The Measurement of Long-Lived Activation Products in Soil by Gamma Spectroscopy

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Abstract
Soil samples collected at the site of the 1957 balloon-type nuclear detonation in Navada have been periodically analyzed to determine specific nuclides and to observe changes in spectrum configurations resulting from decay of the shorter lived gamma activities. In 1963, Cs134, Co60, Eu152 were separated by radiochemical analysis and identified by gamma spectrometry. Both manual stripping of the identified nuclides and matrix calculations, in which identical geometric configurations were used, corroborated the presence of these nuclides in the soil sample. Photopeaks of the induced short-lived Sc46, which were evident in the 1957 spectrum, were not evident in the new gamma scan. No Sr90, Cs137 or other fission products were detected; all the nuclides present evidently were produced by neutron activation of their stable precursors. Repeated acid leaching removed only about 70% of the activities of the nuclides present, indicating a very strong attachment of these nuclides to the soil. Estimations of the relative individual activities were calculated by use of computer matrix solutions developed from calibrated standards.

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