| OCR Text |
Show Eleven Uranium Ores Are Named; Others Known There are at least eleven known uranium ores in production now and geologists and others having a direct interest in mining atomic materials know of many others not yet named. The presently named ores are uraninlte, pitchblende, betafite, euxenite, fcrgusonite, samarskite, carnotite, tyuyamunite, toroernite and meta-torbenite, autlnite, and gummite. In addition a new black uranium-bearing mineral of com-merclal value has been found on the Colorado Plateau in association with other ores. The ore has not yet been named, and Is considered to be a compound of uranium silicate. The first of this grouping, uraninlte, is a black mineral containing uranium oxide, and is sometimes found with pitchblende and is often mistaken for it because of its almost identical physical characteristics. Pitchblende, a variety of uraninlte. Is perhaps. the most Interesting of all uraninlte ores. It was from pitchblende that radioactive radiations were discovered and from it the Curies obtained pure radium. Betafite is found In the crystalline form in pegmatites, as is uraninlte. It is greenish brown to brown and sometimes black In color and has a waxen to sub-metallic luster. When the ore is ground or chipped Into thin fragments, the fragments become translucent. So far, betafite has not been found in sufficiently large quantities to be commercially valuable. Euxenite Is a rather unusual ore, and as many as fifteen or more other metals are found combined with It. It usually is found in the crystalline form in granite pegmatites and is usually black in color and sometimes has a greenish to brownish tint. Fergusonite is found In crystalline form in granite and often is associated with other rare earth minerals tuch as columbium, tantalum and others. Samarskite is similar to fergusonite with much the same characteristics. Positive identification is usually possible only in the laboratory. Carnotite, most common type of ranium ore found on the Colorado Plateau, is derived from uranlnite or pitchblende due to the effect of aging, weathering, chemical decomposition, or water deposition. It Is one of the vanadium ores and was once mined solely for the vanadium content? It bears a distinctive canary yellow color, and has a soft pearly luster. Carnotite is most frequently found in sandstone formations in irregularly shaped deposits. Occasionally it may be distributed evenly in sandstone and then the color may not be discernible. Tyuyamunite, similar to carnotite, is commonly found with the latter and is often confused with It. Tyuyamunite bears the same coloring as carnotite but is more commonly greenish yellow due to exposure or the presence of some copper ores. Torbernite and meta-torbernlte are practically the same and are differentiated only in the laboratory. They are found as thin small crystals in petmatites with uraninlte and other ores formed from oxidized uraninlte or pitchblende. Autunite is often associated with torbenite and is likewise found as thin crystals. Gummite is formed from the oxidation and hydration of uraninlte and Is most commonly found with uraninlte. |
