In Congo, Silence Surrounds Forgotten Mine that Fuelled First Atom Bombs

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Exploration, Mining, Marketing, & Acquisitions

Date posted: 07/23/15

Tom Zoellner reports that the birthplace of the Bomb has been forgotten by the outside world, but not by everyone. Teams of Congolese miners kept slipping inside the old pit to dig out residual supplies of copper and cobalt, which they sell on the black market. Zoellner said that there have been persistent rumors, and some occasional instances, of local businessmen selling uranium to outside parties. There is also evidence that some of the Shinkolobwe uranium has found its way into Iranian centrifuges, though this remains publicly unconfirmed by Western intelligence agencies. Geologists report the pit still contains a significant quantity of uranium, enough to make at least a few more bombs. The ground is open. The uranium there has existed since the beginning of the earth. It is continuously disintegrating.