Version 1
: Received: 29 July 2022 / Approved: 3 August 2022 / Online: 3 August 2022 (07:46:55 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 22 September 2022 / Approved: 23 September 2022 / Online: 23 September 2022 (03:38:21 CEST)
Version 3
: Received: 6 July 2023 / Approved: 7 July 2023 / Online: 7 July 2023 (05:29:53 CEST)
How to cite:
Webster, K.D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J.C.; Klein, B.A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v1
Webster, K.D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J.C.; Klein, B.A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints 2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v1
Webster, K.D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J.C.; Klein, B.A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v1
APA Style
Webster, K.D., Credo, J., Ingram, J.C., & Klein, B.A. (2022). Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Webster, K.D., Jani C Ingram and Barbara A Klein. 2022 "Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v1
Abstract
Uranium (U) has been observed to be enriched in the waters of the southern Colorado Plateau including waters of the Navajo Nation. The region has naturally occurring U in rocks and a history of mining which may exacerbate Uconcentrations in waters. Despite past research into the abundance of U in the waters of the Navajo Nation, a regional framework has not been established to understand where U is typically higher and lower. We examined data collected by multiple studies and organizations to establish where and why U is likely to be enriched in waters of the Navajo Nation. Our work shows that U concentrations are related to the presence of U-richrock bodies, elevation, and the salinity of local aquifers. Additionally, we show that U concentrations in water sources downstream from abandoned U mines are higher than they are in water sources that are not downstream from mines. Our work provides a means for understanding the patterns of U concentration in waters of the Navajo Nation and can act as a guide for local water withdrawal, as well as remediation and mitigation efforts for regional water sources.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
