RE: Florospar

["Jim Otton" <jkotton@usgs.gov>]

James,

 

It is very likely that the fluorospar contains uranium, although thorium is also a possibility.  The co-occurrence of uranium and fluorite in fluorospar deposits all over the world is thoroughly documented in the mineral deposit literature.  It typically occurs in fluorospar deposits associated with granites and with volcanic rocks.  Where the fluroine-bearing hydrothermal solutions that deposited the fluorite also contained uranium, uranium was often deposited with the fluorite.  Uranium usually occurs as uraninite inclusions in the mineral fluorite.  Uranium-bearing fluorite can be very strongly colored due to radiation damage.

 

Jim Otton

U.S. Geological Survey

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]On Behalf Of James Reese
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 8:53 AM
To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Florospar

RADSAFERS, I recently ran across a large stockpile of Florospar (CaF₂ as marked) ore that provided a reading of over 100,000 cpm on a 2x2 NaI detector.  Does anyone know what might be giving that sort of response since neither Ca or F, as far as I know, are radioactive?  My guess is that the ore is “contaminated” with either uranium or thorium.

 

Thanks for your help

 

James Reese

Sr. Health Physicist

ERS Solutions, Inc.

(916) 689-2680 office

(916) 689-6270 fax 

james.reese@worldnet.att.net