Concentration and characterization of plutonium in soils of Hubei in central China

Abstract

To study the Pu concentration and isotope ratio distributions present in China, the239+240Pu total activities and240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in core soil samples from Hubei Province in central China were investigated using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The activities ranged from 0.019 to 0.502 mBq g-1 and the239+240Pu inventories of 45 and ∼55 Bq m-2 agree well with that expected from global fallout. The240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in the soil ranged from 0.172 to 0.220. The ratios are similar to typical global fallout values. Hence, any close-in fallout contribution from the Chinese nuclear weapons tests, mainly conducted in the 1970s, must have either been negligible or had a similar240Pu/239Pu ratio to that of global fallout. The top 10 cm layer of the soil contributes ∼90% of the total inventory and the maximum concentrations appeared in the 2-4 cm or 4-6 cm layers. It is suggested that climatic conditions and organic content are the two main factors that affect the vertical migration of plutonium in soil. Show more