MINING ROCKSTAR OF THE WEEK – URANINITE!!

Uraninite is a uranium oxide mineral and the most important ore of uranium. It received its name from its uranium content. Uraninite is highly radioactive and should be handled and stored with care. It is not a suitable mineral for classroom use. Uraninite has an ideal chemical composition of UO2, but the mineralogical and chemical composition of specimens varies in response to their levels of oxidation and radioactive decay. “Pitchblende” is an archaic name that was used for uraninite and other black materials with a very high specific gravity into the late 1800s and early 1900s.