bis .

CHAPTER 4

PRIMARY FALL-OUT
38

zero, This fall-out has considerable military significance, The areas of primary fall-out,
particularly from superweapons,are quite extensive, and many hours can elapse before the

fall-out gammafield is completéty
4.1

defined.

GAMMA FIELD

4

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Primaryfall-out following anuclear.detonation may be defined as the particulate which

arrives at relatively early timesand forms a well-delineated pattern downwind from ground

The gammafield following Mike shot was well documented within the lagoon. An analysis

of the wind profile at shot time indicated that the downwindfall-out lay over the open sea ina
swath west-northwest to north of the island where the shot occurred. The data collected at
Eniwetok on the Atoll islands and within the lagoon represent primarily the cross-wind pattern

and a portion of the upwind region.
Observed Gamma Field, Comprehensive data on the gammafield were obtained within the

bounds of Eniwetok Atoll and represent the cross-wind and upwind field. Figure 4.1, showing

the gammafield, was compiled from island gamma-survey measurements and lagoon-station
gamma-} ackground readings corrected to values représentative of the field that would be experienceu on an extensive land mass. The
a values indicated for the lagoon stations are
the observed readings multiplied by 7. Thi
ltiplying factor results from the relation obtained at Operation Jangle between field gamma readings and gamma measurementsof the
fall-out from this field as read in a region having a gamma-free background. *! Cessation of
cross-wind fall-out was at approximately M+2 hr. The field reaches its maximum intensity?
at about this time. Figure 4.1 represents the field at M+2 hr. Extrapolation of gammaintensity

to M+2 hr was based on the (t7!-?) decay law.

No activity was detected from gamma-survey measurements taken over the open water in
the lagoon, An examination, primarily of the density of fall-out particulate, indicates that the

particulate fell rapidly into the lagoon, where it settled on the bottom and left a zero field at
the surface, There was some evidence that the lagoon currents carried a small amountof activity southward from the crater; this was measured by actual water sampling, but the activity
had such low intensity that it did not generate a gammafield at the surface.

*It is to be understood that the extension of Jangle relations to the soil and water condi-

tions existing at Eniwetok is open to question. The data presented for the lagoon stations tn
Fig. 4.1 are simply the best approximations.
As indicated on the Project 5.3 fall-out gamma time-intensity records.

33

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