Rapid detection and quantification of coffinite - USiO4

Coffinite (USiO4) is an ore mineral ubiquitous in U mineralised systems. Recent characterisation within the short wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectrum yielded diagnostic bands. These features are associated to U4+ electron transfer between bonds in the octahedral position. This study tests the assertions made by previous workers, where coffinite was detected in natural samples, by developing a method for detection and estimating the abundance of coffinite in ores. This was achieved by manufacturing 18 well constrained synthetic mineral mixtures containing hydrothermally synthesised coffinite and utilising these mixtures as a standard for the determination of coffinite abundance of a uranium ore.