2 Billion Year Old Nuclear Reactor FOUND In Africa Changes Everything!

This natural reactor was active about 2 billion years ago when the amount of uranium235 in natural uranium was around 3%, much higher than today. This higher concentration was crucial for the reactor to work, allowing a selfsustaining nuclear chain reaction. Several specific conditions had to be met: a high enough concentration of uranium235, water to moderate the reactions, and a geological setup that kept everything in place and trapped the needed materials.

Studying the Oklo reactor has given scientists new insights into nuclear physics. It acts like a natural laboratory, showing how nuclear reactions can occur without human help. The reactor worked for several hundred thousand years, giving scientists a chance to see how fission products moved and how the surrounding geology changed over time.

But this wasn't the only interesting part. The Oklo reactor also provides important information for geology and environmental science. For instance, how radioactive materials moved or stayed put at Oklo helps with nuclear waste management today. By looking at the natural barriers and containment at Oklo, scientists can learn how to better isolate radioactive waste safely.