International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) national favourability studies: Portugal

Portugal is situated on the western edge of the Iberian Meseta. At present, its reasonably assured reserves are about 7800 t of U (including 1000 t of U at more than 830/lb U3O8) and 850 t of U in estimated additional reserves. This potential is divided between vein deposits and deposits located in the peribatholithic schists or enclaved in granite. Two main districts share these reserves - Beira at the centre of the country and Alto Alentejo in the east, approximately at the same latitude as Lisbon. In spite of the considerable prospecting activities authorized by Portugal in the Meseta area, the subject cannot yet be regarded as exhausted. Additional resources may still be located in the horizontal and vertical extensions of the vein mineralizations or schists from the already known deposits or outside the districts containing such deposits. Moreover, certain post-Palaeozoic sedimentary basins exhibit features favourable for the presence of uranium-bearing deposits and therefore deserve to be taken into consideration. However, there are as yet no examples of economic mineralization in such locations in Portugal. All things considered, we considered it reasonable to place Portugal in category No. 3 of the classiffication adopted by BJREP. (author)