First detection of fallout Cs-135 and potential applications of [sup 137]Cs/[sup 135]Cs ratios

Conference · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States)

OSTI ID:5974876

Lee, T; Chen, J C ^[1]; Ku, T L ^[2]; Lu, H L ^[3]

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1. National Taiwan Univ., Taipei (Taiwan, Province of China) Institute of Earth Sciences, Taipei (Taiwan, Province of China)
2. Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles (United States)
3. Institute of Earth Sciences, Taipei (Taiwan, Province of China)

All three cesium isotopes, natural Cs-133 (stable) plus fission Cs-135 (half-life 2.3 Ma) and Cs-137 (half-life 30 y), were measured in two coastal sediment samples using a thermal ionization mass spectrometer equipped with a retarding potential quadrupole lens filter. The [sup 135]Cs/[sup 133]Cs ratio was about 1[times]10[sup [minus]9] while [sup 137]Cs/[sup 135]Cs was about 0.5 owing to the decay during the past 30 years from their production ratio of about 1. This appears to be the first detection of fallout Cs-135 in nature. Being an isotope ratio, [sup 137]Cs/[sup 135]Cs is a far more powerful chronometer-tracer than Cs-137 alone. In order to explore its potential, the authors present briefly two simple models to illustrate how this ratio may be used to quantitatively estimate recent sedimentation and erosion rates.

• OSTI ID: 5974876
• Report Number(s): CONF-911017--; CNN: NSC 82-0202-M-110; NSC 81-0202-M-001-15
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States) Journal Volume: 57:14
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540330* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AGE ESTIMATION
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 133
CESIUM 135
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COASTAL WATERS
DETECTION
FALLOUT
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE DATING
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
SEDIMENTS
STABLE ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES