I've already posted this question in Physics Stack Exchange, but the answer that I received (actinide contraction similar to lanthanide contraction) is not convincing for me, or at least is not detailed enough to explain the huge difference.
According to Villars and Daams [Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 197 (1993) 177] the atomic volume of U is 2.073×10−2nm3, whereas that of thorium is much larger, 3.295×10−2nm3.
This is confirmed by comparing bond distances in pure elements. Even if Th and U crystallize with different structures, they have the same coordination number (12). In U the U-U bond distance is 0.275 nm, whereas in Th the Th-Th bond distance is much larger 0.360 nm. Why this difference? This huge difference is not observed for Ce and Pr (where 0.333 and 0.363 bond distances are measured).
The external electronic configurations of Th and U atoms are:
Th: [Rn]6d27s2
U: [Rn]5f36d17s2
What's the origin of this strong difference?
Why, then, their ionic sizes (for example the sizes of Th4+ and U4+) are quite similar?