Uranium by Tom Zoellner

Cover of Uranium

Continuing on a geological theme he began with The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds (2006), Tom Zoellner provides a sweeping account of uranium. Few metals have been surrounded by as much intrigue, danger and promise as the 92nd element of the periodic table.

Uranium Geology and Uranium Mining

Uranium is not rare. It is the 40th most abundant element on earth (30 times more abundant than silver). The author takes the reader on a tour of uranium history beginning with its discovery and purification, and the discovery of uranium radioactivity and nuclear fission.

Mining uranium ore is dangerous business. Although the book does not go into a lot of detail, you will finish it with some idea of its hazards, where the major ore deposits are, and how it is processed into yellow cake (uranium oxide) and transported around the world. If you like rocks it's great; if not, then it's probably boring.

Zoellner does a nice job of describing the early scramble of governments that tried to obtain as much uranium as they could. The uranium prospecting boom of the 50's was an interesting time. As could be expected, there have been (and continue to be) numerous rip-off schemes surrounding uranium prospecting and mining, the sale of uranium mine stock, and other uranium investment schemes.

Uranium as a Weapon

The story of the weaponization of uranium to make atomic bombs is by now a familiar one. Zoellner spends little time retelling the history of the Manhattan Project and Soviet era weapons development programs. Outside of a few interesting anecdotes, these episodes in uranium history have been left to other accounts (of which there are many).

The current state of nuclear security, or more accurately the lack thereof, in the former Russian republics is discussed and a number of examples of known nuclear theft are recounted. A significant amount of nuclear material has gone missing from various parts of the world and Zoellner provides some speculation as to what might have happened to it.

The outline of how Pakistan came to achieve the bomb and posses a nuclear arsenal of perhaps one hundred warheads is enlightening. Given that Pakistan is a country of 175 million people with a literacy rate of 30%, currently in the throws of a fundamentalist uprising, it holds one's interest.

The nuclear ambitions of Iran are also covered. The reader is left with the impression that Iran's intents are not entirely peaceful. Throw in the little known nuclear energy project in Yemen, and there is plenty of worrisome information to digest.

Uranium Politics and Business

There has always been political intrigue and business scheming surrounding uranium. This is no surprise given its use as an energy source and of course as a weapon-making material. In the early days, the price of uranium was kept artificially high by a cartel of producers that conspired to control prices and divide the sales up so none would go out of business.

During the later part of the 20th century the value of uranium plummeted as nuclear power fell out of favor for environmental reasons and after several high-profile reactor accidents. Times are changing though and Zoellner reviews the current state of the uranium market (yellow cake is selling for $50-$70 a pound in mid 2009) and the prospect for a resurgence in reactor building and employment for nuclear engineers.

For anyone with an interest in nuclear energy, weapons proliferation, or the intersection of science, technology and politics Uranium is worth the time. It reads almost like a novel, with a minimum of technical jargon, making it accessible to just about anyone with a desire to learn more about this fascinating metal.

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World, 2009, Tom Zoellner, Penguin Books Ltd.