ItalRad-Italy Natural Radioactivity Project for the realization of gamma ray spectroscopy measurement of the Italian territory.
http://www.infn.it/index.php?lang=en
Did you try using phosphogypsum slag? It is quite rich in many natural nuclides and should be available in rather large stacks near any phosphatic fertilizer plant.
No I did not try, but I'm interested in ores with high content in Th, with low content of other radioisotopes. Thank you for your help
Are you looking for material for calibration of laboratory instruments, or for a site to characterise field instruments?
Calibration materials are relatively easily available, there are the CANMET reference materials such as OKA-2 http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mining-materials/certified-reference-materials/certificate-price-list/8135 or IAEA reference materials such as RG-Th http://nucleus.iaea.org/rpst/ReferenceProducts/ReferenceMaterials/Radionuclides/IAEA-RGTh-1.htm (which is OKA-2 diluted).
If you need somewhere with thorium ores exposed on the surface for field measurements then you will probably need to talk to a geologist with knowledge of Italian mineral deposits.
For a calibration standard see
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mining-materials/certified-reference-materials/certificate-price-list/8135
For ore locations that have been characterized see
www.fe.infn.it/u/mantovani/CV/Thesis/Carolina_R.pdf
Molycorp used to sell a Thorium Concentrate; it may still be available. No RML needed.
You can contact OSCOM (Odisha Sands Complex), India for thorium nitrate.
Dear Ivan,
You should contact "Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil - CDTN (Centro de Desenvolvimento de Tecnologia Nuclear - http://www.cdtn.br/). It seems that they have (had?) a nuclear reactor (Th based). Besides that, one of the largest world deposit of Th (not exploted) is situated on the South of Minas Gerais State, Brazil.
Try the Mineral Sands deposits, they have a Th content. There is a Th rich ore at Monte de Ferro, Pocos de Caldos, Brazil. Norbert Miekerly was doing some work there 20 years ago
you can find ores of Th enrich for gamma spectroscopy but up to what level of Th(%). secondly there are many sites in Pakistan, but you exact mention the purpose and the time and the technique to be used for this?
The are hydrothermal uranium ore in Poli and other part of Cameroon. A Friend (Dr Kouske) currently at the University Douala presented a PhD research Thesis at the University of Yaoundé in 2013, on some of those uranium ore occurrences . Can you contact him for more information. What I know is that he did a bulk geochemical analysis of the ore bodies but not the geochemical analysis of the ore mineral.
If you want a cheap uncalibrated source of Thorium for gamma-ray spectroscopic characterization, I would point you to a source of Thorium lantern mantles. For a few dollars at a camping/stove shop you can easily buy some. Just be sure that they were made in India. The Coleman Lantern Mantles manufactured in the US, no longer contain Thorium. They switched their formulation to Yttrium (non-radioactive). The brand I have used in the past was
Kozy Glow, Modern Home Products, Inc., Antioch, IL, USA.
http://www.mhponlinestore.com/products/101-mtl2.aspx
There are lot of beach placers rich in thorium (monazite and zircon) like in coast of Brazil, India, Australia. quite of these (ore/mineral deposits) are well cailbrated/quantified).
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