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Minerals
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Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration
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Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (13 May 2022) | Viewed by 7885

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexander Malov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geodynamics and Geology, Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 163061 Arkhangelsk, Russia
Interests: isotope geochemistry; water-rock interaction; groundwater dating
Dr. Oleg S. Pokrovsky

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Geoscience and Environment Toulouse (GET) CNRS, 31400 Toulouse, France
Interests: weathering; experiments; trace element; isotopes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The average content of uranium in sedimentary rocks ranges from 0.45 to 3.7 ppm; however, it is very actively redistributed in these permeable deposits in strictly defined directions and forms large, roll-type deposits. Water is the main carrier of uranium; as a result, it is always radioactive to one degree or another. The Special Issue entitled "Uranium in sedimentary basins: migration and concentration" welcomes publications covering the entire cycle of uranium movement, from areas of origin to areas of (i) natural discharge into the ocean or (ii) industrial mining and processing. The chemical and radiological aspects of the impact of uranium concentrated along certain sections of this route should also be reflected. Finally, the use of uranium isotopes as indicators of geological, hydrogeological and geological processes must be considered and evaluated.

Dr. Alexander Malov
Dr. Oleg S. Pokrovsky
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • radioactivity
  • groundwater
  • minerals
  • isotopes
  • weathering
  • residence times

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 15524 KiB  
Article
Using Long-Lived Thorium Isotopes to Quantify the Lithogenic Inputs to the Lakes in Qaidam Basin, China
by Chenyang Cao, Chi Chen, Pu Zhang, Jiahui Cui, Xuezheng Pei, Xiangzhong Li, Tiane Cheng, Lihua Liang and R. Lawrence Edwards
Minerals 2022, 12(8), 931; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12080931 - 24 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1163
Abstract
In the last decade, the 232Th–230Th system has gained popularity as a tracer to quantify lithogenic sources of trace elements to the marine environment. Thorium (Th) isotopes were utilized to quantify the supply of lithogenic inputs to Keluke Lake and [...] Read more.
In the last decade, the 232Th–230Th system has gained popularity as a tracer to quantify lithogenic sources of trace elements to the marine environment. Thorium (Th) isotopes were utilized to quantify the supply of lithogenic inputs to Keluke Lake and Tuosu Lake in Qaidam Basin, China. A total of 33 water samples were collected from Keluke Lake, Tuosu Lake, and Bayin River to measure the concentrations of dissolved 232Th and 230Th. The relationship of 232Th concentration in the water was in the order Bayin River > Keluke Lake > KLK–TS River > Tuosu Lake, confirming the input of variable lithogenic material sources. Three sources dominate the flux of lithofacies into the lakes: the river input, the deposition of dust and the local input from the sediments surrounding the lakes. On an interannual timescale, the lithogenic flux of Keluke Lake was mainly derived from river input. In summer, the dust flux in the study area could be estimated as 0.133 g/m2/year, while the flux of lithologic material from Bayin River to Keluke Lake was 12.367 g/m2/year. In contrast, the fluvial input to the Tuosu lake was small in comparison to the dust contribution of lithogenic flux. The high Th232-concentration and the vertical sediment flux in this lake may have been caused by resuspension of bottom sediments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration)
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19 pages, 6884 KiB  
Article
Provenance of Jurassic Sediments from Yuqia Sandstone-Type Uranium Deposits in the Northern Margin of Qaidam Basin, China and Its Implications for Uranium Mineralization
by Guangwen Huang, Dehai Wu, Guangnan Huang, Wanwen Xue, Zhuang Min and Pengfei Fan
Minerals 2022, 12(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12010082 - 11 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1908
Abstract
The Yuqia uranium deposit is a newly discovered sandstone-type uranium deposit in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. Concerning the sources of sediment in the basin, most scholars have focused on the study of Cenozoic sediment sources in the northern part of [...] Read more.
The Yuqia uranium deposit is a newly discovered sandstone-type uranium deposit in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. Concerning the sources of sediment in the basin, most scholars have focused on the study of Cenozoic sediment sources in the northern part of the basin, rather than on the study of Jurassic provenance and its implications for uranium mineralization. In this paper, the Jurassic sandstones in the area were selected for petrography, petrogeochemistry and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA), and the significance of sedimentary provenance and uranium metallogeny were further discussed, based on the previous data of detrital zircon chronology. It is reported here for the first time that coffinite and pitchblende are the main contributors. Independent uranium minerals in the region mainly occur in strawberry pyrite, xenotime, and margins or of quartz. The rocks in the source area, Jurassic sandstones, were mainly formed under the tectonic setting of the active continental margin; however, the sediments are mainly derived from the Indosinian and Paleozoic granitoids exposed in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. The uranium-rich granites in the source area led to the preconcentration of uranium in the sandstone of the target layer, and the uranium was brought into the ore-bearing target layer through uranium-bearing oxygenated water. The reduction reaction occurred under the action of reducing matter, and finally, the U6+ was reduced to U4+ in the formation of coffinite and pitchblende. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration)
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22 pages, 5292 KiB  
Article
Potential Uranium Migration within the Geochemical Gradient of the Opalinus Clay System at the Mont Terri
by Theresa Hennig and Michael Kühn
Minerals 2021, 11(10), 1087; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101087 - 03 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2104
Abstract
Transport properties of potential host rocks for nuclear waste disposal are typically determined in laboratory or in-situ experiments under geochemically controlled and constant conditions. Such a homogeneous assumption is no longer applicable on the host rock scale as can be seen from the [...] Read more.
Transport properties of potential host rocks for nuclear waste disposal are typically determined in laboratory or in-situ experiments under geochemically controlled and constant conditions. Such a homogeneous assumption is no longer applicable on the host rock scale as can be seen from the pore water profiles of the potential host rock Opalinus Clay at Mont Terri (Switzerland). The embedding aquifers are the hydro-geological boundaries, that established gradients in the 210 m thick low permeable section through diffusive exchange over millions of years. Present-day pore water profiles were confirmed by a data-driven as well as by a conceptual scenario. Based on the modelled profiles, the influence of the geochemical gradient on uranium migration was quantified by comparing the distances after one million years with results of common homogeneous models. Considering the heterogeneous system, uranium migrated up to 24 m farther through the formation depending on the source term position within the gradient and on the partial pressure of carbon dioxide pCO2 of the system. Migration lengths were almost equal for single- and multicomponent diffusion. Differences can predominantly be attributed to changes in the sorption capacity, whereby pCO2 governs how strong uranium migration is affected by the geochemical gradient. Thus, the governing parameters for uranium migration in the Opalinus Clay can be ordered in descending priority: pCO2, geochemical gradients, mineralogical heterogeneity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration)
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16 pages, 6670 KiB  
Article
Distribution of Uranium Isotopes in Sandy Deposits by Sequential Extraction
by Alexander I. Malov, Sergey B. Zykov and Alexey S. Tyshov
Minerals 2021, 11(5), 467; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11050467 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1546
Abstract
The sequential extraction procedure is used to reconstruct the processes of redistribution of uranium isotopes in the mineral phases of the aquifer of the Vendian sandy-argillaceous deposits developed in the coastal territory of the European North of Russia. This aquifer has large resources [...] Read more.
The sequential extraction procedure is used to reconstruct the processes of redistribution of uranium isotopes in the mineral phases of the aquifer of the Vendian sandy-argillaceous deposits developed in the coastal territory of the European North of Russia. This aquifer has large resources of drinking and mineral groundwater which, however, are used in extremely limited quantities. This is due to the very complex nature of the hydrochemical conditions, and uranium-isotopic methods are used to clarify these conditions. The following mineral phases of core samples were characterized: adsorbed trace materials and carbonate minerals; ferrihydrate, amorphous minerals of Fe, Al and Si, and secondary U minerals; crystalline iron minerals; clay and some refractory minerals; and all remaining resistant minerals. The most resistant minerals, whose fraction ranges from 70.58 to 96.4%, have a minimum average uranium concentration of 0.47 ppm. This uranium is practically conserved in the rock, as a result of which the average ratio of its 234U:238U isotopes is close to equilibrium. In the remaining fractions, uranium is redistributed by groundwater along their flow lines from recharge areas in watersheds to areas of discharge into river valleys. Its maximum concentration (12.89 ppm) measurement is carried out by coprecipitation with iron hydroxides, then the uranium is adsorbed and precipitated with carbonates (9.14 ppm). The average 234U:238U is maximum in adsorbed trace materials and carbonate minerals (2.39 ± 0.36) and is close to that in fresh groundwater (2.8 ± 0.42). It is also increased in the amorphous minerals of Fe (1.53 ± 0.23). In general, there is a dependence of the 234U:238U activity ratio in rock on the degree of participation of groundwater in the deposition of hydrogenic uranium isotopes into the cracks and pores of these rocks. The results obtained contribute to the refinement of such a parameter as the retardation factor, which is necessary for understanding the processes of migration and concentration of uranium in sedimentary basins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Uranium in Sedimentary Basins: Migration and Concentration)
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