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Where are these Natural Fossil Reactors?
When did these Natural Fossil Reactors start operating?
What caused these Reactors to start?
Why are these Natural Fossil Reactors important?
Who Discovered these Natural Fossil Reactors?
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Why are these Natural Fossil Reactors important?

Because they are rare and fascinating objects
To help us understand the ancient earth
Oklo: the Natural "Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste" Experiment
Mobile and retained radioactive elements at Oklo
What are THE criticial long term radioactive wastes
Containing radioactive waste

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	Rare and fascinating objects: Natural fossil reactors have (so far) only been found
	Understanding the ancient earth: The Geological record
	Oklo: the Natural Nuclear Geological Waste Disposal Experiment:
	Mobile and retained radioactive elements at Oklo: This is the state of the OKLO uranium ore pit today. The majority of the mined uranium existed as a layer of U ore which covered the right hand side of the pit. Of the first 9 reactors only about one third of one reactor (reactor zone 2) remains and is now fixed in concrete into the side of the mine pit. This was done not because the reactor zone is dangerous to life but to stop it from sliding down the slope of the pit. The reactor zones themselves were centimetre to metre thick layers of highly enriched U, buried within the U ore.
	What are THE criticial long term radioactive wastes: The retention of the majority of the elements within the Oklo fossil
	Containing radioactive waste: The Oklo fossil demonstrates many of the features of what has become known as the "multiple barrier" concept of radioactive waste disposal. This means building into the storage medium and repository as many barriers to the loss of radioactive wastes as possible. Even if the the waste escapes from the immediate container an appropriate sequence of outer barriers and chemicals are arranged so as to "Capture" the radiactive waste in a chemical form that will retain the waste as much as possible within the containment site. immediate container