Uranium

Uranium is a very heavy and dense metal that can be used as a plentiful source of concentrated energy. It occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4 parts per million and is as common in the earth's crust as tin, tungsten and molybdenum. It occurs in seawater, and could even be taken from the oceans if prices went up a good amount. It is said that uranium was formed around 6.6 billion years ago. Despite the fact that it is not frequent in the solar system, today its slow radioactive decay makes available the main source of heat inside the earth, causing convection and continental drift. Uranium has a high density and this means that it also finds uses in the keels of yachts and as counterweights for aircraft control surfaces as well as for radiation shielding. Uranium has a melting point of 1132 degrees Celsius and the chemical symbol for uranium is U.

In order to do big time prospecting for uranium, electronic devices would have to be used. Uraninite is the main ore or uranium and is usually known as pitchblende. It has a crystalline form but is normally found in masses. It has a black color and looks a little bit like obsidian or volcanic glass. You will be able to tell the difference though by lifting it because the weight of Uraninite is around five times heavier than obsidian. It has a resinous luster to it, a hardness of 5.5 and a specific gravity of 8.7 to 10.