DISTRIBUTION AND INTENSITY OF FALLOUT FROM THE UNDERGROUND SHOT

Technical Report · Fri Mar 14 04:00:00 EST 1958

OSTI ID:4212937

Stetson, R L; Shirasawa, T H; Sandomire, M M; Baum, S; Chan, H K; Werner, L B

One phase of the over-all fall-out studies on the underground detonation during Operation TEAPOT, was to make total fall-out collections defining the magnitude and extent of the entire fall-out event in terms of quantity of material dispersed and deposited. Such information was required to supplement and extend data from previous surface and subsunface tests, both nuclear and high explosive, and to test and improve prediction methods developed from these data. Material and radioactive fall-out was documented by samp;ing the fall-out at an array of ground stations deployed to include the major pontion of the residual field. Limited time-sampling of fall-out was performed, and duplicate total fall- out-collection stations were employed to check validity of the total-fall-out- collection techniques. Results have been converted to a unit-area basis and recorded according to position in the master-station locator plan established for all Military Effects Group fall-out studies. It is estimated that 9.16 x 10/sup 6/ pounds of soil, which comprises 3.6% of the total crater material, and 2.9 x 10/sup 22/ fissions, which comprises 17% of the fission yield for the device, were deposited in the sampled area. Adequate data were obtained to show the variation in mass and radioactivity with distance in all directions from surface zero. Graphs of different types depicting these variations are presented. Field gamma-flux values obtained by the project are included for comparison. Estimates of variance were determined separately for the mass and gamma activity data. A common value of plus or minus 30% obteined for the standand deviations was attributed to the sampling procedure, which was identical for the two sets of data. (auth)

• Research Organization: Naval Radiological Defense Lab., San Francisco
• NSA Number: NSA-14-005027
• OSTI ID: 4212937
• Report Number(s): WT-1154
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
DIAGRAMS
DISTRIBUTION
FALLOUT
FISSION PRODUCTS
GAMMA RADIATION
MASS
PROJECT TEAPOT
RADIOACTIVITY
SAMPLING
SOILS
STANDARDS
SURFACES
TESTING
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
VARIATIONS