INTEGRATED STUDIES FOR MAPPING OF URANIUM MINERALIZATION IN "NUGURS-SIKAIT-ABU RUSHEID" AREA SOUTH EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

Abstract

The investigated area is a part of Wadi (W.) Al Gemal basin and located about 45 km southwest of
Marsa Alam town, South Eastern Desert of Egypt. It is dissected by numerous radioactive structurally
controlled mineralizations along W. Nugrus, W. Sikait and W. Abu Rusheid environs. Recently, the
Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt (NMA) launched an exploration prospect for these nuclear
materials. This study deals with multidisciplinary research by technological advances for data acquisition
and analysis of radio-elements exploration approach. Integration for all available data of the studied area,
used multiple system for analyses, such technique gives us maps represented by location, quantity, form,
type and growing up of anomalies. In order to solve the accuracy problems of a radio-elements,
exploration consisting of both geophysical and geochemical analyses with Landsat 7 (ETM+) images, a
multidisciplinary model can be carried out using GIS software (i.e. Erdas imagine, Arc GIS, Oasis
Montage and Envi packages). The structural lineament analyses and the discriminated lithologic units of
"Nugurs-Sikait-Abu Rusheid" area are integrated to show their relationships to the high radioactivity
occurrences. N-S and NW-SE trends are the predominant regional structural lineament trends while NESW
and ENE-WSW are minors in the investigated area. The highest radioactivity zones of the study area
are restricted to cataclastics domain, followed by younger granitic rocks in the Nugrus-Sikait area.
Chemical studies reveal to rubidium and uranium show their higher content at the cataclastic rocks of the
Abu Rusheid area. At least, model output gives us area of interest for high radioelements locate within the
cataclasic rocks; where the areas of interest for uranium, thorium and potassium anomalies have 2.84, 1.99
and 2.88 km2, respectively. Also, an area of interest for higher geochemical analysis gives us an idea about
the zinc highest content which has 0.284 km2 in cataclasitc rocks in the Abu Rusheid area.

Keywords