Differential Lead Retention in Zircons: Implications for Nuclear Waste Containment
Abstract
An innovative ultrasensitive technique was used for lead isotopic analysis of individual zircons extracted from granite core samples at depths of 960, 2170, 2900, 3930, and 4310 meters. The results show that lead, a relatively mobile element compared to the nuclear waste-related actinides uranium and thorium, has been highly retained at elevated temperatures (105° to 313°C) under conditions relevant to the burial of synthetic rock waste containers in deep granite holes.
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Published In
Science
Volume 216 | Issue 4543
16 April 1982
16 April 1982
Copyright
1982 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Submission history
Received: 3 November 1981
Published in print: 16 April 1982
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Cited by
- Alpha-Decay—Induced Fracturing in Zircon: The Transition from the Crystalline to the Metamict State, Science, 236, 4808, (1556-1559), (1987)./doi/10.1126/science.236.4808.1556
- Response: Lead Retention in Zircons, Science, 223, 4638, (835-835), (1984)./doi/10.1126/science.223.4638.835-b
- Lead Retention in Zircons, Science, 223, 4638, (835-835), (1984)./doi/10.1126/science.223.4638.835-a
- Response: Lead Retention in Zircons, Science, 223, 4638, (835-835), (1984)./doi/10.1126/science.223.4638.835.b
- Lead Retention in Zircons, Science, 223, 4638, (835-835), (1984)./doi/10.1126/science.223.4638.835.a
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