AMD’s prime mandate is to identify and evaluate uranium resources required for the first stage of atomic energy programme of the country. For implementing this important task investigations are taken up across the length and breadth of the country from Regions located at New Delhi (Northern Region), Bangalore   (Southern Region) Jamshedpur (Eastern Region), Shillong (Northeastern Region), Jaipur (Western Region), Nagpur (Central Region) and Hyderabad (AMD headquarter & South Central Region).

The strategies for uranium exploration are guided by geological criteria and contemporary developments in uranium exploration techniques world over. The general scheme of activities (investigative methodology) commences with literature study followed by study of available satellite images/ photogeological maps, known radioactivity, geochemical anomalies etc. This is followed by airborne gamma ray spectrometric (AGRS) surveys over favourable areas for narrowing down the target areas. Radiometric reconnaissance survey is taken up in these target areas using hand held scintillometer. Once uranium anomalies are located, detailed geological and geophysical studies on different scales (1:50000; 1:25000; 1:10000; 1:5000) are then undertaken   to  narrow down the areas for taking up drilling. Simultaneously, the samples generated at various stages of exploration are analysed in Physics, Chemistry, Spectrograph, Petrology, XRF, XRD and EPMA laboratories for ore characterization. Bulk samples of the ores are studied in Mineral Technology and Ore Dressing laboratories for optimizing flow sheet characters.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES (1950- 2010)            

The resources of uranium are estimated at various stages of exploration and the mutually agreed reports on reserve estimates are prepared jointly with the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for planning commercial exploitation.

Resources

India's identified conventional uranium resources (RAR and Inferred) are estimated to amount to 105 900 tU and are hosted by the following type of deposits

# categories as per Red Book (IAEA), 2009

     Majority of these  resources  occur in following 3 uranium provinces.

(i) Singhbhum uranium province,  located in the Eastern Region. All the deposits,  presently being exploited, such as Jaduguda, Narwapahar, Turamdih, and Bagjata occur in this province. The other deposits in this belt are Mohuldih, Nandup, Rajgaon, and Garadih . All these occurrences are of vein type.

(ii) Mahadek uranium province, located in the Northeastern Region. The Cretaceous Mahadek Formation in Meghalaya contains  the largest and richest sandstone-hosted uranium deposit of the country at Domiasiat (KPM deposit) in West Khasi Hills district. Another deposit of similar nature is at Wahkyn where exploration activities are in progress.

(iii) Cuddapah uranium province, located in the Southern and South Central Regions. It contains  the Proterozoic unconformity related uranium deposit at Lambapur-Peddagattu in Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh. The Cuddapah basin also hosts a unique stratabound uranium deposit associated with siliceous dolostone at Tummalapalle in Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh.

Current & Future Programme   

Efforts are underway to augment the uranium resource base of the country by expediting exploration inputs in following geological domains. Airborne Time Domain Electromagnetic surveys have been introduced in a big way in the uranium exploration programme of the country. More than 400 000 km of airborne geophysical surveys, including TDEM, Gamma-ray spectrometric and magnetic surveys, are proposed to be carried out over potential Proterozoic Basins of India. An ambitious programme to drill about 700 000 m in potential target areas of the country has already been formulated in order to augment national uranium resources.

1. Proterozoic basins: Nearly 33% of world uranium resources are found in the Proterozoic rocks. Particularly the unconformity contact zones between the Lower Proterozoic rocks with those of Middle-Upper Proterozoic ages have been the prime locales for the Uranium mineralisation. In India, a number of Proterozoic basins such as (i) Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh  (ii) Aravalli-Delhi fold belt, Rajasthan  (iii) Gwalior-Vindhyan basin, Madhya Pradesh (iv) Bhima basin, Karnataka (v) Chhattisgarh basin in Chhattisgarh & Orissa exist where multidisciplinary investigations have been taken up insearch of unconformity related uranium deposits.

2. Phanerozoic basins:  Similarly nearly 18% of world uranium resources are associated with Phanerozoic sandstones. In India too, the Phanerozoic sandstones, particularly the Cretaceous basin of Meghalaya has been one of the main targets for uranium exploration. One deposit has already been established and the entire basin has been considered as one of the thrust areas for uranium investigation. Other Phanerozoic basins considered potential are (i) Siwalik basin of the Himalayas, (ii) Gondwana basins of Central India.

3. Fe-oxide breccia type deposits: Particularly after the discovery of the Olympic Dam deposit in Australia which alone constitutes  31% of world uranium resources (RAR+EAR under <US $40/Kg U category - as per WNA publication), attention has been given worldwide to look for uranium mineralisation elsewhere in similar geological environment. In Indian scenario, such environments exist in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkand and Meghalaya where investigations have been initiated with this objective.

4. Quartz pebble conglomerate deposits: Known Quartz-pebble conglomerate (QPC) type of U-deposits constitute 13% of total world uranium resources. They occur as basal Lower proterozoic beds unconformably  lying above Archaean basement rocks. In India such environments are observed at a number of places like Walkunji in South Kanara District and Arbail in North Kanara district in the Western Ghat Belt, Karnataka, Dhanjori and Iron basins of Singhbhum district, Jharkand and Sundergarh district, Orissa. Based on the number of anomalies located in these areas survey has been intensified for locating QPC type of deposits.

5. Vein and Metasomatic type deposits: In recent past, Metasomatic/ vein type mineralisation associated with albitite type of rocks emplaced in tectonised domains have been located in many parts of globe particularly in Russia and Kazakhastan. They owe their origin to both magmatic and metasomatic processes. Such geological set up also exists in India particularly in parts of Rajasthan (Aravallis) and Andhra Pradesh. Extensive efforts are being pursued for locating such desposits.