Abstract
During the last few years, a remarkable anomaly between 238U and 234U activities has been observed in the top layers of the coastal sediments along the western region of the Indian sub-continent. Sediment samples from Bombay (19°N, 73°E) to Kottilppad (8°N, 77°E) were leached with saturated ammonium carbonate solution to extract uranium isotopes from the surface layers of the sediment particles without attacking the mineral cores. The 234U/ 238U activity ratios in these leachates are in the range of 1.12–1.14 while 235U/ 238U activity ratio is 0.046 which is the same as for other natural uranium. The surface organic matter from the sediment particles was removed by treatment with hydrogen peroxide in presence of 0.05 M hydrochloric acid. 234U/ 238U and 235u/ 238U activity ratios in the extract and the residues were determined. It is observed that disequilibrium between 238U and 234U exists only on the surface of sediment particles. 234U/ 238U on the surface of the sediment particles is the same as in the ambient water and as the surface organic matter is removed from the particle surface, the cores show equilibrium activities.
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