RARE METALS AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 
105 
Scheelite is moderately abundant in the State, but 
none of it has ever been examined with a view to determining 
the possible presence of molybdenum in it. 
Uranium and Radium — Uranium, one of the first of 
the rare metals to be discovered, and Radium, one of the 
latest, have no resemblance in chemical properties 
t hey are, however, conveniently considered together as 
in Nature they are invariably associated, usually in the 
latio of one pait by weight of radium to each three million 
parts by weight of uranium. The reason for this constant 
association proves to be that radium is one of the products 
of disintegration of uranium. 
Metallic uranium is so far only of scientific interest. 
Compounds of it are in use in photography, analytical 
chemistry, enamelling and glass making. The chief demand 
for uranium compounds at present, however, is for the sake 
of their contained Radium. 
Radium, the most interesting, most rare and most 
precious of all metals, has only been prepared in minute 
quantities as a scientific curiosity. Its compounds, however, 
particularly the bromide, are in strong demand for therapeutic 
and experimental purposes. 
Uranium, with its accompanying traces of radium, is 
present in minute traces in all rocks and mineral waters. 
I he commercial supply of the metals comes from several 
minerals carrying several parts per cent, of uranium, whose 
habitat is the pegmatite veins associated with intrusive 
granite or syenite. One important uranium mineral, Carno- 
tite, is found in commercially important quantities in 
sandstone in Colorado. The best known and richest ore of 
t ranium is pitchblende or uraninite (oxide of uranium). 
Neither pitchblende nor carnotite have been located as 
yet in W.A. The State, however, is not devoid of uranium 
ores, as the following notes show. 
Known occurrences are : — 
Cooglegong. — Detrital Fergusonite somewhat plenti- 
ful, carrying 1.18% U 0 3 , equal to 0.98% uranium, and 
about 3! milligrams of radium per ton. Detrital euxenite 
rare, carrying 6.69% UO, , equal to 5.57% uranium and 
about 2 centigrams of radium per ton. See also page 103. 
Wodgina. — An important and interesting deposit of 
uranium ores occurs here in an albite pegmatite vein The 
minerals present are mackintoshite, thorogummite and 
pilbarite, all of them hydrous silicates of uranium, thorium 
