Association of Sandstone-Type Uranium Mineralization in the Northern China with Tectonic Movements and Hydrocarbons

In the continental basins of Northern China (NC), a series of energy resources commonly co-exist in the same basin. As the three typical superimposed basins of different genesis in the NC, the Junggar, Ordos, and Songliao basins were chosen as the research objects. The favorable uranium-bearing structures are generally shown as a basin-margin slope or transition belt of uplifts with the development of faults, which are conducive to a fluid circulation system. The Hercynian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian movements resulted in the development of uranium-rich intrusions which acted as the significant uranium sources. The main hydrocarbon source rocks are developed in the Carboniferous, Permian, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The mature stage of source rocks is concentrated in the Jurassic—Cretaceous, followed by the multi-stage expulsion events. Influenced by the India-Eurasian collision and the subduction of the Pacific Plate, the tectonic transformation in the Late Yanshanian and Himalayan periods significantly influenced the sandstone-type uranium mineralization. The hydrocarbon reservoirs are spatially consistent with sandstone-type uranium deposits, while the hydrocarbon expulsion events occur in sequence with sandstone-type uranium mineralization. In the periphery of the faults or the uplifts, both fluids met and formed uranium concentration. The regional tectonic movements motivate the migration of hydrocarbon fluids and uranium mineralization, especially the Himalayan movement.