Nuclear energy is released by the fission or fusion of an atom. Nuclear fission occurs when an atom is split apart into two smaller atoms. Fusion is the opposite; two atoms are fused together to create a larger atom. Nuclear fusion naturally occurs in stars, like the sun, whereas Nuclear energy is over a million times stronger than any chemical reaction. This causes people to try and harness the nuclear power and use it for a variety of different purposes. Nuclear energy can be used for various things including warfare, healthcare, and power plants. As one can see, nuclear energy is a very powerful resource, so it is important to explore the different ways people have come to understand it over the years and to eventually learn to harness…show more content… Pitchblende has been mined in the Shinkolobwe mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and also the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is in these locations where much of the uranium used for the Manhattan Project was mined. The Manhattan Project is famously known to be the project where the first atomic bombs were made, and successfully tested. In 1930, pitchblende was also discovered in Great Bear Lake along with silver. The mine was called Eldorado Mine, and was used to find pitchblende so they could extract the radium from the ore to use for cancer treatment. It was later though that they started using the pitchblende for the atomic bombs of World War II. It is also to be known to be abundant in the United Sates. The Marysvale District, Piute Co., Utah has a large amount of pitchblende. Also, Topsham, Sagadahoc Co., Maine and Ruggles Mine, Grafton Co., New Hampshire are sites of for…show more content… Many people argue that Nuclear Power is much cleaner than fossil fuels and can also replace fossil fuels since we know that they will run out eventually. Nuclear energy creates virtually no smog or greenhouse gases when compared to fossil fuels. It is also noted that it is actually a very safe way to create energy if the highest levels of technology are being used. There are people that disagree though. The health risks of Uranium mining are very much on people’s minds as well as the potential of nuclear weapons proliferation. The nuclear accidents that have occurred already have had terrifying effects. Chernobyl alone has caused 985,000 deaths. The Fukushima disaster occurred only 4 years ago so the death toll remains to be seen, but so far it is in the
