What is Uranium?

Uranium is a very dense, radioactive metallic element, naturally occurring in most rocks, soil, and even in the ocean! It is not at all rare, and in fact occurs more commonly than gold, silver or mercury. Uranium is found as an oxide or complex salt in minerals such as pitchblende and carnotite. It is formed from volcanic activity and has an average concentration in the earth's crust of about 2 parts per million.

Uranium was named after the planet Uranus, although the metal is not very common in the solar system. It does, however, provide the main source of heat inside the earth. Uranium is mined for many different purposes and has been used to produce energy for more than forty years.

Greater technical detail can be found on this topic by searching through the listed briefing papers and education resources at www.uic.com.au.

• What is uranium?
• The uranium atom
• Uranium fission
• What is radioactivity?
• What is radiation?
• The discovery of Uranium
• Australia's uranium