Petrography and geochemistry of the pelitic schist in the Dufferin Lake Zone, south central Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada

Unconformity-type uranium deposit are considered to be the result of mixing between oxidized basinal brines and basement derived reduced fluids, and/or reduced basement rocks. The role of graphite and/or its breakdown products is also suggested to be responsible for the formation of the uranium mineralization. Variably graphitic politic schist from the Dufferin Lake Zone, south central Athabasca Basin (Saskatchewan, Canada) have been studied petrographically and geochemically to determine the different types of carbonaceous matter and graphite and to compare with altered politic schist just below the unconformity which appears to have lost or partially lost graphite. The aim is to constrain the processes that may have led to graphite loss, and to determine whether graphite may have played a role in the formation of uranium mineralization.