Genetic Relationship between Natural Gas Dispersal Zone and Uranium Accumulation in the Northern Ordos Basin, China

The Ordos Basin is well-known for the coexistence of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium. However, there has been little research to discuss the genetic relationship between them. In this paper, a case study of the Zaohuohao area in Dongsheng, Inner Mongolia, China, is conducted to investigate the genetic relationship between the natural gas and the uranium accumulation. Fluid inclusion data from the uranium-bearing sandstone samples indicate that the fluid inclusions formed in a gas-water transition zone. Using the homogeneous temperatures of aqueous inclusions coeval with hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions, combined with the buried history and paleo-temperature data, the gas-water transition zone reached the area at about 110 Ma. On the basis of this, the contents of Uranium （U） and Total Organic Carbon （TOC） of the samples were analyzed, and there was no obvious relation between them. With regard to the available data from both publications and this study, it is found that the U mineralization has a spatiotemporal accordance with the gas-water dispersal zone. Thus, it is believed that the natural gas in the gas-water zone is an effective reducer to the U-bearing ground water abundant in oxygen, which is the main factor to U accumulation. This result can be used as the reference to the U mines predicting and prospecting.

Genetic Relationship between Natural Gas Dispersal Zone and Uranium Accumulation in the Northern Ordos Basin, China

The Ordos Basin is well-known for the coexistence of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium. However, there has been little research to discuss the genetic relationship between them. In this paper, a case study of the Zaohuohao area in Dongsheng, Inner Mongolia, China, is conducted to investigate the genetic relationship between the natural gas and the uranium accumulation. Fluid inclusion data from the uranium-bearing sandstone samples indicate that the fluid inclusions formed in a gas-water transition zone. Using the homogeneous temperatures of aqueous inclusions coeval with hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions, combined with the buried history and paleo-temperature data, the gas-water transition zone reached the area at about 110 Ma. On the basis of this, the contents of Uranium (U) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) of the samples were analyzed, and there was no obvious relation between them. With regard to the available data from both publications and this study, it is found that the U mineralization has a spatiotemporal accordance with the gas-water dispersal zone. Thus, it is believed that the natural gas in the gas-water zone is an effective reducer to the U-bearing ground water abundant in oxygen, which is the main factor to U accumulation. This result can be used as the reference to the U mines predicting and prospecting.