Abstract
Submillimetre uraninite fragments are embedded in anthraxolite, oil-derived bitumen found in Permian rocks of the Vrchlabí formation (Czech Republic). The radiogenic system appears unaltered as indicated by the elemental and lead isotopic composition of uraninite. Low compositional variances in uraninite indicate protective properties of the bitumen envelope. The highly radiogenic composition of lead in uraninite allows dating by the SEM/EDX based chemical method, which confirms the Permian age of the mineralization. The studied association is considered to be a prospective natural analogue of long-term geological disposal of actinide-bearing bituminized radioactive waste.
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Acknowledgements
The study has been supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) project 19-05360S –“Radiolytic alteration of organic matter in uraniferous environment”. It has been performed within the open-access infrastructure CANAM funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic within the project LM2015056. The SEM-EDX work has been realized within the Institutional Support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
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Strunga, V., Sihelská, K., Lorinčík, J. et al. Natural bitumen hosted uranium mineralization: stability of the radiogenic system. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 1597–1606 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08692-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08692-5