403

ISOTOPIC ANALYSES, HEAVY ELEMENTS
A comparison of close-in and LRD uranium data shows that with the

exception of Shot 4 Guam LRD values, uranium-to-fission ratios agree as
well as the internal. uranium ratios. The low atom-to-fission ratios for

Shot 4 Guam LRD values can perhaps be explaineds Since collections wre
made at approximately 2,000 feet, the debris collected in this case may
have been from the stem portion of the cloud. It is possible that the
close proximity of the water resulted in more-rapid cooling of this portion
of the cloud. Since molybdenum is emong the first elements to condense,
and total fissions are calculeted from this isotope, low atom-to-fission
ratios would te expected.
Frectionation of the internal uranium isotopic ratios would not be
ordinarily expected, as the decay of these isotopes is not significant

during the time required for cooling of the fireball.

However, the LRD

and close-in values for these ratios differ by as much as 15 percent in
several instances. Since this difference could not be accounted for in
terms of analytical error, it is possible that this apparent fractionation occurs during a carrier-free dissolution of close-in samples, at

which time the U259 is determined by analyzing for its decay product,
Np**™*.

—

-

_

_—

__] These unusual-

ly high values are indicative of the large fluxes of high-energy neutrons
generated in the explosions. Additional evidence of the thermonuclear
nature of these tests was the_presence_inthe
debris of such multiple

neutron capture products!

_=ss:éM

ny’ thermonuclear events

can supply the lerge neutron flux necessary for multiple n, y reactions of
this magnitude.
Large amounts of depleted uranium were placed in close proximity to

the Castle devices, with the consequence that the uranium mass~spectrometric
results cannot be interpreted in terms of bomb-reaction products. In fact,
the U?® abundance in the mass-~spectromter samples is less than the normal
abundance in natural]. uranium. In comparing mass~spectrometric close-in

and LRD data, the U2 to U2® LRD ratios closely approach the natural a-

bundance of these isotopes---thus demonstrating the contribution of atmossheric uranium background. For the events for which mass-spectrometric

data is available, it is possible to account for all of the observed Pu2%

as the decay product of U*%,

4.4

INDUCED ACTIVITIES

The isotope Mn®4 produced primarily by the (n,p) reaction on Fe®4,

may be indicative of the amount of iron presentinthedevice.r

38

Select target paragraph3