Uranium Ore
Uranium ore is a common element; in fact it is 500 times more common than gold and 40 times more common than silver. Uranium ore is found in rocks, oceans, rivers and the soil. Research has shown that the oceans contain 4.6 billion tons of uranium ore and Japanese researchers have proven it can be extracted using ion exchangers, although this method is still in the early stages of development. Uranium ore is found on every continent. Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan have especially large deposits of uranium ore and have mining operations that supply over 50% of the world's uranium needs. The highest grade deposits of uranium ore are found in Canada, in the region known as the Athabasca Basin. Uranium ore is always combined with other elements, so the quality of the deposits are usually measured by the host rocks, as well as the structural setting and the other minerals that form the deposit.
The atomic number of uranium ore is 92 and the symbol U is used to describe it in chemical terms. Uranium contains three isotopes: uranium-233, uranium-235 and uranium-238. All of them are radioactive. Uranium-238 and uranium-235 are the most common isotopes and uranium-235 can be broken apart, which is known as being fissionable. Uranium is 70% denser than lead and the primary mineral in uranium ore is pitchblende, but other minerals like coffinite, davidite, thucholite, autunite, magnesium, gummite and torbernite are also found in uranium ore.
Another important feature of uranium is its ability to dissolved, and be transported through underground water systems, which explains why it is found in a variety of geological areas around the globe. It is so common that uranium is discovered in sandstone deposits, volcanic deposits, phosphorite deposits, surficial deposits, vein deposits, metamorphic deposits, as well as other types of deposits. The highest quality uranium ore deposits are found in sedimentary basins that form during the Proterozoic age and the Phanerozoic age.
The highest concentration of pitchblende is found in the ore in Canada's Athabasca Basin and the Mc Arthur Basin in Australia. Sandstone deposits account for about 18% of the uranium deposits, but the quality of this ore is only considered low to medium in terms of the amount of pitchblende it contains. Basins in Wyoming, New Mexico, Kazakhstan and Central Europe contain large amounts of sandstone ore and are actively being mined. Other basins in South America, Africa and Mongolia also contain a good quality uranium ore and mining companies are making major investments in those areas because of their significance in producing uranium-235 which can be used as nuclear reactor fuel.
Uranium ore deposits are also classified in four subtypes: Tubular, Roll-front, Basic Channel and Structurally-Related. Tubular deposits are elongated mineralisations which cut across the host sandstone and are usually found within palaeochannels in lower basement rocks. Tubular ore is high in pitchblende so the quality is very good. Roll-front ore is found in porous sandstone and usually the easiest to mine which means mining costs are lower. Basic channel ore is found with tubular and roll-front ore deposits and can be found in water sites that have evaporated, or in watersheds that lead to a stream. Structurally-related uranium deposits are adjacent to fault zones. They are usually stacked vertically on top of each other.
Quartz-pebble uranium deposits are found in eight locations around the world, but Canada and South Africa are the primary locations for mining this type of uranium ore. Quartz-pebble has been the major source of uranium production since the 1940s. There are two sub-types, Witwatersrand and Elliot Lake. Witwatersrand is found in shale and siltstone and is combined with gold and silver. The Elliot Lake district's uranium ore contains titanium and thorium. Uranium ore is an extremely diversified and useful natural element and it will play a major role in 21st century advancements.
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