Radionuclide activity was measured by in situ spectrometry at 349 locations in Areas 2 and 4 of the Nevada Test Site. The data were analyzed by kriging and other methods to estimate the total inventory and distribution of six man-made radionuclides that were present in measurable amounts. Isotope ratios in soil samples were then used to infer the inventories of three other radionuclides. The estimated inventories were:
Underground nuclear tests in tuff, alluvium, rock salt, and granite have yielded data essential to the evaluation of the effects of contained nuclear detonations. The data indicate that for these mediums the cavity radius is predictable within ñ20 per cent without regard to the physical or chemical properties of the rock in the immediate shot environment. Properties of the chimney of broken rock resulting from collapse of the cavity, on the other hand, are found to be related to the physical properties of the rock and to preshot structural weaknesses within the rock. Introduction. Recent underground nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission have yielded data on the effects of contained nuclear explosions in four rock mediums: tuff, alluvium, rock salt, and granite. This report presents and compares data. obtained primarily through exploratory mining and drilling into the postshot environments of 35 such events.With one exception, these events were either weapons development or military effects tests. Only five were explored in detail for the purpose of defining the environment after the shot; the remainder were usually explored after the shot with two or three drilled holes. As a result, the data are not as complete as would be desirable. However, comparison of the available data does provide a measure of the sensitivity of explosion-produc'ed effects to the properties and structures of the containing rock medium.The phenomena considered in this report are (1) the cavity created by the expansion of the explosion-produced gases, (2) the chimney of broken rock resulting from collapse of the cavity, and (3) the zone of fractured rock immediately beyond the chimney.Cavities. The sizes and shapes of cavities produced by contained nuclear explosions were inferred primarily from drilling data obta.ined in the region below the shot point. It was impossible to measure the roof of the cavity above the shot point because in all cases the original cavity produced by the explosion collapsed within seconds to hours after detonation of the device.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.