What Is Uranium Ore?
Uranium ore is a term used to describe minerals from which uranium can be extracted. Although many types of minerals contain uranium in small quantities, far fewer hold enough extractable uranium to be economically useful for mining operations. The mining of uranium ore is the first step toward usable uranium production, which can be refined into a variety of products with both military and civilian value. Of the minerals which are often referred to as uranium ore, uranite, also called pitchblende, is the most reliable source of extractable uranium. Other minerals commonly mined for uranium include ancilite, monazite, carnotite, and coffinite. Uranium, which is naturally formed during supernovas, is relatively common on Earth, being more plentiful than tin, mercury, and silver.
