SOIL DEPOSITION
Abstract
The blast and throwout areas immediately surrounding the detonation points of the four Operation Roller Coaster events were investigated extensively for plutonium radioactive isotopes deposition and distribution. Device placement and explosive yield differed for each but the last two events from a single device on a steel plate in the open to nineteen devices with two and eight feet of earth overburden. The amount of plutonium radioactive isotopes available for dissemination was essentially constant for all events. In the various mixtures of contaminant and metal, soil and concrete debris which resulted from such detonations, quantitative measurements by alpha detection were inadequate due to the limited range of the alpha particle. Unless a high degree of homogeneity was present in the debris, normal spot sampling techniques were likewise inadequate even with absolute determinations by radiochemistry. For these reasons the most reliable data were derived from large scale assays based on the electromagnetic radiations found in weapons grade plutonium radioactive isotopes. Special instrumentation was fabricated with optimum sensitivity for these radiations. This instrumentation, with similar circuitry and detectors, was used to assay metal debris and to monitor large land areas.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0477688
Entities
People
- William S. Johnson Sr