Detailed mineralogical analysis of soils from the UK’s historical uranium mine, South Terras, was performed to elucidate the mechanisms of uranium degradation and migration in the 86 years since abandonment. Soils were sampled from the surface (0–2 cm) and near-surface (25 cm) in two distinct areas of ore processing activities. Bulk soil analysis revealed the presence of high concentrations of uranium (<1690 p.p.m.), arsenic (1830 p.p.m.) and beryllium (~250 p.p.m.), suggesting pedogenic weathering of the country rock and ore extraction processes to be the mechanisms of uranium ore degradation. Micro-focus XRF analysis indicated the association of uranium with arsenic, phosphate and copper; µ-XRD data confirmed the presence of the uranyl-arsenate minerals metazeunerite (Cu(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂·8H₂O) and metatorbernite (Cu(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·8H₂O) to be ubiquitous. Our data are consistent with the solid solution of these two uranyl-mica minerals, not previously observed at uranium-contaminated sites. Crystallites of uranyl-mica minerals were observed to coat particles of jarosite and muscovite, suggesting that the mobility of uranium from degraded ores is attenuated by co-precipitation with arsenic and phosphate, which was not previously considered at this site.

对英国历史悠久的铀矿South Terras的土壤进行了详细的矿物学分析，以阐明自废弃以来86年中铀降解和迁移的机制。在矿石加工活动的两个不同区域中，从地表（0–2 cm）和近地表（25 cm）取样土壤。大量土壤分析表明，存在高浓度的铀（<1690 ppm），砷（1830 ppm）和铍（〜250 ppm），这表明乡村岩石和矿石提取过程的成因风化是铀矿石降解的机理。微焦点XRF分析表明铀与砷，磷酸盐和铜的缔合。µ-XRD数据证实了铀酰砷酸盐矿物偏沸石（Cu（UO ₂）₂（AsO₄）₂ ·8H ₂ O）和米托贝石（Cu（UO ₂）₂（PO ₄）₂ ·8H ₂ O）无处不在。我们的数据与这两种铀酰-云母矿物的固溶体一致，以前在铀污染的地点未观察到。观察到铀酰-云母矿物的微晶覆盖了黄钾铁矾和白云母的颗粒，这表明与砷和磷酸盐的共沉淀会削弱降解矿石中铀的迁移率，这在此之前是未曾考虑过的。