Fallout of uranium and plutonium from recent volcanic eruptions

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6467588

Sandoval, D N

The concentrations of /sup 234/U, /sup 235/U, /sup 238/U in rain water were measured in a total of 102 individual samples which were collected at Fayetteville, Arkansas, from July 1980 through April 1983. A spectacular increase in the heavy isotope of uranium (/sup 238/U) was observed in the months of July, August (1980); January through April, November and December 1981. This large increase in /sup 238/U in rain appeared to have had its origin in the May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. An increase in the concentration of /sup 238/U in rain, smaller than 1981, was observed, which seems to have originated from the El Chichon volcano eruption in March 1982, and the spring peak or so-called cycling effect. A striking increase in the average bimonthly concentration of /sup 239,240/Pu occurred during the months of September-October 1980 (15.6 fCi/l) and March-April 1981 (29.4 fCi/l). The excess deposition of /sup 239,240/Pu brought down by the rain at Fayetteville, Arkansas, from March 1980 through December 1982 was found to be 1.01 fCi/cm/sup 2/. The total amount of /sub 239,240/Pu deposited at Fayetteville, Arkansas, from March through December 1982, was found to be about 30 times higher than the total amount calculated from reported literature values. The excess /sup 239,240/Pu has been attributed to stratospheric /sub 239,240/Pu from nuclear weapons testing prior to the 25th Chinese nuclear test.

• Research Organization: Arkansas Univ., Fayetteville (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6467588
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580202 -- Geophysics-- Volcanology-- (1980-1989)
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ARKANSAS
EXPLOSIONS
FALLOUT
FEDERAL REGION VI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RAIN WATER
URANIUM ISOTOPES
USA
VOLCANOES
WATER