Genesis of sandstone-type uranium deposits along the northern margin of the Ordos Basin, China

Sandstone-type U mineral resources are among the important sources for nuclear energy. The U deposits in the Ordos Basin in China form part of the northern segment of the sandstone-hosted Central Asian Uranium Mega- Province. Two types of mineralizations are recognized in this basin: “phreatic permeable type” and “interlayer permeable type”, both exhibiting features equivalent to roll-front subtypes. The “interlayer permeable type” is widely accepted as the dominant mineralization type for sandstone-type uranium deposits within large-scale basins, also designated as the “interlayer oxidation zone type”, based on the horizontal color zoning model representing changing redox conditions. Here we synthesize data from several drill holes within the Ordos Basin, which suggest that major Mesozoic tectonic movements controlled the evolution of the sedimentary system in the basin. These tectonic movements contributed to the formation of three angular unconformities and four parallel unconformities as inferred from the stratigraphic relationships. In addition, other features such as vertical color zoning, paleo-channel controlled tabular or lentoid ore bodies (without roll-type) and a group interlayer horizontal zoning of altered minerals are also documented. Sequence stratigraphic analysis indicates that the Ordos Basin generally witnessed four cycles of water level variations during Mesozoic. During the variations, three high water level and three low water level events were recorded. Biological characteristics imply that the Ordos Basin went through multiple arid to humid climatic evolutions during Mesozoic. Combining the newly documented features with some novel concepts on the hydrodynamic mechanism for supergene ore-forming fluids, we propose a metallogenic model which invokes the importance of tectonic movements and water level fluctuations to explain the genesis of uranium deposits along the northern margin of the Ordos Basin.