Plutonium Fission in the Oklo Natural Reactor

The Oklo natural reactor was discovered in 1972. Experimental evidence has indicated that the fuel source was primarily 235U with a small contribution of 7 to 9 percent from the fission of 239Pu. This article's reevaluation of data indicates that 239Pu was an important source of fuel in some areas of the reactor. A small portion of xenon and krypton released from Oklo sample 1348 appears to have originated from a source enriched in 239Pu. That fuel source may have been the core of a natural breeder reactor