The Elephant’s Foot: Chernobyl’s Smoldering Corpse

The Elephant’s Foot is a solidified mass of melted reactor core located in the basement of the Chernobyl nuclear plant that remains lethally radioactive, with the potential to cause death within minutes of exposure. Scientists have observed a slow rise in neutron levels because rainwater seepage acts as a moderator, slowing down neutrons and threatening to restart a nuclear fission chain reaction within the mass. To mitigate this risk, authorities are replacing the deteriorating old sarcophagus with a new steel safe confinement structure and using gadolinium nitrate to absorb neutrons and prevent a potential secondary explosion.