Abstract
The major uranium deposits types are quartz-pebble conglomerate of the Central Rand Group (Witwatersrand Supergroup) and the Dominion Group, sandstone of the Karoo Uranium Province, surficial deposits of the Namaqualand region, as well as coal of the Springbok Flats Basin. Recent exploration activities (both greenfields and near-mine) have increased the resource potentials of these deposits. South Africa's Council for Geoscience has conducted high resolution magnetic and radiometric surveys in the Namaqualand region. Witwatersrand Basin is the only deposit where uranium mining is active at present in South Africa. Total uranium production in 2015 was 448 t. However, with production expected to increase in the Witwatersrand Basin, production is expected to reach 700 t U by the end of 2018. Furthermore, with uranium production envisaged to begin in the Karoo Uranium Province, uranium production may exceed 1000 t U by the year 2020.
Highlights
There are four major uranium deposits in South Africa, which are the Witwatersrand Basin, the Karoo Uranium Province, the Springbok Flats Basin and Namaqualand surficial deposit (Fig. 1)
With uranium production envisaged to begin in the Karoo Uranium Province, uranium production may exceed 1000 t U by the year 2020
The Karoo Uranium Province is located in the south-western part of South Africa, while the Springbok Flats Basin is located in the northern part of South Africa
Summary
There are four major uranium deposits in South Africa, which are the Witwatersrand Basin (quartz-pebble conglomerate-hosted deposit), the Karoo Uranium Province (sandstone-hosted deposit), the Springbok Flats Basin (coal -hosted deposit) and Namaqualand surficial deposit (Fig. 1). The global nuclear energy capacity is envisaged to expand significantly due to countries like China, Russia and India committing to nuclear energy expansion. It is on this backdrop that it expected that uranium demand will increase in the future, and have a positive effect in the uranium prices which will bring the deposits currently being investigated into production. Uranium resources for some deposits, such as the Sun project North and South in the Free State Goldfields (Witwatersrand Basin), were estimated using ordinary kriging for gold grades, and linear regression for uranium grades. The uranium production forecasts was based on future projections from each mine that produces uranium, as well as from the uranium deposits that are expected to produce uranium within the five years
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