Association of radionuclides with streambed sediments in White Oak Creek watershed

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Abstract
Radionuclides are found in much higher concentrations on streambed sediment than in the water of White Oak Creek. Selective extraction of sediments demonstrates that /sup 60/Co is immobilized in a nonexchangeable form in the ferromanganese hydrous oxide coatings on the sediments; /sup 90/Sr occurs predominantly in an exchangeable form on clay, iron oxides, and ferromanganese hydrous oxides; /sup 137/Cs occurs in a nonexchangeable and strongly bound form on clays which compose the dominant rock (Conasauga shale) in the watershed. The fine-gravel to coarse-sand size fraction of streambed sediments is the most suitable fraction for radionuclide analysis because of its abundance in the sediment and its high concentration of radionuclides compared to larger and smaller size fractions. A preliminary survey of all major tributes in White Oak Creek shows that radionuclide analysis of streambed sediments is a very useful technique to locate sources of radioactive contamination.

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