Geological environments and prospecting units of radioactive resources in Chile

Between 1975 and 1981 the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission with the assistance of the IAEA and the financial support of UNDP carried out a geological reconnaissance for uranium. At the same time systematic studies and the recording of geological data related to the regional favourability for uranium were undertaken. This study was completed in 1986, and resulted in the definition of favourable environments and prioritised prospection units. The new targets for regional investigation are: a) Acid Volcanic environments consisting of rhyolitic rocks of late Tertiary-Quaternary age, widely underlying areas of the Pre-Cordillera in northern Chile. b) Permo-triassic magmatic environments, occurring between Copiapo and La Serena, spreading eastwards into Argentina. c) Late Cretaceous-Tertiary magmatic environments, present throughout the country which contain numerous uranium occurrences and anomalies. Up to the present, about 150,000 Km2, equivalent of 20%, have been prospected in the national territory, from a total continental area of 756,252 Km2. (author). 25 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab