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Koongarra deposit, Kakadu, West Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australiai
Regional Level Types
Koongarra depositDeposit
KakaduNational Park
West Arnhem RegionRegion
Northern TerritoryTerritory
AustraliaCountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
12° 52' 0'' South , 132° 49' 59'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
-12.86667,132.83333
GeoHash:
G#: qvwqy9wq1
GRN:
S09E91
Type:
Deposit
Köppen climate type:
Aw : Tropical savanna, wet
Mindat Locality ID:
41646
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:41646:2
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Uranium(-gold) deposit.

The Koongarra uranium deposit is 30 kilometres south south-east of Jabiru and the Ranger uranium mine, in the Kakadu National Park. It is 3 kilometres west of Nourlangie Rock in a valley bounded by the Brockman Rock outlier, and the escarpment of the Arnhem Land Plateau.

There are two ore bodies totalling 16 540 tonnes of uranium.

It was discovered in 1970 by Noranda Australia Ltd, the lease later taken over by Denison Australia Pty Ltd. In 1995 the lease was held by a French company called AREVA. Mining has not proceeded due to opposition from the local indigenous communities.

The Archaean Nanambu Complex forms a dome, flanked by the mineralisation in the lower Proterozoic Cahill Formation, a layered sequence of quartz-Mg-chlorite schist, with layers of dolomite and metamorphosed limestone of the same unit underlying this. The regolith is sandy loams, white sand, fragmented sandstone, and extensive lateritic ferricrete.

The Koongarra deposit contains two distinct but related ore bodies, separated by 100 metres of barren schist. The ore bodies are 650 metres long, averaging 30 metres wide, strikes north-east, and dips 55 degrees south-east.

The primary ore is pitchblende, which occurs as veins 1-10mm thick, intimately intergrown with Mg-chlorite. Minor gold, galena, and Cu Sulphides occur disseminated in the ore. There are abundant secondary uranium minerals within a 100 metre dispersion fan of weathering above the south-west portion of the deposit. These include uranyl phosphates, mainly saleeite, metatorbernite, and renardite. In the primary ore zone there is uraninite oxidised and altered to uranyl silicates, kasolite, sklodowskite and uranophane.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


16 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ 'Apatite'
Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
ⓘ 'Chlorite Group'
ⓘ Curite
Formula: Pb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
ⓘ Dewindtite
Formula: H2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
ⓘ Fourmarierite
Formula: Pb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ Graphite
Formula: C
ⓘ Kasolite
Formula: Pb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
ⓘ Metatorbernite
Formula: Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
ⓘ Native Gold
Formula: Au
ⓘ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Renardite
Formula: Pb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
ⓘ Saléeite
Formula: Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
ⓘ Sklodowskite
Formula: Mg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
ⓘ Uraninite
Formula: UO2
ⓘ Uraninite var. Pitchblende
Formula: UO2
ⓘ Uranophane
Formula: Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
ⓘ Vandendriesscheite
Formula: PbU7O22 · 12H2O
ⓘ Wölsendorfite
Formula: Pb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘNative Gold1.AA.05Au
ⓘGraphite1.CB.05aC
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘQuartz4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘUraninite
var. Pitchblende		4.DL.05UO2
ⓘ4.DL.05UO2
ⓘFourmarierite4.GB.25Pb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
ⓘWölsendorfite4.GB.30Pb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O
ⓘVandendriesscheite4.GB.40PbU7O22 · 12H2O
ⓘCurite4.GB.55Pb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
ⓘSaléeite8.EB.05Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
ⓘMetatorbernite8.EB.10Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
ⓘDewindtite8.EC.10H2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
ⓘRenardite8.EC.10Pb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘSklodowskite9.AK.10Mg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
ⓘKasolite9.AK.15Pb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
ⓘUranophane9.AK.15Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Unclassified
ⓘ'Chlorite Group'-
ⓘ'Apatite'-Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ CuritePb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
Hⓘ DewindtiteH2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
Hⓘ FourmarieritePb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
Hⓘ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Hⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Hⓘ SaléeiteMg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
Hⓘ SklodowskiteMg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
Hⓘ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Hⓘ VandendriesscheitePbU7O22 · 12H2O
Hⓘ WölsendorfitePb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O
Hⓘ RenarditePb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
Hⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
CCarbon
Cⓘ GraphiteC
OOxygen
Oⓘ CuritePb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
Oⓘ DewindtiteH2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
Oⓘ FourmarieritePb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
Oⓘ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Oⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Oⓘ Uraninite var. PitchblendeUO2
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
Oⓘ SaléeiteMg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
Oⓘ SklodowskiteMg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
Oⓘ UraniniteUO2
Oⓘ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Oⓘ VandendriesscheitePbU7O22 · 12H2O
Oⓘ WölsendorfitePb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O
Oⓘ RenarditePb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
Oⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
FFluorine
Fⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
MgMagnesium
Mgⓘ SaléeiteMg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
Mgⓘ SklodowskiteMg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
SiSilicon
Siⓘ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
Siⓘ SklodowskiteMg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
Siⓘ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
PPhosphorus
Pⓘ DewindtiteH2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
Pⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Pⓘ SaléeiteMg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
Pⓘ RenarditePb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
Pⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
SSulfur
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
ClChlorine
Clⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
CaCalcium
Caⓘ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Caⓘ ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
CuCopper
Cuⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
AuGold
Auⓘ Native GoldAu
PbLead
Pbⓘ CuritePb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
Pbⓘ DewindtiteH2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
Pbⓘ FourmarieritePb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS
Pbⓘ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Pbⓘ VandendriesscheitePbU7O22 · 12H2O
Pbⓘ WölsendorfitePb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O
Pbⓘ RenarditePb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O
UUranium
Uⓘ CuritePb3(H2O)2[(UO2)4O4(OH)3]2
Uⓘ DewindtiteH2Pb3(UO2)6O4(PO4)4 · 12H2O
Uⓘ FourmarieritePb(UO2)4O3(OH)4 · 4H2O
Uⓘ KasolitePb(UO2)(SiO4) · H2O
Uⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Uⓘ Uraninite var. PitchblendeUO2
Uⓘ SaléeiteMg(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 10H2O
Uⓘ SklodowskiteMg(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 6H2O
Uⓘ UraniniteUO2
Uⓘ UranophaneCa(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2 · 5H2O
Uⓘ VandendriesscheitePbU7O22 · 12H2O
Uⓘ WölsendorfitePb7(UO2)14O19(OH)4 · 12H2O
Uⓘ RenarditePb(UO2)4(PO4)2(OH)4 · H2O

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

Australia
Australian PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Snelling, A.A., Dickson, B.L. (1979) Uranium/daughter disequilibrium in the Koongarra uranium deposit, Australia. Mineralium Deposita, 14 (1). 109-118 doi:10.1007/bf00201870
Isobe, Hiroshi, Murakami, Takashi, Ewing, Rodney C. (1992) Alteration of uranium minerals in the Koongarra deposit, Australia: Unweathered zone. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 190. 174-187 doi:10.1016/0022-3115(92)90085-y
Isobe, H., Ewing, R. C., & Murakami, T. (1993, January). Formation of secondary uranium minerals in the Koongarra deposit, Australia. In MRS Proceedings (Vol. 333, p. 653). Cambridge University Press.
Giblin, A. (2004) Alligator Rivers Uranium Deposits (Koongarra, Nabarlek and Ranger One) Northern Territory, CRC LEME (2004).
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