Athabasca basin (unconformity uranium province)
Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
UraniumU
- Type
- Unconformity-related uranium (Proterozoic)
The world's largest concentration of high-grade uranium deposits, up to a hundred times the world average. Mineralisation lies at the unconformity between the Archaean basement and the Proterozoic sedimentary cover of the basin. The province includes McArthur River, Cigar Lake, Key Lake, Rabbit Lake, McClean Lake and Cluff Lake.
δ238U in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : NBL CRM 112-A
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 ‰ | uraninite and pitchblende Typical value for high-grade unconformity deposits of the Athabasca. Fractionation comes from the nuclear field shift effect during reduction of U(VI) to U(IV), which enriches the reduced species (UO2) in 238U. The NBL CRM 112-A standard is essential for comparison. | Brennecka et al. 2010, Variations in the uranium isotopic compositions of uranium ores fr… | ||
| 0.44 ‰ | uraninite (global mean for unconformity deposits) World mean for unconformity deposits in the Brennecka (2010) compilation: Athabasca, Kombolgie, Otish and others. The Athabasca lies rather in the lower part of this range (high grade). | Brennecka et al. 2010, Variations in the uranium isotopic compositions of uranium ores |
Deposits of the same type
- Shea Creek (Athabasca) Canada
- Ty Gallen France
- Rophin France
- Tim Mersoï basin (Arlit, Akouta, Imouraren) Niger
- Inkai (Chu-Sarysu basin) Kazakhstan
- Tulukuevskoye Russia
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Athabasca basin (unconformity uranium province), isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/bassin-d-athabasca-province-d-uranium-de-discordance/ (accessed 2026-10-06).
@misc{isofind2026athabascabasinunconformityura,
title = {Athabasca basin (unconformity uranium province), isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/bassin-d-athabasca-province-d-uranium-de-discordance/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06}
}Updated : 2026-10-06