Types of uranium deposits in central Zhuguang Mountains in Hunan Province, South China and their metallogenic regularity and prospecting directions

ABSTRACT: The central Zhuguang Mountains in Hunan Province is located at the junction of the three provinces, namely Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, where the famous Lujing uranium ore field lies. The uranium deposits occurring in this area are all granite-related and they can be divided into three types, namely endogranitic ones, perigranitic ones, and contact zone types. The endogranitic uranium deposits are mainly controlled by the structural alteration zones developing within granites, with fragmentation, hematitization, and alkali metasomatism as their main mineralization characteristics. The perigranitic uranium deposits are mainly produced in the carbonaceous, siliceous, and argillaceous composite layers of epimetamorphic rocks and are controlled by fractured zones formed due to interlayer compression. The contact zone type uranium deposits mainly occur in the contact parts between the granites and favorable horizons. They have developed in favorable sections where multiple sets of structures are combined and intersected. The main metallogenic regularities of uranium in the central Zhuguang Mountains are as follows. The basic conditions for the uranium mineralization in this area include the framework consisting of regional deep large faults and their associated multi-set multi-direction favorable metallogenic structures, multi-cycle and multi-stage uranium-rich rock masses, and uranium-rich folded basement. Meanwhile, the uranium deposits in this area are closely related to granites in terms of genesis and space and they are formed in different structural parts subject to the same metallization. Furthermore, based on the summary of the characteristics and regularities of uranium mineralization in this area, the controlling factors of different types of uranium deposits in the area were explored and six metallogenic target areas were predicted. All these will provide references for the exploration of uranium deposits in this area.