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Long-term change in uranium migration processes in highly eroded granite, demonstrated by uranium series disequilibrium in fracture-filling materials
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea.
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea.
Linnaeus University, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Biology and Environmental Science. Linnaeus University, Linnaeus Knowledge Environments, Water.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7230-6509
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea.
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2023 (English)In: Applied Geochemistry, ISSN 0883-2927, E-ISSN 1872-9134, Vol. 148, article id 105530Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The mineralization and mobilization of uranium (U) are strongly associated with subsurface redox processes, which can affect the U inventory of deep geological repositories of nuclear waste and are to be considered in safety assessments. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) underground research tunnel (KURT) is located in an active groundwater recharge area in granitic bedrock, where oxidizing meteoric water infiltrates the subsurface through permeable zones of highly weathered granite, forming multiple redox fronts. Fracture-filling materials (FFMs) are U-enriched, with concentrations of up to ∼50 mg/kg. We examined long-lived radioactive isotopes of 230Th, 232Th, 234U, 235U, and 238U and other redox-sensitive elements and isotopes, e.g., Fe, δ56Fe, and Ce/Ce*, in the FFMs to understand fluctuations in redox conditions in the granitic fracture system. The primary focus was on U migration processes and to decipher the depths of meteoric water infiltration over geological timescales. Enrichment of uranium and other redox-sensitive elements occurred in FFMs at relatively shallow depths (∼180 m below ground level, bgl), implying that the U distribution was associated with redox interactions of the intruding groundwater that precipitated the secondary minerals. Interaction of FFMs with groundwater caused activity ratios (AR) of the FFMs to deviate moderately from secular equilibrium (AR = 1); 234U/238U AR of 0.87–1.25, and 230Th/238U AR of 0.76–1.22. A dynamic redox transition zone, witnessed by uranium series disequilibrium, shows both deposition and complex redistribution in the 120–205 Ka time frame, is confined to the upper ∼180 m bgl of the fractured rock. The results provide new insights into the long-term paleo-redox processes in the complex granitic fracture systems, which are analogs of potential deep-seated geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023. Vol. 148, article id 105530
National Category
Environmental Sciences Geochemistry Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Research subject
Natural Science, Environmental Science
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URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-118952DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105530ISI: 000912477000001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85144392232OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-118952DiVA, id: diva2:1733165
Available from: 2023-02-01 Created: 2023-02-01 Last updated: 2025-02-12Bibliographically approved

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Drake, Henrik

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