Overview

A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where analysis of isotope ratios has shown that self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred. The existence of this phenomenon was discovered in 1972 by French physicist Francis Perrin. The conditions under which a natural nuclear reactor could exist were predicted in 1956 by P. Kuroda. The conditions found at Oklo were very similar to what was predicted.

At the only known location, three ore deposits at Oklo in Gabon, sixteen sites have been discovered at which self-sustaining nuclear fission reactions took place approximately 2 billion years ago, and ran for a few hundred thousand years, averaging 100 kW of power output during that time.

References

• wikipedia Natural nuclear fission reactor
• wikipedia Oklo
• UW Oklo natural nuclear reactor by Andy Ganse