this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
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Geology

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Geologists through the eras (infosec.pub)
submitted 4 months ago by troyunrau@lemmy.ca to c/geology@lemmy.ca
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[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My dad was a geologist. He would take me to places north of Cobalt, New Liskard and other places I now forget. We would fly into prospecting sites as there were no roads.

One time I remember he was doing some blasting and a rock about 45cm went whizzing about 10cm above my head. He just chuckled and said my that was a close one.

He had a buddy who would help him from time to time. This guy would store all the uranium ore samples under his sleeping cot in the tent when prospecting for uranium. Funny thing, he lived well into his 70’s.

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 12 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Uranium ore is a lot safer than most people expect -- up until the point it's been turned into concentrate anyway. The gamma is weak, and everything else can be blocked by a sheet of paper. That mattress probably shielded most of it.

I have an old scintillometer -- of the variety that prospectors would have used. Need a piece of uranium ore to verify that the counts drop when mattress is present ;)

[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I used to take a uranium sample or 2 into show and tell at school along with a small geiger counter (looked about 1/2 the size of a lunch box with a silver aluminum handle). Everyone would oh and aw when I would move core sample close for the counter and it would make that classic clicking sound.

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 months ago

Even in a vacuum (nothing to absorb gamma), the count would go down as 1/r³ -- so it drops off fast!

Air doesn't absorb that much more than vacuum, but real materials do, with varying degrees of success. Ironically, one of the best gamma ray absorption materials is... depleted Uranium -- works better than lead, despite that fact that it is itself radioactive ;)