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Occurrence of uraniferous iron and manganese oxides in biotite granite North East Gabal El Sela area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

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Abstract

Optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and back-scattered electron imaging (BSE) have been used to determine the mineralogical composition of the uraniferous iron and manganese oxides and the associated U-minerals hosted in biotite granite that occurred north east Gabal El Sela area south Eastern Desert, Egypt. These mineralizations were found as veinlets fractures filling associated with strongly kaolinitic alteration of the coarse-grained biotite granite. XRD determined that the geothite mineral form the main constituent of uraniferous iron oxide in addition to tapiolite, and kaolinite minerals, where as uraniferous manganese oxide composed of pyrolusite, ramsdellite, and cryptomelane. BSE confirmed that the associated uranium minerals represented by uranothorite, kazolite, and zentime in addition to columbite-bearing minerals. Uranothorite and columbite-bearing minerals are the most abundant minerals in this mineralization. Petrographically, biotite granite is composed mainly of quartz, in addition to K-feldspars, biotite and muscovite with minor zircon, garnet, apatite, uranium-rich thorite and iron oxide. Petrochemical studies and tectonic discrimination diagrams for this granite reveal that they are classified as granite to alkali feldspar granite, originated from calc-alkaline magma having peraluminous nature and developed in within-plate tectonic environment. Field radiometric measurements revealed the localization of two high radiometric anomalies associated with iron and manganese oxides, within this anomaly uranium content range from 65 to 85 ppm. Alpha Track-etch Detectors of radon gas registrations revealed high track density reach up to 15,448.7 Bq/m3.

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  1. Nuclear Materials Authority, P. O. Box 530, El-Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

    Hassan Abd El-Razek Aly Shahin

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  1. Hassan Abd El-Razek Aly Shahin
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Correspondence to Hassan Abd El-Razek Aly Shahin.

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Shahin, H.A.ER.A. Occurrence of uraniferous iron and manganese oxides in biotite granite North East Gabal El Sela area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 6, 2245–2259 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0508-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0508-z

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