Athabasca deposit, geological

The geological stratification of the Athabasca deposit is presented in Figure 2. As with most rivers in this region of Western Canada, the Athabasca River has gouged a deep river valley, exposing the oil sands deposits along its banks. On warm days the bitumen oozes from the river banks and eventually works its way to the water line. Native Indians used this bitumen, mixed with spruce gum, to patch their canoes. 

Fig. 2. Geological framework of the basement to the eastern Athabasca Basin, including the location of the major unconformity-type uranium deposits, from Annesley et al. (2005).

Alexandre, P., Kyser, K., Thomas, D., Polito, P., Marlat, J. 2009. Geochronology of unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada and their integration in the evolution of the basin. Mineralium Deposita, 44, 41-59. Annesley, I.R., Madore, C., Portella, P. 2005. Geology and thermotectonic evolution of the western margin of the Trans-Hudson Orogen evidence from the eastern sub-Athabasca basement, Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 42, 573-597. 

Hu, B., Pan, Y., Botis, S., Rogers, B., Kotzer, T., Yeo, G. 2008. Radiation-induced defects in drusy quartz, Athabasca Basin, Canada A new aid to exploration of uranium deposits. Economic Geology, 103, 1571-1580. 

Clarke P. J. and Fogwill W. D. Geology of the Asamera Dawn Lake uranium deposits, Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan. Reference 4, 19-36. 

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