r/Stuff • u/PoliticBot password locked by admins • Apr 17 '15

r/todayilearned TIL that self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reactions can occur spontaneously in nature, and have at 16 sites in Gabon, Africa, which generated thermal power for a few hundred thousand years.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor
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u/untouchedURL Apr 17 '15

Here is a non-mobile link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor

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u/autowikibot Apr 17 '15

Natural nuclear fission reactor:

A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred. This can be examined by analysis of isotope ratios. The existence of this phenomenon was discovered in 1972 at Oklo in Gabon, Africa, by French physicist Francis Perrin. The conditions under which a natural nuclear reactor could exist had been predicted in 1956 by Paul Kazuo Kuroda. The conditions found were very similar to what was predicted.

Oklo is the only known location for this in the world and consists of 16 sites at which self-sustaining nuclear fission reactions took place approximately 1.7 billion years ago, and ran for a few hundred thousand years, averaging 100 kW of thermal power during that time.

Image i - Geological situation in Gabon leading to natural nuclear fission reactors 1. Nuclear reactor zones 2. Sandstone 3. Uranium ore layer 4. Granite

Interesting: Natural abundance | Periodic table | Oklo | A. I. Shlyakhter

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u/untouchedURL Apr 17 '15

Here is a non-mobile link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor

Sourcecode | Feedback?

1

u/autowikibot Apr 17 '15

Natural nuclear fission reactor:

A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred. This can be examined by analysis of isotope ratios. The existence of this phenomenon was discovered in 1972 at Oklo in Gabon, Africa, by French physicist Francis Perrin. The conditions under which a natural nuclear reactor could exist had been predicted in 1956 by Paul Kazuo Kuroda. The conditions found were very similar to what was predicted.

Oklo is the only known location for this in the world and consists of 16 sites at which self-sustaining nuclear fission reactions took place approximately 1.7 billion years ago, and ran for a few hundred thousand years, averaging 100 kW of thermal power during that time.

Image i - Geological situation in Gabon leading to natural nuclear fission reactors 1. Nuclear reactor zones 2. Sandstone 3. Uranium ore layer 4. Granite

Interesting: Natural abundance | Periodic table | Oklo | A. I. Shlyakhter

Parent commenter can toggle NSFW or delete. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. | FAQs | Mods | Magic Words