Radioecological Observations on Plants of the Lower Buller Gorge Region of New Zealand and their Significance for Biogeochemical Prospecting
The radioecology of selected vegetation from the Buller Gorge uraniferous area of New Zealand was studied with a view to finding suitable species for biogeochemical prospecting. The trees Nothofagus fusca and Weinmannia racemosa and the shrubs Coprosma australis and Quintinia acutifolia were found t...
| Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of Applied Ecology. - Blackwell Science Ltd., 1964. - 6(1969), 2, Seite 301-310 |
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| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
1969
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Journal of Applied Ecology |
| Schlagworte: | Physical sciences Biological sciences Business |
| Zusammenfassung: | The radioecology of selected vegetation from the Buller Gorge uraniferous area of New Zealand was studied with a view to finding suitable species for biogeochemical prospecting. The trees Nothofagus fusca and Weinmannia racemosa and the shrubs Coprosma australis and Quintinia acutifolia were found to have an α activity and uranium content which correlated well with the amounts in the soil. The use of pathfinders for uranium was investigated and showed that copper and zinc in the soil indicated the presence of uranium whereas for the vegetation, only the zinc content of dried wood of Q. acutifolia represented the presence of uranium mineralization. Uneven accumulation of uranium and α activity by vegetation, confirmed the findings of other workers that much of the α count of plants is not due to uranium but to the daughter products such as radium, lead, thorium and polonium. The presence of these nuclides was confirmed by γ-spectrometry. Analysis of successive rings of a 90-year-old specimen of Nothofagus fusca showed great disproportionation of uranium and α activity |
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| ISSN: | 13652664 |
| DOI: | 10.2307/2401544 |