Uranium exploration techniques used

Smith, R.C., 1978. Radon detection using thermoluminescent calorimeters in uranium exploration. In Uranium Exploration Techniques. Saskatchewan Geol. Survey, Spec. Publ. 4, pp. 85-108. 

Pacer, J.C. and Czamecki, R.F., 1980. Principles and characteristics of surface radon and helium techniques used in uranium exploration. US Dept, of Energy, Report GJBX-I77(80), 63 pp. 

Uranium offers one very simple and direct exploration technique — radioactivity. While various field methods of detecting radioactivity have been widely used with great success, a cover of only a metre or two of soil or rock is enough to prevent any radioactivity from ores being detected at the surface. Most deposits with pronounced surface expression are likely to have been already discovered. 

A tabulation of techniques used in uranium exploration would include most techniques that are employed in the search for oil, gas and all other mineral commodities, as well as some unique to uranium. The emphasis here will be to review those techniques of widespread use or emerging usefulness in uranium exploration. 

Cycle (C-26) has put together a subcommittee (C26-05) to primarily focus on the testing of samples generated by the nuclear industry. One of their main tasks is to not only develop methods using traditional particle-counting techniques, but also to explore the use of plasma spectrochemistry instrumentation such as ICP-MS to handle the diverse needs of the industry s application demands. Many of the ICP-MS applications developed over the past 20 years have come out of this subcommittee, including Standard Test Method for Analysis of Total and Isotopic Uranium and Total Thorium in Soils... 

The initial exploration and subsequent drilling in the Windsor area was sparked by the discovery of radon anomalies in the soil gas and well waters in the area (Quarch et al. 1981 Fig. 2). In addition, uranium and radium in well waters were weakly anomalous in the area. It is therefore not difficult to infer that these geochemical techniques are useful exploration tools for deposits of this type and that there are environmental Issues related to uranium occurrences in the Horton Group. 

Levinson, A.A. and Coetzee, G.L., 1978. Implications of disequilibrium in exploration for uranium ores in the surficial environment using radiometric techniques - a review. Min. Sci. Eng., 10 19-27. 

Metal-complexation/SFE using carbon dioxide has been successfully demonstrated for removal of lanthanides, actinides and various other fission products from solids and liquids (8-18), Direct dissolution of recalcitrant uranium oxides using nitric acid and metal-complexing agents in supercritical fluid carbon dioxide has also been reported (79-25). In this paper we explored supercritical fluid extraction of sorbed plutonium and americium from soil using common organophosphorus and beta-diketone complexants. We also qualitatively characterize actinide sorption to various soil fractions via use of sequential chemical extraction techniques. 

---