Neotectonic controls on large-scale uranium mineralization in the Meso-Cenozioc basins, Northern China

Trans-strata mineralization of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits is triggered by Neotectonics. • The neotectonics could trigger the large scale sandstone-hosted uranium mineralization, northern China. • The neotectonics and late oxidized fluids could destroy the early ore bodies mostly. • Dynamics of ore-forming are from the India-Asia collision and the western Pacfic subduction. • A major mineralization explosion of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits occurred since 25 Ma. Anomalous uranium enrichment has been notably observed in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrestrial basins of Northern China, prompting a critical discussion of the driving force. Sandstone-hosted uranium deposits are very susceptible to tectonic uplift events due to their hydrological mobility, dynamic nature, and vulnerability to dispersal and concentration. These events have significant influence on the redistribution and enrichment of uranium, with their impact being markedly pronounced within the Cenozoic tectonic regime. Our investigation centers on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the Eurasian, Indian, and Pacific Plates during the Cenozoic and their association with the regional uranium mineralization. The study outlines two crucial findings: Firstly, the initiation of the collision between the Eurasian and Indian Plates in the Paleocene, culminating in significant uplift during the Miocene, gave rise to the expansive Tibetan Plateau. This tectonic upheaval led to the reconfiguration of adjacent basins, thereby engendering environments conducive to the enrichment of uranium within notable basins such as Junggar, Ili, Qaidam and so on. Secondly, the northwestward subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate throughout the Oligocene-Miocene interval induced swift uplifts and fostered the formation of fold-thrust fault systems within basins like Hailar and Ordos, further facilitating uranium enrichment. The chronology of uranium mineralization across these northern basins, spanning both Mesozoic and Cenozoics, predominantly aligns with the Oligocene-Miocene, with a conspicuous surge noted in the post-Miocene period (< 25 Ma). This chronology correlates with the significant uplift events that follow the collision between the Eurasian and Indian Plates and the subduction of the Pacific plate, thereby laying the foundational conditions for the observed uranium enrichment. Taking these results into consideration, the study proposes a novel taxonomic approach for the classification of sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the terrestrial basins of Northern China, delineating those influenced by Tethys dynamics from those associated with Pacific dynamics. This classification provides a nuanced understanding of the ore-forming environments, evolutionary patterns, and mechanistic processes pertinent to sandstone-hosted uranium deposits, thereby contributing significantly to the theoretical discourse within the geosciences.