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Uranothorite
A variety of Thorite
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About Uranothorite
Formula:
(Th,U)SiO4
A U-bearing variety of thorite.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
8611 (as Uranothorite)
3946 (as Thorite)
3946 (as Thorite)
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:8611:6 (as Uranothorite)
mindat:1:1:3946:4 (as Thorite)
mindat:1:1:3946:4 (as Thorite)
Chemistry of Uranothorite
Mindat Formula:
(Th,U)SiO4
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Synonyms of Uranothorite
Other Language Names for Uranothorite
Varieties of Uranothorite
| Uranohydrothorite | Possibly a hydrous uranium-bearing thorite. |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 9 photos of Uranothorite associated with Thorite | Th(SiO4) |
| 8 photos of Uranothorite associated with Diopside | CaMgSi2O6 |
| 4 photos of Uranothorite associated with Amphibole Supergroup | AB2C5(T8O22)W2 |
| 4 photos of Uranothorite associated with Zircon | Zr(SiO4) |
| 4 photos of Uranothorite associated with Titanite | CaTiO(SiO4) |
| 2 photos of Uranothorite associated with Magnetite | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| 2 photos of Uranothorite associated with Fluorite | CaF2 |
| 2 photos of Uranothorite associated with Pyroxene Group | ADSi2O6 |
| 1 photo of Uranothorite associated with Bastnäsite | (Ce/Nd/Y/REE)(CO3)F |
| 1 photo of Uranothorite associated with Graphite | C |
Radioactivity
Radioactivity:
| Element | % Content | Activity of the element (Bq/kg) | With decay products (Bq/kg) | Radiation Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uranium (U) | 0.0000% | 0 | 0 | α, β, γ |
| Thorium (Th) | 71.5899% | 2,904,402 | 29,044,022 | α, β, γ |
| Potassium (K) | 0.0000% | 0 | 0 | β, γ |
The decay products of uranium and thorium build up over about a million years, so almost every natural specimen has them; they give nearly all of its gamma radiation. Young secondary uranium minerals can have lost their radium, and with it most of the gamma radiation and radon.
For comparison:
- Banana: ~15 Bq per fruit
- Granite: about 1,000–3,000 Bq/kg (with decay products)
- Exempt from radiation protection rules (EU Basic Safety Standards, IAEA): 1,000 Bq/kg for each member of the uranium-238 and thorium-232 series, 10,000 Bq/kg for potassium-40; natural minerals and ores are exempt from transport rules up to 10 times these levels. This mineral is about 2,904 times the exemption level.
Note: Risk is shown relative to daily recommended maximum exposure to non-background radiation of 1000 µSv/year. Note that natural background radiation averages around 2400 µSv/year so in reality these risks are probably extremely overstated! With infrequent handling and safe storage natural radioactive minerals do not usually pose much risk.
Interactive Simulator:
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Uranothorite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-8611.html
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References for Uranothorite
Reference List:
Ellsworth, H. V. (1927) I. Uranothorite from the MacDonald Mine, Hybla, Ontario. American Mineralogist, 12 (10) 368-372
KIMURA, Kenjiro, MIYAKE, Yasuo (1932) On Enalite, a New Variety of Uranothorite, Found in Naegi, Gifu Prefecture. NIPPON KAGAKU KAISHI, 53. 93-100 doi:10.1246/nikkashi1921.53.93
Phair, George, Shimamoto, Kiyoko Onoda (1952) Hydrothermal uranothorite in fluorite breccias from the Blue Jay mine, Jamestown, Boulder County, Colorado. American Mineralogist, 37 (7-8) 659-666
Nagashima, Otokichi, Sakurai, Kin-ich (1955) Uranothorite from Kamiotomo, Iwate Prefecture. Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Japan, 2 (3) 210-211 doi:10.2465/gkk1952.2.210
Robinson, Stephen Clive; Abbey, Sydney (1957) Uranothorite from eastern Ontario. The Canadian Mineralogist, 6 (1). 1-14
Hewett, D. F., Stone, Jerome (1957) Uranothorite near Forest Home, San Bernardino County, California. American Mineralogist, 42 (1-2) 104-107
KATO, TOSHIO (1960) Uranothorite from Naégi, Gifu Prefecture. Mineralogical Journal, 3 (2). 90-95 doi:10.2465/minerj1953.3.90
Costin, D. T.; Mesbah, A.; Clavier, N.; Dacheux, N.; Poinssot, C.; Szenknect, S.; Ravaux, J. (2011) How To Explain the Difficulties in the Coffinite Synthesis from the Study of Uranothorite? Inorganic Chemistry, 50 (21). p.11117-11126. doi:10.1021/ic2016758
Clavier, Nicolas, Szenknect, Stéphanie, Costin, Dan Tiberiu, Mesbah, Adel, Ravaux, Johann, Poinssot, Christophe, Dacheux, Nicolas (2013) Purification of uranothorite solid solutions from polyphase systems. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 441 (1). 73-83 doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.05.032
Cottle, J. M. (2014) In-situ U-Th/Pb geochronology of (urano)thorite. American Mineralogist, 99 (10) 1985-1995 doi:10.2138/am-2014-4920
Baron, Fabien, Robin, Valentin, Beaufort, Daniel, Szenknect, Stéphanie, Dacheux, Nicolas, Petit, Sabine (2014) Use of near Infrared Spectroscopy for the Identification of Coffinite and Uranothorite. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 22 (2) 149-152 doi:10.1255/jnirs.1110
Guo, Xiaofeng, Szenknect, Stéphanie, Mesbah, Adel, Clavier, Nicolas, Poinssot, Christophe, Wu, Di, Xu, Hongwu, Dacheux, Nicolas, Ewing, Rodney C., Navrotsky, Alexandra (2016) Energetics of a Uranothorite (Th1–xUxSiO4) Solid Solution. Chemistry of Materials, 28. 7117-7124 doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b03346
Localities for Uranothorite
Showing 211 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
MacDonald Mine, Monteagle Township, Hastings Highlands Municipality, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada