PROCEEDINGS of a SYMPOSIUM on EXPLORATION of URANIUM ORE DEPOSITS, ORGANIZED by the INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY and the OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY and HELD in VIENNA, 29 MARCH - 2 APRIL 1976, 828 p.
Forward
The demands on uranium exploration over the next 25 years will be very great indeed and additions to reserves must rise from a past annual rate of about 40,000 tonnes to between 200,000 and 30,0000 tonnes by the early 1990s. The challenge to the uranium producing industry is obvious and every effort must be made to improve the world's uranium exploration capability. The funds required to finance the required exploration are also considerable; for example, it has been estimated that some 20 billion dollars will have to be spent on uranium exploration up to the year 2000.
An understanding of how uranium deposits are formed is one of the basic factors in any exploration effort and, in May 1974, to further this understanding the International Atomic Energy Agency organized a symposium in Athens, Greece, on the Formation of Uranium Ore Deposits. The proceedings of that symposium, published by the Agency, can be regarded as an important contribution to the geological basis for future uranium exploration. The problem of finding sufficient uranium reserves for the future has, however, not only financial and geological implications but also involves the development of exploration methods, techniques and instrumentation of sufficient sophistication and efficiency to meet the huge discovery requirements.
The importance of this complementary subject of exploration techniques and its value to developing countries had already been recognized by the IA EA in 1972, when a panel was sponsored under the title of Uranium Exploration Methods. That meeting, the proceedings of which were published in 1973, had as its objective a review of the then available information on uranium exploration methods and the formulation of recommendations for future research and development. In view of the changing situation, which includes the recent marked increase in uranium prices and the more urgent exploration requirements, the international Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency of O.E.C.D. arranged this symposium which was intended to update the 1972 meeting and review all subjects related to uranium exploration and
preliminary evaluation techniques.
At the symposium a wide range of problems related to uranium exploration were discussed and papers were invited under the headings of exploration policy, various exploration techniques, case histories of recent exploration, preliminary evaluation techniques, and research and development required for future exploration methods and techniques. Working Groups were set up to make more detailed examination of the more important subjects and each prepared a summary report.
The papers, discussions and Working Group reports are presented in these proceedings. The Agency is grateful to all those who contributed papers and took part in the discussions. Thanks are due to the General Chairman, Dr. A.G. Darnley, Director, Resource Geophysics and Geochemistry Division, Geological Survey of Canada and the eight Session Chairmen. The Agency also wishes to thank the Chairmen of the Working Groups, Messrs. R.J. Wright (USA), R.S. Foote (USA).
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