Where is thorite found?
Thorite is mined commercially in the United States at Cripple Creek, Colo., and at Hall Mountain, Idaho. Although the mineral is usually light brown, an orange-yellow gem variety known as orangite occurs in Madagascar.
How is thorite formed?
Specimens of thorite generally come from igneous pegmatites and volcanic extrusive rocks, hydrothermal veins and contact metamorphic rocks. It is also known to occur as small grains in detrital sands. Crystals are rare, but when found can produce nicely shaped short prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.
Where is uraninite found?
Uraninite has been obtained from hydrothermal vein deposits, such as those at Jáchymov and in adjacent places in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) in Germany. Other vein deposits occur at Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in the Lake Athabasca district of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
What is the mineral thorium?
Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive element usually found with other minerals, such as monazite in alkalic igneous deposits and carbonatites. Thorium has a multitude of uses. Moreover, thorium can incinerate weapons-grade plutonium in its fuel cycle, rendering the plutonium unusable as a nuclear weapon.
What are the uses of Thorite?
Thorite is the most common thorium mineral. Thorium is a highly radioactive element and could be used as a replacement for uranium in nuclear power generation.
What is columbite ore?
Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite and columbate [(Fe, Mn)Nb. 2O. 6], is a black mineral group that is an ore of niobium. It has a submetallic luster and a high density and is a niobate of iron and manganese. This mineral group was first found in Haddam, Connecticut, in the United States.
What does uraninite look like?
Physical Properties of Uraninite Usually gray to black, sometimes brown or greenish. Brownish black, black, gray, greenish. Submetallic, greasy, or dull. Opaque, translucent to transparent on thin edges.
Is uraninite ionic or covalent?
Uranous is the chemical term for the reduced tetrapositive cation of uranium that exhibits the valence U4+. It is one of the two common ionic states of uranium found in nature, the other being the oxidised hexapositive ion called uranyl.
Is thorium a metal?
When pure, thorium is a silvery white metal which is air-stable and retains its lustre for several months. Thorium oxide has a melting point of 3300°C, the highest of all oxides. Only a few elements, such as tungsten, and a few compounds, such as tantalum carbide, have higher melting points.
What is the use of coltan?
Coltan is used primarily for the production of tantalum capacitors, used in many electronic devices. Coltan is important in the production of mobile phones; and tantalum capacitors that are used in almost every kind of electronic device.
What do we do at thorite in the UK?
At Thorite we offer the most comprehensive range of market leading, cost-effective industrial compressed air, pneumatic and electro-mechanical motion control and process equipment and solutions in the UK.
What are the different branches of Earth Science?
Identify the field of geology as a branch of Earth Science that deals with the solid part of the Earth. Describe the field of oceanography as a branch of Earth Science that has several subdivisions that deal with the various aspects of the ocean. Define the field of meteorology as a branch of Earth Science that deals with the atmosphere.
Which is an example of an Earthly Branch?
In this case an Earthly Branch can refer to a whole two-hour period, or to the exact time at its center. For instance 午時 wǔshí can mean either noon or 11 am – 1 pm.
Where did the twelve Earthly Branches come from?
The twelve Earthly Branches or Terrestrial Branches are a Chinese ordering system used throughout East Asia in various contexts, including its ancient dating system, astrological traditions, zodiac and ordinals . This system was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter.
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