Effects of groundwater on radionuclides buried at the Nevada Test Site
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
A large fraction of the radioactive source from a nuclear test is confined to the cavity created by the event. A {open_quotes}melt glass{close_quotes} accumulates at the bottom of the cavity where the highest concentrations of refractory radionuclides (e.g., Zr-95, Eu-155, Pu-239) are found. Most of the movement of radionuclides underground at the Nevada Test Site occurs through the agency of moving groundwater. Results from samples that were taken from the cavity formed in 1981 by the underground test named Baseball indicate that radioactive materials have remained where they were deposited during the formation of the cavity and chimney. There may not be a mechanism for radionuclides to migrate at this location due to small hydraulic gradients and a low hydraulic conductivity. The study done at this site offers further evidence that extensive migration of radioactive materials away from underground nuclear test sites does not occur in the absence of appreciable groundwater movement.
- OSTI ID:
- 559914
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970443-; TRN: 98:002134
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 213. national meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco, CA (United States), 13-17 Apr 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of 213th ACS national meeting; PB: 2904 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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