Radionuclide Composition of the Allende Meteorite from Nondestructive Gamma-Ray Spectrometric Analysis

Abstract
The concentrations of beryllium-7, sodium-22, aluminum-26, potassium-40, scandium-46, vanadium-48, chromium-51, manganese-54, cobalt-57, cobalt-60, and thorium-232 (thallium-208) have been measured in the Allende meteorite by nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometry. The high cobalt-60 content of the meteorite is indicative of a preatmospheric body with a minimum effective radius of 50 centimeters and a weight of 1650 kilograms; the aluminum-26 activity indicates a minimum exposure age of 3 million years.