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From: ix241@sdccs6.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Planetary destruction plans
Message-ID: <1477@sdccs6.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-May-84 13:05:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdccs6.1477
Posted: Wed May 16 13:05:55 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 17-May-84 06:57:43 EDT
References: <532@sri-arpa.UUCP> Uranium is not a siderophilic element.  It tends to be found in the upper mantleRe: Planetary d
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Date: Wed, 16-May-84 13:05:55 PDT

estruction plans
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Computer Center
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line eater offering


Sorry to repost this but the first paragraph got eaten.

	Uranium is not a siderophilic element.  It tends to be found in
	the upper mantle and crust.  One of the reasons for this is that
	both it and thorium readily combine with oxygen.  The oxides are
	large as are the elements themselves; they tend to 'float' above
	the core.

	So U and Th are not good candidates for blowing up the core.
	However, there was a natural U fission reactor running for a
	moderate period of time in West Africa about 2e9+ years ago.  It
	is called the Oklo Phenomomenon after the place in West Africa.
	It seems that fluvial deposits of uranium oxides built up
	enough to initiate a chain reaction in the bottom of the river.
	It was discovered when the site was mined for uranium.  Nuclear
	chemists in Belgium found the daughter products of a reactor in
	the ore.  They were surprised.

					John Testa
					UCSD Chemistry
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