RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND EVALUATION OF SELECTED GEOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO URANIUM EXPLORATION.

Radium-226 and its parent uranium-238 occur in mineral spring water largely independently of the geochemistry of the solutions and thus are potential indicators of uranium in source rocks. Studies of surface water samples have resulted in improved standardized sample treatment and collection procedures. Stream discharge has been shown to have a significant effect on uranium concentration, while conductivity shows promise as a ″pathfinder″ for uranium. The advantages of the designed sample collecting system are that only a small quantity, typically one drop, of water is required and sample manipulation is minimized, thereby reducing contamination risks. The fission-track analytical technique is effective at the uranium concentration levels commonly found in natural waters (5. 0-0. 01 mu g/litre). Landsat data were used to detect alteration associated with uranium deposits.