An aerial radiological survey of Maralinga and EMU, South Australia

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5746113· OSTI ID:5746113

Tipton, W J; Berry, H A; Fritzsche, A E

An aerial radiological survey was conducted over the former British nuclear test ranges at Maralinga and Emu in South Australia from May through July 1987. The survey covered an area of approximately 1,550 square kilometers which included the nine major trial sites, where a nuclear yield occurred, and all the minor trial sites, where physics experiments were conducted. Flight lines were flown at an altitude of 30 meters with line spacings of 50, 100, and 200 meters depending on the area and whether man-made contamination was present. Results of the aerial survey were processed for americium-241 (used to determine plutonium contamination), cesium-137, cobalt-60, and uranium-238. The aerial survey also detected the presence of europium-152, a soil activation product, in the immediate vicinity of the major trial ground zeros. Ground measurements were also made at approximately 120 locations using a high-resolution germanium detector to provide supplemental data for the aerial survey. This survey was conducted as part of a series of studies being conducted over a two to three-year timeframe to obtain information from which options and associated costs can be formulated about the decontamination and possible rehabilitation of the former nuclear test sites.

• Research Organization: EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States). Remote Sensing Lab.
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC08-88NV10617
• OSTI ID: 5746113
• Report Number(s): EGG-10617-1156; ON: DE92009126
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AERIAL SURVEYING
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
COMPILED DATA
CONTAMINATION
DATA
DATA ACQUISITION
DETECTION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EUROPIUM 152
EUROPIUM ISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GAMMA DETECTION
GAMMA SOURCES
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GROUND TRUTH
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MAPPING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOMETRIC SURVEYS
RARE EARTH ISOTOPES
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
SURVEYS
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES