Abstract:
The Tarim Basin is one of the main uranium-producing basins in northern China, but uranium deposits are primarily concentrated in the marginal areas of the basin. The regional uranium exploration level is relatively low, and the uranium mineralization conditions are unclear, which severely restricts the exploration and prediction of sandstone-type uranium deposits in the basin. To address these issues, typical geological structural profiles of the Tarim Basin were analyzed, and combined with the basin’s tectonic evolution, an in-depth analysis of favorable conditions for uranium mineralization was conducted, and potential areas for uranium exploration in the Tarim Basin were identified. The results indicate that the Tarim Basin Neogene has favorable conditions for uranium mineralization. Specifically, the fault systems developed at the basin margins and intra-basin regions provide migration pathways for uranium-bearing fluids. Meanwhile, the alternating dry and wet paleoclimate during the Neogene in the Tarim Basin was conducive to the preservation of organic matter and the pre-enrichment of uranium deposits. Additionally, the Tarim Basin Neogene has abundant source materials, and the sedimentary facies belts generally exhibit a ring-shaped distribution advancing from the basin margins toward the interior. The basin margins are mainly characterized by alluvial fans and braided rivers, while large areas of alluvial/flood plains are developed in the southwestern, northeastern, and southern parts of the basin. The Kuqa Depression is dominated by braided river delta deposits to the south, and the southwestern Tarim transitions from flood plains to delta deposits, providing favorable sand body conditions. Moreover, the peripheral orogenic belts of the Tarim Basin possess superior external uranium source conditions, capable of supplying abundant uranium material for sandstone-type uranium mineralization in the basin. The basin’s internal basement and underlying ancient strata also provide ample internal uranium sources. A mineralization prediction model has been established, clarifying the prospecting direction. In the Kongque River Slope Belt, the prediction model for the Neogene is an interlayer oxidation zone type, with the oxidation transition zone and gray sand bodies identified as the next targets for exploration. In the Bachu Uplift, the prediction model is an infiltration-exfiltration superimposed polygenetic type, with the overlapping areas of faults and sand bodies in the Bachu Uplift being the next prospecting targets. For the Kuqa Depression, the prediction model is an early interlayer oxidation-late infiltration-exfiltration superimposed type, with the overlapping areas of paleo-interlayer oxidation zones and hydrocarbon reduction zones identified as the next exploration targets.