Whole-rock chemistry of the Gameleira I uranium deposit,Lagoa Real,Brazil

The Lagoa Real uranium (U) province, referred to as Lagoa Real, is located in the state of Bahia, north-eastern Brazil. Lagoa Real has ∼112,000 metric tonnes and average grade of 2700 ppm of U₃O₈, being one of the largest U deposits in the world and the largest in Brazil. Despite its economic and strategic importance, there are gaps in the geological knowledge of the Lagoa Real U deposits. One of them is the lack of extensive whole-rock chemical data sets. Here, we present whole-rock chemical analyses for major and trace elements, including the rare-earth elements (REE), from barren country rocks to uraniferous ore shoot, systematically sampled from an exploratory drill hole. The chemical data indicate that albitite rocks, with and without uraniferous mineralisation, cannot result from sodic syenitic magmatism, as proposed by recent studies. Petrographical and geochemical evidence supports the previously suggested concept that the Lagoa Real albitite rocks resulted from sodic metasomatism of the granitic country rock, known as the São Timóteo granite. Their ore-mineral assemblages and geochemical characteristics are similar to albitite-hosted U deposits worldwide.