3]
Pravo thermonuclear device.detonated at Bikini on 1 March 1954.

Recently, Nelson and Noshkin (1973) reported the results of a radio‘cuical survey ef the marine envircnment of Eniwetok Atoll.

The ordering of

atundances of radionuclides found ir Eniwetok Crater deposits was reported as

%0sp > 239+240,,, , 155 Eu

follows:

Ver5, , 125

Sb >

101

Rh >

152

Eu.

>

24am > '37eg 5 6%q » 207p; , 2385,

They found that all the radionuclides measured

were non-uniformly distributed, with significant portions of the lagoon floor
shoving concentrations at or below the limits of detection.

They computed the

rean concentration of several radionuclides in sediments across the lagoon and
calculated that 11% of the area of the lagoon was contaminated with 13766 at
concentrations higher than the mean 13766 concentration, whereas the percentere was 15-20% for 23942405, 155ey and 24 an, and 20-25% for 207... and 6009,

“rey Speculate that in crater depressions at Eniwetok, bottom sediments are
probably not subjected to severe scouring or resuspension,
and the principal loss of activity from the deposits may only
be from slow release to the overlying water and diffusion
upwerds where the activities then mix with surface waters and

are diluted by advective processes.

authors also reported that “since 1964, the concentration levels [of
‘

125

7

.
Scr

‘4

Sty

]

3e6 and 207543 in the [Mike] Crater sediments have

.

not;dimin-

at rates substantially faster than that predicted by radioactive decay."

“" rec*\les of sediment cores collected in craters, 207R4
was found to be
Oowrtere
~

“7 In surface layers compared to any other radionuclide measured.

ere

.vs. and

.

.

.

:

.

.

Cs were found to increase in concentration with increasing

‘* fe crater sediment and 241 Ay and
155 Eu decreased in concentration
we

6 *

Aae ee

These authors presented convincing evidence that the sediments
‘mn these craters consisted of material redistributed from other

oe

at

the atoll.

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