Australia's uranium: Linking uranium endowment to crustal evolution

Australia has the world's largest resources of uranium, the great bulk being recoverable at low cost. It is the second largest producer of uranium, which it exports to global markets, and recent developments are likely to significantly expand production. Evidence is presented that this considerable uranium endowment reflects the widespread emplacement of uranium-enriched felsic rocks in three main periods of igneous activity. While some uranium deposits appear to have formed during these igneous events, including the giant Olympic Dam deposit, most are considered to have formed by subsequent low temperature processes from uranium-enriched source rocks. There has been limited uranium exploration in Australia since 1980 and considerable potential exists for further discoveries of various types of uranium deposits in favourable geological settings within and beside regions characterised by uranium-enriched igneous rocks. (author)