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Project 2.52 - Neutron Induced Soil Radioactivity ~ T. C. Looney
OBJECTIVE

To determine experimentally the radioactivity in various typical
soi] samples induced by irradiation in a thermonuclear detonation.

Interpretation of the data will have as its objective the prediction
of soil radioactivity for a nuclear explosion at any location.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Samples used were representative of several soils from the
continental U.S., including Nevada Test Site soil, and from Puerto Rico,
Hawaii, and Bikini Atoll,

The exposure containers were lengths of

steel pipe placed at various ranges from planned ground zero.

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Inter-

pretation was to be by means of gamma-ray spectroscopy, for induced gamma
intensity vs energy and time, and by chemical analysis.
RESULTS
Extended ranges to actual ground zero precluded the activation of
any of the samples,

COPIED/p

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