A comparison of field and laboratory analytical methods for radon site investigation

Soil-gas radon measurements provide a valuable tool in assessing probable indoor radon levels on a regional basis. However, in Great Britain, seasonal weather changes can cause large changes in soil-gas radon concentration. Although this does not significantly constrain systematic radon potential mapping programmes, it does cause difficulties in responding to ad-hoc requests for site-specific radon investigations. The relationship between soil-gas radon and gamma spectrometry measurements made in the field with radon released from a representative sample of soil in the laboratory has been investigated as part of a program to develop a method of radon potential mapping and site investigation which can be used at any time of the year. Multiple soil and soil-gas samples were collected from sites underlain by bedrocks with widely varying radon potentials. For each geological unit, sites both free of and covered by glacial drift deposits were sampled. Soil and soil-gas samples were taken at the same depth of 60–100 cm. The effectiveness of these radon site investigation procedures has been evaluated by studying the relationship between the soil-gas radon, gamma spectrometry and radon emanation data with an independent estimate of the radon risk. The geologic radon potential (GEORP), which is the proportion of existing dwellings which exceed the UK radon Action Level (200 Bq m⁻³) for a particular combination of solid and drift geology within a defined geographic area, has been used for this study as the independent estimate of radon risk. Soil-gas radon, radon emanation and eU (equivalent uranium by field γ spectrometry) are all good geochemical indicators of radon risk (GEORP) in Derbyshire but only soil-gas radon correlates significantly with GEORP in Northamptonshire. Radon in soil gas discriminates more effectively between sites with different radon potential in Northamptonshire if soil permeability is also taken into account. In general, measurement of soil-gas radon in the field provides the most universally applicable indicator of radon potential. If soil-gas radon concentrations cannot be determined because of climatic factors, for example when the soil profile is waterlogged, measurement of radon emanation in the laboratory or measurement of eU can be used as radon potential indicators in some geological environments. This applies particularly in areas where the soil composition rather than the composition and permeability of the underlying rock or superficial deposits are the dominant controls of radon potential. It appears, therefore, that it may be necessary to use different radon site investigation methods according to the specific factors controlling radon emanation from the ground. In some cases no method will provide a reliable indicator of radon risk under unfavourable climatic conditions.     

Study of soil gas radon variations in the tectonically active Dharamshala and Chamba regions,Himachal Pradesh,India

Soil gas radon measurements were made in Chamba and Dharamshala regions of Himachal Pradesh, India, to study the correlation, if any, between the soil gas radon, radium activity concentration of soil, and the geology/active tectonics of the study region. Soil gas radon surveys were conducted around the local fault zones to check their tectonic activities using the soil gas technique. Soil gas radon activity concentration at thirty-five different locations in Dharamshala region has been found to be varying from 13.2 ± 1.5 to 110.8 ± 5.0 kBq m^?3 with a geometrical mean of 35.9 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.8. Radon activity concentration observed in the thirty-seven soil gas samples collected from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh varies from 5.2 ± 1.0 to 35.6 ± 2.5 kBq m^?3, with geometrical mean of 15.8 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.6. Average radium activity concentrations in thirty-four soil samples collected from different geological formations of Dharamshala region and Chamba region are found to be 40.4 ± 17 and 38.6 ± 1.7 Bq kg^?1, respectively. It has been observed that soil gas radon activity concentration has a wide range of variation in both Dharamshala and Chamba regions, while radium activity concentrations in soil samples are more or less same in both the regions. Moreover, soil gas radon activity concentration has a better positive correlation with the radium activity concentration in soil samples collected from Chamba region as compared to Dharamshala region.     

Assessment of soil radon potential in Hong Kong, China, using a 10-point evaluation system

Radon and its progenies have been ranked second of being responsible for lung cancer in humans. Hong Kong has four major groups of uranium-rich plutonic and volcanic rocks and is suffering from radon emanated therefrom. However, there is a lack of radon potential maps in Hong Kong to resolve the spatial distribution of radon-prone areas. A ten-point radon potential system was developed in Germany (2005) to predict radon potential using both the in situ geogenic and geographic parameters under hierarchical ranking. Primarily, the ten-point system requires the desk study of the geological environment of sampling sites, which has an advantage of saving resources and manpower in extensive radon potential mapping over the traditional soil radon concentration sampling method. This paper presents a trial of radon potential mapping in Hong Kong to further verify the system. Despite some slight departures, the system demonstrates an acceptable correlation with soil radon concentrations (R ² = 0.62–0.66) from 768 samples of mainly intermediate radon potential. Hong Kong has a mean soil radon concentrations of 58.9 kBqm^?3, while the radon potential from the ten-point system achieves an average of 4.93 out of 10 over the territory. The vicinity of fault zone showed high soil radon concentrations and potentials, which were conducive to uranium enrichment and rapid soil-gas diffusion near faults. High uranium-238 content in soil was found to cause high soil radon concentration with a large R ², 0.84. The Jurassic granite and volcanic crystal tuff cover more than 85 % of the whole Hong Kong area, and they show relatively high radon concentrations (Geometric mean 83 and 49 kBqm^?3, respectively) which are associated with their high uranium contents (Geometric mean 234 and 197 Bqkg^?1, respectively). While indoor radon concentration is an important factor for radon risk assessment, this study has not considered the correlation between indoor radon concentration and radon potential. The reason is that almost all buildings in Hong Kong are high-rise buildings where indoor radon concentrations are governed only by the radium content in the building materials and the ventilation conditions.     

The measurement of soil gases and shallow temperature for determination of active faults in a geothermal area: a case study from Ömer–Gecek,Afyonkarahisar (West Anatolia)

Afyonkarahisar is a very important geothermal province of western Anatolia and has low and medium enthalpy geothermal areas. This study has been carried out for the preparation of distribution maps of soil gases (radon and carbon dioxide) and shallow soil temperature and the exploration of permeable tectonic regions associated with geothermal systems and reveal the origins of radon and carbon dioxide gases. The western district of the study area is characterized by the high radon concentration (168.30 kBq/m³), carbon dioxide ratio (0.30%), and soil temperature (21.0 °C) values. Fethibey and Demirçevre faults, which allow the circulation of geothermal fluids, have been detected in the distribution maps of radon, carbon dioxide, and shallow depth temperature and the directions of the curves in these maps correspond to the strikes of Demirçevre faults. The effect of the fault plays an important role in the change of carbon dioxide concentration along the W-E directional geological section prepared to determine the change of soil gas and shallow depth temperature values depending on lithological differences, fault existence, and geothermal reservoir depth. On the other hand, it was determined that Rn²²² concentration and soil temperature changed as a function of geothermal reservoir depth or lithological difference. Tuffs in Köprülü volcano-sedimentary units are the main source of radon due to their higher uranium contents. Besides, the carbon dioxide in Ömer–Gecek soils has geothermal origin because of the highest carbon dioxide content (99.3%) in non-condense gas. The similarities in patterns of soil temperature, radon, and carbon dioxide indicate that the variation in soil temperatures is related to radon and carbon dioxide emissions. It is concluded that soil gas and temperature measurements can be used to determine the active faults in the initial stage of geothermal exploration successfully.     

Reconnaissance soil-gas radon survey over the faulted crystalline area of Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Tropical rain forest areas are well known for problems with geological mapping because of the dense vegetation and thick overburden. The application of soil-gas radon measurements was carried out over known and suspected fault zones in the basement terrains of Ile-Ife, southwestern Nigeria. Radon concentration in the area ranged from 25.6 to 6,227.8 pCi/l, with distinct contrasts and overlap in concentrations among soil groups derived from various rock types. Radon concentrations in the soil exhibit a strong dependence on the local geology and reflect the bedrock geochemistry. Relatively high radon soil-gas concentrations of between 4,000 and 6,227.8 pCi/l were found directly on the axis of the known and suspected strike slip faults. The use of the radon-222 technique confirms its application as a useful tool in geological and structural mapping in basement terrains largely covered by relatively thick overburdens.     

Soil radon in winter months under snowpack in Hokkaido, Japan

Soil radon (²²²Rn) has been monitored during winter months under cool-temperate deciduous stands of different surface geology in Tomakomai and in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Radon level was lower in Tomakomai of immature soil of porous volcanic ash emitted from an active volcano (Mt. Tarumae), compared with those in Sapporo of alluvial sediments. In Tomakomai, mean value of the ²²²Rn activity concentration was higher in winter (570 Bq m^?3) than in summer (350 Bq m^?3) at a depth of 1 m, which is consistent with the results in cold and dry winter reported in the literature. In contrast, soil radon decreasing with decreasing soil temperature from mid-September (5.0 kBq m^?3) remained low (2.6 kBq m^?3) under persistent snow in Sapporo, which had already been observed in the same location. Measurements of the activity concentrations of ²²²Rn in snow and in snow air as well as in soil air indicate that the small amount of ²²²Rn is released from the ground surface to the overlying snowpack with a ²²²Rn flux density of 0.4 mBq m^?2 s^?1 under thick snow cover in Sapporo.     

Soil-gas helium and surface-waves detection of fault zones in granitic bedrock

Fracture and fault networks are conduits that facilitate groundwater movement in hard-rock terrains. Soil-gas helium emanometry has been utilized in Wailapally watershed, near Hyderabad in southern India, for the detection of fracture and fault zones in a granite basement terrain having a thin regolith. Based on satellite imagery and geologic mapping, three sites were selected for detailed investigation. High spatial resolution soil-gas samples were collected at every one meter at a depth of >1.5m along 100m long profiles (3 in number). In addition, deep shear-wave images were also obtained using the multichannel analysis of surface waves. The study clearly indicates several soil-gas helium anomalies (above 200 ppb) along the profiles, where the shear-wave velocity images also show many near-surface vertical low velocity zones. We thus interpret that the soil-gas helium anomalous zones and the vertical low-velocity zones are probable traces of fault/fracture zones that could be efficient natural recharge zones and potential groundwater conduits. The result obtained from this study demonstrates the efficacy of an integrated approach of soil-gas helium and the seismic methods for mapping groundwater resource zones in granite/gneiss provinces.     

Measurement of soil-gas radon in some areas of northern Rajasthan,India

The health hazards of the radioactive gas radon on general public are well known. In order to understand the level and distribution of ²²²Rn concentrations in soil-gas in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, a ²²²Rn survey was carried out for the first time using RAD7, an electronic radon detector manufactured by Durridge Company (USA), at different locations covering a total area of 10,978 km ², having a population of approximately 20 lakh. The measurement of ²²²Rn concentration in soil-gas was carried out at four different depths (10, 40, 70, and 100 cm). The radon concentration in soil-gas for 10, 40, 70, and 100 cm depths ranged from 0.09–4.25, 0.15–6.30, 0.50–9.18, and 0.72–10.40 kBq m ^?3, respectively. The minimum value of radon concentration is observed in 33 GB village at 10 cm depth and maximum for Mohanpura village at 100 cm depth. As expected, our data show an increase of soil-gas radon concentration levels with depth. The present results are compared with the available radon data from other studies.     

Temporal variation of soil radon and thoron concentrations in Mizoram (India), associated with earthquakes

Continuous soil-gas radon and thoron measurements were carried out at 15 days interval along Mat fault in Mizoram (India), which lies in the seismic zone V of the seismic zonation map of India. The study was carried out from March 2012 to February 2013 using LR-115 Type II detectors, manufactured by Kodak Pathe, France. The effect of meteorological parameters on radon and thoron data was taken into consideration. The annual average value of radon and thoron concentration was found to be 621.21 and 590.18 Bq/m³ with a standard deviation of 377.60 and 301.34 Bq/m³, respectively. Inverse correlation coefficient was obtained between radon/thoron concentration and the meteorological parameters except in one case (thoron and relative humidity) which showed a weak positive correlation. Standard deviation method was employed in order to differentiate those anomalies which are solely caused by seismic events and not by meteorological parameters. The data obtained have been correlated with the seismic activities that occurred around the measuring site. Positive correlations were found between radon/thoron data and the earthquakes.     

断裂带土壤气测量方法在断层活动性研究中的应用——以嘉峪关断层为例

为了判断甘肃省嘉峪关断层监测点气氡浓度2015年6月以来的高值异常变化是否反映了嘉峪关断层活动的增强,本文基于土壤气跨断层分布规律,应用跨断层测量方法,通过多组分相关性分析及理论建模,综合分析了嘉峪关断层监测点气氡浓度高值异常变化与断层活动的关系。结果显示：监测点断层气中氡浓度快速增加期间,CO₂、CH₄和H₂的浓度没有增加,气氡与CO₂、CH₄浓度的变化不具正相关关系,表明监测点增加的氡气来源深部较浅,不代表断层活动的增强。监测点两侧跨断层测量结果表明,地表环境未改变一侧的氡气浓度符合断层气分布规律,地表环境发生改变一侧的氡气浓度不符合断层气分布规律,并且地表环境的改变时间与监测点气氡浓度异常变化时间同步。因此监测点气氡浓度的高值异常是由地表环境的改变引起的,嘉峪关断层的活动并没有增强。该方法为用断裂带土壤气体测量方法研究断层活动性的可靠性提供了思路。     

Basement controls on fault development in the Penola Trough,Otway Basin,and implications for fault-bounded hydrocarbon traps

The Penola Trough is an intensely faulted northwest – southeast-trending half-graben structure. It is bound to the south by the major listric Hungerford/Kalangadoo Fault system. Several large prominent faults observed in the Penola Trough show offset of basement at depth. These basement-rooted faults have exerted significant controls on the geometry of smaller intra-rift faults throughout the entire structural history of the area. Faulting of the basement was initiated during the initial rift event of the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous. Faulting first propagated through a pre-existing basement fabric oblique to the north – south extension direction prevalent during this time. This resulted in the formation of the Hungerford/Kalangadoo and St George Faults with a northwest – southeast and north-northeast – south-southwest trend, respectively. A series of east – west-trending basement faults subsequently initiated perpendicular to the north – south extension direction as extensional strain increased in magnitude. Significant displacement along these basement-rooted faults throughout the initial rift event was associated with the formation of a complex set of intra-rift faults. These intra-rift faults exhibit a broadly east – west orientation consistent with the interpreted north – south extensional direction. However, this east – west orientation locally deviates to a more northwest – southeast direction near the oblique-trending St George Fault, attributed to stress perturbation effects. Many of the intra-rift faults die out prior to the end of the Early Cretaceous initial rift event while displacement on basement faults continued throughout. Faulting activity during the Late Cretaceous post-rift fault event was almost exclusively localised onto basement faults, despite a significant change in extension direction to northeast – southwest. A high-density, en échelon array of northwest – southeast-trending fault segments formed directly above the St George Fault and the large east – west-trending basement faults contemporaneously reactivated. Seismic variance data show that post-rift fault segments that are hard-linked to the St George Fault at depth have propagated through near-surface units. Non-basement-linked post-rift fault segments that lie away from the St George basement have not. This suggests that recent fault activity has continued to occur preferentially along basement faults up to relatively recent times, which has significant implications for fault seal integrity in the area. This is empirically validated by our structural analysis of fault-dependent hydrocarbon traps in the area, which shows that partially breached or breached hydrocarbon columns are associated with basement faults, whereas unbreached hydrocarbon columns are not.     

Soil gas radon concentrations along the Ganos Fault (GF)

In this study, soil radon levels have been measured for the first time across the Ganos fault (GF), which is known as the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. LR 115 Type 2 Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (time integrated) have been applied to determine soil gas radon levels, and the survey was performed in 16 stations along the fault line. The results showed that soil gas radon concentrations and variation of concentration levels are comparable high along the fault line. It is also observed that in the middle of the Ganos Fault, fairly elevated radon levels were detected. These can be related to the activity of the fault lines. It is confirmed that the study area has a very active tectonic structure and is great location for analyzing radon variations.     

河南卢氏盆地黄村断裂土壤氡气测量及断裂活动性分析

本文是为了确定在卢氏盆地内被第四系覆盖的黄村断裂的位置、断裂性质,分析黄村断裂与其北侧的乔家窑地热异常的关系。断裂构造是深部氡气汇集和迁移的主要通道,氡气沿断裂向上迁移,在地表浅部形成氡异常。土壤氡气异常可揭示隐伏断裂构造的位置、产状和活动性。黄村断裂通过卢氏乔家窑一带,为第四系沉积物所覆盖。沿垂直断裂走向方向布置4条测线。应用瞬时土壤测氡仪进行了野外现场测量,测试了土壤氡气浓度,确定土壤氡气异常,分析黄村断裂位置、产状和活动性。结果表明:黄村断裂带上方土壤氡气具有异常显示,异常位置与断层位置具有较好的一致性。沿QJ12测线,从南向北,土壤氡气异常形态为低-高-较高-较低-低的峰值形态。在断层带上方氡气峰值异常高于背景值的1.5倍以上,异常峰多数为2个测点以上组成。土壤氡气变化特征表明黄村断裂具有较强的活动性。利用土壤氡气异常分析了黄村断裂深部结构特征,给出了主断裂面与次级断裂面产状和位置。结合土壤氡气异常,分析了乔家地热形成机理。初步研究结果表明,豫西基底构造具有多期活动性,活化区域内的压扭性断裂,可转变为局部张性断裂,控制水热、成矿物质的迁移和富集。     

Interpretation of radon anomalies in seismotectonic and tectonic-gravitational settings: the south-eastern Crati graben (Northern Calabria, Italy)

The study area is located in the south-eastern part of the Crati valley (Northern Calabria, Italy), which is a graben bordered by N–S trending normal faults and crossed by NW–SE normal left-lateral faults. Numerous severe crustal earthquakes have affected the area in historical time. Present-day seismic activity is mainly related to the N–S faults located along the eastern border of the graben. In this area, much seismically induced deep-seated deformation has also been recognised.In the present paper, radon concentrations in soil gas have been measured and compared with (a) lithology, (b) Quaternary faults, (c) historical and instrumental seismicity, and (d) deep-seated deformation.The results highlight the following:

(a) There is no evidence of a strong correlation between lithology and the radon anomalies.

(b) A clear correlation between the N–S geometry of radon anomalies and the orientation of main fault systems has been recognised, except in the southernmost part of the area, where the radon concentrations are strongly affected by the superposition of the N–S and the NW–SE fault systems.

(c) Epicentral zones of instrumental and historical earthquakes correspond to the highest values of radon concentrations, probably indicating recent activated fault segments. In particular, high radon values occur in the zones struck by earthquakes in 1835, 1854, and 1870.

(d) Deep-seated gravitational deformation generally coincides with zones characterised by low radon concentrations.

In the studied area, the anisotropic distribution of radon concentrations is congruent with the presence of neotectonic features and deep-seated gravitational phenomena. The method used in this study could profitably contribute towards either seismic risk or deep-seated gravitational deformation analyses.     

基于土壤氡气测量识别甘肃北山南缘隐伏断裂

我国高放废物地质处置库首选预选区位于甘肃北山南缘，区内分布有多条大型非活动断裂构造，这些断裂很可能成为未来放射性核素迁移的主要通道。断裂在向地表延伸过程中，受第四系覆盖等因素影响，造成关键构造部位隐伏地下而难以识别。本文以北山地区新场地段南部红旗山和前红泉断裂为研究对象，采用土壤中氡气测量方法，探讨了大型断裂构造中隐伏段落的识别及其指示的水文地质意义。结果表明：土壤中氡气测量对于识别北山南缘隐伏断裂具有很好的指示意义，是传统地质调查方法的一种重要补充；红旗山和前红泉断裂裂隙系统整体开启性均较差，裂隙系统不发育，影响范围较小，不具备形成较大规模储水空间的可能性。不同断裂带土壤氡浓度背景值差异较大，可根据土壤氡浓度累积频率分布图确定背景值；土壤氡浓度等值线分布图对判断隐伏断裂位置具有一定的指示作用。对于压剪性断裂而言，主断裂多沿氡气高异常与低异常边界分布或表现为氡气中等异常，而两侧的次级断裂表现为氡气高异常。     

The North Aegean region: a tectonic paradox?

In the past two decades, several publications have been presented concerning the recent and active fault geometry, kinematics and geodynamics of the Aegean Region and particularly of the northern sector. Data and results are often contradictory and because of the complexity of the area most hypotheses and models should be considered carefully. The right-lateral movement of the North Anatolia Fault continues into some branches of the North Aegean fault system. There, strike-slip motion along NE–SW trending faults coexists with dip-slip E–W trending faults in the frame of an extensional regime related to N–S crustal stretching. If we take into account the geodynamic environment of the region, several mechanical problems arise. To the east, the Aegean is compressed by the westward convergence of Anatolia, while to the south and west along the Hellenic Arc, a hemiradial compression occurs due to subduction. Although the North Anatolia–North Aegean Trough fault system resembles a restraining bend, the whole area is in fact affected by pure extension and local transtension, along NE–SW trending structures. Accordingly, the major paradox of the area and especially in the western sector (fault termination?) is the occurrence of extension where compression should regionally, or at least locally, predominate.     

龙泉山断裂带隐伏断层氡气特征及其活动性分析

龙泉山断裂构造带作为龙门山推覆带的前陆隆起,严格控制了成都平原东边界,其活动性历来受到人们的关注。通过对龙泉山断裂带的氡气进行测量,可以有效地判断隐伏断层的位置及其活动性。测量结果显示,龙泉山断裂带北段东坡活动性强于西坡,主断层的活动性明显强于边缘隐伏断层,4条断层的活动性由强到弱依次为合兴场断层红花塘断层龙泉驿断层松林场断层。龙泉山断裂带同一条断层在地表由多个破碎带组成,其氡气异常特征与断层活动性和破碎带特征呈正相关性,即断层活动性越强,氡气异常特征越显著。龙泉山断裂带氡气平均异常浓度是背景值的9.6倍,将各异常带峰值浓度与背景值进行对比分析,大致归纳出了龙泉山地区隐伏断层活动性的相对判别标准。     

Spatial radon anomalies on active faults in California

Radon emanation has been observed to be anomalously high along active faults in many parts of the world. We tested this relationship by conducting and repeating soil-air radon surveys with a portable radon meter across several faults in California. The results confirm the existence of fault-associated radon anomalies, which show characteristic features that may be related to fault structures but vary in time due to other environmental changes, such as rainfall. Across two creeping faults in San Juan Bautista and Hollister, the radon anomalies showed prominent double peaks straddling the fault-gouge zone during dry summers, but the peak-to-background ratios diminished after significant rain fall during winter. Across a locked segment of the San Andreas fault near Olema, the anomaly has a single peak located several meters southwest of the slip zone associated with the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Across two fault segments that ruptured during the magnitude 7.5 Landers earthquake in 1992, anomalously high radon concentration was found in the fractures three weeks after the earthquake. We attribute the fault-related anomalies to a slow vertical gas flow in or near the fault zones. Radon generated locally in subsurface soil has a concentration profile that increases three orders of magnitude from the surface to a depth of several meters; thus an upward flow that brings up deeper and radon-richer soil air to the detection level can cause a significantly higher concentration reading. This explanation is consistent with concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen, measured in soil-air samples collected during one of the surveys.     

Role of transverse strike-slip faults in the structure of the Karpinsky Ridge and their kinematics

The segmented structure of the Karpinsky Ridge is determined by NE-trending transverse strikeslip faults with offsets of approximately 30–40 km. The newly recognized Pribrezhny Fault and the well-known Agrakhan Fault are the largest. A new correlation scheme for structural elements of the ridge’s eastern segment and its underwater continuation is proposed with account of offset along the Pribrezhny Fault. According to this scheme, the Semenovsky Trough rather than the Dzhanai Trough is an onshore continuation of the underwater Zyudevsky Trough. The uplift located south of the Zyudevsky Trough is correlated with the Promyslovy-Tsubuk Swell offset along the Pribrezhny Fault. In turn, this uplift is displaced along the right-lateral strike-slip fault that coincides with the Agrakhan Fault. The transverse faults were formed during the Early Permian collision related to the closure of the basin, which was presumably underlain by the oceanic crust. The faults were active during the Early Triassic rifting and Late Triassic inversion. Judging from the map of the surface of the Maikop sediments, the Agrakhan Fault does not cross the Terek-Caspian Trough. Bending arcwise, the fault joins a system of right-lateral strike-slip faults that border the Daghestan Wedge in the east. A system of rightlateral strike-slip faults may also be traced along the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The Agrakhan Fault as a northern element of this system functioned mostly in the Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic in connection with the formation of the fold-thrust structure of the Karpinsky Ridge. In the east the faults of the southern segment bound the Caucasus syntaxis of the Alpine Belt; they have retained their activity to the present day.     

Study of radon in soil gas,trace elements and climatic parameters around South Kordofan state,Sudan

This study was conducted primarily to measure and map radon activity concentration in soil gas and to understand the effect of geology and lithology and meteorology on radon concentration. Portable radon meter has been used for the measurement of soil gas radon at 30 different locations around Uro and Korn area in eastern Nuba Mountain South Kordofan State. The results indicate that the activity concentrations of ²²²Rn in soil gas fall within the range of 20–1,359 Bq/m³ with geometric mean of 102.80 Bq/cm³. The obtained data show that samples around Uro have anomaly of ²²²Rn concentrations than the sample around Korn. The reason could be attributed to differences in the geological structure, lithology and climate parameters. GIS predicative map has shown that the elevated levels of radon concentration were measured in North study area. Upon comparing the results with global data, it was found that the obtained values are far below the reported range of India, Slovenia, Portugal and Syria. However, the range of ²²²Rn concentrations in the soil observed in this study is significantly high relative to similar data reported from Libya. The regression analysis has shown that no correlation was noted between radon concentrations, climatic parameters and trace element.