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Natural bitumen hosted uranium mineralization: stability of the radiogenic system

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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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Physics Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Hlavní 130, 250 68, Husinec-Řež, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Strunga, Ivana Krausová & Jiří Mizera

  2. Research Centre Řež, Hlavní 130, 250 68, Husinec-Řež, Czech Republic

    Kristína Sihelská & Jan Lorinčík

  3. Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Strunga, Viktor Goliáš & Michal Čurda

  4. Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic

    Markéta Holá

  5. Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University, Břehová 7, 115 19, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Kristína Sihelská

  6. Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, 182 09, Prague 8, Czech Republic

    Jiří Mizera

  7. Czech Geological Survey, Geologická 6, 152 00, Prague 5, Czech Republic

    Michal Čurda

  8. Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic

    Ivana Krausová

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  1. Vladimír Strunga
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Correspondence to Vladimír Strunga.

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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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