Abstract
During the 1974–1987 period 12 paceful nuclear explosions were conducted in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). For the first time239,240Pu and238Pu concentrations were determined in samples of soils, bottom sediments and lichen taken at the “Craton-3” and “Crystal” nuclear explosion sites. At the “Craton-3”239,240Pu concentrations in the range 6.2 mBq/g to 5.9 Bq/g samples of soil and239,240Pu concentrations up to 7.4 Bq/g in samples of lichen were observed.239,240Pu concentration measurements in bottom sediments of a stream washing out the banking around the borehole of “Craton-3” show that plutonium migrates in the direction of the Markha river. At the “Crystal” site local plutonium concentrations up to 35 Bq/g in soil and 1.8 Bq/g in lichen were observed.
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Gedeonov, A.D., Kuleshova, I.N., Petrov, E.R. et al. Plutonium in soils, bottom sediments and lichen near peaceful nuclear explosion sites in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). J Radioanal Nucl Chem 221, 85–92 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02035247
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02035247