Uranium in German mineral water – Occurrence and origins

Abstract

The U content in 1216 mineral water samples from Germany collected over the last decade is presented and discussed. Nearly all waters containing > 2 μg/l U come from Permo-Triassic aquifers in Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Southwest Germany. Most important U source rocks are Bunter and Keuper strata, only secondarily Permian and crystalline aquifers. Anthropogenic loads are not significant, but show up in principal component analyses.