INVESTIGATION OF THE URANIUM SOURCE AND ITS EFFECT ON CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER IN EL RAKAIZ-EL SAHU AREA, SOUTHWESTERN SINAI, EGYPT

The studied area has a special interest in natural resources and prospecting for radioactive
minerals and also, the groundwater, which has a great value for development purpose for Bedouin. At the
studied locality in El Rakaiz-El Sahu area the discover tabular fractured rock bodies host uraninite,
xenotime, and iron mineralization through the fracture cutting the lower Paleozoic sandstone rocks.
These occurrences of minerals concentration are interpreted to the ascending solutions contain uranium
and associated elements through the fractures, and may be increased with depth. According to the field
investigation, petrographic and mineralogical studies, hydrothermal origin for uranium mineralization is
suggested by the present work.
Unusually uranium content was recorded in drinking water wells which dugged in the area.
Furthermore, the radionuclides analysis of drinking water samples using high purity germanium instruments
recorded the presence of very high uranium contaminant up to 1000 ppb (100 times more the maximum
contaminant level). This occurs by the percolation of oxidized water through the fractured sandstone
restricted by uranium minerals, leads to the partially dissolution of the uranium and, subsequently, the
release of uranium to the groundwater and re-established due to water-rock interactions.