Determining provenance of uranium ore concentrates using 143Nd/144Nd

The neodymium (Nd) isotopic composition-particularly 143Nd/144Nd-of a material has long been a source of information utilized in the fields of geochemistry and cosmochemistry due to the radiogenic nature of 143Nd. Uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) often contain Nd in measurable quantities, meaning 143Nd/144Nd can also be employed to determine the provenance of regulated nuclear material early in the fuel cycle. Here, we use an improved chemical separation technique and plasma-source multi-collector mass spectrometry to investigate the 143Nd/144Nd compositions of 28 UOC samples. We show that these UOCs exhibit highly variable 143Nd/144Nd, likely reflecting the geology of the source ore deposit. As such, the 143Nd/144Nd represents a powerful comparative signature in a nuclear forensics investigation involving UOC outside of regulatory control.

Automated summary

We investigate the 143Nd/144Nd compositions of 28 uranium ore concentrate samples using an improved chemical separation technique and plasma-source multi-collector mass spectrometry. The results show highly variable 143Nd/144Nd in these samples, which likely reflects the geology of the source ore deposit. Therefore, 143Nd/144Nd can serve as a powerful comparative signature in a nuclear forensics investigation involving unregulated uranium ore concentrate.