Isotopes of uranium and plutonium in the atmosphere. [Cosmos-954 fall in Canada]

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6099226

Sakuragi, Y

The activities of /sup 234/U, /sup 235/U and /sup 238/U were measured in 24 individual rain samples and two composite rains collected at Fayetteville, Arkansas, during the months of March 1979 and March 1980 through May 1981. Uranium-234 and -235 were found to be highly enriched in several rain samples collected during the months of April and May 1980. Uranium-238 concentrations, on the other hand, were unusually high during the months of July, August and early September 1980. The concentrations of /sup 238/Pu and /sup 238/ /sup 240/Pu were measured in 76 individual rain samples and two composite rains which were collected at Fayetteville, Arkansas, during the period from February 1979 through December 1980. Plutonium-238 and plutonium-239,240 concentrations were found to be extremely high during the months of July, August and early September 1980. The anomalous uranium highly enriched in the light isotopes of uranium appears to have originated from the Soviet satellite Cosmos-954 which fell over Canada on 24 January 1978. The uranium fallout occurred just about the time Mount St. Helens erupted on 18 May 1980 and began to inject a large amount of natural uranium into the atmosphere. The pattern of variations of the concentrations of /sup 238/U in rain after the eruption of Mount St. Helens was found to be similar to that of plutonium isotopes.

• Research Organization: Arkansas Univ., Fayetteville (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6099226
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ARKANSAS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FAILURES
FALLOUT
FEDERAL REGION VI
FEDERAL REGION X
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KOSMOS SATELLITES
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
MOUNTAINS
MT ST HELENS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOISOTOPES
RAIN
SATELLITES
URANIUM 234
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
USA
VOLCANISM
WASHINGTON
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES