IAEA-TECDOC-583 Uranium exploration planning
The IAEA does
URANIUM EXPLORATION PLANNING
FOREWORD
In preparing this material EDITORIAL NOTE
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION... 7 Planning for uranium exploration... 9 Uranium: a strategic commodity? A general discussion...
I. INTRODUCTION
PLANNING FOR URANIUM EXPLORATION For some time a need has been felt for guidelines on the development of uranium exploration projects from the point of view of developing Member State organizations. In recent years the cost of mineral exploration has increased and, at
- Contractual Arrangements
URANIUM: A STRATEGIC COMMODITY? A GENERAL DISCUSSION During the Advisory Group meeting upon which this document
In your presentation you pointed out that we have got to try to persuade the world's policy makers to be thinking of things of 10, 15, 20 years ahead. We have to emphasise the fact that
Of course Africa
Verma:
URANIUM EXPLORATION PLANNING AND STRATEGY A.Y. SMITH, M. TAUCHID Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna Abstract A country may decided to begin uranium exploration for any of three reasons: 1. to meet the needs of a domestic nuclear power programme; 2. to supply uranium as a commodity to the world market in order to earn foreign exchange; 3. to acquire national information on the country's mineral resource potential with a view
A clear policy needs to be defined, however, before a country embarks
The phases of a modern exploration programme are;
PLANNING AND AREA SELECTION Regions URANIUM EXPLORATION SEQUENCE
densities of 1 sample per 1 to 10 km 2 of radon are common. Determination
It is clear that a high density of sampling and measurement will
DEPOSITION AREA
interested parties geological maps
3.4 Geochemical Methods Geochemical methods
because consideration is seldom given to the acquisition of the basic geological knowledge upon which the discovery was based. Thus many of the important sandstone hosted uranium deposits of the United States were found in regions where previous
Vlasov: What does DI8CUSSIOH
Hemmer: The paper mentions costs of exploration in terms of square kilometres
Tauchid:
conditions. At the moment I would say it is not useful to look for uranium in phosphates, or calcrete deposits or Rossing type disseminated mineralizations because they will not be economic
CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS E. MÜLLER-KAHLE Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna Abstract Conceptually there
the Republic of Korea, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA are importing variable portions of their reactor related requirements. The development and importance of uranium exploration and production, and their international interrelationship is shown by
There
Parties to the agreement were the now disbanded Bolivian Atomic Energy Commission (COBOEN),
As can be imagined, the main advantage of this agreement, from
Since about 1970
2) Infrastructural aspects;. regional development,
4.1-2 Exploration area The size of the area outlined for the exploration phase depends
4.2.2 Participation ratio
In general,
4.2.6 Imports While accepting local legislation concerning imports,
4.2.12 Decision making Decision making
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
DISCUSSION Chairman: Considering that this paper
until just a few years ago. And whereas there was a reasonable cooperation between the Atomic Energy Commission and the Geological Survey there were certainly areas of friction and disputes over jurisdiction. As an outside observer I think that this division
Chairman: That is good to hear. In the past this issue has been a very big problem. Often the governments would say - first you find something and then we will decide what the regulations will be, because if it is a marginal deposit the regulations will
An
Another major consideration constraining
organizations to be engaged in mineral exploration, many different hypotheses can be pursued simultaneously in many locations. There is no "short-list" of officially approved target areas. A large monolithic organization would be unlikely
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA O\ Administrative Services Y.P. Claude Financial Services Personnel Services K Fracke CORDILLERAN GEOLOGY DIVISION (Vancouver, B.C.) R.B. Campbell PRECAM8RIAN GEOLOGY DIVISION U.C. McGlynn Geological Research Marine Geology (Pacific Geoscience Centre) Information Services Bear-Slave northern Churchill Superior-Grenville Paleomagnetic Geochronology Petrology Special Projects INSTITUTE OF SEDENTARY AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY (Calgary,
DIRECTOR GENERAL Scientilic Executive Ollicer DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL Energy Ress irch and OevaJopmenl PfOjOClS FronMar Geoscienco Program Oflice Administrative Services l_ Programs and Planning Mineral Development Program Ollice Specal Projects
The need to develop these techniques arose independently in
The GSC proposed a small increase in the staff carrying out uranium resource appraisal, involving examination of existing mines and radioactive mineral occurrences reported by private exploration companies, and a substantial budget increase to launch systematic uranium surveys.
Although inspired by the success and utility of the longer established aeromagnetic survey programme, the URP differed from
4.2 Results of the Uranium Reconnaissance Programme By 1978 the energy crisis of 1973 had faded into memory and there was growing public unease about the long term environmental consequences
systems could be subjected to field trial". This was the trigger
Line spacing 1km i 6km 2Skm o\ OJ Figure
a\ Figure 4. Reconnaissance geochemical survey coverage of Canada
2) Resource exploration requires
6. CONCLUDING REMARKS been The provision of reconnaissance data by government has
APPENDIX
APPENDIX 2 SYSTEMATIC RESOURCE EXPLORATION - AN OUTLINE The basic requirements
Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM); this method, which measures the electromagnetic response of the ground to an electromagnetic transmission from
Geochemical Methods Geochemical (including radiometric) methods provide information about
reasons connected to the chemistry of these elements the most marked changes in the ratios are associated with uncommon rock forming or hydrothermal processes which, when they occur, often give rise
REFERENCES
[12] Palacky, G.J.,ed. 1986; Airborne resistivity mapping; Geological Survey
Perhaps the legal requirements are not so stringent as they were
Chairman:
geochemical prospecting, provided a boost that launched the Department and the nation on an aggressive exploration initiative.
- to prepare and compile geological and mineral data on
the Prescribed Minerals and Materials Commission (PMMC) Act and the Regulations made there under follow those of the Mines and Minerals Act and the Regulations. The major difference lies in the establishment of a Commission which is a corporate body with perpetual succession
Application for mining rights under Part IV of the Act shall be made to the Commission through the Engineer in the Commission
Apart from these two inherent parameters, of which the first is an essential or apriori condition, all other parameters
genuinely cooperate
Investment strategies
DISCUSSION Chairman: The Zambian methodology is, in my opinion, exactly on
the actual work. In Zambia, who is actually doing the physical work that you call the reconnaissance or prospection for uranium? Money:
Tauchid:
III.
THE ROLE OF OUTSIDE INTERESTS H.D. FUCHS Urangesellschaft mbh, Frankfurt, Federal Republic
From
If such a regime is established and if a country is prepared
Another basic rule should
consumers and also for uranium mining companies to search for new resources outside of Australia and Canada. If countries with favourable geological environments offer more favourable or more competitive conditions
have to include the normal disadvantages in these contracts. What is the reason to provide for big areas to do airborne surveys and to cut the time relatively short? This forces the foreign investor not to take more land than he can survey in
on
for certain things like wasting a mineral deposit, and therefore there must be some regulatory means which have to be discussed. However, we have to be a bit careful. If the economic cutoff is 0.25% and this is in connection with the market
investors, and therefore we have to find this narrow path where both sides
ATTRACTING FOREIGN COMPANIES (Summary) J. BOURREL Cogéma, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France The question of attracting foreign companies to undertake uranium exploration and development is typically a national problem and has to take into account, among other things, political policy, national needs, investment capability
What information and services can the government be expected to provide? Services and support for exploration and mining investment will normally be provided by the national geological survey. The role of the national geological survey will usually
In conclusion, the point should be made that careful attention needs to be paid to the disposal of information, particularly that obtained from private investors.
Chairman: DISCUSSION
Bourrel:
that probably
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN URANIUM EXPLORATION PLANNING
State Committee
Geological investigation (exploration activity)
By the grade of investigation ore reserves are divided into four categories:
If the deposit is positively approved in the expert report
by specialized territorial geological organizations,
Under
DISCUSSION Verma: I would like to know how you control the environmental questions, what are the checks and controls on large mining projects in the USSR. What precautions do you take? Vlasov:
Vlasov: Indeed we have some cut-off criteria, for example cutoff grade, cut-off thickness,
URANIUM EXPLORATION IN INDIA - PERSPECTIVE
cores
Verma:
investigation described below
facilities. These data should be assessed as to quality and an adequate standard of quality of data should be encouraged. Confidentiality of data must be maintained for some agreed period of time. But in the long term, all data must be made available to the public. It should always be borne in mind that the collection of exploration data has cost money and so these data should be maintained in as complete and readily accessible
-Some mechanism must be found to monitor the efficiency of the organization in the absence of market forces and of competing companies with which comparisons can be made.
LIST
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY SMITH, Arthur Y. (Scientific Secretary) TAUCHID, Mohamad Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division