Uranium Redox State in Cretaceous Marine Shales of the Toolebuc Formation, Australia

Australian Ocean Data Network hosts results from a 2023 Goldschmidt Conference study characterizing uranium speciation in organic-rich marine sediments. The dataset likely contains analytical results from nine carbonaceous shale and two coquinite samples from the Cretaceous Toolebuc Formation, Australia, using HERFD-XAS and NanoSIMS techniques. Findings indicate a significant proportion of uranium exists as U(VI) under reducing conditions, with implications for hydrocarbon exploration and environmental management.

Use Cases

• Modeling uranium redox behavior in anoxic marine environments based on oxidation state measurements.
• Correlating uranium speciation with total organic carbon content (5.9 to 13.4 wt%) in shale samples.
• Investigating nanoscale uranium associations with organic matter or sulphide minerals as described.
• Comparing uranium fixation in dysoxic versus euxinic depositional environments as suggested by the coquinite samples.

Strengths

• Data is derived from advanced analytical techniques: high-energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD) x-ray absorption spectroscopy and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS).
• Sample characteristics are specified, including total organic carbon content ranges (5.9 to 13.4 wt% for shales) and sample types (nine shales, two coquinites).
• Findings are linked to a peer-reviewed conference presentation (2023 Goldschmidt Conference).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific Australian formation studied.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, likely originating from the research presented at the 2023 Goldschmidt Conference.

Collection Method

Laboratory analysis of core samples using HERFD-XAS and NanoSIMS.

Time Range

Samples are from the Cretaceous period; study was presented in 2023.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 05:56:20.667006; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Toolebuc Formation, Eromanga Basin, Australia.