u/TheUraniumHunter

Chance find (I was in the wrong place).

For the hardcore "Glowies" following the Haslam research: we finally reached the fourth location mentioned in the 1975 Geochemical Survey. Located at Harden Edge [NT 795 072] inside the Otterburn Military Range, this site is a localized copper-uranium occurrence that has remained largely untouched for half a century.

The Mission: Accessing the site required navigating the "Danger Area" of a 250 sq km firing range. The goal was to find the contact point between the Silurian Riccarton Group and the Carboniferous Ballagan Formation.

The Findings: We identified a striking angular unconformity featuring vibrant "Rainbow Rocks" - stained with oranges, purples, and greens indicating iron, copper, and manganese. While the unconformity itself gave ~1 μSv, the "Barnstormer" moment came ten meters away. At a joint between the steeply dipping Silurian basement and the overlying limestone, we found a "baked" fan of vein material yielding 3 μSv.

The Science: Why such high readings here compared to the granite edges? It’s the "Sponge" effect. The Riccarton mudstones are chemically reducing and porous, acting as a permanent trap for uranium transported by hydrothermal fluids. These fluids were likely activated by post-pluton heat engines like the Whin Sill (~301 Ma) or the Tertiary Acklington Dyke (~60 Ma).

This confirms a "mineralised corridor" along the southern bank of the river, and we’ve already spotted targets further downstream for the next trek.

Full video of the hunt and the technical breakdown here:

https://youtu.be/QBL0eRqlf-o

For the hardcore "Glowies" following the Haslam research: we finally reached the fourth location mentioned in the 1975 Geochemical Survey. Located at Harden Edge [NT 795 072] inside the Otterburn Military Range, this site is a localized copper-uranium occurrence that has remained largely untouched for half a century.

The Mission: Accessing the site required navigating the "Danger Area" of a 250 sq km firing range. The goal was to find the contact point between the Silurian Riccarton Group and the Carboniferous Ballagan Formation.

The Findings: We identified a striking angular unconformity featuring vibrant "Rainbow Rocks" - stained with oranges, purples, and greens indicating iron, copper, and manganese. While the unconformity itself gave ~1 μSv, the "Barnstormer" moment came ten meters away. At a joint between the steeply dipping Silurian basement and the overlying limestone, we found a "baked" fan of vein material yielding 3 μSv.

The Science: Why such high readings here compared to the granite edges? It’s the "Sponge" effect. The Riccarton mudstones are chemically reducing and porous, acting as a permanent trap for uranium transported by hydrothermal fluids. These fluids were likely activated by post-pluton heat engines like the Whin Sill (~301 Ma) or the Tertiary Acklington Dyke (~60 Ma).

This confirms a "mineralised corridor" along the southern bank of the river, and we’ve already spotted targets further downstream for the next trek.

Full video of the hunt and the technical breakdown here:

https://youtu.be/QBL0eRqlf-o

My first ever radioactive fossil - this is a megalodon tooth is anywhere between 2 and 20 million years old. Why radioactive? Well during the fossilisation process the organics of a specimen are replaced by minerals in the host rock. And if the rock contains radioactive minerals...you know the drill.

About an hour on the Radiacode reveals it to be 50/50 uranium and thorium.

Cool find and something I've been hunting for a while.

My first ever radioactive fossil - this is a megalodon tooth is anywhere between 2 and 20 million years old. Why radioactive? Well during the fossilisation process the organics of a specimen are replaced by minerals in the host rock. And if the rock contains radioactive minerals...you know the drill.

About an hour on the Radiacode reveals it to be 50/50 uranium and thorium.

Cool find and something I've been hunting for a while.

40 years later. 662 keV. Still there.

Devoke Water, Cumbria. Took the Radiacode into the peat and found the Chernobyl ghost. Clear 662 peak. Cesium-137, still mobile, still cycling through soil and sheep.

But the radiation is only half the story. Wait for "Sheep Poo Gate" - the feedback loop that fooled government scientists and turned a 3-week ban into 26 years of restrictions.

Gamma Spectrums.  Radiacode Maps.  Upgraded Lead Pigs.  And a Bonus Element: Americium-241.

I thought I’d add to the fascinating videos of people like me finding Cs-137 now in nature, 40 years later.  Just goes to show how widespread it was.  And still is.