Uranium is radioactive and often used to produce nuclear energy.
Uranium is a dense metallic naturally-occurring element that is radioactive. Uranium is mined for many different purposes, including the production of nuclear energy. Usually deposited by volcanic activity, uranium is found in most stones and soil worldwide and is found in other mineral compounds like pitchblende. It often collects in the earth's crust in large deposits, which can be categorized into major types. Does this Spark an idea?
Unconformity-Related
About 33 percent of the world's uranium deposits are unconformity-related. These deposits arise from major geological "unconformities," such as fault lines. The largest unconformity-related deposits occur in Canada and Australia. Unconformity-related deposit sources tend to boast extremely high-concentration yields, with the richest deposits located at the unconformity itself or somewhat above it. Uranium deposits found below the unconformity tend to be of much lower grade.
Sandstone
Occurring in medium or coarse sandstone, near marginal marine or river surroundings, sandstone uranium deposits make up about 18 percent of the worldwide supply. Sandstone deposits are especially fruitful in Kazakhstan. The United States has important deposits in its Cordillera region, and Africa also has significant deposits. Sandstone deposits can be further categorized into three main subtypes: rollfront deposits, which cut across sandstone beds; tabular deposits, which are irregular and cut into underlying base rocks; and tectonic or lithologic deposits, which lie adjacent to permeable fault lines.
Surficial
Surficial uranium deposits lie in sediments and soils, and are generally far younger than many other types of deposits. These deposits are often cemented in other minerals such as calcite and gypsum, though they are most often located in calcrete. Providing about 4 percent of the world's uranium supply, surficial deposits are found primarily in Australia. The Yeelirrie deposit in the western part of Australia is by far the world's largest surficial deposit.
Quartz-Pebble Conglomerate
Often found near unconformities, quartz-pebble uranium deposits are typically found over granite and metamorphic base rocks. Some of the oldest uranium deposits, the quartz-pebble conglomerates, were deposited hundreds of millions of years ago and often transported by river before coming to rest. These deposits are important sources of uranium in both the United States and Africa, comprising about 13 percent of the world's total yield, and the uranium gleaned is often recovered as a by-product of gold mining.
Tags: deposits which, percent world, These deposits, about percent, about percent world, base rocks, categorized into
