30 layers of the funnel show only es t37 and spi? in the deepest layer. Buried Organic Layers The organic matter in buried horizons may become important in the vertical distribution of radionuclides in the soils. No detectable gamma-emitters were found in buried horizons during the period 1958-1961. In September 1963 a core was taken through a buried horizon at 14 inches in old soil. Radioautographs of sections of the core show that a small amount of radioactivity has accumulated in the buried horizon. The diffuse distribution of the radioactivity in this case indicates that there is adsorp- tion of the radionuclides from solution as water percolates through the soils, although the possibility of translocation by plants cannot be ruled out. ost37 and naturally occurring «19 were the only radionuclides present in the buried horizon. The accumulation of cst3? in the buried horizons is of par- ticular significance in terms of plant-soil relationships, because a proliferation of roots is often found in the buried horizons and Cs 137 is the principal fallout radionuclide taken up by atoll plants. Roots 1 Roots, which contain Cs 37 and sr?°, in most instances have higher levels of radioactivity than the surrounding soil except near the soil surface (Fig. 12). The influence of poplar roots on redistribution in a continental soil has been well demonstrated