Year: 1960
Type: report
Abstract: Drainage :waters carry minute quantities of uranium l.nto oceans, inland seas, and lakes, and when bodies of water evaporate completely in desiccating salt-pan basins, the uranium must be deposited together with all other dissolved materials.The ratio of uranium to total evaporite sediments is approximately 1: 2 .x101.The distribution of uranium in salt-pan basin sediments is not completely known.Some organic-rich muds, and phosphatic sediments deposited in desiccating basins may contain uranium in amounts as large as O.OX percent.Uranium may be adsorbed on clays that are deposited with some evaporite sediments.These muds, phosphatic sediments, and clays may remove nearly all of the dissolved uranium from the water of some basins.Anhydrite, gypsum, halite, and potassiumbearing.evaporite minerals probably are the least uraniferous of all rocks in the earth's crust; their uranium contents generally are less than 0.00001 percent.Within salt-pan basins where oxidizing conditions tend to prevail, and no slgp.lflcant.amounts of organic-rich muds, clays, and phosphatic !l!ediments are deposited, highly soluble uranium salts ~erilaln hi solution and are deposl.tedonly as the basin finally is completely desic-•cated.These final highly soluble evaporite sediments are not likely to be preserved because they are subject to rell,loval.by wind erosion and leaching.
Source: USGS professional paper
DOI: 10.3133/pp354g
Author: K.G. Bell
Language: English
Subfield: Geochemistry and Petrology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W50886014