JohnB wrote:
Can anyone remember the documentary (BBC or Channel 4) a few years after the event that had the footage of the Elephant's Foot
Wikipedia have an informative page specifically about the Chernobyl 'Elephants Foot' -
The Elephant’s Foot is a large mass of black corium with many layers, externally resembling tree bark and glass. It was formed during the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986, and discovered in December 1986. It is named for its wrinkly appearance, resembling the foot of an elephant. It lies beneath Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, under reactor room 217.
At the time of its discovery, radioactivity near the Elephant’s Foot was approximately 10,000 roentgens, or 100 grays per hour, delivering a 50/50 lethal dose of radiation (4.5 grays) in less than three minutes. Since that time the radiation intensity has declined enough that, in 1996, the Elephant's Foot was visited by the Deputy Director of the New Confinement Project, Artur Kornayev, who took photographs using an automatic camera and a flashlight to illuminate the otherwise dark room.
The Elephant's Foot had penetrated through at least 2 m (6 ft 7 in) of concrete to reach its current location. There were fears that it might continue to penetrate deeper into the ground and come into contact with groundwater, contaminating the area's drinking water and leading to illnesses and deaths; however, as of 2016, the mass has not moved significantly since its discovery and is estimated to be only slightly warmer than its environment due to heat from the ongoing nuclear decay.
Wikipedia source page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant%27s_Foot_(Chernobyl)
Cheers,
Itsallaguess