The thorium mined at Baley is likely to have a different set of decay products than the uranium minerals (which typically contain a mix of
uranium isotopes called «natural uranium» - or «u-nat» - a mixture of the isotopes uranium - 235, uranium - 234 and uranium - 238 commonly found in nature) mined at US, German and South Africa sites.
The researchers determined the depositional age of the two stalagmites, collected in Qal» e Kord Cave in central northern Iran, using a technique
called uranium - thorium geochronometry conducted in the UM Rosenstiel School's Neptune
Isotope Lab.