The story of this reactor has been a part of my graduate education legacy, thanks to Prof. Paul K. Kuroda. In a lecture by Prof. Kuroda in the Spring of 1972, I was enthralled by his description of a science I was just beginning to learn: cosmochemistry - the origin of the chemical elements. I learned that we are all 'star stuff.' The Universe has never looked the same since.
As a side note, the natural nuclear reactor came about with the assistance of blue-green algae. This tiny plant generated an abundance of oxygen that helped create acid conditions that dissolved the uranium in water, which moderated the neutrons, which resulted in a cycling chain reaction that ran for a hundred thousand years or so. Think about it. Life and nuclear energy in a symbiotic relationship.
A new book came out last year that I highly recommend to scientists and non-scientists alike: "The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements.
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