Radiological survey of the inactive uranium-mill tailings at Green River, Utah
The uranium-mill tailings at Green River, Utah, are relatively low in /sup 226/Ra content and concentration (20 Ci and 140 pCi/g, respectively) because the mill was used to upgrade the uranium ore by separating the sand and slime fractions; most of the radium was transported along with the slimes to another mill site. Spread of tailings was observed in all directions, but near-background gamma exposure rates were reached at distances of 40 to 90 m from the edge of the pile. Water erosion of the tailings is evident and, since a significant fraction of the tailings pile lies in Brown's Wash, the potential exists for repetition of the loss of a large quantity of tailings such as occurred during a flood in 1959. In general, the level of surface contamination was low at this site, but some areas in the mill site, which were being used for nonuranium work, have gamma-ray exposure rates up to 143 ..mu..R/hr.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5593703
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-5459; TRN: 80-006786
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
MILL TAILINGS
RADIOMETRIC SURVEYS
UTAH
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
GAMMA RADIATION
RADIATION DOSES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM 226
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DOSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SOLID WASTES
SURVEYS
TAILINGS
USA
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
510301* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)