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AEC-966/5 June 24, 1955 IN REPLY REFER TOt UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WASHINGTON 25. D.C. AEC-966/5 June 24, 1955 Mr, Robert D. Nininger, Assistant Director Division of Raw Materials U. S. Atomic Energy Commission Washington 25, D. C, Dear Bob 5 Transmitted herewith are three copies of TEI-508, "The mineral composition of gummite, 11 by Clifford Frondel, May 1955. We are asking Mr. Hosted to approve our plan to publish this report as a Geological Survey bulletin, Sincerely yours, W. H. Bradley Chief Geologist 2 2 f Geology and Mineralogy This document consists of 54 pages. Series A UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY THE MINERAL COMPOSITION OF GUMMITE^ By Clifford Frondel May 1955 Trace Elements Investigations Report 508 This preliminary report is distributed without editorial and technical review for conformity with official standards and nomenclature. It is not for public inspection or quotation. *This report concerns work done on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, USGS - TEI-508 GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY Distribution (Series A) No. of copies Argonne National Laboratory .................................. 1 Atomic Energy Commission, Washington ......................... 2 Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus ........................ 1 Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company, Y-12 Area .............. 1 Pivision of Raw Materials, Albuquerque ....................... 1 Division of Raw Materials, Butte ............................. 1 Division of Raw Materials, Casper .................... 9 ....... 1 Division of Raw Mate rials, Denver ............................ 1 Division of Raw Materials, Hot Springs ....................... 1 Division of Raw Materials, Ishpeming ......................... 1 Division of Raw Materials, Phoenix <>.......................... 1 Division of Raw Materials, Salt Lake City .*...............«.. 1 Division of Raw Materials, Washington ..*.............,....... 3 Dow Chemical Company, Pittsburg ..<, 00 ......................... 1 Exploration Division, Grand Junction Operations Office ....... 6 Grand Junetion Operations Office ............................... 1 National Lead Company, Winchester ............................ 1 Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge .*.................». 6 Tennessee Valley Authority, Wilson %m ....................... 1 U. S e Geological Surveys Fuels Branch, Washington ..................................... 1 Geochemistry and Petrology Branch, Washington ,..<,*........... 15 Geophysics Branch^ Washington 0 »..,»........<>................. 1 Minerals Deposit Branch, Washington .........*<>..............* 1 E. H. Bailey 9 Menlo Park ..................................... 1 A. L. Brokaw, Grand Junction ...........................*<>**** 1 N. M. Denson, Denver ..*................«..................... 1 A. Ho Koschmann ? Denver ...................................... 1 J. D. Love, Lsramie ...a....................................** 1 L. R. Page, Washington .....,.....<,...........,............... 1 C. B. Read, Albuquerque ...................................... 1 Qf D. Singewald, Beltsville 0 ................................. 1 A. E. Weissenborn, Spokane ,...................*.......<>.*.«** 1 TEPCO, Denver .......«.», ....<>,............................... 2 TEPCp s RPS, Washington^ (including master) ................... 2 ~63~~ CONTENTS Page JnL, D O W ZOu C v OO4O4O0OOOOO**4OOOOO9OOO$0O**OOOO*OOOOOOO9*OO4IOO<IOOO **l> History and nomenclature of gummite ..............,••••••«••• 6 Chemical analyses of gununite ................................ 10 Sequential alteration of uraninite ......a.,.............*..* 13 Mineralogy .„...„.....<,...<>....«..,....o 0 ...o..„......<,« 13 Chemistry .«.,.....•...,,......•......,...••...,....»... 17 Description of minerals present in gummite ........ ...„...... 21 Becquerelite o...«.<,oo..o..oo 00 ..oo..<>...».....»..„.>.<,•» 21 Beta-uranophane <,*....»........ 0 «»............«... o»<>.,. 22 Clarkeite .....oo.o.»,«,.o 0 ..o«,......... 0 ... ft ..o.oo...... 23 Curite ................................................. 23 Fourmarierite o«.,..., 0 ,.<,..o..<,.o»..<,..... 0 .......<,a... 24 KaSOlite O o^n.ooo««,.oo«««oo»o.o<,^e»<,o<.»»o«o.«. 0 «». •««.«>. 28 Phosphuranylite 00<> .<,.. 9 ... 0 . 0 o 9 .<,....oo<,o 8 e. 0 ........aa 28 Rut her f ordine oo 6 e.<,o<,oo»o 0 ..*<,ooo«.o,. <,<,.„.<,. ...o...... 29 SchOeplte oooo«o««**ooot>o<>oo<><>o«oo.oo«<?<><><>»t.<>o*«a.<>o**aa 30 Sklodowskite O o<> 0 „ 0 „ <> <> * 0 <,», 00 0 , ...000,0..000.........a.o 30 Vandendriesscheite oo. 8 . 0 .oo^ 6 o 00 o.oooo<..<..<,»..oo. 0 o 00 oo 34 Unidentified mineral A ..............................o.. 35 Unidentified mineral B O .. 0 . 0 .ooooo 0 oeo 0 oo 0 .o.....ooo<,oo 36 Unidentified mineral C . 0 ... 0 ...... 0 .......»..«.«,... o „ „. 37 Acknowledgments oo 0 oo<,ooooooooo 0 ooo 00 oo 0 o e .oo<, 0 .o<,o a ...ooo 0 o 38 <,<,.oooo.oooooooooe u oooo<,<»o.e 0 o«o.o.o.e<..ei...oo.o.. 39 TABIES Page Table 1 0 Chemical analyses of gummite «,.... 00 00 o.««,.... « 0 .<, 44 2. Recalculated analyses of gummite «»».......... .o«o<> 47 3a Optical properties of minerals present in gummite . 00 o a . .<,..............»<., ....«<». 48 4* X-ray powder data for minerals in gummite «. „ * a „ . O .o. .«eo.»... 0 ....... .»<,.». ..<>..• 51 THE MINERAL COMPOSITION OF GUMMITE By Clifford Frondel ABSTRACT The name gummite has been widely used for over 100 years as a generic term to designate fine-grained yellow to orange-red alteration products of uraninite whose true identity is unknown* A study of about 100 specimens of gummite from world-wide localities has been made by X-ray9 optical^ and chemical methods 0 It proved possible to identify almost all of the specimens with already known uranium minerals* Gummite typically occurs as an alteration product of uraninite crystals in pegmatite 0 Such specimens show a characteristic sequence of alteration productss (1) A central core of black or brownish-black uraninite* (2) A surrounding zone 9 yellow to orange-red, composed chiefly of hydrated lead uranyl oxides 0 This zone constitutes the traditional gummite 0 It is principally composed of fourmarierite, vandendriesscheite and two unidentified phases (Mineral A and Mineral C) 0 Less common constituents are clarkeite 9 becquerelite 9 curite, and schoepite. (3) An outer silicate zone* This usually is dense with a greenish-yellow color and is composed of uranophane or beta-uranophanej it is sometimes soft and earthy with a straw~yellow to pale-brown color and 4.5 then usually composed of kasolite or an unidentified phase (Min­ eral B). Soddyite and sklodowskite occur rarely« There are minor variations in the above general sequence* In some specimens the core may be orange-red gummite without residual uraninite or the original uraninite crystal may be wholly converted to silicates. Other specimens show clarkeite as the core, or an intermediate zone of clarkeite may form between the central uraninite and the orange- red zone of hydrated oxides. The uranyl carbonate rutherfordine has been observed as the outermost zone in some specimens, usually more or less-admixed with uranyl silicates. Chemically the formation of the minerals of the orange^red gummite zone at the expense of the original uraninite is characterized by oxi­ dation of U4 to U6 and hydration. There is usually little or no addition of material other than H20 at this stage, but leaching of U relative to Pb may be a factor* The Pb in the minerals of this zone is the original radiogenic lead of the uraninite« The outermost silicate zone is due to reaction of the hydrated oxides of the gummite zone with meteoric or possibly hydrothermal waters carrying silica and usually also calcium* The Pb may be removed at this stage 9 together with uranium in part, with the formation of uranophane, beta-uranophane s or soddyite 9 or it may be retained in part or entirety with the formation of Mineral B or kasolite 0 The Th and rare earths contained in the original uraninite usually are wholly removed during the formation of the silicates 0 There is also a further stage of alteration of the uraninite of pegmatites, in which the substance of the pseudomorphs is leached away and is either dispersed or redeposited nearby in cracks in the matrixo The uranium minerals that occur in this way are chiefly the phosphates meta-autunite, parsonsite 9 and phosphuranylite 9 and the silicates uranophane, beta-uranophane, kasolite, and Mineral B. The alteration of uraninite in vein or other nonpegmatitic deposits follows the same general sequence of alteration described, both on a hand°specimen and geologic scale. In the presence of abundant sulfides, however, a different 6 assemblage of secondary minerals is formed. This is characterized by the formation of zippeite 9 uranopilite 9 johannite, and gypsums and there may be extensive leaching of uranium in the ground waters«, HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE OF GUMMITE Gummite is a vague term that has been and is used in various ways. Probably its commonest present-day use is as a generic term for gumlike or dense fine-grained pseudomorphic alteration products of uraninite whose true identity is not known * The term ordinarily is employed in lack of any knowledge of the composition other than that uranium is a major constituent* It also has been applied,, as in the 7th edition of Dana's System of Mineralogy 9 in a more restricted chemical sense to substances that are essentially hydrated oxides of uranium^ whose true identity is unknown 9 that represent
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