Construction of new houses on a uranium vein outcrop: a case study from the Czech Republic

Abstract

Significant uranium mineralization represented by a typical assemblage of uranyl supergene minerals in a quartz-uraninite vein hosted in the exocontact zone of the Variscan-Tanvald granite was found at a new construction site in the municipality of Jablonec n. Nisou. Activities of 222Rn in soil gas reached 1 MBq/m3 around two houses, with a maximum of 3.33 MBq/m3 between them on a uranium ore lens outcrop. The uranium content reaches up to 291 ppm eU (3595 Bq/kg 226Ra), and it is possible to find many ‘hot’ pieces of uranium ore fragments with a high percentage of uranium in the Quaternary cover in this place. This unfavourable situation is a result of an improper spatial planning process. The constructor was given the permission to construct the building even though the construction site did not meet safety requirements and the geological survey had failed. Not only geological prospecting was underestimated, but also the radon risk assessment was undervalued.

Keywords

• tanvald granite
• vein-type uranium
• uranyl minerals
• spatial planning
• radon risk