New insights from 2- and 3-D numerical modelling on fluid flow mechanisms and geological factors responsible for the formation of the world-class Cigar Lake uranium deposit, eastern Athabasca Basin, Canada

Abstract

The Cigar Lake uranium deposit in the Athabasca Basin is the world’s second largest high-grade unconformity-related uranium deposit. Its distinct geological architecture includes heterogeneous basement lithologies, a local basement high and sub-vertical faults. The sub-vertical faults are classified further into two sub-types: faults that are restricted to the basement, termed ‘basement faults’, and faults that are distinctly related to post-Athabasca fault reactivation, in that they extend upward into the sandstone, termed ‘extended basement faults’. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the aforementioned geological factors on the fluid flow patterns under two different driving forces, buoyancy due to variation of fluid density or ‘thermal convection’ and deformation or a combination of them, and to determine the most probable fluid flow scenarios for the formation of the deposit. The numerical results show that fluid flow is strongly affected by the two types of faults. While the basement faults represent fluid paths with complex fluid flow patterns, depending on the driving forces, providing favourable physical conditions for different chemical processes, such as fluid-fluid and fluid-rock interactions, the extended basement faults enhance the permeability of an E-W corridor within the sandstone and significantly strengthen the overall upwelling flow above the basement faults, promoting sandstone-hosted mineralization. The numerical results also suggest that the main deposit likely formed via fluid convection during tectonically quiet periods, although faulting played a critical role in increasing permeability, in turn, enhancing thermal convection.