Final answer:
The most abundant nuclide in a sample of uranium-containing rock from the given decay series will be 238U (uranium-238).
Step-by-step explanation:
The most abundant nuclide in a sample of uranium-containing rock from the given decay series will be 238U (uranium-238).
In the decay series mentioned in the question, uranium-238 decays into thorium-234, which then decays into protactinium-234. Finally, protactinium-234 decays back into uranium-234.
Since uranium-238 is the starting point of the decay series,
it will be the most abundant nuclide in the sample. The subsequent daughter nuclides, thorium-234 and protactinium-234, will be present in smaller quantities until equilibrium is reached, where the rates of production and decay of each nuclide in the series are equal.