P. Krivitskiy1 , M. Umarov2
1Branch "Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology" of the RSE "National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
2scientific adviser
Abstract:
In the territory of the "Experimental Field" ground of the Semipalatinsk test site there are a great number of ground zeros of nuclear events. In case there is a crater, a ground zero is quite easy to identify. However, in case of no technogenic disturbances it is impossible to spot it visually. A detailed analysis of Cs-137 and Am-241 has shown that due to these meteorologically transported products, this forms a displacement of the real ground zero, and in some cases, a ground zero cannot be detected. In this context, neutron activation products, in particular Eu-152, are assumed to be the most effective to reveal ground zeros of nuclear events. For the technique to be processed, surface soil samples were collected at different distances from the supposed ground zero of a nuclear event. Fractional sample analysis was carried out; extra deep-earth soil sampling was made. Based on the mineralogical analysis, sampling should be made at a depth of 5-10 cm rather than on the surface, as the surface layer is subjected to contamination due to radionuclides fallout after the explosion. For research one should use a coarse fraction because it is less subjected to transfer.
