Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Worldwide, there will be ~500 nuclear reactors operating by 2030, which will result in a 66% increase in global nuclear power generation. As global appetite for energy and commodities expands with the world's population, Canada's rich natural resources will continue to enjoy international prominence. This is particularly true for uranium (U) where demand will outstrip supplies in 10-20 years. To remain at the forefront of an ever-competitive mining and energy exploration market, Canada and its industries need to adopt a leadership position in the development of strategies for innovative and sustainable resource extraction. Sedimentary basins are host to some of the largest and richest U resources in the world, and there are tens of underexplored basins in Canada and the world. How can we distinguish between prospective and barren structures? One possible method is to quantitatively compare mineralized and barren tectonic structures, and the source of mineralizing and barren fluids. Uranium mineralizing processes are generally associated with complex hydrothermal systems that involved repeated fault slip and fluid flow along major structures. Consequently, understanding fluid movement through structures within these terrains and the source of U is of great importance for mineral exploration. It is necessary to use different isotopic methods because host rocks, fluid composition and possibly temperature are different, thus, precipitating different types of minerals. Therefore, we propose to use different isotopic systems to determine the age of faults and fluid compositions from different minerals. This proposal brings together academic researchers in partnership with industry members (AREVA) to develop improved exploration criteria for U deposits. The expected outcome is to train 4 HQP, and provide the U and mineral industry with a method that will allow them to distinguish between barren and mineralized faults and fractures, thus reducing drilling costs and impact on the environment by targeting only prospective structures.