Inkai (Chu-Sarysu basin)
Turkistan Region (Chu-Sarysu basin, south), Kazakhstan
UraniumU
- Type
- Sandstone-hosted uranium, active roll-front (in-situ recovery)
Discovered in 1976 and mined by in-situ recovery since 2008 (Cameco 40%, Kazatomprom 60%). Four mineralised horizons lie in the Mynkuduk aquifer (Lower Cretaceous, Sugraly Formation), at 100 to 300 m depth and locally down to 800 m, with grades of 0.02 to 0.05% U. Coffinite and microcrystalline uraninite line the redox fronts. The Chu-Sarysu basin today holds more than half the uranium reserves of Kazakhstan, the world's leading producer.
δ238U in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : NBL CRM 112-A
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.29 ‰ | uraninite and coffinite (sandstone-hosted type) The value for the sandstone-hosted category (Brennecka, 2010), applied to Inkai for lack of anything better: no direct measurement was found in the abstracts consulted. The study by Uvarova et al. (2014) of 11 hydrothermal deposits in Asia gives a very wide range (ratios of 137.377 to 137.772, about -3.4 to 0 ‰); the real value of an active roll-front such as Inkai could therefore be well below 0.29 ‰. | Brennecka et al. 2010, Variations in the uranium isotopic compositions of uranium ores fr… |
Deposits of the same type
- Tulukuevskoye Russia
- Rophin France
- Tim Mersoï basin (Arlit, Akouta, Imouraren) Niger
- Ty Gallen France
- Athabasca basin (unconformity uranium province) Canada
- Shea Creek (Athabasca) Canada
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Inkai (Chu-Sarysu basin), isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/inkai-bassin-de-chu-sarysu/ (accessed 2026-10-06).
@misc{isofind2026inkaichusarysubasinisotopesig,
title = {Inkai (Chu-Sarysu basin), isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/inkai-bassin-de-chu-sarysu/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-06}
}Updated : 2026-10-06