‘Co-evolution’ of uranium concentration and oxygen stable isotope in phosphate rocks

Abstract

Phosphate rocks (PRs) used in fertilizer production contain uranium (U), which enters agricultural soils through phosphorus fertilization. However, our knowledge is still limited and cannot explain the different levels of U contamination found in agricultural systems. The paper reviewed the spatial and temporal U variations in PRs to obtain a comprehensive overview of U levels in various PRs worldwide and to investigate why U concentrations in igneous PRs are significantly lower compared to sedimentary PRs, and why less U is present in old sedimentary PRs (Precambrian-Cambrian) than in younger PRs (Ordovician-Neogene). In addition, the natural oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18Op) in various PRs were determined to identify their origins in relation to their U concentration. The δ18Op values differed among igneous PRs, old sedimentary PRs, and younger sedimentary PRs. Generally, the PRs with low δ18Op values had low U concentrations. In igneous PRs, low U concentrations were due to the lack of secondary U enrichment processes after rock formation, with low δ18Op values resulting from limited isotope fractionation at high temperature. Conversely, in sedimentary PRs, both U concentrations and δ18Op values were influenced by paleoclimate and paleogeographic features. Overall, there is a time-dependent coincidence of processes altering U concentration and δ18Op signatures of sedimentary PRs in a similar direction.