URANIUM

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23279, 15 August 1945, Page 4

URANIUM

Promising Quantities Found 'N.Z.P.A.) DUNEDIN. Aug. 14 Uranium, the source’of energy in the new atomic bomb, has been found to exist in promising ■quantities in certain New Zealand granites and other rocks and sands. This was disclosed by Dr E Marsden, secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in an interview. He emphasised that the known New Zealand resources were not in high concentrations similar to those in Canada and the Belgian Congo. Extensive searches undertaken during the last two years since work on the atomic bomb was developed has shown that limited quantities could he recovered here, probably along with other mining activities. While in England about, two vears ago Dr. Marsden was introduced to the possibilities of uranium as a weapon of war, and sensing its coming importance immediately requested Dr. C. O. Hutton, petrologist of the Government Geological Survey, to institute a search in New Zealand for any uranium minerals. Then began an intensive search for the mineral uranium, and attention Was focused on recoveries obtained by gold dredges operating in various parts of the Dominion. Laboratory examination of the concentrates thus recovered revealed the presence in small concentrations of a new uranium mineral known as uranotherite which contains 11.5 per rent, of uranium and 60 per cent, of thorium. The most promising localities for the new mineral are believed to be among the oldest rock formations on the West Coast of the South Island. Since then uranium has been discovered in certain monosit c sands which were thought to contain thorium only. The .uranium content is only between 1 and 1’- per cent. “I would like to emphasise that although uranium has been found in New Zealand old fashioned methods of mining recovery will not be economically practicable.” said Dr. Marsden. “If and when its recovery is attempted the most modern methods of mining engineering must bo used. It is possible that uranium may be recovered in conjunction with gold and other rare metal contents of sands and thus make the whole process an economic ”