Structural controls of uranium anomalies in the Abu Hawis shear zone, central Eastern Desert, Egypt

A palaeostress analysis based on inversion of fault-slip data has been conducted in the Abu Hawis area to characterize the direction and state of stress controlling the uranium anomalies along NE-SW shear zones. The analysis and relative chronology studies indicate that the area had passed since the emplacement of the Younger Granite, by eleven compressional and extensional regimes. The extensional regimes prevailed most of the time (seven events) while the compressional regime have shorter duration. Direct and indirect chronologic criteria enabled arranging them according to a relative chronologic sequence. A Palaeostress analysis of the Abu Hawis area indicates a good relation between extensional events and uranium migration trends. The NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE trends are the dominant ones of the mobility map (eU-eTh/3.5), they correspond to NW-SE, N-S and NE-SW extensional events. So, the uranium mobility map is quite helpful in defining the trends of U migration whereas palaeostress analysis of brittle deformation revealed its importance for the determination of the extensional events which control the location of the most mineralized areas.