Abstract:
This study developed a geogas prospecting technology suitable for concealed sandstone-type uranium deposits in desert areas. This prospecting technology consisted primarily of three parts: A geogas information collection device and sampling method tailored to desert, a method for geogas information preprocessing using the detector and material composition tests, and a method for data processing and anomaly inference and interpretation. This technology was developed based on the mechanisms behind geogas material migration and utilized a desert-specific, dust pollution-resistant geogas material sampling device equipped with a detector made of low-background polyurethane foam. Through cumulative sampling for around 45 d, this technology can effectively capture the content of U, rare earths, and associated (paragenetic) elements in concealed sandstone-type uranium deposits within desert-covered exploration areas and delineate deep uranium enrichment zones, thus achieving the goal of ore prospecting. The world's first geogas exploration section for sandstone-type uranium deposits in a desert area has been completed in an exploration area in Xinjiang, demonstrating the effectiveness of the geogas prospecting technology developed in this study.