Three uranium-rich minerals were found in Utah
Three uranium-rich minerals were found growing on the walls of a mine, which will help us understand more about the chemical element, Minestories reports.
American scientist Travis Olds has found three new uranium-rich secondary minerals growing on the walls of a mine near the Red Canyon region of Utah. All three specimens – leesite, leószilárdite and redcanyonite – “represent a small and unique slice of the earth’s crust” where human activity spurred the formation of previously unknown materials.
“The only way to better understand the chemistry of uranium is to go out and find new minerals and describe their topology, their structures,” Olds says. “They teach us a lot about how uranium can then be moved in the environment.”
