Underground radionuclide migration at the Nevada Test Site

Abstract

This is an informal report intended primarily for internal or limited external distribution. Theopinionsand conclusions stated are those of the authorand may or may not be those of the Laboratory. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48.

Patterns of recruitment and abundance of corals along the Great Barrier Reef

“…In ®eld studies where ground water can be eliminated as a possible transport mechanism, radionuclides were detected at a maximum of a few hundred metres from the original detonation point, and were attributed to gas movement through fractures, or fracture injection of vaporized material at detonation time 29,30 . The possibility that Pu from the Benham test site was blasted and deposited .1.3 km away, in two distinct aquifers separated by 300 m vertically and 30 m horizontally, seems highly unlikely.…”

Subsurface Behavior of Plutonium and Americium at Non-Hanford Sites and Relevance to Hanford

“…Although the reports of Nimz and Thompson (1992) and Smith et al (1996) would seem to support the colloidal transport scenario, the issue remains unresolved.…”

“…Results of these studies indicated that radionuclides were detectable at a maximum of a few hundred meters from the original detonation point (Nimz and Thompson 1992;Smith et al 1996). These radionuclides, including Pu would have been transported at the time of the original detonation by gas movement through fractures or fracture injection of vaporized material.…”

Routine Radiological Environmental Monitoring Plan. Volume 1

“…The enormous pressures generated during a nuclear test may create or enlarge preexisting fractures in the rock, injecting radioactive material considerable distances from the working point (Nimz and Thompson, 1992). Fractures may be vertical, subvertical, or horizontal.…”