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The Proto-Earth Georeactor: A Thorium Reactor?

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Thorium Energy for the World

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Abstract

Georeactors have been suspected to occur in natural uranium deposits [1]. They have, for example, been found in the Earth’s crust in Oklo, Gabon [2]. The feasibility of one or more massive nuclear fission reactors deeper inside the Earth was also proposed.

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References

  1. Kuroda, P.: On the nuclear physical stability of the uranium minerals. J. Chem. Phys. 4, 781–782 (1956)

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  2. Neuilly, M., et al.: Evidence of early spontaneous chain reaction found in gabon mine. Excerpts from press conference regarding Geological and Mineral Documentation published by Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique (1972)

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  3. de Meijer, R., van Westrenen, W.: The feasibility and implications of nuclear georeactors in Earth’s core-mantle boundary region. S. Afr. J. Sci. 104, 111–118 (2008)

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  4. Herndon, J.: Feasibility of a nuclear fission reactor at the center of the Earth as the energy source for the geomagnetic field. J. Geomagnet. Geoelectr. 45, 423–437 (1993)

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  5. Herndon, J.: Nuclear georeactor generation of the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Curr. Sci. 93, 1485–1487 (2007)

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  6. Rimpault, G., et al.: The ERANOS code and data system for fast reactor neutronic analyses, PHYSOR 2002, Seoul, Korea, 7–10 Oct 2002

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LNM/LES, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland

    Claude Degueldre

  2. LRS, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland

    Carlo Fiorina

Authors
  1. Claude Degueldre
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  2. Carlo Fiorina
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CERN PH Department, Geneva 23, Switzerland

    Jean-Pierre Revol

  2. Physics Department, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland

    Maurice Bourquin

  3. CERN Engineering Department, Geneva 23, Switzerland

    Yacine Kadi

  4. CERN PH Department, Geneva 23, Switzerland

    Egil Lillestol

  5. Aubonne, Switzerland

    Jean-Christophe de Mestral

  6. Technological Circuits Department, Řež Nuclear Research Centre, Prague, Czech Republic

    Karel Samec

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Degueldre, C., Fiorina, C. (2016). The Proto-Earth Georeactor: A Thorium Reactor?. In: Revol, JP., Bourquin, M., Kadi, Y., Lillestol, E., de Mestral, JC., Samec, K. (eds) Thorium Energy for the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26542-1_72

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