Geochemical Exploration of U-Mo-W Younger Late-Orogenic Granites, El-Urf - El-Dob - Abu-Kharif Geochemical Province, Safaga-Qena Tectonic Discontinuity Belt, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.

2 Nuclear Materials Authority (NMA), Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.

3 National Research Center (NRC), Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

El-Urf, El-Dob and Abu-Kharif Late-Orogenic Granite bodies are located north Safaga-Qena Tectonic Discontinuity, between latitudes of 26° 37ʹ and 26° 50ʹ N, and longitudes of 33° 20ʹ and 33° 28ʹ E. These three bodies constitute a geochemical province where El-Urf granite is bearing uranium, while El-Dob and Abu-Kharif Y Gr are hosting tungsten-molybdenum and tungsten respectively. Fieldwork integrated with remote sensing techniques and geochemical studies identified controlling factors, pathfinders, and the genesis of these deposits. The rock types, structures, and alteration processes are identified. The geochemical analyses of host rocks indicate alkali, highly fractionated calc-alkaline to alkaline, within plate to volcanic arc granites. Monzo-Syeno-Alkali feldspar and ferrugenated altered samples are identified using Fe2O3 VS each of MgO and CaO geochemical binary relationships. The positive correlation patterns for Zr VS K and negative for Na2O VS K2O and Sr VS Rb are geochemical pathfinders for such Y Gr mineralized bodies. The uranium mineralization of El-Urf granite is considered related to the genesis of the El-Erediya El-Missikat uranium molybdenum porphyry deposit. The formation of these deposits involved input in large chamber magma pulses were a magmatic hydrothermal fluid in the core of hydrothermal system and convected heated rushed Mozambique oceanic water transported the ore metals in the outer alteration zone of the upper crust. A second input of magma pulses in the large chamber formed three studied granites and the heated hydrothermal rushed Mozambique oceanic water that formed in the upper crust the W- Mo and W and Cu, Zn sulfide mineralization.

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