Geochemical evolution of uraniferous soda lakes in Eastern Mongolia

Extremely high concentrations of uranium (U) were discovered in shallow, groundwater-fed hyperalkaline soda lakes in Eastern Mongolia. A representative groundwater sample in this area is dilute and alkaline, pH = 7.9, with 10 mM TIC and 5 mM Cl⁻. In contrast, a representative lake water sample is pH ~ 10 with TIC and Cl⁻ each more than 1,000 mM. Groundwater concentrations of U range from 0.03 to 0.43 μM L⁻¹. Lake water U ranges from 0.24 to >62.5 μM, possibly the highest naturally occurring U concentrations ever reported in surface water. Strontium isotopes ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varied in groundwaters from 0.706192 to 0.709776 and in lakes ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varied from 0.708702 to 0.709432. High concentrations of U, Na, Cl⁻, and K correlate to radiogenic Sr in lake waters suggesting that U is sourced from local Cretaceous alkaline rhyolites. Uranium-rich groundwaters are concentrated by evaporation and U(VI) is chelated by CO ₃ ⁻² to form the highly soluble UO₂(CO₃) ₃ ⁻⁴ . Modeled evaporation of lakes suggests that a U-mineral phase is likely to precipitate during evaporation.