Abstract
The element uranium is widely distributed within the crust and oceans of the earth. It has been estimated that crustal rocks contain an average of some 4 g of uranium per tonne. The structure of the uranium atom is unstable; emission of subatomic particles from the nucleus causes uranium to change or decay into a new element, thorium. The process of radioactive decay continues down through a series of elements until it reaches a stable form of lead. This process has existed on earth from before the crust was formed. All forms of life on earth have evolved and exist within a constant bombardment of natural radiation including that from the uranium series of elements.
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© 1993 Malcolm J. McPherson
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McPherson, M.J. (1993). Radiation and radon gas. In: Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1550-6_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1550-6_13
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