Uranium and Organic Geochemistry of Oil Shale in Attarat Um Ghudran, Jordan

Abstract

Oil Shale is well-known worldwide. Jordanian "oil shale" is not actually shale but rather bituminous carbonates, which are locally referred to as oil shale. Thirty representative oil shale core samples were collected from seven boreholes drilled in Attarat Um Ghudran (AUG) in central Jordan. They were prepared, analyzed and characterized using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The organic matter content was analyzed for organic carbon, elemental analysis and Fischer assay. Uranium (U) was determined by XRF. Uranium attains an average concentration of 21.15 ppm. It varies from a minimum value of 12 ppm to a maximum value of 34.2 ppm. The oil content values are in the range varying from a minimum of 4.47% to a maximum of 12.20% and the average content of the whole deposit is 8.5%. The deposits have a hydrogen content of 4.09% and a nitrogen content of 1.84%. However, the sulfur content is generally high, with an average of 6.85%. In Jordan, the oil shale deposits have a significant sulfur content ranging from 1.18% to 8.94% by weight, which is higher than in many other oil shale deposits worldwide. Moreover, the study discovered a positive correlation between the total organic carbon content and U in Attarat Um Ghudran deposits, indicating that the organic matter is responsible for the Uranium presence not related to the rock-forming minerals.