Distribution throughout Utah of /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239 +240/Pu from Nevada Test Site detonations

Technical Report · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6854358· OSTI ID:6854358

Krey, P W; Beck, H L

From the analyses of the /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239 +240/Pu content and from the plutonium mass isotopic composition of soil samples recovered in Utah, the fraction of these radionuclides that were deposited in Utah by global and by Nevada Test Site (NTS) fallout was determined. Deposition of NTS /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239 +240/Pu followed similar patterns with elevated values existing in the southwestern corner of Utah around St. George, and then decreasing rapidly with distance along a northeasterly direction from NTS. Then midway along this diagonal through Utah, NTS fallout of these radionuclides increased again and remained elevated throughout the remainder of the state. In the populated Provo and Salt Lake City valleys, the NTS /sup 137/Cs deposits were about 1/2 that of St. George and the NTS /sup 239 +240/Pu deposits were even greater than at St. George.

• Research Organization: Department of Energy, New York (USA). Environmental Measurements Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6854358
• Report Number(s): DOE/EML-400; ON: DE82007661
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
CESIUM 137
RADIATION MONITORING
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
FALLOUT
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
SOILS
RADIOACTIVITY
UTAH
FALLOUT DEPOSITS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
NEVADA TEST SITE
TABLES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
DATA
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPLOSIONS
FEDERAL REGION VIII
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
510301* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
450202 - Explosions & Explosives- Nuclear- Weaponry- (-1989)