The deposit was mined for uranium exploration only for a short time and has almost disappeared today. The uranium mineralisation occurs in alterated granite with uraninite var. pitchblende as the main mineral. Chaméane got famous when three new selenides (Chaméanite, Giraudite, Geffroyite) were found there. The polished section is for sale here.
Polished section. Due to brittle nature of the host rock, the sample was casted into resin. Diameter: 4 cm:
3200 dpi scan of the sample above showing the quartz vein with rims of uraninite at the contact to the host rock:
Uraninite („pitchblende“) with Nic //, Obj. 5x, air:
Same with Nic +:
Uraninite („pitchblende“) with Nic //, Obj. 5x, air:
Radial growth structure with concentric banding. Same as before with Nic +:
Botryiodal uraninite („pitchblende“) with Nic +, Obj. 5x, air:, 500 µm scale bar:
Uraninite („pitchblende“) with Nic +, Obj. 20x, air: 100 µm scale bar. Note the concentric banding:
For further informations on the region this article might be interesting:
Agrinier, H. et al.: Nouvelles données sur l'eskebornite, à partir d'échantillons de Chaméane (Puy-de-Dôme). CR Acad.Sc.Paris.Ser.D.265.(1967).653-656