The sedimentology and uranium mineralization of the Klipbankskraal deposit north of Merweville, C.P

A sedimentological study was conducted on the farm Klipbankskraal, north-west of Merweville. The orebody is located in the Poortjie Member at the base of the Teekloof Formation. The mineralised sandstone, S1, is a tabular lithosome deposited in an ephemeral, braided river environment. It consists of two major and several minor mesocycles, with the upper major cycle showing evidence of having inherited the drainage pattern of the lower mesocycle. The vector mean azimuth of the sequence as a whole is towards 059 degrees. The uranium is present as stacked, tabular lenses associated with permeable zones in the immediate vicinity of erosional inter-cycle contacts. Although no obvious relationship exists between the uranium and channels or bars, the distribution of plant material was controlled by the current velocities which also controlled the type of sedimentary structures. Uranium occurs preferentially in fissile-weathering (horizontal-bedded) sandstone and mud-pebble conglomerate, both permeable lithologies, and in mudstone or silt-stone. Uranium is genetically related to other elements such as Mn, Mo, Cu, Co and Pb, which must have been constituents of the ore fluid. Uraniferous granites in the source areas probaly supplied most of the uranium