Document Details
Title:
GAMMA-RADIOACTIVITY INVESTIGATIONS AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE NYE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES, NEVADA
Author(s):
Document Location:
Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV
Document Type:
REPORT
Publication Date:
1961 Feb 28
Declassification Status:
Never classified
Document Pages:
0095
Accession Number:
NV0015324
Document Number(s):
TEI778
Originating Research Org.:
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 26
OpenNet Modified Date:
2003 Sep 18
Description/Abstract:
MEASUREMENTS OF GAMMA RADIOACTIVITY IN TUNNELS AND DRILL HOLES AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE WERE MADE TO DETERMINE QUANTITATIVELY THE NATURAL RAD IOACTIVITY OF GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS AND TO DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION OF EXPLOSION-PRODUCED RADIOACTIVITY IN THE VICINTY OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS. TUNNEL WALLS WERE SURVEYED WITH PORTABLE SCINTILLATION DETECTION EQUIP MENT AND DRILL HOLES WERE LOGGED WITH GEIGER-MUELLER AND SCINTILLATION DETECTORS. THESE MEASUREMENTS WERE STARTED IN 1957 AND WERE COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY 1960. NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY WAS MEASURED IN ALLUVIUM AND I N 8 UNITS OF THE OAK SPRING FORMATION (TUFF), MARBLE, DOLOMITE, AND GR ANITE. THE HIGHEST RADIOACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN GRANITE; THE LOWEST R ADIOACTIVITY WAS IN MARBLE AND DOLOMITE. RADIOACTIVITY IN ALLUVIUM IS RELATED TO THE AMOUNT OF CEMENTATION; THE RADIOACTIVITY IS HIGHEST WHE RE CEMENTATION IS LOWEST. DRILL-HOLE LOGS GENERALLY SHOW (1) CONTRACTS BETWEEN ROCK TYPES BY CHANGES IN RADIOACTIVITY AT THE CONTRACTS, (2) L OCATION OF THE WATER LEVEL IN THE DRILL HOLES, AND (3) LOCATION OF CAS ING. RADIOACTIVITY SURVEYS IN THE TUNNEL SYSTEMS SELDOM SHOW CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE TYPES OF TUFF PENETRATED BY THE TUNNELS. DRILL HOLES IN A WASTE DISPOSAL AREA WERE GAMMA-RAY LOGGED BEFORE AND AFTER A PART OF T HE AREA WAS FLOODED WITH A WATER-BORNE RADIOACTIVE TRACER. THE LOGS SH OWED THAT MOST OF THE TRACER ACCUMULATED AT THE LOWER END OF THE AREA AND THAT MOVEMENT WAS CONFINED TO A DISTANCE LESS THAN 4 FEET FROM THE TILE THROUGH WHICH THE TRACER FLOWED. MEASUREMENTS IN THE VICINTIES OF THE RAINER AND NEPTUNE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS SHOW THAT EXPLOSION-PRODUCED RADIOISOTOPES ARE DISTRIBUTED IN NEARLY HEMISPHERICAL CONFIGURATIONS. RADIOISOTOPES PRODUCED BY THE RAINER EXPLOSION ARE CONCENTRATED IN TWO NEARLY CONCENTRIC HEMISPHERES BELOW THE EXPLOSION POINT AND ARE ASSOCI ATED WITH RADIOACTIVE GLASS.