YU.B. MIRONOV, A.M. KARPUNIN, V.Z. FUKS (VSEGEI)

Thorium deposits: a global review

The involvement of thorium in the nuclear power industry in the near future is becoming an urgent task for the world’s developed countries. This, in turn, makes it necessary to resume assessment of the thorium potential in Russia. Abroad (the USA, China, Australia, etc.), such studies are carried out under special IAEA projects. Available results of these studies are used in the description of foreign thorium features and individual deposits with multimetal ores. The economic aspects, such as reserves, resources and the thorium market, are discussed. Conclusions are made on the thorium potential in the world and in Russia.
Keywords: thorium potential, foreign thorium deposits, reserves, resources, thorium market.