Open AccessParagenesis and Geochronology of the Nopal I Uranium Deposit, Mexico
Author(s) -
Mostafa Fayek,
Minghua Ren
Publication year - 2007
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/899952
Subject(s) - uranium , geochronology , uraninite , paragenesis , petrography , radioactive waste , geology , uranium ore , geochemistry , secondary ion mass spectrometry , natural uranium , mineralogy , mass spectrometry , chemistry , nuclear chemistry , materials science , metallurgy , chromatography , metamorphic rock
Uranium deposits can, by analogy, provide important information on the long-term performance of radioactive waste forms and radioactive waste repositories. Their complex mineralogy and variable elemental and isotopic compositions can provide important information, provided that analyses are obtained on the scale of several micrometers. Here, we present a structural model of the Nopal I deposit as well as petrography at the nanoscale coupled with preliminary U-Th-Pb ages and O isotopic compositions of uranium-rich minerals obtained by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). This multi-technique approach promises to provide ''natural system'' data on the corrosion rate of uraninite, the natural analogue of spent nuclear fuel