Abstract
I HAVE suggested that there is a progressive reduction in the size of the unit cell of uraninite-thorianites with time1. The ionic radius of Pb4+ is appreciably smaller than those of U4+ and Th4+. The decay of the parent element causes its substitution by radiogenic lead within the crystal lattice; because of the differences in sizes of the ions, a shrinkage results. It is therefore likely that this factor can be utilized for indicating the relative ages of uraninites after these have been subjected to an X-ray powder examination. No great accuracy can be envisaged, but such a method would be more accessible to geologists than the highly refined mass-spectrographic one, which can be practised in very few laboratories in the world.
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References
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WASSERSTEIN, B. Cube-Edges of Uraninites as a Criterion of Age. Nature 168, 380 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/168380a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/168380a0
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