Uranium and Thorium exploration in India

Pratap Singh Parihar

Director
Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
Department of Atomic Energy
Government of India

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi
 Outline

• Uranium exploration methodology

• Major uranium provinces of India
• Promising provinces
• India’s uranium resources
• Thorium exploration in India
• Beach and inland placer deposits
• Thorium resources

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 2
 India’s three stage nuclear power programme
Stage I

Natural uranium used as fuel in
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR)

Fissile isotope U-235 (0.7% of natural U)
will sustain a chain reaction

Fertile isotope U-238 on absorbing a
neutron yields fissile Pu-239

The spent fuel is reprocessed to get Pu-239
Stage II

Setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs)

FBRs produce more fuel than they
consume

Increases fuel utilization by about 60 times
of what is possible with PHWRs

Pu-U (produced in stage-I) Mixed Oxide is
used as fuel with Thorium blanket

FBRs generate electricity and build up fuel
inventory
Stage III

Setting up of Advanced Heavy Water
Reactors (AHWRs). Use U-233 from stage-II

Convert Th into nuclear fuel i.e., Uranium-
233

Fuel inventory further increased many fold
along with production of power

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 3
 Uranium exploration

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 4
 Exploration methodology

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 5
 Major uranium provinces in India

Mahadek basin,
North Delhi Fold Belt, Meghalaya
Rajasthan and Haryana

Singhbhum
Shear Zone,
Jharkhand

Kaladgi basin, Karnataka North

Cuddapah basin,
Andhra Pradesh
Bhima basin,
Karnataka
South
Cuddapah Basin,
Vein type Andhra Pradesh
Sandstone type
Unconformity related
Dolostone hosted Stratabound
Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 6
 Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand
• Sixteen low grade - small to medium
size uranium deposits
• Six production mines
• One mine under construction
• Two mills
• Only producing mines in India so far

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 7
 Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh
0 200 400 km

Delhi

Hyderabad Cuddapah Basin

Kaladgi Basin
Bhima Basin
Pakhal Basin
Vindhyan Basin
Chhattisgarh Basin
Khairargarh Basin
Ampani Basin
Abhujhmar Basin
Indravati Basin
Sukma Basin
Shillong Basin
Kunjar Basin
Gwalior Basin

• Cuddapah basin accounts for >50% of

India’s uranium
• Hold potential for more resources
• A mine and mill commissioned recently in
Tummalapalle deposit

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 8
 Bhima basin, Karnataka
F F
GEOLOGICAL MAP OF BHIMA BASIN F

5 0 5 10 15Km

0
N
17
F
15' W E Kagna river
S
F F

F
F
0
F
17 '
F
F

Fracture zone

0 LATERITE
INDEX
16
45' DECCAN TRAP
F F
F CHERT BEDS (INTER - TRAPPEANS)
GOGI F
PURPLE SHALE(HARWAL Fm.)
LIMESTONE( KATAMDEVARHALLI Fm.)
SAND STONE/ SHALE(HALKAL Fm.)
LIMESTONE(SHAHABAD Fm)
SHALE
(RABANPALLI Fm)
0 ARENITE
16
30' DYKE
F
F
YOUNGER GRANITE
YOUNGER SCHIST BELT
F F PENINSULAR GNEISS
OLDER SCHIST BELT (SARGUR)
F
F FAULT
SURFACE RADIOACTIVITY
0
16
15' 76 15'
0 0
76 30' 76 45'
0 0
77 77 15'
0
77 30'
0

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 9
 North Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan & Haryana

ROHIL PROSPECT Section N-2

DISTT. SIKAR , RAJASTHAN
T.S.of BH.NO.GTR-166,81,100, 120,18,19,39 & RHL-16,19,18(p) & 44
50m 0 50 100m EAST
WEST

RHL-18(P)
GTR-166 GTR-81
GTR-120 GTR-18 GTR-19 GTR-39 RHL-16 RHL-19 489.35m RHL-44
495.01m 495.30m GTR-100 488.22m 486.20m 486.60m 487.10m
500m 486.90m 486.70m 486.82m

B
450 B1 0.025X2.15m
0.043X2.22m
1 4 1+1a
1a 41 1
0
10

400
1 14
0.126X1.51m
1+1a 1+
7
0.023X2.21m
14
A A1 1
+7
DD

350
1 31 4 1
.1 DD.2

0.028X1.39m
1a
89

+7
.75

1a10.055X4.85m
m 1+7 m
D

0.039X4.94m
D

3 0.077X15.50m
4
25

1+1a
84

300
1.

.50
05
m

4
250 0.041X9.27m
0.024X1.73m*
1+
7
0.030X1.21m 1
DD

0.041X1.63m
3
.43

3
m

1
40

0.058X1.34m
7.3

200
2.
0
5m

40

40

1a INDEX
D

0.066x1.16m
D

0.063X1.53m 7 0.059X4.17m
1+ 1a3a 0.107x1.01m
7
1+ 1a
150 OVER BURDEN
0.039x6.55m
0.024x1.16m 0.049x1.08m
7 ZONE OF ALTERATION
0.050x1.58m
1
0.075x1.58m
DD

3 0.050x1.49m
3
.6

100 0.036x1.17*
.40

6 QUARTZ VIEN /REEF

19.6

33+7
38

m
0.024x1.15m 0.103x1.32m
.5
0m

DD

0.030x4.59m
5 ALBITITE /ACID INTRUSIES
DD

0.033x4.06m 3+7
.71

50
3 1a
5.1

0.057x6.82m
4 AMPHIBOLITE / BASIC INTRUSIVES
0m

0.037X2.21m A 1 3 3a QUARTZITE / AMPHIBOLE QUARTZITE a: GRAPHITIC

00
DD

0.043X3.07mB4
.73

1+7

3 4
0.035x4.65m 2 CALC SILICATE /IMPURE MARBLE
6.2

0.041X5.55m
0m

-50 800m 0.064X1.34m QBS WITH QUARTZITE INTERCALATIONS a: GRAPHITIC

0.064 x 7.02m 1 1a
m

0.058 x 6.09m
.95

B U - MINERALISATIONS AT 0.020% eU3O8 CUT-OFF GRADE

93
DD

0.078 x 12.79m B3 & TRUE THICKNESS

.7

-100
DD
.92

B2 0.081x 6.32m Additional Lodes

5.8
5m

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 10
 Mahadek basin, Meghalaya

• Holds nearly 10% of India’s uranium resources

• Ore body occur as a blanket at shallow level (<50m)
• Suitable for opencast mining
• Prospect for more resources in the basin

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 11
 Promising uranium provinces

Vindhyan basin
Lesser Himalayas
Bijawar basin
Western Rajasthan
Surficial type
Gondwana basins Shillong basin
of Central India Chhattisgarh
Kaladgi basin basin
Dongargarh
Dharwar QPC Province
Abujhmar basin
Dharmapuri
Shear zone Indravati basin

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 12
 Distribution of uranium deposits

1,84,446 t U3O8 7.42 million tonne U3O8

(As on June 2012) (Red Book-2009)

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 13
 Future exploration strategy
Conventional exploration inputs are augmented with:
• Airborne Geophysical Survey
– TDEM and Z-TEM
– Gradient Gravimetry
– Hyper Spectral Remote Sensing
• Radiometric and Ground Geophysical and Geochemical Surveys
Delineation of potential target zones by
– Geochemical maps
– Alteration studies
• Geo-modeling of exploration data
• Quick and accurate analytical and other laboratory inputs
• Development of Potential Target Zones (Systematic Reconnoitory/Exploratory Drilling)
– Faster, deeper and accurate drilling with modern rigs
– Optimisation of drilling grids and reserve calculation by state of the art statistical
techniques/ softwares

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 14
 Thorium exploration

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 15
 Thorium mineralisation

Heavy Mineral Placer Sand deposits

• Shoreline Placer
• Alluvial Placer
• Inland aeolian Placer

Late-stage Igneous rocks
• Alkaline Complexes
• Carbonatite
• Alkali granite/Pegmatite

Pegmatite

Hydrothermal veins

Quaternary sediments

High grade Metamorphic rocks
Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 16
 Thorium mineralisation

Source for Th and REE

Discovery – in the year 1909 from beach sands from
Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu.

Occurs in placer sands along with ilmenite, rutile,
leucoxene, garnet, zircon & sillimanite.

Monazite-bearing placer sands found along the coast-line
and also inland in aeolian and riverine environments.

Recovered as by-product at:
• Chavara, Kerala
• Manavalakurichi, Tamil Nadu
• Chattarpur, Odisha

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 17
 Monazite

• Grade in different environments

Beach sands : upto 1%
(up to 5% in some places in Kerala,
Tamil Nadu)
Teri Sands Tamil Nadu :Upto 0.10%
Siri River, Chhattisgarh: Upto 0.8% (Riverine Placer)

• ThO2 : up to 9-10% (av.)

• U3O8 : 0.3%
• REO : 60%
• P2O5 : 27%

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 18
 Beach and inland placer deposits

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 19
 Beach placer resources in India

Heavy Mineral Total Resource (March 2012)

(million tonnes)

Ilmenite 520.38
Rutile 29.11
Monazite 10.70
Zircon 32.28
Garnet 154.26
Sillimanite 195.85
Total 942.58

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 20
 Berm-line, Pudukottai, TN Chavara Deposit, Kerala

Red sediments, Sattankulam, TN Tandava-Varaha coast, Visakhapatnam, A. P.

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 21
 Exploration strategy for thorium

exploration will be continued for inland placers in

areas of paleo-strandlines along the coast.

Known beach placer deposits are explored only up
to a depth of 10m. Resources below 10m will be
exoplored

Exploration for Non-placer resources, particularly
hard rock terrains.

Geophysical techniques for surveying deeper
deposits.

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 22
 Thanks

Resurgent India – Vision 2020 in Metals and Minerals Sector, September 28, 2012, New Delhi 23