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Thorianite
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<h2 id="chemistry">Chemistry</h2> <p>Based on color, specific gravity and composition three types of thorianite are distinguished:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>α-thorianite</li> <li>β-thorianite</li> <li>γ-thorianite</li></ul> <p>Thorianite and <a href="/facts/Uraninite/EsEwMErJ">uraninite</a> form a complete <a href="/facts/Solid_solution/Mla7z8dc">solid solution</a> series in synthetic and natural material.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The division between the two species is at Th:U = 1:1 with uranium possibly making up to 46.50% and thorium ranging up to 87.88%.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Rare_earths/PQSUQumk">Rare earths</a>, chiefly <a href="/facts/Cerium/a7UjMBQ6">cerium</a>, substitute for thorium in amounts up to 8% by mass.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Cerium is probably present as Ce4+. Complete series is known in synthetic material between CeO2 - PrO2 - ThO2 - UO2. Small amounts of Fe3+ and <a href="/facts/Zirconium/y7gsoQFz">zirconium</a> also may be isomorphous with thorium. Lead present is probably radiogenic. </p> <h2 id="varieties">Varieties</h2> <ul><li><i>Aldanite</i> – a variety of thorianite containing 14.9% to 29.0% UO2 and 11.2% to 12.5% PbO.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li><i>Uranothorianite</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li> <li><i>Thorianite Cerian</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></li> <li><i>Thorianite La bearing</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="occurrence">Occurrence</h2> <p>Usually found in alluvial deposits, beach sands, heavy mineral placers, and <a href="/facts/Pegmatites/qW5BUXPg">pegmatites</a>. </p> <ul><li>Sri Lanka – In stream gravels, <a href="/facts/Galle/sfMlKexq">Galle</a> district, Southern Province; <a href="/facts/Balangoda/bbnLFLqq">Balangoda</a> district; near Kodrugala, <a href="/facts/Sabaragamuwa/6msl0Xj9">Sabaragamuwa</a> Province; and from a pegmatite in Bambarabotuwa area.</li> <li><a href="/facts/India/1kKHcnxM">India</a> – Reported from beach sands of <a href="/facts/Travancore/7RRoKgwf">Travancore</a> (<a href="/facts/Kerala/DMP5u40q">Kerala</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Madagascar/ez12IAcY">Madagascar</a> – Found in alluvial deposits of <a href="/facts/Betroka/YEAUlwo2">Betroka</a> and Andolobe.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> Also as very large crystals from <a href="/facts/Fort_Dauphin_(Madagascar)/EsKG7HeP">Fort Dauphin</a>; at Andranondambo and other localities.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a> – In black sands of a gold placer on Boshogoch River, <a href="/facts/Transbaikalia/y5PapqlT">Transbaikalia</a>, <a href="/facts/Siberia/oaCoPEjF">Siberia</a>; in the Kovdor Massif by <a href="/facts/Kovdor/5M7TusoM">Kovdor</a>, <a href="/facts/Kola_Peninsula/uTtzIYES">Kola Peninsula</a>; in the <a href="/facts/Yenisei_Range/nSduzCAQ">Yenisei Range</a>, Siberia.</li> <li><a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a> – reported from <a href="/facts/Easton%2c_Pennsylvania/JHvaGpfx">Easton</a>, <a href="/facts/Pennsylvania/HGqC5bBm">Pennsylvania</a>; black sands in <a href="/facts/Missouri_River/NL8Sj9Wb">Missouri River</a>, near <a href="/facts/Helena%2c_Montana/jztphJzP">Helena</a>, <a href="/facts/Montana/jPFKMuK5">Montana</a>; <a href="/facts/Scott_River/9uqYjgMu">Scott River</a>, <a href="/facts/Siskiyou_County%2c_California/LqfozlPK">Siskiyou County</a>, <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> black sands in Nixon Fork and <a href="/facts/Wiseman%2c_Alaska/0pQ4wGd7">Wiseman</a> districts, <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a> – Reported with uraninite in a pegmatite on Charlebois Lake, east of <a href="/facts/Lake_Athabasca/rYxDW17e">Lake Athabasca</a>;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> Uranon variety reported from <a href="/facts/Pegmatite/qW5BUXPg">pegmatite</a> and metesomatized zones in crystalline limestones from many locations in <a href="/facts/Quebec/4hhNvb4t">Quebec</a> and <a href="/facts/Ontario/HUkxk5Rf">Ontario</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/South_Africa/vvXQpLgq">South Africa</a> – Occurs with <a href="/facts/Baddeleyite/Ddl3jetz">baddeleyite</a> as an accessory in <a href="/facts/Carbonatite/FQXo0Td3">carbonatite</a> at <a href="/facts/Phalaborwa/LEl3hyRV">Phalaborwa</a>, <a href="/facts/Eastern_Transvaal/6kWl3YP8">Eastern Transvaal</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Democratic_Republic_of_Congo/E2KmHDdv">Democratic Republic of Congo</a> - <a href="/facts/Kasa%25C3%25AF_region/qtnQ0yV5">Kasaï region</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Earth sciences portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Uraninite/EsEwMErJ">Uraninite</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Thorite/R8V3QAob">Thorite</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Classification_of_minerals_(disambiguation)/AeFz2WWJ">Classification of minerals</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_minerals/4rMMcv2D">List of minerals</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thorianite. <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070703180719/http://www.uraniumminerals.com/UTh/Thorianite.htm">Uraniumminerals.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.mindat.org/min-3944.html">Mindat.org</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Frondel, C. (1958). Systematic Mineralogy of Uranium and Thorium. United States Government Printing Office. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Coomaraswamy, A.K. (1904). "Uraninite". Spolia Zeylanica. Pt. 6 (2): 57. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Dunstan, Wyndham R. (1904-03-31). "The occurrence of Thorium in Ceylon". Nature. 69 (1796): 510–511. Bibcode:1904Natur..69..510D. doi:10.1038/069510d0. S2CID 4032255. <a href="https://zenodo.org/record/1429437" target="_blank">https://zenodo.org/record/1429437</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Thorianite". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 878. <a href="/wiki/Public_domain" target="_blank">/wiki/Public_domain</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Kobayashi, M. (1912). "On the composition of thorianite". Tohoku Imp. Univ. Sci. Repts. 1 (Ist Ser): 201–206. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Palache, C.; H. Berman; C. Frondel (1944). Dana's System of Mineralogy, Volume 1. John Wiley and Sons, New York. pp. 620–622. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Heinrich, E. W. (1958). Mineralogy and Geology of Radioactive Raw Materials. McGraw-Hill. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Palache, C.; H. Berman; C. Frondel (1944). Dana's System of Mineralogy, Volume 1. John Wiley and Sons, New York. pp. 620–622. <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Graham, A. R. (1955). "CERIANITE CeO2: A NEW RARE-EARTH OXIDE MINERAL". Am. Mineral. 40. <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Bespalov, M.M. (1941). "On discovery of a new mineral of the thorianite group [in Russian]". Sovietskaya Geologiya. II (6): 105–107. <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Uranothorianite mineral information and data". Retrieved 2007-06-28. <a href="http://www.mindat.org/min-4114.html" target="_blank">http://www.mindat.org/min-4114.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Minerals with crystal structure determined". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-27. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022021/http://sdpd.univ-lemans.fr/minknown.html#T" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022021/http://sdpd.univ-lemans.fr/minknown.html#T</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"ICSD for WWW : Details (Thorianite Cerian)". Retrieved 2007-06-27.[permanent dead link] <a href="http://icsdweb.fiz-karlsruhe.de/details.php?id%5B%5D=24439&PHPSESSID=734118bb8" target="_blank">http://icsdweb.fiz-karlsruhe.de/details.php?id%5B%5D=24439&PHPSESSID=734118bb8</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Minerals with crystal structure determined". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-27. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022021/http://sdpd.univ-lemans.fr/minknown.html#T" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022021/http://sdpd.univ-lemans.fr/minknown.html#T</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Viswanathan, P. (1953). "Thorianite in Travancore". Mineral. Mag. 88: 282. <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Lacroix, A. (1923). Minéralogie de Madagascar. Augustin Challamel, éditeur, Librairie maritime et coloniale. <a href="https://archive.org/details/MineralogieDeMadagascarTome3" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/MineralogieDeMadagascarTome3</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>George, D'Arcy (1949). "Mineralogy of Uranium and Thorium Bearing Minerals". USAEC Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. RMO-563: 198. <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>White, M. G. (1952). Radioactivity of Selected Rocks and Placer Concentrates from Northeastern Alaska. GS-C-195, Geological Survey. <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>White, M. G.; J. M. Stevens (1953). "Reconnaissance For Radioactive Deposits In The Ruby-Poorman District, Ruby Quadrangle, Central Alaska,1949" (PDF). USGS Report. TEI-192, Geological Survey: 62. Bibcode:1953usgs.rept...62W. doi:10.3133/tei192. <a href="https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1050378/m2/1/high_res_d/report.pdf" target="_blank">https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1050378/m2/1/high_res_d/report.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Lang, A. H.; J. W. Griffith; H. R. Steacy (1962). Canadian Deposits of Uranium and Thorium. Geological Survey of Canada. <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Robinson, S. C.; A. P. Sabina (1955). "Uraninite And Thorianite From Ontario And Quebec". Am. Mineral. 40. <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Hiemstra, S. A. (1955). "Baddeleyite from Phalaborwa, Eastern Transvaal". American Mineralogist. 40: 275–282. <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Ledoux, A. "Les roches cristallines du Kasai". Soc. Geol. Belgique Annales. 40: C177. <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>