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THORIUM 



By MORTiMES H. Staatz and Jerry C. Olson 

 ABSTRACT OF CONCLUSIONS 



Although the current demand for thorium is small, future 

 needs may be large as a fuel for nuclear generators. The 

 occurrence of thorium is widespread, and large deposits are 

 found in beach and fluviatile placers, veins, sedimentary 

 rocks, alkalic igneous rocks, and carbonatites. Thorium has 

 been produced principally from monazite from beach and 

 fluviatile placers, although in the 1950's and early 1960's 

 monazite from a unique vein in South Africa was the chief 

 source. In the early 1970's monazite was recovered principally 

 as a byproduct of titanium or tin mining in India, Brazil, 

 Australia, and Malaysia. A large thorium resource in the 

 conglomerates at the Elliot Lake uranium mines, Canada, 

 could become an important byproduct if demand increJises. 

 Thorium resources are not well known because of the small 

 demand, but are sufficient for many years in the future. The 

 development of a viable domestic thoriunl mining industry is 

 dependent on a large enough increase in demand to exceed 

 the amount obtainable as byproducts from other typea of de- 

 posits. 



INTRODUCTION 



Thorium is a heavy, ductile, silver-gray metal 

 that, like uranium, is the parent of a series of radio- 

 active decay products, ending in a stable isotope of 

 lead. 



Current demand for thorium is small, and in 1968 

 was only about 125 tons of ThOa (Stevens, 1969, p. 

 1068) . Of this amount, 50 percent was used in mak- 

 ing gas mantles, 30 percent in magnesium alloys, 

 10 percent in dispersion-hardened metals, and the 

 rest in specialized refractories, polishing compounds, 

 electronic devices, and chemicals. The demand for 

 industrial uses, although small, will continue inas- 

 much as satisfactory alternate materials are not 



