FALLOUT STUDIES

Technical Report · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1955

OSTI ID:4218307

Bouton, E H; Hardin, M L; Schumchyk, M J

The purpose of the project was to obtain the data required to close the 1 r/hr at H + 1 hr dose rate contour lines and in so doing obtain information concerning the role of the base surge as a primary carrier of activity, radiation intensities in areas contaminated by fall-out, base surge, and in the crater lip region, time of arrival of activity at locations within 2 to 5 miles of ground zero, depth of burial of activity in the crater and on the lip, and air-toground correlation factors developed during aerial survey of the contaminated areas. This information then will be applied to the problem of verifying and extending existing scaling relationships for the determination of contamination patterns resulting from the underground detonation of nuclear weapons at different scaled depths. Ground and aerial radiation intensity measurements made by this project and others have been used to arrive at contourlines which close the 100 mr/hr at H + 1 hr isodose line and nearly close the 10 mr/hr at H + 1 hr contour. These contours show the area inside the 3000 r/hr at H + 1 hr contour to be roughly 2 times that predicted by existing scaling methods and the area within the 100 r/hr contour to be less than one third that predicted. An analysis of time of arrival data, photography, and all other available data indicates that the base surge carried the fall-out and its associated activity in the upwind and crosswind direction. About 90% of the activity on the crater lip was contained in the first 12 inches of depth. Time of arrival data were obtained at seven locations from 300 to 4500 yd from ground zero. The fall-out appeared to have traveled downwind at a rate of approximately 2 mph. Gamma intensity measurements made in the fall-out area showed that the dose rate from H + 2 hr to D + 4 days followed T/sup -1.2/ decay. Data were obtained which will furnish information concerning the effect of scaled depth upon such properties as specific activity, activity particle size distribution, and total activity associated with fall-out. (auth)

• Research Organization: Chemical and Radiological Lab., Army Chemical Center, Md.
• NSA Number: NSA-14-005020
• OSTI ID: 4218307
• Report Number(s): ITR-1119
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
CONTAMINATION
DECAY
DISTRIBUTION
FALLOUT
GAMMA DETECTION
GRAIN SIZE
MEASURED VALUES
PHOTOGRAPHY
PROJECT TEAPOT
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOACTIVITY
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS