Old NFO: it ain’t a mystery. You put enough uranium together, and it will start reacting. Even in the form of ore. In the right medium, the natural reactor will be a breeder reactor.
It’s been two billion years since there has been enough U-235 on the planet to do this naturally.
U-235 has a half life of 700 million years, so during the past two billion a bit less than 7/8th of what was originally there at that time has either fissioned or decayed into other isotopes.
Besides, assuming aliens exist and actually visited here….why would they bother with a primitive fission reactor anyway?
That IS cool… yet another mystery 🙂
You hadn’t heard of the Oklo reactor?
Old NFO: it ain’t a mystery. You put enough uranium together, and it will start reacting. Even in the form of ore. In the right medium, the natural reactor will be a breeder reactor.
It’s been two billion years since there has been enough U-235 on the planet to do this naturally.
U-235 has a half life of 700 million years, so during the past two billion a bit less than 7/8th of what was originally there at that time has either fissioned or decayed into other isotopes.
Well, it’s cold now but it was hot-hot-hot way beck then!
I said Beck?