Radon variations at arrowhead and murrieta springs: Continuous and discrete measurements

Two continuous radon monitors (CRMs) have been deployed at Arrowhead Hot Springs along the San Andreas fault near San Bernardino and at Murrieta Hot Springs along the Elsinore fault. The recorded hourly and daily radon variations during 1983 are within ±5% of the mean values. The radon levels increased, however, by about 10–20% above their normal baseline levels in midyear. Several small-magnitude earthquakes (M=3.0–3.5) occurred within 20 km of the Arrowhead site near the end of the period of the radon increase.Discrete radon and helium monitoring at Arrowhead Springs since 1974 has recorded one definite precursory anomaly: a shapr increase of radon and helium (and also other dissolved gases) in 1979 by as much as 60% above their baseline levels. This anomaly was followed by the nearby Big Bear earthquake swarm (main shock,M=4.8) 45 days later. A similar increase was recorded during the first half of 1983, and it was followed by several small earthquakes (M=3.0–3.5) within 20 km of the Arrowhead site. In both cases radon and helium increased proportionally, indicating mixing between the deep-source water and the surface water at variable proportions.Comparison of radon values in gas and in liquid phases indicates that radon is not in equilibrium between the two phases but is distributed preferentially in the gas phase by a factor of 20 to 25. (Only about 5% or less of groundwater radon is in the dissolved phase.) At both sites the dissolved radon is much lower than that expected from solubility.