Final answer:
Neptunium-238 forms from uranium-238 through a process called beta decay. This is part of a decay series involving uranium-239 and neptunium-239 before ultimately leading to the creation of plutonium-239.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of decay that causes neptunium-238 to form from uranium-238 is called beta decay (symbolized as ß decay). During this process, uranium-238 absorbs a neutron to become uranium-239. Uranium-239 then undergoes two consecutive beta decays. First, uranium-239 decays into neptunium-239 through beta decay, and subsequently, neptunium-239 undergoes another beta decay to form plutonium-239. The formation of neptunium-238 is an intermediate step in the decay chain that eventually leads to the creation of stable isotopes.