Umamahes, and 4 co-authors reported in 2001 that significant uranium occurrences are discovered recently for the first time in the Gulcheru Quartzite of Papaghni Group of Cuddapah Supergroup near Gandi, east of Papaghni river, Cuddapah District, A.P. Mineralization is associated with an E-W fault. Friable whitish to light pink quartzite is the main host rock of uranium. Mineralization occurs in the form of lensoidal bodies having dimensions of 20 - 200 m x 2 - 10 m in an E-W fault scarp section, over 2 km in length. Dip section is also mineralized. Samples have revealed anomalous concentrations of uranium, up to 1.441% U3O8 with negligible thorium.
Concentration of Ni (<25 to 1033 ppm), Mo (<25 to 643 ppm), Pb (33 to 1515 ppm) and Cu (<25 to 170 ppm) points to the economic potentiality of the area. Petrological studies have identified uranium minerals such as pitchblende, uraninite and coffinite as fracture fillings and disseminations in the chlorite-sericite matrix of quartzite. The associated ore minerals are chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrite and limonite. These findings have important implications in the selection of new exploration targets for uranium in the basal beds of Cuddapah Supergroup unconformably overlying the fertile granitoid basement in the Eastern Dharwar Craton occurring in the southwestern part of Cuddapah basin.
The authors concluded that anomalous concentrations of trace elements like Ni, Mo, Co, V, Cu and Pb and indications of silicification and chloritization point to post-diagenetic emplacement of these elements into the sediments along with uranium, possibly through hydrothermal solutions during reactivation of basement faults and its spreading along favorable lithounits. Field evidences suggest that uranium mineralisation in the quartizites has structural as well as lithological control.
Favorable geological setting, together with association of significant uranium concentrations in Gulcheru Quartzite in the Gandi area, has opened up a new avenue for uranium exploration in contiguous areas covering the Gulcheru Quartzite on the eastern and western parts of the Papaghni river and to look for uranium in similar geological environs in other Mesoproterozoic sedimentary basins.
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