The Kipawa deposit is presently considered open both laterally and at depth, though to various degrees.
The association of radioactive mineralization with rare elements in the vicinity of the Kipawa Complex is likely to represent a polymetallic deposit type of rare elements (Zr, Y, Nb, Be, U, Th, Ta, REE and Ga) associated with peralkaline syenite occurrences.
Rare earth-yttrium-zirconium mineralization at the Kipawa deposit is contained in medium grained silicates disseminated in meso to mafic syenites and impure marbles (up to 20% per volume). Grains are distinct and generally well crystallized.
Three minerals are presently considered as an economical source of rare earths on the Kipawa deposit, namely eudialyte (a sodic silicate), yttro-titanite/mosandrite (titanite silicate) and britholite (calcic silico-phosphate) for rare-earth-yttrium. Minor apatite (a phosphate) is also present in places, furnishing some of the light rare earths. Vlasovite/gittinsite (sodic and calcic silicates) and eudialite (sodic silicate) were once considered as a source for a possible zirconium by-product, but this is no longer the case. Each of these is described in the sections below, followed by a short section on ore genesis.
While vlasovite and its alteration mineral gittinsite are spread in a fairly uniform manner throughout the syenitic body, this is not the case for the other minerals. Specifically, three vertically-stacked mineralized zones h ........
