137Cs Gamma-ray detection at Summit, Greenland
Abstract Global fall-out from atmospheric testing of thermonuclear weapons produced horizon markers corresponding to the initiation of testing in 1953 and the maximum fall-out in 1963. The radioactive isotope 137 Cs associated with these events has a half-life of 30.2 years. Therefore, with the appr...
| Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1994
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002214300000383x https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S002214300000383X |
| Summary: | Abstract Global fall-out from atmospheric testing of thermonuclear weapons produced horizon markers corresponding to the initiation of testing in 1953 and the maximum fall-out in 1963. The radioactive isotope 137 Cs associated with these events has a half-life of 30.2 years. Therefore, with the appropriate radiation detectors, this fall-out can be used as a long-term temporal indicator in glaciers and snowpack. A prototype γ-ray detector system was successfully tested and was used to make in-situ measurements of the 137 Cs marker in a borehole at Summit, Greenland. The system consisted of a 7.6 cm by 7.6 cm NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal/photomultiplier detector, commercial pre-amplifier, amplifier and power supplies, and a microcomputer-based pulse-height analyzer. The measurements were made in boreholes of 25.4 cm and 12.7 cm diameter to depths of 22 m. Based on the results reported here, the γ-ray detection technique promises to be a powerful way to locate quickly horizon markers in the field. |
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