It is well established that a significant amount of heat produced in the Earth’s mantle is due to the decay of uranium, yet the incorporation of uranium in deep mantle phases remains poorly explored. Here, two chemically simple uranium carbonates (U2[CO3]3 and U[CO3]2) were synthesized by a reaction of UO2 with CO2 at lower mantle conditions, revealing that uranium carbonates could be host phases of uranium in carbon-rich lithologies in the Earth’s mantle.
- Dominik Spahr
- Lkhamsuren Bayarjargal
- Björn Winkler
