A Note on the Occurrence of Uraniferous Phosphatic Ferruginous Breccia in the Lower Vindhyan Sediments of Son-Valley, around Baskati, Sidhi District, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Uranium mineralisation associated with phosphatic ferruginous breccia has been located for the first time within the Lower Vindhyan Semri Group of basal sediments in Son Valley around Baskati, Sidhi district, M.P. The phosphatic ferruginous breccia occurs along the reactivated basement fracture that follows the structural grain of Son-Narmada megalineament, and also marks the tectonic contact zone between Vindhyans to the north and Crystallines/Mahakoshals to the south. Detailed geological investigations at Baskati reveal uranium enrichment intermittently over a stretch of 2500 m at Baskati block and 400 m in Paniha block further east with an average width of 3 to 5 m. Samples from radioactive horizon analysed upto 670 ppm U and 36. 87% P₂O₅. Petromineralogical studies reveal that the association of uranium is mostly with the phosphatic phase.