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These findings led by The University of Manchester, which apply to long-lived systems, build on previous laboratory and field studies over short periods of time which also suggested that contaminant mobility in crystalline rocks, such as granite, will be limited to short distances in parts of the rock that are away from large fractures. Additional analyses of a contrasting crystalline rock system (Carnmenellis Granite, UK) corroborate these results. This study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, analyzed crystalline (granite) rock samples from an underground system in Japan and the results imply that in many cases the importance of ' rock matrix diffusion' may be minimal. These new results shed light on the difficult problem of how contaminants may move over extremely long time periods and should improve our ability to calculate long term risks. We undertake studies to enhance our understanding of how this process works, reduce uncertainties and further consider any potential risks it could pose. Movement of contaminants through rocks below ground can act to spread contamination, an issue relevant to the geological disposal of some wastes. Research published today by a UK-based team of scientists has shown for the first time that the mobility of potentially harmful contaminants in crystalline rocks over long periods of time may be severely limited due to the presence of tiny crystals, meaning contaminant movement is likely to be focused to water-bearing fractures only. The hotspot labelled Uox indicates the location of the oxidized U L-III XANES spectrum presented below. The lower right panel clearly shows the calcite precipitates and small regions within the infill that have high concentrations of both Th and U (yellow circles). Bright orange shows the incorporation of Mn into Fe-oxyhydroxides. In the top right panel, the magenta region is calcite with enriched Mn concentrations. Top left major element map shows K-feldspar in green, iron oxyhydroxide in red, and calcite in blue. False colour elemental map, with colour key provided as element symbols coloured to correspond to map colours. This image includes mineral infill associated with secondary fractures. (B) MIU-3/10 synchrotron microfocus XRF map. Th XANES was also taken at the point labelled 1. Points labelled 1 and 2 correspond to AcO2 point analyses 1 and 2 in Table 2. Yellow dot labelled ‘B’ is approximate location of Th-XANES and bastnaesite point analysis. Discrete grains of a U-rich phase appear as small yellow areas, while blue acicular regions are rich in Y and may be a REE/Y rich phosphate phase. This crystal of bastnaesite is rich in Th.
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Right: Th (red), U (green), and Y (blue). Minerals are as follows: green = K-feldspar, blue = plagioclase (mottled areas indicate plagioclase breakdown to phyllosilicate, especially in the more anorthitic cores), yellow = biotite, and pink = bastnaesite, a rare earth fluoride-carbonate, CeCO3(F). (A) MIU-3/8 Left: Fe (red), K (green), and Ca (blue).