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Characteristics of Altered Ilmenite in Uranium-Bearing Sandstone and Its Relationship with Uranium Minerals in the Northeastern Ordos Basin

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Abstract

In recent years, the close relationship between uranium and Ti-Fe oxides in the sandstone-type uranium deposits has been extensively recognized. However, the altered characteristics of ilmenite and its relationship with uranium enrichment still remain unclear. With this paper based on heavy-mineral sorting of uranium ore selected from the Tarangaole-Nalinggou deposit in the northeastern Ordos Basin, electron probe, backscattering image, energy spectrum and scanning electron microscopy were systematically performed. The ilmenite in the sandstone can be divided into four groups, including unaltered, weakly altered, moderately altered, and strongly altered ilmenite. The alteration of ilmenite in uranium ores is notably more intense than that of the surrounding rocks. In addition, weakly, moderately, and strongly altered ilmenite associated with uranium minerals in uranium ores demonstrate that the more intensity ilmenite altered, the closer its relationship with uranium minerals is. The ilmenite has likely been somewhat altered before mineralization, and the alteration intensifies by later exposure related to an oxygen-containing fluid. The alteration mechanism comprises a process of competitive diffusion between Fe2+ and O2− ions. In the early stage, Fe ions was mainly diffused on the particle surface. Subsequently, diffusion of O ions into the particles began to be dominate. Most of the leached iron is stripped or carried away by fluid. In an alkaline and reductive environment, the remaining iron is reduced to form the surrounding pyrite, and TiO2 in a form of titanium sol recrystallizes (i.e., anatase). Backscattering images show that uranium and altered ilmenite are close in space. Coffinite is often distributed along the edges of altered ilmenite as burrs in shape. Colloidal or knitted coffinite associated with anatase is formed in the voids of altered ilmenite. The chemical composition of altered ilmenite varies considerably from the core to edge, and the mineral assemblage sequence is from girdle with ilmenite, to leucosphenite, to anatase, and to coffinite. There is no brannerite that is symbiotic with altered ilmenite. It is considered to be a uranium-containing titanium mineral aggregate caused by the reduction and adsorption of uranium. As the altered product of ilmenite, TiO2 is an aggregation agent, increasing the concentration of uranium by adsorption. Together with Fe2+ and S2− in secondary pyrite, this aggregate creates a uranium-rich environment in the microzone for the formation of coffinite. Therefore, the alteration of ilmenite plays a geochemical role in the processes of sedimentary, diagenesis and mineralization, in which Fe is removed, Ti is enriched, and U is adsorbed and reduced.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by projects under the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFC0604200), the Open Fund Project of State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment (No. 2020NRE10), the National Key Infrastructure Development Plan (No. 2015CB453006), the China Geological Survey (Nos. DD20190119,DD20221678), the International Geoscience Programme (No. IGCP-675) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 92162212). We thank Dr. Feng Zhibing of the East China Institute of Technology for his guidance. We also thank the reviewers for their critical reviews and excellent suggestions that helped to improve an early version of this manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1468-1.

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  1. Tianjin Center, China Geological Survey, Tianjin, 300170, China

    Lulu Chen, Yin Chen, Hu Guo, Hualei Zhao, Peisen Miao, Xiaoxi Feng, Rengan Yu & Chao Tang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China

    Lulu Chen

  3. Key Laboratory of Uranium Geology, China Geological Survey, Tianjin, 300170, China

    Lulu Chen & Hu Guo

  4. North China Center of Geoscience Innovation, Tianjin, 300170, China

    Lulu Chen

  5. Cores and Samples Center of Natural Resources, Beijing, 100192, China

    Jian-Guo Li

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Chen, L., Chen, Y., Guo, H. et al. Characteristics of Altered Ilmenite in Uranium-Bearing Sandstone and Its Relationship with Uranium Minerals in the Northeastern Ordos Basin. J. Earth Sci. 33, 342–357 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1468-1

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