Characteristics of 90Sr, 137Cs and 239, 240Pu migration in undisturbed soils of southern Belarus after the Chernobyl accident

Soil samples were taken from three sites representing typical undisturbed soils in southern part of Belarus contaminated with Chernobyl fallout. The activity of 90Sr, 137Cs and 239, 240Pu in soil horizon 0–20 cm were measured. The data obtained were used to evaluate compartment model parameters of radionuclide migration in soil layers at different depths. According to the results, the parameters of migration obtained for various sites differ by more than a factor of two. The smallest site averaged values of parameters were obtained for 239, 240Pu and the largest for 90Sr. The calculations show that in most cases, the migration rates of 90Sr and 137Cs tend to increase with increasing depth.