# Plutonium signatures in refractory fallout support a Chernobyl nuclear jet hypothesis

## 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.

## Key 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.