Californium is the tenth member of the actinides located on the second row below the periodic table. It is a silvery-white, radioactive metal with a melting point of 898.8 degrees Celsius. It was discovered in 1950 by Glenn T. Seaborg and his team. It is a reactive metal with properties similar to Dysprosium. Californium has a half-life of 2.645 years. Californium is a man-made element. 

Californium is sometimes used in detectors that identify the ores of precious metals, and metal fatigue.