Goswami, and 4 co-authors, reported in 2017 that dolostone of Vempalle Formation near Tummalapalle hosts large uranium deposit (>100,000 tonnes with an average grade of 0.045% U3O8). It is a unique type of uranium deposit because carbonate formations have been considered to be among the least uraniferous of all the rocks of the Earth’s crust due to mobility of uranium in aqueous fluid in the presence of carbonate and bicarbonate ions. Vempalle dolostone hosts syn-sedimentary uranium mineralization in the form of discrete uranium phases (pitchblende and coffinite) associated with collophane, and adsorbed uranium in organic matter. The organic matter has played dual role of concentrating uranium from solution and also chemically reducing it to pitchhblende and coffinite.
Based on the present studies, the authors concluded that:
1. Very low TOC, H.I. values and higher O.I. values represent overmature kerogen of type IV category.
2. Organic matter plays a dual role of concentrating uranium from solution and also of chemically reducing it to insoluble pitchblende and coffinite.
3. FTIR spectra do not show bonding between uranium and organic component, therefore uranium is present as adsorbed phase with organic matter.
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