CARNOTITE NATURAL

URANIUM ROCK

 

Radiation level:  25,000 CPM;

Found at Uravan Colorado

uranium field     June 2021

CARNOTITE is a common uranium

mineral.   Typically, it has scattered

colors of yellow and black on its rock

surface. Uravan CO is the USA's

oldest uranium field.  During the early

1900s, uranium and vanadium were

mined there; by the 1920s, Polish/

French scientist Marie Curie visited

Uravan to teach miners how to find

Radium mineral for her lab at the

University of Paris, France.

 

 

Radiation levels above 40,000. CPM are

considered high levels, with regard to

comparison with other natural

radioactive rocks.  This rock, with

25,000. CPM response, is middle level.

  (NOTE that applications in industrial,

medical, or military uses have far

higher radiation levels than those

found in natural uranium rocks.)

 

CARNOTITE sometimes has crusty

flakes, imbedded in sandstone. This

is one of the very common uranium

minerals found at Jurassic Canyon NM.

 

ALPHA RADIATION is the radiation type
 
that is most easily blocked by barriers,
 
even by clothing, paper, or the skin.
 
Alpha radiation is the radiation type that
 

 is most commonly emitted by natural

 

uranium.   (  By contrast, Gamma ray

 

radiation, is the "Macho" type of

 

radiation.  Gamma rays penetrate all

 

barriers, even metals such as lead.

 

Gamma rays make space travel difficult,

 

because cosmic rays in outer space are

 

mainly gamma radiation. Cosmic radiation

 

at the ISS space station is 240 times

 

more intense than natural surface

 

radiation on Earth;  At the surface of red

 

planet Mars, the radiation is 730 times
 
more intense than Earth's surface
 
radiation. The Gamma Ray Burst of
 
October 2022, a tightly focused narrow
  
beam, traveled 2.4 billion light years to
 
Earth; it was the most intense energy 
 
event since the early "Big Bang." That

GRB interrupted low- frequency AM-

radio on Earth for four days.)
 

 

Stephen Buggie, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Psychology

Univ. of New Mexico, Gallup

Gallup NM 87301-6979