The objective of this project is to characterize uranium uptake by native plants (Sporobolus airoides), found in the southwestern Navajo Reservation.  Soil and plant samples from Leupp, AZ (non-mining area � control) and Cameron, AZ (mining area � study site) were collected. Cameron soil was analyzed for uranium concentration and used to grow plant samples in a green house. Plant samples were prepared using acid digestion and analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Findings from previous studies suggested a correlation between phosphorus concentration in the soil and uranium uptake by native grasses. This correlation was investigated by the addition of organic phosphate to samples grown in both the test soil and the control soil and comparing those results to samples grown in soil with the absence of organic phosphate.  By using this approach, a better understanding of uranium uptake by native plants growing on abandoned mines was determined.

Characterization of uranium uptake by <i>Sporobolus airoides</i> in the southwest region of the Navajo reservation

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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Characterization of uranium uptake by Sporobolus airoides in the southwest region of the Navajo reservation