Preferential loss of uranium-234 relative to uranium-238 from rocks into solutions has long been attributed to recoiling alpha-emitting nuclei. Direct evidence has been obtained for two mechanisms, first, recoil ejection from grains, and now release by natural etching of alpha-recoil tracks. The observations have implications for radon emanation and for the storage of alpha-emitting radioactive waste.
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R. L. Fleischer (1980) studied this question.
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