Detection of a hot 137Cs particle in marine sediments from Norway: potential implication for 137Cs dating

被引:3
作者
Appleby, Peter G. [1 ]
Piliposyan, Gor [1 ,2 ]
Hess, Silvia [3 ]
机构
[1] Univ Liverpool, Dept Math Sci, Environm Radioact Res Ctr, Liverpool, Merseyside, England
[2] Yerevan State Univ, Dept Radiophys & Elect, Yerevan, Armenia
[3] Univ Oslo, Dept Geosci, Oslo, Norway
关键词
Marine sediments; Geochronology; Cs-137; Pb-210; Chernobyl fallout; Hot particles; Radioactive contamination; CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT;
D O I
10.1007/s00367-021-00727-2
中图分类号
P [天文学、地球科学];
学科分类号
07 ;
摘要
An anomalous value in the Cs-137 record from a marine sediment core in Veafjord, Norway, appears to be due to the presence of a micron-size hot radioactive particle. The Cs-137 concentration in a subsample from the surficial 0-1 cm sediment slice was over 3 times higher than in the adjoining slice and double that in a concentration peak significantly deeper in the core dating from the period of Chernobyl fallout. To determine the cause of the anomaly, the sample was divided into two equal parts each of which were then reanalysed. Whereas one had a normal concentration similar to that of the adjoining slice, the concentration in the other was now over 5 times higher. Analyses of three further splits of the high activity subsamples followed a similar pattern with one part having a normal concentration, and the other a concentration that nearly doubled each time. The results are consistent with the presence of a hot Cs-137 particle embedded in the sediment matrix. Its activity was estimated to be 15 +/- 2 mBq. Possible sources are fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl accident or marine discharges from UK nuclear installations in the 1970s. The delayed input of such a particle into the sedimentary record highlights the need for care in using Cs-137 records for dating sediment accumulations in areas open to contamination from these or similar sources.
引用
收藏
页数:6
相关论文
共 18 条
  • [1] [Anonymous], 1974, Merentutkimuslait. Julk./ Havsforskningsinst. Skr.
  • [2] SELF-ABSORPTION CORRECTIONS FOR WELL-TYPE GERMANIUM DETECTORS
    APPLEBY, PG
    RICHARDSON, N
    NOLAN, PJ
    [J]. NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION B-BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS, 1992, 71 (02) : 228 - 233
  • [3] PB-210 DATING BY LOW BACKGROUND GAMMA-COUNTING
    APPLEBY, PG
    NOLAN, PJ
    GIFFORD, DW
    GODFREY, MJ
    OLDFIELD, F
    ANDERSON, NJ
    BATTARBEE, RW
    [J]. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 1986, 143 : 21 - 27
  • [4] FALLOUT PATTERN IN NORWAY AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT ESTIMATED FROM SOIL SAMPLES
    BACKE, S
    BJERKE, H
    RUDJORD, AL
    UGLETVEIT, F
    [J]. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY, 1987, 18 (02) : 105 - 107
  • [5] Backe S, 1986, NORWEGIAN I RAD HYGI, P51
  • [6] Dounreay hot particles: the story so far
    Dennis, Frank
    Morgan, Graeme
    Henderson, Fiona
    [J]. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, 2007, 27 (3A) : A3 - A11
  • [7] A STUDY OF HOT PARTICLES COLLECTED IN SWEDEN ONE YEAR AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
    FALK, R
    SUOMELA, J
    KEREKES, A
    [J]. JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE, 1988, 19 (07) : 1339 - 1342
  • [8] Post-depositional 137Cs mobility in the sediments of three shallow coastal lagoons, SW England
    Foster, I. D. L.
    Mighall, T. M.
    Proffitt, H.
    Walling, D. E.
    Owens, P. N.
    [J]. JOURNAL OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY, 2006, 35 (04) : 881 - 895
  • [9] Gray J., 1995, Journal of Radiological Protection, V15, P99, DOI 10.1088/0952-4746/15/2/001
  • [10] Geochronology of sediment cores from the Vefsnfjord, Norway
    Heldal, H. E.
    Helvik, L.
    Appleby, P.
    Haanes, H.
    Volynkin, A.
    Jensen, H.
    Lepland, A.
    [J]. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, 2021, 170