Re: Radioactive Fossils

[DWMCCARN@aol.com]

Dear Laurie,

     As an exploration geologist, I mapped quite a bit of Colorado / New 
Mexico during the 70's.  Frequently,  Jurassic Morrison Formation vertebrate 
bone fragments (as in dinosaurs) contained significant levels of uranium, 
cerium, yttrium, and other rare earths.  "Significant" being anything from 
0.01% to 0.25% U or more.  I could easily locate fossil bone fragments using 
a gamma survey instruments.  I expect that the calcium in the apatite in the 
bone fragments was being replaced by uranium.

Attached is a short list of uranium bearing minerals containing Ca and PO4

Apatite		Ca5 (PO4)3 (F,OH,Cl); (U replaces Ca)
Autunite	Ca (UO2)2 (PO4)2 10H2O
Bassetite	Fe (UO2)2 (PO4)2 8H2O
Bergenite	Ba (UO2)4 (PO4)2 (OH)4 8H2O
Cheralite	(Th,Ca,Ce,U,Pb) (PO4,SiO4)
Coconinoite	Fe2+++ Al2 (UO2)2 (PO4)4 (SO4) (OH)2 20H2O
Crandallite	Ca Al3 (PO4)2 (OH)5 H2O
Dewindite	Pb3 (UO2)6 (PO4)4 (OH)6 10H2O
Dumontite	Pb2 (UO2)3 (PO4)2 (OH)4 3H2O
Fritzscheite	Mn (UO2)2 (PO4,VO4)2 8H2O
Hydrogen Autunite	H2 (UO2)2 (PO4)2 10H2O
Kivuite	(Th,Ca,Pb) H2 (UO2)4 (PO4)2 (OH)8 7H2O
Lermontovite	(U,Ca,RE)3 (PO4)4 6H2O
Meta-Ankoleite	K2 (UO2)2 (PO4)2 6H2O
Meta-autunite	Ca (UO2)2 (PO4)2 8H2O
Meta-Autunite I	Ca (UO2)2 (PO4)2 2-6H2O
Metasaleeite	Mg (UO2)2 (PO4)2 4H2O (?)
Metatorbernite	Cu (UO2) (PO4)2 8H2O
Meta-Uranocircite	Ba (UO2)2 (PO4)2 8H2O
Monazite	(Ce,La,Th) (PO4)
Natroautunite	Na2 (UO2)2 (PO4)2 8H2O
Ningyoite	(U+4,Ca,RE)2 (PO4)2 1-2H2O
Parsonite	Pb2 (UO2) (PO4)2 H2O
Phosphuranylite	Ca (UO2)4 (PO4)2 (OH)4 7H2O
Przhevaskite	(Pb (UO2)2 (PO4)2 2H2O
Psuedo-Autunite	(H3O)2 Ca (UO2) (PO4)2 2.5H2O
Renardite	Pb (UO2)4 (PO4)2 (OH)4 7H2O
Sabugalite	HAl (UO2)4 (PO4) 16H2O
Saleeite	Mg (UO2)2 (PO4)2 8-10H2O
Torbernite	Cu (UO2) (PO4)2 10-H2O
Uramphite	(NH4) (UO2) (PO4) 3H2O
Uranospathite	Cu (UO2)2 (PO4,AsO4)2 16H2O (?)


D. McCarn
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