Athabasca Basin
Encyclopedia
This article is about the uranium mining region near Lake Athabasca. Not to be confused with the drainage basin of the Athabasca River
.
The Athabasca Basin is a region of Northern Saskatchewan
and Alberta
Canada
that is best known as the world's leading source of high grade uranium
. It currently supplies about 20% of the world's uranium.
The basin is located just to the south of Lake Athabasca
. The basin covers about 100,000 square kilometres in Saskatchewan and a small portion of Alberta. The surface of the basin consists of main sandstone
sediment varying from 100 to 1000 metres in depth. The uranium is mostly found at the base of this sandstone, at the point where it meets the basement.
Uranium was discovered in the region in the 1940s. The first mine in the area was the Rabbit Lake Mine
, which was discovered in 1968 by Gulf Mineral Resources and opened in 1975. The most important current mine is Cameco
's McArthur River mine, the world's largest high-grade uranium mine. For several decades the price of uranium has been quite low, and there was little activity in the Basin. Since 2003, however, the price of uranium has increased considerably and the Basin is once again a focus of attention. Much of the best regions are controlled by Cameco, though smaller firms have in recent years found deposits in areas that had previously been overlooked.
Dike
s in the Athabasca Basin are related to the giant Mackenzie dike swarm
.
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
.
The Athabasca Basin is a region of Northern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that is best known as the world's leading source of high grade uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. It currently supplies about 20% of the world's uranium.
The basin is located just to the south of Lake Athabasca
Lake Athabasca
Lake Athabasca is located in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan and the northeast corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N.-History:The name in the Dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence the Athabasca River at the southwest corner of the lake...
. The basin covers about 100,000 square kilometres in Saskatchewan and a small portion of Alberta. The surface of the basin consists of main sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
sediment varying from 100 to 1000 metres in depth. The uranium is mostly found at the base of this sandstone, at the point where it meets the basement.
Uranium was discovered in the region in the 1940s. The first mine in the area was the Rabbit Lake Mine
Rabbit Lake mine
Rabbit Lake is the second largest uranium milling facility in the western world, and is the longest operating uranium production facility in Saskatchewan. The facility is located approximately 800 km north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on the northeast edge of the uranium rich Athabasca Basin....
, which was discovered in 1968 by Gulf Mineral Resources and opened in 1975. The most important current mine is Cameco
Cameco
Cameco Corporation is the world's largest publicly traded uranium company, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 2009, it was the world's second largest uranium producer, accounting for 16% of world production.-History:...
's McArthur River mine, the world's largest high-grade uranium mine. For several decades the price of uranium has been quite low, and there was little activity in the Basin. Since 2003, however, the price of uranium has increased considerably and the Basin is once again a focus of attention. Much of the best regions are controlled by Cameco, though smaller firms have in recent years found deposits in areas that had previously been overlooked.
Dike
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
s in the Athabasca Basin are related to the giant Mackenzie dike swarm
Mackenzie dike swarm
The Mackenzie dike swarm, also called the Mackenzie dikes, form a large igneous province in the western Canadian Shield of Canada. It is part of the larger Mackenzie Large Igneous Province and is one of more than three dozen dike swarms in various parts of the Canadian Shield...
.