Types of Uranium Minerals

There are more than 100 uranium minerals but only few ones have a high grade of radioactivity. The primary ores are the more valuable. The pitchblende has a uranium content of 50 to 80% and can be a source of radium. The other mineral is uraninite, with 65 to 85% uranium content. These minerals can be formed in disseminated veins or dikes in quartz formations. Each one of them is heavy, dark, brittle, and metallic. Thus the pitchblende could be associated with silver and nickel minerals. The uraninite is usually near of a black mica deposit or mixed with it. Any dark and heavy mineral observed in a pegmatite formation could be a source of uranium. Black tourmaline and amphibole are most the time confused with uranium minerals. Many guys overlooked the fact that they are light and translucent. See Fig. 1

A secondary group of uranium minerals is formed by carnotite, autinite, and tobernite. Some of them are really valuable and others could appear like impurities in the host rock. They can be joined with lead, copper or vanadium, or they can exist like precipitated material in sedimentary formations. This minerals present a yellow, orange or green color depending of its associated minerals, and most time appear like crumbled crust. If they are exposed much time to the weather, their brilliant color trends to disappear. However, colored crust or veins near to the surface can be an indication of a big deposit of uranium. See the next picture.

What is an Overflow Grinding Mill Separation of Molybdenite from Chalcopyrite Metal Sulfides, Basic and MonoSulfide Division, Galena Group Isometric Shrinkage Stoping Estimate Ore Reserves from Drill Hole Pattern Zinc Activation in CONCLUSIONS Drilling and Blasting Rock for Crushing in Quarries Size & type of transportation equipment in quarry, pit or mine. Single and Multi Stage Grinding Biotite Composition, Crystallization & Structure A source of radioactivity The Mining Rate Risk Preventing Chokes Crystallography, Optical Properties and Cleavage Advantages and Disadvantages of Jaw OVER Gyratory Crushers