Abstract
The chemical and isotopic (U, Pb, Sr) signatures for a suite (n = 23) of pristine (>80 wt. % UO2) and altered uraninite samples (>70–80 wt. % UO2) from various locations worldwide have been determined for the purpose of identifying potential fingerprints for nuclear forensic analysis. The characterization of the uraninite samples included determination of major, minor and trace element contents, Sr, Pb, and U isotopic compositions, and secondary mineral assemblages. Due to the multivariate approach adopted in this study, principal component analysis (PCA) has been employed to allow the direct comparison of multiple variable types. The PCA results indicate that the geological origin (sandstone, metamorphite, intrusive, granite and unconformity) of pristine uraninite can be readily identified utilizing various combinations of major and/or trace element concentrations with isotopic compositions.
Highlights
Over the past few decades, there has been increased interest in developing novel methods/approaches for the forensic analysis of nuclear materials
These previous studies have determined and established various geochemical signatures as fingerprints for uranium ore deposits, which can be used as a means of deciphering the origins of any unknown intercepted nuclear materials
Appropriate transects through individual uraninite samples that encompass transition zones between pristine and altered sections were conducted for further investigation (e.g., Figure 1)
Summary
Over the past few decades, there has been increased interest in developing novel methods/approaches for the forensic analysis of nuclear materials. The predominant source of nuclear fuel worldwide is uranium ore deposits, and these have been the subject of a growing number of mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic investigations [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. These previous studies have determined and established various geochemical signatures as fingerprints for uranium ore deposits, which can be used as a means of deciphering the origins of any unknown intercepted nuclear materials. These ore deposits are found in a wide variety of geological settings and span Earth’s history from the Archean/early
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