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Hydrothermal activity in the basement granite associated with the unconformity-related uranium deposit in Chitrial area, Cuddapah Basin, India

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Abstract

Uranium mineralization occurs adjacent to the unconformity between Paleoproterozoic granite and Meso- to Neoproterozoic cover sediments in Chitrial prospect of Cuddapah Basin in Indian shield. Hydrothermal activity in the granite is evident by the presence of hydrothermal veins and associated wallrock alteration in the unconformity zone (0–5 m below unconformity), shallow zone (5–100 m), and deep zone (100–120 m). Hydrothermal alteration of granite has produced chlorite in all depth, epidote in the deep zone, muscovite commonly in the shallow zone and illite predominantly in the unconformity zone. Pitchblende and coffinite are associated with sulphides and carbonaceous matter filling micro fractures and occurring along grain boundaries in the granite. Fluid inclusion study of quartz from hydrothermal veins reveals the presence of primary aqueous inclusions (biphase, monophase, polyphase) with a wide range of salinity from 0.2 to >23.2 wt.% (low–high). The fluid composition indicates that MgCl2 is present in all depth zones, CaCl2 in the deep zone and KCl–NaCl in the unconformity zone. Th of aqueous biphase inclusions is in the range of 275.0–78.9°C. Available evidence suggests convective circulation of basinal brine between cover sediments and basement granite during which uranium was mobilized from granite and precipitated in the unconformity zone.

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Acknowledgements

This research work was funded by Project No. 2009/36/53 of the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, Department of Atomic Energy (Govt. of India). JT acknowledges the financial support of research fellowship by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. We thank the Director, AMD for permission to publish this work, Sohail Fahmi and Mary Achar for help in the microscopic study of uranium phases. Erudite reviews by two anonymous reviewers and the Chief Editor have significantly improved the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605 014, India

    Jugina Thomas, M S Pandian, Tresa Thomas & P K Thomas

  2. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, Hyderabad, 500 016, India

    S J Chavan, P V Ramesh Babu & H S Rajaraman

Authors
  1. Jugina Thomas
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  2. M S Pandian
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  3. Tresa Thomas
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  4. P K Thomas
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  5. S J Chavan
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  6. P V Ramesh Babu
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  7. H S Rajaraman
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Contributions

Jugina Thomas and M S Pandian: Field and petrographic studies, preparation of manuscript; Tresa Thomas: fluid inclusion study; P K Thomas: XRD and EPM analysis; S J Chavan, P V Ramesh Babu and H S Rajaraman: details of exploration, selection of core samples, geochemistry of granite.

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Correspondence to M S Pandian.

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Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

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Thomas, J., Pandian, M.S., Thomas, T. et al. Hydrothermal activity in the basement granite associated with the unconformity-related uranium deposit in Chitrial area, Cuddapah Basin, India. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 110 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01593-3

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