Uraniferous Boulder and Outcrop Locations in Northern Athabasca Basin

Locations of uraniferous boulders, outcrops, and pits along the north shore of Lake Athabasca provide metallogenetic indicators for uranium exploration. The Government of Alberta compiled these locations into a GIS point shapefile from industry assessment reports and historical exploration work. The dataset was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify potential uranium deposit sources by analyzing the spatial distribution of uraniferous boulder-fields and swamps.
• Correlate high radioactivity readings, such as scintillometer counts up to 10,000 per second, with specific geological outcrops.
• Distinguish between boulder geochemical signals to trace provenance, such as a Saskatchewan source versus a local Alberta source.
• Use point features of uraniferous boulder trains to guide new prospecting traverses and drilling campaigns.

Strengths

• Includes data from extensive exploration campaigns in the 1970s, incorporating multiple survey methods.
• Specific radioactivity metrics are provided, such as scintillometer readings up to 10,000 counts per second.

Limitations

• The exact number of data points (rows) and sample size is unknown.
• Data is geographically limited to the northern rim of the Athabasca Basin along Lake Athabasca.
• Primary data collection occurred decades ago, though compilation is recent.

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta

Collection Method

Compiled from industry assessment reports, geological mapping, and historical exploration work including scintillometer traverses and drilling.

Time Range

Historical data primarily from the 1970s, with compilation date unspecified.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026, though underlying historical data is from the 1970s.

Geography

Northern shore of Lake Athabasca, within the Athabasca Basin (NTS 74L, M), Alberta, Canada.