Anthropogenic 236U and Pu at remote sites of the South Pacific.
Anthropogenic radionuclides, like 236U and 239,240Pu, are present in the environment as a result of global fallout from nuclear weapons tests conducted in the 1950s and 1960s and can potentially be used as tracers in soil erosion and sediment movement studies. Here, we report data on 236U and 239,240Pu in soil samples from the Motueka Valley (New Zealand) and for the first time from two remote islands Rarotonga and Atiu (Cook Islands) in the South Pacific. 236U and 239,240Pu were measured using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at the Australian National University. The 236U and 239Pu isotope concentrations versus soil depth and the 240Pu/239Pu and 236U/239Pu isotope ratios are discussed for each site. The radionuclide depth dependence revealed any soil disturbance, whereas the isotopic signatures indicated the source of the radionuclides' origin.
['Froehlich|M B|MB|', 'Akber|A|A|', 'McNeil|S D|SD|', 'Tims|S G|SG|', 'Fifield|L K|LK|', 'Wallner|A|A|']
D013058:Mass Spectrometry D009520:New Zealand D011005:Plutonium D011114:Polynesia D011834:Radiation Monitoring D011847:Radioactive Fallout D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive D014501:Uranium
South Pacific Soil Accelerator mass spectrometry (236)U/(239)Pu (240)Pu/(239)Pu Southern Hemisphere