In the last fifty years uranium has become one of the world's most important energy minerals. It is used almost entirely for making electricity, though a small proportion is used for the important task of producing medical isotopes.

Uranium averages about 2.8 parts per million of the earth's crust. Traces of it occur almost everywhere. It is more abundant than gold, silver or mercury, about the same as tin and slightly less abundant than cobalt, lead or molybdenum. Vast amounts of uranium also occur in the world's oceans, but in much lower concentrations.

Most of the uranium ore deposits at present being mined have average grades in excess of 0.10% of uranium - that is, greater than 1000 parts per million. Some uranium is also recovered as a co-product with copper, as at Olympic Dam in Australia, or as a by-product from the treatment of other ores, such as the gold-bearing ores of South Africa. In these cases the concentration of uranium may be as low as a tenth of those in orebodies mined primarily for their uranium content.

To learn more about Australian uranium click here for more information from the Australian Uranium Association.