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Seismic Methods in Mineral Exploration of the Athabasca Basin

Earlier seismic experiments demonstrated that the ore deposits in the Athabasca Basin are associated with reactivated deep-seated shear zones of the Trans-Hudson Orogen. Subsequently 2D and 3D surveys successfully searched for these indicative fracture zones of the uranium deposits. The basement unconformity and regolith, a primary target of exploration, is widely imaged, as it is characterized by variable but distinct reflectivity. Results from known deposits suggest that seismically imaged anomalous velocity zones, and deep-seated faults, that offset the unconformity, are effective indicators of mineralization and are broadly applicable exploration tools. 3D images define structural control of the mineralization.