Is there really a 2 billion year old nuclear reactor in Africa?

The Oklo-reactor in Gabon, Africa is one of the most intriguing geological formations found on planet Earth. Here, naturally occurring fissile materials in two billion year-old rocks have sustained a slow nuclear fission reaction like that found in a modern nuclear reactor.

Why is there less U-235 in the earth today than two billion years ago?

At first, all the physicists could think of was that the uranium ore had gone through artificial fission, i.e. that some of the U-235 isotopes had been forced to split in a nuclear chain reaction. This could explain why the ratio was lower than normal.

Was a nuclear reactor found in Africa?

Nuclear power was invented in Africa 2 billion years ago. These natural nuclear reactors were discovered in the Oklo region of Gabon in 1972. Scientists found geological evidence that uranium in lens-shaped veins of uranium ore had undergone self-sustaining fission chain reactions, generating intense heat.

How was the natural nuclear reactor in Gabon discovered?

Sixteen years later, in 1972, just such a natural nuclear reactor was discovered in Gabon. During a routine isotopic measurement of uranium ore from Gabon, the French noticed something very strange: the uranium ore did not have a uranium-235 content of 0.720\%.

Which African country has the most uranium?

South Africa According to some sources, South Africa has around 6\% of the world’s developable uranium reserves.

When did the reactor at Gabon operate and why then?

Despite their modest power output, the Gabon nuclear reactors are remarkable because they spontaneously began operating around two billion years ago, and they continued to operate in a stable manner for up to one million years.

When was the last nuclear power plant in the US built?

Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was completed but never operated commercially as an authorized Emergency Evacuation Plan could not be agreed on due to the political climate after the Three Mile Island accident and Chernobyl disaster. The last permanent closure of a US nuclear power plant was in 1997.