Evaluation of radiation dose due to naturally occurring radionuclides in rock samples of different origins collected from Azad Kashmir

The state of Azad Kashmir is rich in three types of rocks, namely, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. These rocks contain extensive deposits of graphite, marble, limestone, quartzite, granite, dolerite, and sandstone, which are widely used for the construction of dwellings in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. Therefore, knowledge about the presence of natural radioactivity in these materials is desirable to assess the radiological hazards associated with it. In this context, 30 rock samples were collected from different geologic formations of the Muzaffarabad Division, Azad Kashmir. After processing the samples, the specific activities of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰ K in them were measured using a P-type coaxial high-purity germanium detector. The observed highest dose rate values for sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks have been found to be 83.16 ± 1.08, 135.87 ± 1.18, and 115.98 ± 1 nGy ⋅ h^–1, respectively. The radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq) varied from 23.76 ± 1.15 for dolerite sample (igneous rock) to 293.69 ± 2.60 Bq ⋅ kg^–1 for marble (metamorphic rock). The Ra_eq values of all rock samples are lower than the limit mentioned in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 1979) report (370 Bq ⋅ kg^–1, equivalent to γ-dose of 1.5 mSv ⋅ y^–1). The values of external (H_ex) and internal hazard indices (H_in) are less than unity. The mean outdoor and indoor annual effective dose equivalents are 0.073 mSv ⋅ y^–1 and 0.29 mSv ⋅ y^–1, respectively. The mean (over all types of rock samples) annual effective dose equivalent is reported as 0.36 mSv ⋅ y^–1.     

Displacement and strain patterns from naturally occurring shear zone terminations

Strain distribution patterns are described from several naturally occurring ductile shear zone terminations and a two-fold classification is suggested. Type I termination patterns show a symmetrical decrease in strain area and intensity, and are associated with very low shear strain (ψ) values in the main shear zone. The more common Type II termination patterns show a symmetrical increase in strain area with decrease in strain intensity. Some brittle-ductile examples of Type II terminations contain secondary shears that resemble splay faults. All the available evidence suggests that the deformation near the terminations of these shear zones is not plane strain, nor do the observed strain patterns readily fit the existing theoretical models.     

Analysis of terrestrial naturally occurring radionuclides in soil samples from some areas of Sirsa district of Haryana,India using gamma ray spectrometry

The activity concentration and the gamma-absorbed dose rates of the terrestrial naturally occurring radionuclides (²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K) were determined in soil samples collected from ten different locations of Sirsa district of Haryana, using HPGe detector based on high-resolution gamma spectrometry system. The range of activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the soil samples from the studied areas varies from 19.18 Bq kg⁻¹ (Moriwala) to 40.31 Bq kg⁻¹ (Rori), 59.43 Bq kg⁻¹ (Pipli) to 89.54 Bq kg⁻¹ (Fatehpur) and 223.22 Bq kg⁻¹ (Moriwala) to 313.32 Bq kg⁻¹ (SamatKhera) with overall mean values of 27.94, 72.75 and 286.73 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. The absorbed dose rate calculated from activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranges between 8.84 and 18.58, 37.02 and 55.78, and 9.24 and 12.97 nGy h⁻¹, respectively. The total absorbed dose in the study area ranges from 60.40 to 82.15 nGy h⁻¹ with an average value of 70.12 nGy h⁻¹. The calculated values of external hazard index (H _ex) for the soil samples of the study area range from 0.36 to 0.49 with an average value of 0.42.     

Composition and structural aspects of naturally occurring ferrihydrite

A series of naturally occurring ferrihydrites sampled from an acid mine drainage environment were characterized and compared with synthetic 2-line ferrihydrite using high energy X-ray total scattering and pair distribution function analysis, Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), BET N₂ surface area measurements, and chemical extractions in order to place constraints on their structural and physical properties as a function of composition. Overall, the short- and intermediate-range ordering of the natural samples is comparable to synthetic ferrihydrite. However, with increasing Al, Si, and organic matter contents, a decrease in particle size and an increase in structural disorder were observed. Silica is suspected to have a pronounced effect on the crystallinity of ferrihydrite as a result of its inhibitory effect on Fe polymerization and particle growth, and it is likely complexed at the surfaces of ferrihydrite nanoparticles. Aluminum, on the other hand may substitute for Fe³⁺ in natural ferrihydrite. Organic matter is pervasive and intimately associated with ferrihydrite aggregates, and its presence during ferrihydrite precipitation may have contributed to additional structural disorder. The increase in impurity content affects not only the particle size and structural order of ferrihydrite but may also have a significant effect on its surface reactivity.     

Laboratory analysis of a naturally occurring gas hydrate from sediment of the Gulf of Mexico

Intact natural gas hydrate of structure II made up more than 80% of the water present in nearbottom core material recovered from the Gulf of Mexico. Solid-state carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance with magic-angle spinning gave resolved lines from ethane, propane and isobutane and apparently from methane in the two sizes of cage in the hydrate lattice. Low-temperature dielectric loss peaks were assigned to reorientation of encaged propane, isobutane, H₂S and CO₂ molecules.     

Controls on chemistry and diagenesis of naturally occurring iron-oxide phases

The purposes of this study were to (i) document chemical and mineralogical compositions in two naturally acidic drainages over a 1 m soil profile, (ii) document organic and inorganic signatures representative of past chemical or biological processes in the soils, and (iii) determine whether mineralogical and chemical differences are a consequence of differences in original composition, depositional conditions, or diagenesis. Two sites were studied: Paymaster Creek in the Heddleston Mining District near Lincoln, Montana and the New World Mining District near Cooke City, Montana. The oldest deposits at both naturally acidic sites pre-date human mining activity by several thousand years, although there is recent human activity at both sites. Both sites have streams with high dissolved Fe and moderately low pH and actively accumulate schwertmannite on streambeds. Soil deposits away from the streambed at Paymaster Creek contained goethite with adsorbed sulfate, but no schwertmannite, suggesting either that the original conditions precluded schwertmannite precipitation or that diagenesis occurred rapidly converting the schwertmannite to goethite. The New World Mining District site showed the expected profile, which is a gradual transition from schwertmannite- and goethite-bearing soils to goethite-only soils. Concentrations of Cr, As and other trace elements shown to retard diagenesis were higher at the New World site than at the Paymaster site.     

Radiological risk assessment of naturally occurring radioactive materials in marine sediments and its application in industrialized coastal areas: Bay of Algeciras,Spain

Radioactivity levels in aquatic environments can be assessed through the study of superficial sediments. Anthropogenic activities may alter radioactivity levels leading to the anomalous accumulation of natural radionuclides in coastal areas. In this work, marine sediments from a significant area subjected to severe industrial development were collected in order to measure activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K by gamma spectrometry. Radium equivalent index (Ra_eq), absorbed gamma dose rate in air (D) and annual effective dose equivalent (H) were also calculated and used as risk assessment tools. Results showed low levels of radioactivity in marine sediments from the Bay of Algeciras, discarding any significant radiological risks. Furthermore, the obtained data set could be used as background levels for future research applications and development of environmental regulatory frameworks.     

High heat producing radioactive granites of malani igneous suite at northeast of Jodhpur,northwestern India

The Malani igneous suite, a terrain showing crustal formation as late as in Neoproterozoic, shows some pink and grey granites in the northeast of the desert city of Jodhpur, in northwestern, India. The average heat generation value of 15.925 HGU for these granites that is much higher than the average known value (3.8 HGU) for the continental crust has been reported here. The concentration of uranium determined is four times higher than the average continental crust. Thorium is still higher than U and K. The radioelement concentration (Ur) varies from 15.58 to 73.48 in the granites with an average of 45.671, clearly indicates a ‘hot crust’. Hence it is favourable for the formation of mineralization of HFS elements like, Nb, Ce, REE and U and Th, which need to be explored in the terrain as an economic deposit.     

An electron microscopy study of naturally occurring oxidation produced precipitates in iron-bearing olivines

Iron-bearing olivine grains naturally altered by oxidation were examined in the transmission electron microscope to determine the precipitate phases and their crystallographic and morphological relationships to the host. Precipitate complexes heterogeneously nucleated on dislocations were composed of Si-rich, Mg-rich/Si-rich, and Fe-rich regions corresponding to - tridymite, enstatite, and magnetite and/or hematite, respectively. The tridymite and magnetite (hematite) occurred as rod-like interleaved fingers, while the enstatite was more equidimensional. The crystal orientations of the precipitate phases with respect to the host structure, listed in Table 2, were well defined, but, in general, could not be simply related to the close packing of oxygen planes. Iron-rich (001) planar precipitates occasionally nucleated homogeneously in the host as well as heterogeneously on dislocations. Oxygen diffusion does not appear to be the rate-controlling process for precipitate nucleation and growth as precipitation kinetics in fresh olivine oxidized at 900 ° C would indicate an oxygen diffusivity of 10^–8 cm²/sec, a value 10 orders of magnitude faster than determined previously.     

Quantification of groundwater discharge into lakes using radon-222 as naturally occurring tracer

A case study was carried out with the aim to practically test whether estimates of groundwater discharge rates into dredging lakes can be made via an uncomplicated and straightforward technique using radon-222 as naturally-occurring groundwater tracer. Lake Ammelshainer See, a dredging, seepage lake, approximately 25 km east of Leipzig, Germany, was chosen as the investigation site. In order to evaluate changes in the spatial and temporal radon-222 patterns in the lake during different stages of stratification, sampling campaigns were conducted in April 2007 (well mixed stage) and in May 2007 (thermal stratification stage). Groundwater flow estimates were made using a radon mass balance approach accounting for all radon fluxes into and out of the lake and assuming steady-state conditions with respect to these radon fluxes. Once all positive and negative radon fluxes related to the lake water volume were determined, groundwater discharge was estimated by using the advective radon input and the radon activity concentration of the pore water as key parameters. The results showed that in case of a lake with a size and shape of Lake Ammelshainer See (530,000 m²) reasonable groundwater discharge estimates can be made by collection and analyzing just a few water samples and a few samples from the sediment layer.     

Synthesis of radioactive isotopes and gamma radiation in nova outbursts

The range of abundances of radioactive nuclei in material ejected during novae is derived from kinetic calculations of thermonuclear burning in a hydrogen-rich, single-zone envelope at the surface of a CO or ONeMg dwarf. The total amount of radioactive N, O, and F isotopes in the envelope is approximately equal to the mass of CO in the dwarf that is admixed during accretion and/or the outburst. The mass fraction of synthesized ¹⁸F is 10^?3–10^?2. In the case of ONeMg dwarfs, the abundances of ²²Na and ²⁶Al are substantially higher and reach several percent and one percent of the mass, respectively. We derived light curves in the annihilation line from short-lived NOF-isotopes and studied the effect of varying the envelope parameters. The light curves are most sensitive to the degree of mixing of the radioactive isotopes in the envelope. Even having as little as 1% of unmixed material in the outer layer results in appreciable suppression of the first luminosity peak due to radioactive NO isotopes. The second luminosity peak, due to ¹⁸F decay, is appreciably suppressed only when the relative mass of unmixed material in the outer layer exceeds 10%. We suggest observations of the ¹⁸F annihilation-line flux with independent observational estimates of the ¹⁸F mass in the ejected envelope as a means to determine the degree of mixing and the mass of synthesized ¹⁸O. Calculations of the synthesis of ²²Na and ²⁶Al isotopes are compared to estimates of the masses of these isotopes in the envelopes of novae derived from observations of their gamma radiation.     

天成奇石——美丽清江石地质成因探秘

产于湖北清江流域泥盆纪云台观组的清江石因其独特"形、质、色、纹、韵"而在国内观赏石中占据重要地位,具有丰富的观赏价值和经济价值.艳丽斑斓的色彩与丰富灵动的纹理图案成就了清江石之美.清江石以紫、红、绿、灰白为主,色彩差异由沉积时期和成岩期Fe2+、Fe3+含量变化所决定,成岩期后的铁质浸柒使之进一步明显.清江画面石的纹理主要分为线型、条带型、梳型和斑块型等四种,一种或多种纹理的随机组合构成了清江画面石的美丽图案.线型纹理主要为生物扰动或铁质浸染充填成因;条带型纹理是板状交错层理、楔状交错层理、平行层理、沙纹层理等沉积构造的呈现;梳型纹理主要是碟状构造、沙纹层理、铁质浸染充填的表现;斑块型纹理为成岩期后铁锰质浸柒充填的结果.     

Dynamics of sediment and contaminant transport in the Hudson River estuary: Evidence from sediment distributions of naturally occurring radionuclides

Near surface (<10 cm) sediment distributions of²³⁴Th sampled multiple times at five locations along the axis of the Hudson Estuary from the Upper Bay of New York to Haverstraw Bay are compared with²¹⁰Pb data from longer cores at the same locations. The comparison indicates that while there is little net sediment accumulation anywhere except at one location in the Upper Bay, near surface sediment in this reach of the estuary is mobile on short (months) time scales. The sediment appears to be physically mixed rather than bioturbated. Comparison of the sediment inventories of²³⁴Th with calculated water column production indicates short time scale (months) variability in²³⁴Th deposition. Some parts of the bottom have²³⁴Th inventories in excess of local production but these appear to be balanced by²³⁴Th deficient areas, resulting in a general equilibrium. Sediment inventories of Pb, Cu, and Zn normalized to²¹⁰Pb show no evidence of a uniquely urban source of these metals to the lower estuary. Silver distributions in sediment indicate a possible source of silver from New York City, probably related to sewage inputs.     

Mechanisms of OH defect incorporation in naturally occurring,hydrothermally formed diopside and jadeite

The IR spectrum of an alpine, hydrothermally formed diopside containing 17 wt ppm H₂O consists of three main OH absorption bands centred at 3647, 3464 and 3359 cm⁻¹. Jadeite from a Californian vein occurrence is characterised by bands at 3616 and 3557 cm⁻¹ and contains about 197 wt ppm H₂O. Based on the pleochroic scheme of the OH absorption bands in diopside, OH defect incorporation models are derived on the basis of fully occupied cation sites and under the assumption of M1 and M2 site vacancies; OH defects replacing O2 oxygen atoms are most common. The less pronounced OH pleochroism and the broad band absorption pattern of jadeite indicate a high degree of OH defect disordering. The pleochroic scheme of the main absorption bands at 3616 and 3557 cm⁻¹ implies partial replacement of O2 oxygen atoms by OH dipoles pointing to vacant Si sites. Under the assumption of M1 and M2 site vacancies, O1–H and O2–H defects are also derivable. OH incorporation modes assuming Si-vacancies should be considered for jadeite-rich clinopyroxenes formed in deep crust and upper mantle regions.     

Phosphate removal from water by naturally occurring shale,sandstone, and laterite: The role of iron oxides and of soluble species

Aqueous phosphate removal by three geomaterials from Ivory Coast was evaluated to determine their potential application as low-cost phosphate adsorbents in wastewater treatment. Batch experiments showed that phosphate uptake strongly depended on pH. Laterite and sandstone dissolution was less pronounced compared to shale. A correlation between concentrations of aqueous cation species released from shale and phosphate uptake was observed. The kinetics were well described using the pseudo-second-order model. Isotherms displayed a saturation level on shale, while phosphate uptake continuously increased for laterite and sandstone. The removal efficiency decreased in the following ranking order: laterite > sandstone > shale. Laterite was also the most efficient adsorbent in column experiments. The high phosphate removal efficiency of laterite (8.3 mg PO₄ g^?1) was attributed to the presence of superparamagnetic low grain sizes of goethite. Laterite is a particularly promising material for further investigation in wastewater treatment technology such as constructed wetlands.     

Laboratory technique for quantitative thermal emissivity measurements of geological samples

Thermal infrared spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the compositional analysis of geological materials. The spectral feature in the mid-IR region is diagnostic of the mineralogy and spectral signatures of mixtures of minerals that add linearly, and therefore, can be used as an important tool to determine the mineralogy of rocks in the laboratory and remotely for planetary exploration. The greatest challenge in the emission measurement lies in the measurement of the weak thermal photons emitted from geological materials in a laboratory setup, and accurately records the temperature of the rock sample. The present work pertains to the details of a new Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) laboratory that has been developed under the ISRO Planetary Science and Exploration (PLANEX) programme, for emission related mineralogical investigations of planetary surfaces. The focus of the paper is on the acquisition and calibration technique for obtaining emissivity, and the deconvolution procedure to obtain the modal abundances of the thermal emission spectra in the range of 6–25 μm using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The basic technique is adopted from the work of Ruff et al (1997). This laboratory at the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT-Bombay is currently developing pure end mineral library of mineral particulates (<65 μm), and adding new end members to the existing ASU spectral library. The paper argues the need for considering Lunar Orbiter Thermal Emission Spectrometer (LOTES) for future Indian Moon mission programme (Chandrayan-II) to determine evidences of varied lithologies on the lunar surface.     

Gamma radiation levels in the villages of South Konkan,Maharashtra, India

Ambient gamma radiation study was carried out in South Konkan using thermo luminescent dosimeters (TLDs). A statistical analysis was carried out to understand the distribution of gamma radiation in the study area. The annual effective doses (AEDs) received by the local population from the selected villages were 0.31 and 0.09 mSv year^?1 for indoor and outdoor locations, respectively. For indoor conditions, the maximum dose rate occurred for winter season and the minimum occurred in monsoon season while for outdoor conditions the maximum dose rate occurred in spring season and minimum occurred in the monsoon season. The terrestrial radioactivity in the corresponding villages was measured by a HpGe detector. The radiation hazard indices like absorbed dose rate in air (D), radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), external hazard index (H _ex) and internal hazard index (H _in), and AED were calculated using soil radioactivity data. The minimum absorbed dose rate in air (33.97 nGy h^?1) corresponds to the Dale village and the maximum (101.86 nGy h^?1) corresponds to the Mithgawane village. Radiation hazard indices as Ra_eq, H _ex, and H _in were found to be within the limit. The average AED from natural radionuclides was found to be lower than the worldwide value. The AEDs of this study were compared with previous studies carried out worldwide. A positive correlation was observed for the absorbed dose rate in air and the activity concentration of U-238, Th-232, and K-40. A positive correlation between activity concentrations of U-238, Th-232, and K-40 was also observed. The comparison between the AEDs calculated using absorbed dose measured by TLDs and the values calculated from soil’s gamma spectrometry showed some variation in the villages of South Konkan.     

Sensitivity analysis for the effects of meteorological and radioactive release conditions on radiation doses from nuclear power plant accidents

This paper briefly reviews several large-scale modeling systems for nuclear power plant accidents in the United States, and summarizes our recent modeling results for the effects of key meteorological conditions, radioactive release characteristics, and evacuation strategies on radiation doses. This work was intended to be useful in the formulation of emergency plans for nuclear power plant accidents. The sensitivity analyses establish a scale for comparing impacts at various locations and over time depending on the variation of those key parameters, and have clear implications for emergency planning.