Etching of Fission Tracks in Silicate Glasses by Means of Deionized Water

摘要

Fission tracks have been revealed in silicate glasses with deionized water. Their sharp conical shape implies a marked enhancement of the dissolution rate along their core and consequently a cone angle and an etching efficiency (close to 100%) much higher than previously reported for glasses. We show that etching of fission tracks in natural environments has generally very limited geochemical implications except in specific cases such as that found in the Oklo uranium ores. (ERA citation 11:041068)