Tunisia

TUNISIA
Geography
Tunisia is situated in northern Africa and borders the Mediterranean. Despite its relatively small size,
Tunisia possesses significant geographical and climatic diversity. The Dorsal, an extension of the
Atlas Mountains, traverses Tunisia in a north-easterly direction from the Algerian border in the west
to the Cape Bon Peninsula. North of the Dorsal is the Tell, a region characterized by low, rolling hills
and plains. However, in the north-western corner of Tunisia, the land reaches elevations of 1050 m.
The Sahil is a plain stretching along Tunisia’s eastern Mediterranean coast and is famous for its olive
monoculture. Inland from the Sahil, between the Dorsal and a range of hills south of Gafsa, are the
steppes. Much of the southern region is a semi-arid desert.
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural (olives, grain, dairy products, tomatoes,
citrus fruit), mining (phosphates, iron), energy, tourism, petroleum and manufacturing sectors [1].
Geology
Most of northern and central Tunisia is underlain by sedimentary rocks ranging from Permian to
Recent (Figure 1) and belonging to the structural unit of the Atlas Domain. In the south of the country
Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments overlying the Saharan Platform are well developed. Northwestern
Tunisia is influenced by the structural unit of the Tellian Domain, part of the Alpine orogeny [2].
FIG. 1. Regional geological setting of Tunisia showing the distribution of selected uranium deposits and
occurrences. For the general uranium deposit and occurrence legend see World Uranium Geology,
Exploration, Resources and Production, IAEA, 2020. A general global geological legend is shown although not
all geological units necessarily occur on this particular map.
Tunisia is essentially a sedimentary country, with geological formations from Permian to Quaternary
in age. Some Miocene magmatic formations occur in the northern part of the country. The
metallogeny of Tunisia is related to the structural geology of the country. From north to south, four
distinct geological zones can be defined: the Tellian Atlas, the Atlas domain, the Eastern structural
platform and the Saharan structural platform.
The Tellian Atlas
This area of thrust sheets is characterized by Tellian and Numidian units, which are largely
autochthonous. Mineralization found in this area includes:
(a) Copper, lead, zinc, iron, tin and tungsten in the basement formations;
(b) Arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, iron, gold and silver associated with the Neogene volcanism in the
Nefza-Sejnane area;
(c) Arsenic, antimony, mercury, lead, zinc, copper and gold associated with structural features in
Triassic formations;
(d) Lead and zinc in detritical or Neogene lacustrine limestone basins.
The Atlas domain
This area represents the eastern extension of the Saharan domain and consists of large anticlines
developed in a north-easterly direction and are often box-folded and separated by large basins. This
domain can be subdivided into four areas:
(i) The Diapir zone, Triassic in age, with lead, zinc, barium, strontium and iron mineralization;
(ii) The central Tunisia carbonaceous shelf, with lead, zinc, barium and iron mineralization
associated with Cretaceous unconformities;
(iii) The N–S axis, in Zaghouan Province, with lead, zinc, barium and fluorine mineralization;
(iv) The Gafsa Basin, with phosphate and iron deposits.
The Eastern Structural platform
The Eastern structural platform is characterized by a slow subsidence during the Mesozoic, which
became more pronounced during the Cenozoic. The area is marked by a combination of horsts and
grabens related to folds of large radius. The Miocene strata are rich in lignite.
The Saharan Structural platform
In this platform, occurrences of lead, zinc, iron and manganese mineralization have been described [3,
4].
Uranium exploration
Follow-up work of the Nefza anomaly in northern Tunisia, which included exploration drilling, was
completed in 1982 with the assistance of the IAEA. The result was negative. Discontinuous uranium
mineralization (up to 300 ppm U) was found primarily in the breccia zone bordering an elliptical
structural basin [5].
Uranium resources
No exploitable uranium resources are known in Tunisia. In 1983, IUREP reported a range of 1000–
10 000 tU of speculative resources [5].In 2008, Tunisia’s phosphate reserves amounted to 100 million
t, with resources of 600 million t. In 2008, phosphate production was 7.8 million t. The uranium grade
of Tunisia’s phosphates is low, in the range 12–80 ppm U. Tunisia is planning to launch a research
programme focusing on uranium extraction from phosphates of the Gafsa deposit.
Potential for new discoveries
There is some potential for vein or disseminated type deposits in Tunisia. Uranium could also occur in
sandstones. Tunisia has some potential for uranium in phosphates, but the low average uranium grade
would make development economically challenging.
Uranium production
No past uranium production is recorded in Tunisia. In November 1983, the Government inaugurated a
pilot plant to recover uranium from phosphoric acid. The plant was built at Gabes by Uranium
Pechiney Ugine Kuhlman under contract to Industries Chimiques Maghrébines. Work on the 120
t/year extraction circuit was scheduled to begin at the end of 1983, with operation projected for late
1985. No further information has been reported.
References
[1] CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, The World Factbook: Tunisia, Washington, DC (2008),
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
[2] SCHLÜTER, T., Geological Atlas of Africa, 2nd edn, Springer, Berlin and Heidelberg (2008) 258–261.
[3] ZARGOUNI, F., ABBES, C., The Structural Zonation of Tunisia, Centre des Sciences de la Terre, Institut
National de Recherche Scientifique et Technique, Hamam-Lif (1985).
[4] OFFICE NATIONAL DES MINES, Resources Minérales (2012),
http://www.onm.nat.tn/fr/index.php?p=ressourcesmin
[5] INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Speculative Resources of Uranium, A Review of IUREP
Estimates 1982–83, IAEA, Vienna (1983).
Updated from INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, World Uranium Geology, Exploration, Resources and Production, IAEA, Vienna (2020) by M. Fairclough (December 2020)

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TUNISIA

The Tellian Atlas

The Atlas domain

The Eastern Structural platform

The Saharan Structural platform

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