pCi/g were found at any depth are

Analysis of the sediment and core
samples indicates the presence of 40K
60
90
101
102m
106
Co,
Sr,
Rh,
Rh,
Ru,

enclosed in cross-hatched areas in
Fig. 152.

1275)

Thus it seems likely that soil bearing

13% og

1525)

1545)

ate

20735, 235). 2385. 239, 2405, and

high concentrations of plutonium — as
opposed to pieces of plutonium — is largely

241

Am in some, but not necessarily all

limited to a band roughly 350 m wide

of the samples.

across the island,

uniformly distributed over the lagoon

centered on the visible

plutonium soil layer,

Each nuclide is non-

floor, with the highest levels generally

Within this band,

plutonium concentrations are greatest on

found in the northwest part of the lagoon,

the ocean side, less on the lagoon side,

2-3 km southeast of the islands ALICE

and least in the island center — a finding

through IRENE; the next highest levels are

consistent with historical data which in-

found in the area southwest of YVONNE;

dicate that debris was bulldozed away

and the lowest levels are found south of a

from the shot point toward both shore-

line extending across the lagoon from the

lines after the event which produced these

Southwest Passage to TOM.

plutonium particles,

for example, shows the distribution pat-

Except for this band across the island,

tern for 95.

Figure 158,

Similar figures have been

there is no evidence which indicates that

prepared for each of the predominant

plutonium particles on or near the ground

species found.

surface in the larger area shown in

Many of the radionuclides found in the

Fig. 152 are also found at any significant

marine sediment and core samples were

depth below the surface.

not detected in the water samples, in102mpy, 106R 1256) 1525)
cluding
and 235

Because of the

discrete nature and random distribution
of these particles, of course, the only way
that their distribution could be further

U.

In only 15 samples from the

northern part of the lagoon were

80 G6,

established would be by analysis of very

1555),

large volumes of soil,

13765 and 239, 24054 were positively

20755 and 241 am detected.

identified in all samples.

Radioactivity Levels in Enewetak

Table 217 gives

the mean surface water concentration of

Lagoon

13765 and 239, 2405, in the four quadrants
of the lagoon, in the ocean close to the

Approximately 858 samples taken from
the Enewetak lagoon environment were

east side of the lagoon,

analyzed by germanium gamma-

areas in other parts of the world for

spectroscopic (GeLi) and wet-chemistry

comparative purposes.

and for several

In the plankton samples, the most

techniques to determine the distribution
of radioactive species in the lagoon, in-

abundant isotopes observed were 90,

cluding 345 sediment and bottom cores,

(av 0.86 pCi/g, wet wt) and 207 Bi

82 seawater and seawater filters, 21 algae,

(0.83 pCi/g), followed in decreasing order

plankton, or coral, and 410 fish samples.
Figure 157 shows the major sampling

of abundance by ©°Co (0.68 pCi/g),
239, 2405, (9.39 pCi/g), 1° Eu (0.24

pCi/g), 744am (0.23 pCi/g), and !3’cs

locations for this marine program.
II-8

Select target paragraph3