Plutonium signatures in refractory fallout support a Chernobyl nuclear jet hypothesis
Malcolm. J. Joyce, Colin Boxall, Marcus Christl, Patrick Collins-Price, Pawel Gaca, Philip Gautschi, Francis Livens, Argaia Madina, Kirk T. Semple, Phillip Warwick, Richard Wilbraham
TL;DR
Soil analysis in Northern England shows plutonium ratios consistent with the Chernobyl disaster, supporting the idea that high-temperature nuclear explosions caused the fallout.
Contribution
The study provides evidence for a nuclear jet hypothesis by analyzing plutonium isotope ratios in refractory fallout.
Findings
Refractory 240Pu/239Pu ratios in soils match Chernobyl fallout patterns.
High-temperature formation is indicated by refractory plutonium signatures.
Volatile plutonium ratios align with global averages from lower-temperature processes.
Abstract
Measurements of refractory and volatile components in soils from Northern England confirm 244Pu/239Pu consistent with the global average but refractory 240Pu/239Pu significantly higher but consistent with Chernobyl fallout, i.e., 0.390 ± 0.006. Refractory formation suggests temperatures > 3000°C, consistent with atmospheric injection by nuclear-driven explosions rather than by steam or hydrogen. Volatile 240Pu/239Pu is consistent with the global average, 0.181 ± 0.002, and hence lower-temperature formation in the chemical explosions and subsequent fire. This hypothesis is supported by 239Pu fission and capture cross-section enhancement due to the S-wave resonance at ~ 0.3 eV. A further calibration with a 240Pu standard is recommended to substantiate these observations. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10967-025-10541-0.
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Taxonomy
TopicsRadioactive contamination and transfer · Radioactivity and Radon Measurements · Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies