Metamict pitchblende from goldfields, saskatchewan and observations on some ignited pitchblendes

Seven metamict pitchblendes, apparently the first to be reported, are described from three localities in the Goldfields area of Saskatchewan. The changes in x-ray powder pattern and color of the powder after ignition are tabulated for these and two other pitchblendes; the principal changes are the restoration of the structure of metamict specimens and the occasional development of U₃O₈ with, or in place of UO₂. On the basis of these changes the nine pitchblendes examined are classified into five distinct types.