Anomalous soil radon fluctuations – signal of earthquakes in Nepal and eastern India regions

The present paper deals with pre-seismic soil radon-222 recorded at two different locations 200 m apart, at Jadavpur University main campus, Kolkata, India. Solid state nuclear track detector method is used for detection of the radioactive radon gas. Two simultaneous 4-month long time series data have been analysed. Anomalous fluctuations in the radon datasets have been observed prior to recent earthquakes in Nepal and eastern India during the monitoring period, mainly, the massive 25th April 7.8 M Nepal earthquake. The simultaneous measurements assist in identifying seismogenic radon precursor efficiently.     

喀斯特洞穴氡研究综述

氡对人体健康的影响向来是医学、化学、核物理学等学科的研究热点。近年来学术界虽然对喀斯特洞穴氡的来源(岩石、地下水)、氡浓度的影响因素(地质因素、洞体结构、洞内外气象参数)、氡浓度的测量(测量对象、测量仪器及方法)、氡的危害、氡的防治(隔离氡气渗入途径、排风通氡、控制洞穴内停留时间减少吸入量、加强监测)等方面开展了研究并取得了不少的成果,但对于喀斯特洞穴氡的形成机理、喀斯特洞穴氡测量标准的制定及有效剂量的估算、喀斯特洞穴氡的防治技术及员工的健康管理等方面的研究还比较薄弱,有待加强。      

The status quo of radon concentrations and mitigation measures in underground working places of China

1Introduction Radonisaradioactivegasarisingfromtheurani umdecaychain,andisthelargestsinglesourceofra diationexposuretothepopulation(Fovtetal.,1999).Highradonexposureshavebeenshownto causelungcancer(JonMiles,1998),anditiscom monlybelievedthatthegreatertheexposureofradon radiation,thegreatertheriskofdevelopinglungcanc er(YangWenjieetal.,1999).Theairradoncomes mainlyfromundergroundsoilandconstructionmateri als.Ingeneral,222Rnhasthehighestlevelinthebase mentsandundergroundspacesthatareincontact…     

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.     

Radioactive elements in natural gas: a case study on distribution of gaseous 222radon and its origin mechanism

As natural gas becomes increasingly important in our daily life, studies have been carried out on trace elements such as mercury and arsenic within it. Other than those, the existence of radioactive gaseous radon from the combustion of natural gas indoors can cause severe diseases and damages to body organs, putting a hazardous impact on human health. At the same time, the radon can also corrode gas production and transportation equipment. A review of the literature on radon concentrations in natural gas produced from gas reservoirs in China and other countries have been studied. Radon is a decay product from ²³⁸U, which is closely related to the accumulation and migration of organic matter during diagenesis. Gas recovered from reservoirs with higher than average natural ²³⁸U contains higher than average levels of ²²²Rn. Massive fault systems and fracture zones appear to play a significant role in radon concentrations in natural gas.     

某铀矿山环境空气中氡污染现状调查

介绍了2005～2008年期间,用REM-III型氡析出率仪和DHZM-I型氡及其子体连续监测仪对某铀矿山的工作场所和居民区分别进行土壤(岩石)氡析出率和环境空气中氡浓度的测量,并应用适当的估算模式估算氡吸入所致公众年有效剂量。结果表明,随着对辐射环境治理工作的加强和人们环保意识的提高,在所监测的工作场所中,大部分监测点的氡浓度没有超过国家规定的限值;在居民区,也没有发现任何监测点的个人剂量超过核工业辐射环境质量评价规定的限值。     

土壤氡气测量在鄂尔多斯盆地西缘砂岩型铀矿勘查中的应用

在鄂尔多斯盆地某矿床进行土壤Rn测量条件试验的基础上,对鄂尔多斯盆地西缘研究区进行了区域测量工作。通过对数据处理,划分出5片具有成矿远景的异常区,并对异常进行评价解释,为钻探施工提供了重要的参考依据。研究结果表明,土壤Rn测量方法能够在盆地区域范围内划分出异常区,是一种快速评价砂岩型铀矿化的重要地球化学勘查方法。     

氡气测量在佳木斯城市地下热水普查的应用

在佳木斯城区地下热水调查中,运用了水中氡活度浓度测量和土壤氡活度浓度测量综合方法,有效地克服了城市地热地质调查中的不利因素。通过对水中氡活度浓度及土壤氡活度浓度测量值的正态化变换以及原始氡活度浓度异常分析,明确了氡活度浓度异常对地下热水控制构造的指示作用。通过对氡活度浓度测量值的趋势分析,提取局部异常,综合各种异常信息,确定了城区地下热水的有利远景区。     

Correlation of soil radon and uranium with indoor radon in the Albuquerque,New Mexico area

High indoor radon in approximately 30 percent of private dwellings in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area has been reported previously. The present study explains the areas of high indoor radon as a function of different soil and/or bedrock in the area. Soils were sampled during summer and winter periods using alpha track radon detectors. The values range from 40 to 890 pCi/I air at a depth of 38 cm. The gross mean average is 360 pCi/I for the area for summer readings and 200 pCi/I for winter readings; both values are well over the average U.S. soil radon values of approximately 100 pCi/I. Analyses of soil uranium show a range in values of 1–6 ppm, with a mean of 3.1 ppm. Thorium values range from 3.3 to 28.8 ppm, and Th/U ratios range from 2.9 to 4.6.These values for U, Th, and Th/U suggest that soil U and Th are close to the values reported for the Sandia granite, the source of most of the pediment on which Albuquerque is built. Soil infiltration rates range from ~6 × 10^–4 to 4.5 × 10^–3 cm/sec for the samples, and soil moisture content ranges from 1.4 to 7.2 percent. A fair correlation of summer soil radon with infiltration rate is noted. Correlation of soil radon with moisture content and/or with percent silt, silt + clay, clay size fraction material is not established by this study. Soil radon values do correlate with regions in the Albuquerque area where high indoor radon is common. A better correlation of high indoor radon values with soils developed immediately over bedrock is observed. Furthermore, all values of average soil and indoor radon increase significantly with proximity of the stations to the Sandia Mountains. Soil uranium also shows this trend. The data argue that regions of potentially high radon can thus be identified.     

Groundwater radon anomalies associated with earthquakes

Earthquake-related changes in groundwater radon have been detected at a sensitive observation site located right on a major active fault in Northeast Japan. A time-series analysis based on Bayesian statistics was successfully applied to remove background variations from the observed radon data, enabling us to examine the earthquake-related changes in detail.

We set a simple criterion of amplitude and duration for an anomaly observed in our radon data; we define an anomaly as a radon change that kept its level beyond 2σ (a standard deviation over the whole observation period) during a period longer than one day. We have observed 20 radon anomalies that satisfied this criterion from January 1984 to December 1988. Most of these anomalies have turned out to be related to large earthquakes that occurred in East Japan and its surrounding area; we have identified 12 post-seismic and 2-pre-seismic radon anomalies out of a total of 30 earthquakes with magnitude M 6.0 and hypocentral distance D 1000 km.

The typical pattern of the post-seismic anomalies is a radon decrease which started just after an earthquake, lasting for periods ranging from a few days to more than one week. The amplitude of the post-seismic anomalies depends on both magnitude and hypocentral distance, and can, in general, be expressed by a simple magnitude-distance relationships.

A possible pre-seismic anomaly was observed about one week before the largest earthquake that occurred in this region during the observation period (March 6, 1984; M = 7.9, D = 1000 km). Another possible pre-seismic anomaly was observed about three days before two nearby large earthquakes that occurred at almost the same place in a time interval of 53 min (February 6, 1987; M = 6.4 and M = 6.7, D = 130 km).     

Activity of radon (<Superscript>222</Superscript>Rn) in the lower atmospheric surface layer of a typical rural site in south India

Analysis of one year measurements of in situ radon (²²²Rn) and its progenies along with surface air temperature, relative humidity and pressure near to the Earth’s surface has been carried out for the first time at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL, 13.5^°N and 79.2^°E) located in a rural site in Gadanki, south India. The dataset was analysed to understand the behaviour of radon in relation to the surface air temperature and relative humidity at a rural site. It was observed that over a period of the 24 hours in a day, the activity of radon and its progenies reaches a peak in the morning hours followed by a remarkable decrease in the afternoon hours. Relatively, a higher concentration of radon was observed at NARL during fair weather days, and this can be attributed to the presence of rocky hills and dense vegetation surrounding the site. The high negative correlation between surface air temperature and activity of radon (R = – 0.70, on an annual scale) suggests that dynamical removal of radon due to increased vertical mixing is one of the most important controlling processes of the radon accumulation in the atmospheric surface layer. The annual averaged activity of radon was found to be 12.01±0.66 Bq m^?3 and 4.25±0.18 Bq m^?3 for its progenies, in the study period.     

A preliminary design of a radon potential map for Canada: a multi-tier approach

Canada is a vast country with most of the population living on a small portion of the land. However, for a national radon potential map, it is mandatory to cover the entire country including sparsely populated areas. Because of these characteristics, the radon map development for Canada is challenging. After briefly reviewing of radon map development in the world, this study considers a multi-tier approach to best use available however limited resources and to generate a national radon map in a timely fashion. In summary, radon potential maps for highly populated areas should be determined by direct indoor radon measurements where enough indoor radon data are available. In areas where indoor radon measurements are limited or not yet available, the radon potential maps could be developed from various data sources with a multi-factor scoring system including geological information on soil permeability, soil gas radon concentration and ground uranium concentration. In sparsely populated areas, radon potential maps can only be generated with geological predictive tools, especially in those areas where no houses have yet been built. Because indoor radon measurement data and geological information relevant to radon are very limited in Canada, a multi-step strategy is also worth considering in addition to the multi-tier approach.     

阻氡材料的实验研究

本文通过试验，测定了多种材料的阻氡效果。数据表明，即使采用薄铜片阻氡，也难以达到较好地阻氡外逸的目的。文中指出了阻氡的具体途径和最佳的阻氡材料。     

液体闪烁计数技术测氡在铀矿勘查中的应用研究

在火山岩、花岗岩地区和中新生代盆地铀矿勘查中进行了大量的液体闪烁测氡工作，发现该方法探测效率高、抗干扰能力强、重复性好、异常清晰，取得了较好的地质找矿效果，证实了该方法的有效性和可行性。     

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.     

Indoor radon concentrations in relation to geology in Slovenia

For this study 330 instantaneous indoor radon concentrations were selected from the database assembled during the Slovenian National Radon Programme. A relationship was found between indoor radon concentrations, rock type, tectonic faults and age of buildings. Indoor radon concentrations were elevated in buildings that were older than 50 years and in those with a fault under foundations. When these data were eliminated, elevated indoor radon levels were found only in buildings built on limestone. Our conclusions were confirmed by using the machine learning methods: clustering and multiple regression.     

环境中氡运移理论与计算方法研究

本文根据氡运移的扩散与对流理论建立了任意形状介质中氡运移方程、大地岩石、土壤中氡的运移方程和大地—大气氡交换理论模型。通过模型实验研究了介质中氡运移规律并验证所建立的氡运移的理论公式。运用大地—大气氡交换模型计算了江西临川市某住宅区空气中氡浓度,取得了初步的应用效果。     

Soil radon,permeability, and indoor radon prediction

Attempts to predict which geographic areas should be associated with a high percentage of homes with unusually high indoor radon levels have been based on estimates of soil radon and soil permeability for geological units. In northern Virginia and southern Maryland, it appears that predictions of indoor radon based on estimates of homesite soil radon and soil permeability are very useful.     

Observations of surface radon in Central Italy

Two years of in situ radon concentration measurements in the atmospheric surface layer have been collected in a central Italy town (L’Aquila), located in the Aterno river valley. These data have been analyzed in order to study the controlling mechanisms of surface radon abundance; observations of coincident meteorological parameters confirmed the role of dynamics on the local removal rate of this tracer. The relatively high negative correlation of hourly data of surface wind speed and radon activity concentration (R = −0.54, on annual scale) suggests that dynamical removal of radon is one of the most important controlling processes of the tracer accumulation in the atmospheric surface layer. An attempt is made to quantify the precipitation impact on radon soil fluxes. No anticorrelation of radon and precipitation comes out from the data (R = −0.15), as in previous studies. However, since the main physical parameter affecting the ground radon release is expected to be the soil accumulation of water, snow or ice, the emission flux has also been correlated with soil moisture; in this way a much clearer anticorrelation is found (R = −0.54).     

加载速度对强度和破坏机制的影响

岩体力学实验中,加载速度对岩体力学性质的影响是很重要的。许多岩体力学工作者,利用岩块和模型材料,进行了大量有关室内加载速度对岩体力学性质影响的研究,为室内岩块力学试验和野外原位岩体力学试验选取合理加载速度提供了依据。目前,基本上从应变速率和应力速率两方面去研究加载速度对岩体力学性能的影响。这两方面的研究都认为随着应变速率和应力速率的增加,岩块和岩体的强度、变形模量也相应增加,不同的是峰值强度以后的破坏后效不同。