Authors : Ousmane Loumoumba Moussa Mahaman; Karimou Dia Hantchi; Rachid Boubacar Oumarou; Ahmed Yacouba Liboré; Moussa Konaté

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 1 - January

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4phjtj3p

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jan499

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Abstract : The Arlit mining district ranks among the most important sedimentary uranium provinces in the world. The uranium mineralization exploited by SOMAÏR is mainly hosted within Carboniferous fluvio-deltaic sandstones of the Tarat Formation (Tim Mersoï Basin). This study provides an original synthesis of sedimentological and structural data acquired in the southern Tamgak area, with particular emphasis on the intra-Tarat stratigraphic subdivision and its tectono- sedimentary significance. The study integrates lithological data from drill cuttings, geophysical well logs (natural gamma ray, spectral gamma ray, resistivity, caliper and spontaneous potential), as well as sedimentological and structural field observations carried out in the Tamgak quarry. Stratigraphic correlations and geological cross-sections were established using the WellCAD and SERMINE software. The results show that, in the southern Tamgak sector, the Tarat Formation is reduced to two main lithological units (U1 and U3), whereas units U2 and U4 described elsewhere in the basin are absent. This stratigraphic simplification is interpreted as the result of synsedimentary tectonic activity related to the reactivation of inherited fault systems trending N–S, N30°E and N70°E, in particular the Arlit Fault. These structures controlled accommodation space, the distribution of sediment thicknesses, and local erosion processes, with direct implications for fluid flow pathways and the emplacement of uranium mineralization. The proposed geological model thus provides new insights for uranium exploration in structurally complex sectors of the Tim Mersoï Basin.

Keywords : Uranium Mineralization; Tarat Formation; Synsedimentary Tectonics; Tim Mersoï Basin; Arlit (Niger).

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