August 30, 2008

Uranium deposits found in Ladakh

PTI reported that scientists’ claim to have found uranium deposits in the icy heights of Ladakh has adopted a cautious approach by Department of Atomic Energy regarding the commercial importance of the find.

Geologists from the Kumaun University have found exceptionally high concentration of uranium and thorium in Udmaru village in northern Ladakh. A preliminary study of a thick granite dyke showed that it contained abundant, small to medium grained euhedral, greenish colored zircon. Rock samples analyzed in isotope laboratory of the University of Tuebingen in Germany have revealed uranium content to be as high as 5.36% compared to around 0.1% or less in ores present elsewhere in India.

Mr Rajeev Upadhyay a geologist at Kumaun University said that "Geochemical analysis of the separated zircon grains showed exceptionally high concentration of both uranium and thorium."

However, Mr SK Malhotra head of public awareness division in Department of Atomic Energy said that “The finding was based on a very small sample size of zircon separated from the main ore body. In exploration carried out by Atomic Minerals Directorate of the DAE we have to explore a large area and establish the size of the ore body with average uranium content. It is only after such estimates it is decided whether the deposit is of commercial interest."