Uranium mines today and in the future

The chemical element of uranium is widely distributed in the nature of the Earth. It is known that it is in sea water (3 μg / l), is present in the lithosphere layer (1.3 × 1014 tons). Its main part is in sedimentary rocks, acidic soils rich in silicon. Impurities are found in rare-earth minerals, thorium rocks.

In Russia, the "main" uranium rocks are the following: naturistan (it is often called uraninite or uranium tar), carnotite. They differ only in their origin. Volcanogenic naturistan is more often found in rocks formed during the Paleozoic and subsequent periods. Uraninite is often found in rocks of the Precambrian period, uranium blacks, where uranium is also mined, are very young: they originated in sedimentary soils of Cenozoic or other, even younger, periods.

This chemical element is fairly evenly distributed throughout the Earth, so there are uranium mines in 25 countries. The bulk (almost 30%) of it is mined in Canada, Australia (22%), Africa (19%). According to statistics, Russia's uranium mines supply about 6% of this element extracted worldwide.

Each uranium deposit is assessed according to special criteria.

• Open stocks. These include identified resources located in areas with proven uranium reserves and favorable conditions for its development.
• Uranium reserves in the bowels. This assessment is carried out in a pure form, without taking into account the losses inevitably arising when uranium springs are being developed.
• Recoverable reserves. They are understood as a specific amount of this element mined in mines, regardless of its reserves in the bowels.
• Initial explored reserves, which are the amount of uranium mined and explored.

It should be noted that the assessment of uranium reserves in Russia is made according to other principles. It takes into account not only the saturation of the ore with uranium, but also the costs that will be incurred in its extraction. Therefore, it is believed that uranium mines can relate to completely different projected resources. Among them, C1, P3, B + C1 and the like.

Uranium mines of the USSR were in the territories that today have become part of other states.

• In Ukraine, it was mined (and mined today) in the Kirovograd and Pobuzhsky districts. There are uranium mines in Vatutinsky, Michurinsky, Pervomaysk, Zheltorechensky and other areas. In total in Ukraine today there are 12 deposits.
• Uranium mines in the USSR were located on the territory of Kazakhstan. Today it is mined there in Chu-Sarysuu uranium-ore province, Dzhambul region, and other regions.
• Tajikistan still has uranium mines in the Tashkent and Leninabad oblasts, but production is not profitable.
• The mines of Uzbekistan are located in Uchkuduk, Kondyktube, Lyavlyakan and Tohumbet.
• In Russia, uranium was also mined in the Stavropol Territory (Lermontov), Lovozero Tundra, on Lake Onega, and the Kola Peninsula.

To date, only the proven reserves of this chemical element in Russia are 615 thousand tons, and the forecasted production is close to 830 thousand tons. However, a significant part of the deposits that are to be developed are in hard-to-reach areas.

15 of the 16 known deposits in Russia are located in Transbaikalia (Chita region, Streltsovskoye, Berezovoe, Argun and Zherlovoye deposits). You can only work here using the mining method.

A large deposit (Elkon) is in Yakutia.

Invented uranium reserves in the West Siberian region, on Vitim, in the coastal zone of the Okhotsk Sea and Lake Ladoga. These areas suggest promising production.

Uranium is used not only in nuclear industry or military affairs. In geology it is used to determine the age of rocks. In glass production add to the glass to give it a yellow or green fluorescent color, uranium compounds stain porcelain.