Uranium

Abstract

Unlike most other sedimentary ore metals, uranium forms small orebodies, which is in keeping with its low crustal abundance. As a consequence, it is a more exploration-intensive metal than the others described in this book. We have seen that deposits of Fe and Mn are vast, with reserves in single deposits as high as 10⁹ tons of metal. For U, the largest deposits have 2 × 10⁵ tons; the largest U.S. deposit (at Grants, New Mexico) has only 45,000 tons of U₃O₈ (Cheney 1981, table 4).

The Walrus and the Carpenter Were walking close at hand: They wept like anything to see Such quantities of sand: ‘If this were only cleared away,’ They said, ‘it would be grand!’

Through the Looking Glass From Lewis Carroll, The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll. (New York: Vintage Books, 1976, page 184.) Reprinted with permission of the publisher.