Wise (1990) reports that anomalous amounts of uranium, radium, and radon are known to occur naturally in groundwater in numerous areas around the U.S. Granites are well known sources of such elevated concentrations of radionuclides. However, many areas such as portions of the Gulf Coast and mid-continent which do not have granites, contain anomalous uranium, radium, and radon in their groundwater. These occurrences may be the result of roll-front type uranium mineralization in sand aquifers. The placement of water supply wells in or near these deposits will result in the withdrawal of radionuclide contaminated water from the aquifer.
Identification of these deposits will assist in the avoidance of them. Various methods of identification are discussed. Roll-front type uranium mineralization is an important factor in causing radionuclide contamination of groundwater. These deposits are characterized by changing in Eh from positive to negative in the down-gradient direction, being narrow and sinuous, and having a C-shape. The rate of change in Eh, as well as rate of groundwater flow, controls the concentration of the mineralization, as well as its width.
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