CruiseForLife
30985
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Jul 13, 2025 12:25 PM
CruiseForLife
30985
465
60
EvilCake
aw they burnt it. still, shouldnt let it go to waste...
cluelesscookie
Chornobyl* - Ukraine spelling.
ruokanga
Oultnil
And still I don't see the elephant. Boooo!
FoxPesdassi
You're not supposed to mention it.
pdp1
CrankyCook
Thats like a billion calories
thatwoodguy
I have to admit, the fact that a radioactive lava flow existed in here is quite disturbing
gwenniechan
Cool facts: most of these instances at Chernobyl have decomposed into radioactive sand
therandombagofmeat
That’s hot.
Degarafarat
Extra pixels, toes and fingers.
profiepicisunrelated
Isn’t this now basically a pile of spicy sand?
ID1746
Correct, so less radioactive, but much more dangerous, as now the alpha radiation can now enter your body much easier by either touching it or breathing near it.
Part of shy the sarcofagus structure had to be build over the Chernobyl plant, to contain the various disintegrating Corium piles (of which the Elephant foot is one).
Hexidimentional
the NSC (new safe containment) was built because the sarcophogus no longer did the job, NSC maintains negative pressure to make sure all dust and particulates on the site, stay in the site.
ID1746
Correct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant_sarcophagus
Hexidimentional
in their defense, when they were building the sarcophogus, they were doing it knowing anyone who worked on it would die of cancer, and had no idea what the requirements would really be
ChickenNuggetNumber05
the inner of a typical imgurian oven
gumshoe99
Can I touch it??
Feralkyn
Chornobyl is the correct Ukrainian transliteration now, for general informational purposes!
secularink
<3
ruint
rad
greatdanelivestock
Correct
Sebastopol140
SledgeGTR
solrev
Ha! Nice.
helljack
Quite a few, I would imagine.
Merdock
I'd rate it... 3.6 roentgen.
SirMisterDudeBroPhD
Not great, not terrible
whatsisname
Not great, not terrible
vaultdwellerhoarder
Approved…?
Dannoboyo
I like it when they get all melty before you put the cheese on.
Hrafna55
At the time of its discovery, about eight months after formation, radioactivity near the Elephant's Foot was approximately 8,000 to 10,000 per hour. LD50 would take three minutes. Although far less dangerous now the object still poses an external gamma radiation hazard due to the presence of fission products, mainly caesium-137.
nation543
I've heard that the radiation levels have dropped noticeably. You'll still die if you go near it, but not as fast as when it first happened.
rbudrick
I would wager the original film is higher "res," as film, scanned to digital, can reach extremely high resolutions when magnified.
qtRaven
secularink
Cool :)
McFrazzlestache
3.6 roentgen, comrade. Not great, not terrible.
DorkJedi
thats what I named my outpost on an irradiated planet in NMS.
jonhamsandwich11
Adester
Ok, the highest resolution image and instead of the original, you post a screenshot of a thumbnail...
Taalii
The radiation destroys cameras. There really aren't good photos, it is so radioactive human life in that room is not measured in time to lethal dose but rather time to 'you drop dead'
BrdCdn
It's drastically dropped in radioactivity over the years. Look up half lives. People can now approach it with protective gear and have done so.
Taalii
I'm not volunteering
peterbozeman
Screen shots are the way of our tribe.
cousteau
Reposting the pic @FiftyShadesOfBroccoli just posted:
ruint
rad
cousteau
(…and if this happens to be the wrong pic, or a scam link or something, let it be known I take no credit for finding it. I already had trouble earlier with a scammy link…)
CaptAlbertAlexander
Looks tasty
CuteLukePatoot
This is where the internet points should be going. Thank you for sharing!
aShogunNamedMarcus
Screenshot of the thumbnail is the only safe way to view it, due to the radiation levels
plasticpantherpescatarian
wagnus
I think that's actually how they took the very first picture of it - it'd fry the camera if it was brought in the room, so they had to put a mirror at the end of a hallway (I'm pretty sure at least, could be wrong)
Kokokokko
Funny
graehall
heheheehe
FiftyShadesOfTiramisu
hwatL4bloopy
Must impressive
MsBehavinMaven
Thank you, comrade.
mouseasw
Com-rad
PrincessWasabi
ruint
rad
SidneyMajora
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1NmpkNWFnMDN1b3Z4MjlyeXdzdWp2bHRkMTI1Mm1ndXhoY2F6aWl4eCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/fSDz2HJDEqagGXIVTq/200w.webp
ruint
/gallery/nQIMbGG/comment/2466621727
SidneyMajora
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1ZDJtY3JvbXE1bHF5cXV6ejduMzBrejJuNWxnMmJmZG5pd291YmF5NSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/3o7bu3hxaeqgi9SJQk/200w.webp
squelcheswetly
Look at all that metal it didn’t melt. Meltdown, WHATEVER.
FiftyShadesOfTiramisu
I guess the corium wasn't hot enough anymore at that point. After all, this so-called elephant foot formed in the spot where the corium mass came to a halt and solified.
FiftyShadesOfTiramisu
*solidified
Hexidimentional
it solidified because of IMMENSE effort, they laid a liquid nitrogen cooling system just underneath that floor with the help of coal miners
squelcheswetly
I appreciate the answer, friend.
However, I guess my comment needed an /s as people thought I was seriously incredulous.
LariCheltsy
This kills the photographer.
nintendolunchbox
They used a mirror
GrandmaSlappy
Could you not send in a robot?
Hexidimentional
back in the day not even robots could look around the corner at it
Leonon
It's less radioactive now that there's been time for the less stable atoms to break down, but this also means that it's turning into a toxic and radioactive dust. It should be safe-ish to take a photograph of if you're quick about it and make absolutely sure to not breathe any of the dust or get any of it on your skin.
Muffyns
Dont they make hazmat suits?
VipertheFirst
That's a whole lotta words to say "don't do it"
Leonon
You can do it, you've just got to take proper precautions so you don't die horribly.
NowhereMan313
Yeah, sorry, but if there's one place I'm not trusting the term safe-ish, it's FACKING CHERNOBYL.
neverminded
I guess you meant USA?
Feralkyn
Still rubbing my forehead @ the Russian army digging in there when they invaded and then having to leave. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Chernobyl#Potential_radiation_exposure
bustyalexa
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlOW4wcm1ldWVjOWdveHV5ZDRwYndwbnE3NzRlMGQ2Y2hocWw1b3lhdSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/JSueytO5O29yM/giphy.mp4
TiredTait
My favorite part of the Chernobyl story is that in order to knock off a bit of the elephant's foot for testing they had someone shoot it with an AK-74. Something about looking at one of the most dangerous objects on the planet and a representation of mans pride, hubris and overconfidence and shooting it pleases me greatly.
ID1746
Fun addition, the AK-47 had to fire armor-piercing rounds to be able to shoot large parts of it.
In the current condition it is much easier, as it has disintegrated into sand due to radioactive decay. This also means it is much more dangerous to sample it, as the particles can now be absorbed through the skin or by breathing & remain extremely carcinogenic.
In short, it is less radioactive then 40 years ago, but has become more dangerous due to loss of structural integrity (hence the sarcofagus)
hsalonen3000
The sarcofagus is not just for that, it is for the whole building. I've seen Chernobyl without it , while sarcofagus was being built. It hasn't been there that long..
ID1746
Yes, but I needed more letters for it. The sarcofagus exists to contain the radiactive waste in general; Part of the reason are is the deteriorating corium turning into radiactive sand (200 tons of it, elephant foot is but one small part) but also the remaining uranium/plutonium & all the contaminated stuff that turned radioactive due to the accident.
Muffyns
What happens if you drop a nuke on it?
ID1746
Would turn the nuke in the largest known dirty bomb of all ages, spreading over 200 tons of radioactive waste across the world (the corium has been turned into sand by now, so dropping any high yield explosive on it will make it spread rapidly). The radiactive fallout from the bomb would be minimal in comparison.
ID1746
For info on all the containments built/reinforced/etc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant_sarcophagus
hsalonen3000
I take some of my words back, I've seen it without the final layer of sarcofagus, in 2012. They were still building that and it had not been slid into place.