Influences of Evaporite Minerals on the Vertical Distribution, Storage, and Mobility of Uranium in Response to Hydrological Conditions
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Uranium-contaminated groundwater in Riverton, Wyoming persists despite anticipated natural attenuation outside of a former uranium ore processing facility. The inability of natural flushing to dilute the uranium below the regulatory threshold indicates that sediments act as secondary sources likely (re)supplying uranium to groundwater. Throughout the contaminated floodplain, uranium rich-evaporites are readily abundant in the upper 2 m of sediments and are spatially coincident with the location of the plume, which suggests a likely link between evaporites and increased uranium levels. Systematic sampling before and after a flooding event and sequential chemical extractions were used to decipher the concentration, hosted phase, and relative vertical mobility of uranium in the sediments/soil. The sum of these analyses provides a model for the effect of seasonal hydrologic changes on uranium incorporation within evaporite sediments. These findings hold implications for the fate of uranium throughout contaminated sites across the Colorado River Basin.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 2017 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Roycroft, Scott |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Fendorf, Scott |
| Advisor | Bargar, John |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Earth Systems Program |
Subjects
| Subject | School of Earth Energy & Environmental Sciences |
|---|---|
| Subject | uranium |
| Subject | evaporite |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- Theses courtesy of Stanford University Libraries. If you have questions, please contact the Branner Earth Science Library & Map Collections at brannerlibrary@stanford.edu.
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Roycroft, Scott. (2017). Influences of Evaporite Minerals on the Vertical Distribution, Storage, and Mobility of Uranium in Response to Hydrological Conditions. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/wy775qb0856
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Doerr School of Sustainability
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- Contact
- sroycroft1@gmail.com
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