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Title: Oklo: natural fission reactor program. Progress report, April 1-June 30, 1979. [U-Ru dating]

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5887619· OSTI ID:5887619

Analyses of samples from the Oklo site have shown that /sup 99/Tc and fissiogenic ruthenium appear to have migrated upwards with respect to the natural fission reactors. This migration was measured over distances of 2 to 10 meters from the reactor zones. The native material of the basal conglomerate was shown not to be a source of the radiogenic Pb incorporated in the stratum. Thus, the radiogenic Pb must have come from the Oklo uranium ore bodies. A sensitive technique was developed for mass spectrometric analyses of ruthenium at the nanogram level. Measurements with this technique permitted validation of a U-Ru age dating procedure by comparison with U-Pb dates from the same ores. Measured yields of /sup 101/Ru, /sup 102/Ru, and /sup 104/Ru from spontaneous fission of /sup 238/U were found to agree with previous estimates. Analyses of two samples from the Morro do Ferro thorium deposit in Brazil cannot be used to define a precise time of ore formation. The data can be used to infer relative migration of thorium with respect to lead during the past 290 x 10/sup 6/ years. 2 figures, 5 tables.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
5887619
Report Number(s):
LA-8054-PR; ONWI/Sub-79/E511-01100-7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English