A method for the production of surrogate melt glass representative of a nuclear detonation was previously conducted through research at the University of Tennessee. Using the same process, a synthetic melt glass representative of a nuclear detonation in several urban cities was produced. The synthetic melt glass is produced to examine the challenges to nuclear forensics that elemental and isotopic differences between major cities pose. Infrastructure and geographical differences, including the possible over-representation of rare earth elements due to high densities of electronic devices, may impact post-detonation analysis. The chemical composition for each urban debris sample was determined through averaging the chemical element composition obtained from U.S. Geological Survey data of four major cities consisting of New York City, Houston, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Samples were then produced through melting powdered oxide compounds in a furnace capable of heating material to 1450 <sup>o</sup>C. The post-melt samples were analyzed using X-Ray Fluoroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy for elemental analysis and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization for isotopic composition. An additional sample that contained higher compositions of rare earth elements was also analyzed as a proof-of-principle for identifying low quantities of those elements in a melted sample. The resulting chemical analysis was compared to the initial sample compositions and the results will be shown.

Chemical analysis of synthetic nuclear melt glass (urban)

256th National Meeting (2018)

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