137Cs and 90Sr depositions, and 137Cs/90Sr ratios of samples from the Kraton-3 underground nuclear explosion site, Russia ...

• Main Authors: Ramzaev, Valery, Mishine, Arkady, Basalaeva, Larisa, Brown, Justin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2009
• Subjects: ipy; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.786504; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.786504

Strontium-90 activity concentrations in surface soils and areal deposition densities have been studied at a site contaminated by an accidental release to atmosphere from the underground nuclear explosion 'Kraton-3' conducted near the Polar Circle (65.9°N, 112.3°E) within the territory of the former USSR in 1978. In 2001-2002, the ground surface contamination at 14 plots studied ranged from 20 to 15000 kBq/m**2, which significantly exceeds the value of 0.44 kBq/m**2 deduced for three background plots. The zone with substantial radiostrontium contamination extends, at least, 2.5 km in a north-easterly direction from the borehole. The average 137Cs/90Sr ratio in the ground contamination originated from the 'Kraton-3' fallout was estimated to be 0.55, which is significantly different from the ratio of 2.05 evaluated for background plots contaminated mostly from global fallout. Although vertical migration of 90Sr in all undisturbed soil profiles studied is more rapid than that for 137Cs, the depth of percolation ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...