This object resembles a giant foot and is located in the Chernobyl area of Ukraine.
At first glance, you might mistake this for a supernatural entity pulled from science fiction stories. However, it is entirely real and is the result of one of the most horrific radiation leaks in history. To this day, this object is still referred to as “The Elephant’s Foot.”
The Daily Mail has dubbed “The Elephant’s Foot” as “the most dangerous object in the world.” Even looking at this object could be fatal. Scientists predict that even after hundreds of years, we will still not be able to approach “The Elephant’s Foot” without protective equipment.
Image of the object known as “The Elephant’s Foot.”
How Did “The Elephant’s Foot” Appear?
On April 26, 1986, reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine experienced a catastrophic failure. Experts discovered the problem and attempted an emergency shutdown but were unsuccessful. The temperature in the reactor core rose to uncontrollable levels, causing the coolant water to instantly vaporize upon being pumped in.
The reactor ultimately exploded due to excessive pressure, leading to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. That autumn, when rescue teams arrived to contain the radiation, they first discovered the “most dangerous object in the world.”
According to scientists, the overheating of reactor number 4 melted the steel and concrete surrounding it, forming “radioactive lava.” This material flowed down, sweeping through various objects and creating a complex mixture with extremely high radiation levels. As it cooled, it solidified into a new material known as corium. It was named “The Elephant’s Foot.”
An expert approaches “The Elephant’s Foot.”
The Dangers of “The Elephant’s Foot”
In 1986, “The Elephant’s Foot” emitted up to 10,000 roentgens (a unit of radiation measurement) per hour – a dose 1,000 times higher than what could cause cancer. To put this in perspective, that level of radiation is equivalent to 4.5 million X-rays used in medical imaging.
If you come into contact with this object for just 30 seconds, you would experience dizziness and fatigue for at least a week. Contact for 2 minutes would result in cell hemorrhaging. After 4 minutes, it would lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Finally, after 5 minutes in proximity, the individual would be nearly beyond help and could die within 2 days.
Because of the extreme danger posed by “The Elephant’s Foot,” very few photographs of it exist. The first known images were captured in 1986 by rescue team members. A decade later, the United States Department of Energy also managed to collect some images of it.
Due to high radiation, recorded images of “The Elephant’s Foot” were also affected.
However, the person who had the most opportunity to approach “The Elephant’s Foot” was Artur Korneyev, the deputy director of the Shelter Object project. He also took some photos related to “The Elephant’s Foot” before safely stepping away. An article published in 2021 revealed that Artur is still alive and currently in Ukraine.
However, Mr. Korneyev is an experienced expert who took strict protective gear when he approached. The scientific community continues to warn about the dangers of “The Elephant’s Foot” despite the object gradually cooling down over four decades.
In 2016, a structure made of concrete and steel known as the “New Safe Confinement” was placed over “The Elephant’s Foot” to limit radiation leaks to the outside. Since corium is extremely rare, having only appeared five times in history, no one can be sure how “The Elephant’s Foot” will change in the future.
