Is uranium found in nature?

Uraninite

Uranium is not an artificial substance, but a natural element, just like oxygen, iron, or gold. It is found in the Earth's crust, in seawater, and even in the tissues of living things. In fact, there is more uranium in the Earth's crust than other elements such as silver, mercury or iodine!

But uranium is never found in nature in its pure form. Many tons of uranium ore have to be mined to produce just one kilogram of uranium, and this uranium is not pure, but mixed with oxygen.

This uranium oxide must then be purified to obtain pure uranium. But the process does not end here, but the uranium has to be purified again, before it is the right type for use in atomic bombs and nuclear power plants.

Pure uranium is a white metal, which looks like steel. It is very heavy - the heaviest of all natural elements, in fact; one cubic foot of uranium weighs more than 450 kg!

The largest uranium deposits are in Canada, Zaire, Australia and the United States. The largest existing uranium mine is in Namibia, in southwest Africa.

Man has been using uranium for more than 2,000 years, but for 1,900 years, it was only used as a pigment in the manufacture of glass and paint in China!

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