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In his 1998 book, Yellow Sky: an alternative perspective about the human condition and history, Kenneth Lipton argues that high radon levels in southeastern Pennsylvania may provide evidence of prior high tech civilizations.

Oddthinking
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Laurence Clark Crossen
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    I'm not sure if this really counts as a "notable claim". A cursory search suggests this was written by a plumber and is based more on theology and hunches than real evidence – JMac Apr 06 '18 at 17:11
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    ... or Ancient Aliens. In a nutshell, no evidence at all. –  Apr 06 '18 at 17:24
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    You could ask the question "What would remain" may be on topic on the Physics site. – DJClayworth Apr 06 '18 at 17:37
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    [Welcome to Skeptics!](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1505/welcome-to-new-users) We have a rule that only widely-held beliefs are in scope for this site (or at least, claims made by notable people and organisations that are widely seen). Please quote the actual claim you want us to investigate, rather than limit us to a particular type of evidence. – Oddthinking Apr 07 '18 at 01:24
  • For example, if Lipton says that radon levels are high is SE Pennsylvania, and you are doubtful that is true, quote him saying it and ask whether it is true. If you are doubtful that there was a high tech civilization 26,000 years ago, quote him making that claim. – Oddthinking Apr 07 '18 at 01:25
  • @Oddthinking: I am not making a claim. I am asking a question. If you want a claim made you'll have to ask some one else. I have not made a claim so you deceitfully twisting my question. – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 07 '18 at 02:21
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    @LaurenceClarkCrossen: Please take a step back and read the [Welcome to Skeptics](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1505/welcome-to-new-users) link. I am not saying *you* made a claim. I am saying to get this reopened, your question **must** be about whether a claim made by someone else [e.g. Lipton] is true, and we need that claim to be as clear and precise as possible. It is currently unclear what the specific claim by Lipton is. – Oddthinking Apr 07 '18 at 06:46
  • @laurence No, he's trying to help you understand the site and ask a question within site guidelines. This site handles "skepticism of notable claims". So ask about an ancient civilization, or radiation in Pennsylvania. Either way, quote the claim in the source. Notability basically means that many people believe it or at least are likely to have heard it. –  Apr 07 '18 at 06:51

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Isotopes of 7 elements could be found in small amounts 26,000 years after use of nuclear weapons, so it would be pretty easy to figure out if they were used in pre-historic Pennsylvania. Furthermore, radon is produced by decaying uranium or thorium, which just means that it's a good place to mine for large amounts of uranium (such as eastern Pennsylvania) and doesn't in any way indicate that there are small amounts of uranium waste there from weapons use.

Material Produced By Nuclear Weapons: All nuclear weapons derive at least part of their energy from nuclear fission. Without getting too technical, this essentially means you whack an element with a large nucleus, like uranium, hard enough for it to split into other elements. These elements are called fission products, and most are too unstable to stick around for more than a couple hundred years. So, they would likely not be detectable 26,000 years later.

There are 7 long-lived fission products that have half-lives between 200,000 and several million years and would definitely be detectable if produced 26,000 years ago. These elements can occur naturally, as natural nuclear reactors are possible, although they are very rare.

If these fission products were found in any abnormal amount outside of such a natural reactor they would indicate that nuclear weapons were used in the area. I can't find any information regarding large amounts of them being found in Pennsylvania, so there doesn't seem to be any evidence of nuclear weapon use as the books suggests.

Giter
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  • Would they have even tested for such fission products there? Perhaps if they searched they would find them? – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 06 '18 at 19:50
  • How about evidence of nuclear reactors 26,000 years ago? – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 06 '18 at 19:52
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    @LaurenceClarkCrossen The Oklo uranium mine is the only natural nuclear reactor we know of on Earth (See Giter's link) but it was last active 2 billion years ago. – Kevin Fee Apr 06 '18 at 19:59
  • How about evidence of human made nuclear reactors 26,000 years ago? What evidence would remain? – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 06 '18 at 20:06
  • Wouldn't weathering for 26,000 years disperse traces from a weapon pretty severely? I would think there would be more (and more concentrated) long lived products made as part of the process of making a weapon. –  Apr 06 '18 at 20:11
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    @LaurenceClarkCrossen: The people in the uranium mines would certainly be regularly tested for any radioactive isotopes, especially long-lasting ones since they would build up in miner's body until they become lethal. As for nuclear reactors, chances are we'd find the cities housing the [thousands of people involved in making the bombs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project#Personnel) before we found a reactor. – Giter Apr 06 '18 at 20:42
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    @notstoreboughtdirt: The radioactive material would be spread around the area as [fallout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fallout) before settling down as just another layer of (unhealthy) sediment. I suppose all of the material could be washed away over time, but that just means either the isotopes would be found elsewhere, or there's no proof one way or the other that the event ever happened. – Giter Apr 06 '18 at 20:46
  • @Giter: I think you are poorly informed about surviving structures. Think of the demilitarized zone in Korea. There are two great books on this: The Earth After Us and The World Without Us. Concrete lasts only one hundred years. – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 06 '18 at 20:55
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    @LaurenceClarkCrossen: I think you are poorly informed [about all the other stuff that would be found](https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/77709/a-few-dozen-millennia-after-yellowstone-erupts-how-close-would-a-parking-lot-lo). Sure, concrete wouldn't be found, but if they're making nukes they probably also have glass, plastic, aluminum, platinum, gold, etc., and all of that stuff being found in one place is completely unnatural and easy to identify. – Giter Apr 06 '18 at 21:01
  • @Giter: Thank you for the link to Worldbuilding. In my opinion there was probably a high tech civilization 26,000 years ago, so your information is very welcome. Although Pompeii was well preserved I'm afraid steal would corrode. I think the earth would usually be reworked/mixed by natural forces. It would be very unusual that it would be covered and remain undisturbed. These things could be preserved but are unlikely to remain preserved. What if most of the major cities were submerged beneath the ocean by a sea level rise of 66 meters? How would the materials last? – Laurence Clark Crossen Apr 06 '18 at 22:36
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    @LaurenceClarkCrossen: [8 wooden spears that are 350,000 years old](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6ningen_spears) were found in Germany in the 1990's. 26,000 years is several orders of magnitude too little to erase a high-tech civilization. – Giter Apr 06 '18 at 23:01