Cold War Legacy: Surface Investigation of Unsaturated Prairie Soil Radiologically Contaminated in 1951

Abstract

In order to investigate the effect of weathering on the ground deposition of fallout from nuclear weapons releases, an aqueous, acidic solution of fission products and actinides was spread on bare ground and concrete surfaces at a remote location in southern Alberta. In July 1951, 6.7 L of this solution, containing 360 GBq of radioactive material, leaked from a storage container buried nearby. Since then, the radioactive material, created by the irradiation of 40 g of natural uranium metal in the NRX reactor, has migrated through the soil. This article describes the surface survey measurements for both residual contamination and to locate the buried storage tank.