• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.153-168
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• 2022

Petrological and mineralogical analyses were conducted to identify minerals containing radioactive elements (uranium) in the Chiaksan gneiss complex and to confirm their association with the surrounding groundwater. Fourteen minerals were identified through the microscopic and electron microscopy (SEMEDS) investigation. The principal minerals included plagioclase, biotite, quartz, alkali feldspar, chlorite, and calcite. Minor minerals were sphene, allanite, apatite, zircon, thorite, titanite, pyrite, and galena. A small amount of thorite was observed in the size of ~1 mm within macrocrystalline allanite. Allanite, which includes a large amount of rare earth elements, appeared in three distinctive patterns. The results of the EPMA analyses indicated that macrocrystalline allanite had higher elemental contents of TiO₂~1.70 wt.%, Ce₂O₃~11.86 wt.%, FeO ~13.31 wt.%, MgO ~0.90 wt.% and ThO₂ ~1.06 wt.% with the lowest average content of Al₂O₃ 17.35 ± 2.15 wt.% (n = 7), CaO 12.13 ± 1.81 wt.% (n = 7). An allanite existing at the edge of the sphenes encompassing titanites had a higher element content of Al₂O₃ ~24.00 wt.%, Nd₂O₃ ~5.10 wt.%, Sm₂O₃~0.66 wt.%, Dy₂O₃~0.86 wt.% and Y₂O₃~1.38 wt.% with the lowest average content of TiO₂ 0.35 ± 0.21 wt.% (n = 11), Ce₂O₃ 5.25 ± 1.03 wt.% (n = 11), FeO 9.84 ± 0.26 wt.% (n = 11), MgO 0.12 ± 0.05 wt.% (n = 11), and La₂O₃ 1.49 ± 0.29 wt.% (n = 11). Allanites in a matrix of parental rocks exhibited intermediate values between the two elemental compositions mentioned above. None of the uranium-rich minerals were observed in the migmatitic gneiss within the study area. Consequently, the origin of uranium in the groundwater was not associated with the geology of the surrounding environment, but our investigation proved the existence of abundant allanites containing significant amounts of radioactive thorium and rare earth elements.