137Cs contamination of the Techa river flood plain near the village of Muslumovo

The results of a radiometric survey of the Techa river flood plain near the village of Muslumovo in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia are presented. The observed territory extended 16.6 km along the riverbed, with a total area of 2.5 km2. The collimated scintillation detector technique was applied to in situ field measurements of 137Cs deposition on the soil. Maps of 137Cs deposition and soil penetration depth were developed on the basis of approximately 5000 measurements. The total 137Cs deposition within the surveyed territory has been estimated at 6.6 TBq. The means of the total 137Cs soil depositions at half-kilometer sites on the flood plain and its distribution along the river have also been calculated. A maximum 137Cs contamination above 7.5 MBq/m2 is associated with a bank height up to 1 m above the usual water level. The data identify zones of intensive radionuclide sedimentation and transit zones.