 2345 ± 5 nm |
Medium-wavelength illite | 2203–2212 nm, 2345 ± 5 nm |
Long-wavelength illite | 2213–2220 nm, 2345 ± 5 nm |
Montmorillonite | 2200 nm ± 5 nm |
Chlorite | 2250–2260 nm, 2340–2350 nm |
Carbonate | 2320–2340 nm |
Hematite | 675 ± 5 nm, 870 nm ± 5 nm |
Limonite | 675 ± 5 nm, 950 nm ± 5 nm |
Sample Number | Altered Mineral | Sampling Depth (m) | Analysis Results (wt %) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S | I/S | It | Kao | C | |||
5630-01 | Illite | 295 | 11 | 38 | 48 | / | 3 |
5630-02 | Illite | 305 | 7 | 19 | 43 | / | 31 |
5630-03 | Illite | 310 | 8 | 21 | 41 | 7 | 23 |
5630-04 | Illite | 320 | / | 40 | 57 | 3 | / |
5630-05 | Illite | 335 | / | 40 | 57 | 3 | / |
3318-01 | Illite, Chlorite | 382 | / | 27 | 33 | / | 40 |
3318-02 | Illite, Chlorite | 391 | / | / | 54 | 12 | 34 |
3318-03 | Illite | 398 | / | / | 99 | / | 1 |
3318-04 | Chlorite | 426 | / | / | 6 | / | 94 |
3318-05 | Chlorite | 437 | / | / | / | / | 100 |
3318-06 | Illite, Chlorite | 443 | / | / | 18 | / | 82 |
3318-07 | Illite, Chlorite | 449 | / | 19 | 50 | / | 31 |
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Xu, Q.-J.; Ye, F.-W.; Liu, S.-F.; Zhang, Z.-X.; Zhang, C. Hyperspectral Alteration Information from Drill Cores and Deep Uranium Exploration in the Baiyanghe Uranium Deposit in the Xuemisitan Area, Xinjiang, China. Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 451. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9050451
Xu Q-J, Ye F-W, Liu S-F, Zhang Z-X, Zhang C. Hyperspectral Alteration Information from Drill Cores and Deep Uranium Exploration in the Baiyanghe Uranium Deposit in the Xuemisitan Area, Xinjiang, China. Remote Sensing. 2017; 9(5):451. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9050451
Chicago/Turabian StyleXu, Qing-Jun, Fa-Wang Ye, Shao-Feng Liu, Zhi-Xin Zhang, and Chuan Zhang. 2017. "Hyperspectral Alteration Information from Drill Cores and Deep Uranium Exploration in the Baiyanghe Uranium Deposit in the Xuemisitan Area, Xinjiang, China" Remote Sensing 9, no. 5: 451. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9050451