The “Elephant’s Foot”, the most dangerous object on Earth: five minutes next to it and possible death in two days
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster left behind a strangely-shaped object which would be deadly to anyone who came close to it.
Just under 40 years ago, the most severe nuclear accident in history occurred at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine.
What happened in the Chernobyl disaster?
During a safety test, one of the nuclear plant’s four reactors exploded, in a catastrophe that spread radioactive contamination over a significant portion of what was then the Soviet Union.
Thirty-one people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the accident, in which over half a million firefighters and clean-up personnel were exposed to high doses of radiation, per the United Nations.
According to the U.N., there have been several thousand cases of thyroid cancer as a result of contamination caused by the explosion. The organization also notes that more than 400,000 people in the areas surrounding the power plant had to be resettled.
What is the Elephant’s Foot?
This catastrophe, which occurred on April 26, 1986, resulted in the creation of dangerous objects like the so-called “Elephant’s Foot.” Named for its appearance, it formed from molten core material that escaped the reactor, combined with reactor components and structural materials.
There are very few available images of the intensely radioactive Elephant’s Foot. The object is a solidified mass of corium, mainly composed of silicon dioxide and traces of other compounds like uranium, titanium, zirconium, magnesium and graphite. It is approximately 10% uranium by mass.
The deadly discovery beneath Chernobyl that became known as the Elephant's Foot pic.twitter.com/mGd7ojQevi
— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) January 11, 2025
Radiation equivalent to millions of X-rays
Scientists say that even a short time spent close to the Elephant’s Foot would be lethal. Indeed, it’s estimated that you would potentially be dead within two days if you spent five minutes in its vicinity.
The object’s radiation level reached 10,000 roentgens in the year of the Chernobyl accident - equivalent to a thousand times a dose sufficient to cause cancer.
Experts also note that an hour of exposure to this level of radiation is equivalent to undergoing 4.5 million consecutive chest X-rays. The first symptoms after exposure to the object would include vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
Article originally written in Spanish, before being translated with the assistance of AI, and edited and expanded by William Allen.
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