URANIUM - GEOGRAPHY
News: In
pursuit of a ‘magic number’, physicists discover new uranium isotope
What's in the news?
● While
studying the atoms of heavy elements, physicists in Japan discovered a
previously unknown isotope of uranium, with atomic number 92 and mass number 241, i.e.uranium-241.
Key takeaways:
● The
discovery of a new neutron-rich uranium isotope is the first since 1979.
● The
researchers accelerated uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium-198 nuclei at the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS).
In a process called multinucleon
transfer, the two isotopes exchanged protons and neutrons.
● The
resulting nuclear fragments contained different isotopes. This is how the
researchers identified uranium-241 and measured the mass of its nucleus.
Uranium:
● Uranium
is a silvery-gray metallic radioactive chemical element. It is only naturally formed in supernova
explosions.
● Uranium, thorium, and potassium
are the main elements contributing to natural terrestrial radioactivity.
● Uranium
has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92.
● Uranium
isotopes in natural uranium are 238U (99.27%) and 235U (0.72%).
● All uranium isotopes are
radioactive and fissionable. But only 235U is fissile (will support a
neutron-mediated chain reaction).
Deposits:
● Traces
of Uranium are found everywhere. Commercial extraction is possible only in
locations where the proportion of Uranium is adequate.
● There
are very few such locations. Largest viable deposits are found in Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada.
● Olympic Dam and the
Ranger mine in Southern Australia are important
mines in Australia.
● High-grade
deposits are only found in the Athabasca
Basin region of Canada.
● Cigar Lake, McArthur
River basin in Canada are other important
uranium mining sites.
● The
Chu-Sarysu basin in central
Kazakhstan alone accounts for over half of the country’s known uranium
resources.
Top three producers:
● Kazakhstan
● Canada
● Australia
Indian stats:
● India
has no significant reserves of Uranium. All needs are met through imports.
● India
imports thousands of tonnes of Uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan, France
● India
is trying hard to import uranium from Australia and Canada.
● There
are some concerns regarding nuclear proliferation and other related issues
which India is trying to sort out.
● Uranium
deposits occur in Singhbhum and Hazaribagh districts of Jharkhand, Gaya district of Bihar,
and in the sedimentary rocks in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
● Some
quality reserves were recently discovered in parts of Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana between Seshachalam forest and Srisailam [Southern edge of Andhra to Southern edge of Telangana].
● Some
uranium is found in the copper mines of Udaipur in Rajasthan.
● India
produces about 2 percent of the world's uranium. The total reserves of uranium
are estimated at 30,480 tonnes.
Uranium and Monazite Sand:
● The
largest source of uranium comprises the monazite sands.
● Monazite
sands occur on east and west coasts and in some places in Bihar. But the
largest concentration of monazite sand is on the Kerala coast.
● Over
15,200 tonnes of uranium is estimated to be contained in monazite.
Atomic minerals:
● Uranium and Thorium
are the main atomic minerals. Other atomic minerals are beryllium, lithium and zirconium.
● Thorium
is also derived from monazite. The other mineral carrying thorium is thorianite.
● The
known reserves of thorium in India are estimated to be between 457,000 and
508,000 tonnes. Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan are the main
producers.
● Beryllium
oxide is used as a ‘moderator’ in nuclear reactors. India has sufficient reserves
of beryllium to meet her requirement of atomic power generation.
● Lithium
is a light metal which is found in lepidolite
and spodumene. Lepidolite is widely distributed in the mica belts of
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
● Zirconium
is found along the Kerala coast and in alluvial rocks of Ranchi and Hazaribagh
districts of Jharkhand.