Ganesh Prasad

Soil-gas radon as seismotectonic indicator in Garhwal Himalaya

Research on earthquake-related radon monitoring has received enormous attention recently. Anomalous behaviour of radon in soil and groundwater can be used as a reliable precursor for an impending earthquake. While earthquake prediction may not yet be possible, earthquake prediction research has greatly increased our understanding of earthquake source mechanisms, the structural complexities of fault zones, and the earthquake recurrence interval, expected at a given location. This paper presents some results of continuous monitoring of radon in soil-gas in Garhwal Himalaya, India. Daily soil-gas radon monitoring with seismic activity and meteorological parameters were performed in the same laboratory system, located at H.N.B. Garhwal University Campus, Tehri Garhwal, India. Radon anomalies along with meteorological parameters were found to be statistically significant for the seismic events within the magnitudes M2.0-M6.0 and epicentral distances of 16-250 km from the monitoring station. The frequent positive and negative anomalies with constant environmental perturbation indicate the opening and closing of micro cracks within the volume of dilatancy by strain energy. The spike-like and sharp peak anomalies were recorded before, during and after earthquakes occurred in the area. The variations in radon concentrations in soil-gas are found to be correlated with seismic activities in the Garhwal Himalaya. The correlation between radon level and meteorological parameters is also discussed.

Preliminary indoor thoron measurements in high radiation background area of southeastern coastal Orissa, India

This paper presents the preliminary results of radon and thoron measurements in the houses of Chhatrapur area of southeastern coast of Orissa, India. This area is one of the high radiation background radiation areas in India, which consists of monazite sand as the source of thoron. Both active and passive methods were employed for the measurements. Radon and thoron concentrations were measured in the houses of Chhatrapur area using twin cup radon dosemeters, RAD7 and radon-thoron discriminative detector (Raduet). Thoron progeny concentration was also measured in the houses using deposition rate measurements. Radon and thoron concentrations in the houses of study area were found to vary from 8 to 47 Bq m(-3) and the below detection level to 77 Bq m(-3), respectively. While thoron progeny concentration in these houses ranges between 0.17 and 4.24 Bq m(-3), preliminary investigation shows that the thoron concentration is higher than radon concentration in the houses of the study area. The thoron progeny concentration was found to be comparatively higher, which forms a base for further study in the area. The comparison between the results of various techniques is presented in this paper.

226Ra, 232Th and 40K contents in soil samples from Garhwal Himalaya, India, and its radiological implications

The exposure of human beings to ionising radiation from natural sources is a continuing and inescapable feature of life on earth. Natural radionuclides are widely distributed in various geological formations and ecosystems such as rocks, soil groundwater and foodstuffs. In the present study, the distribution of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K was measured in soil samples collected from different lithological units of the Thauldhar and Budhakedar regions of Garhwal Himalaya, India. The collected soil samples were analysed using gamma ray spectrometry. The activity concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in these soil samples were found to vary from below detection level (BDL) to 131 +/- 18 Bq kg(-1), 9 +/- 6 to 384 +/- 53 Bq kg(-1) and 471 +/- 96 to 1406 +/- 175 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The distribution of radionuclides depends upon the rock formation and chemical properties within the earth. The activity concentrations vary widely depending on the sample origin. The external absorbed gamma dose rates due to (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were found to vary from 49 to 306 nGy h(-1). The average radium equivalent activity from these soil samples was 300 Bq kg(-1).

LEVELS OF THORON AND PROGENY IN HIGH BACKGROUND RADIATION AREA OF SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF ODISHA, INDIA

Exposure to radon, (222)Rn, is assumed to be the most significant source of natural radiation to human beings in most cases. It is thought that radon and its progeny are major factors that cause cancer. The presence of thoron, (220)Rn, was often neglected because it was considered that the quantity of thoron in the environment is less than that of radon. However, recent studies have shown that a high thoron concentration was found in some regions and the exposure to (220)Rn and its progeny can equal or several time exceed that of (220)Rn and its progeny. The results of thoron and its progeny measurements in the houses of high background radiation area (HBRA) of the southeastern coast of Odisha, India presented here. This area is one of the high background radiation areas in India with a large deposit of monazite sand which is the probable source of thoron. Both active and passive methods were employed for the measurement of thoron and its progeny in cement, brick and mud houses in the study area. Thoron concentration was measured using RAD-7 and Raduet. A CR-39 track detector was employed for the measurement of environmental thoron progeny, both in active and passive modes. Thoron and its progeny concentrations were found to be comparatively high in the area. A comparison between the results obtained with various techniques is presented in this paper.

Distribution of terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate in the eastern coastal area of Odisha, India

Terrestrial gamma radiation is one of the important radiation exposures on the earths surface that results from the three primordial radionuclides (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K. The elemental concentration of these elements in the earths crust could result in the anomalous variation of the terrestrial gamma radiation in the environment. The geology of the local area plays an important role in distribution of these radioactive elements. Environmental terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates were measured around the eastern coastal area of Odisha with the objective of establishing baseline data on the background radiation level. The values of the terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate vary significantly at different locations in the study area. The values of the terrestrial gamma dose rate ranged from 77 to 1651 nGy h(-1), with an average of 230 nGy h(-1). During the measurement of the terrestrial gamma dose rate, sand and soil samples were also collected for the assessment of natural radionuclides. The activities of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K from these samples were measured using a gamma-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. Activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K ranged from 15.6 to 69 Bq kg(-1) with an average of 46.7 Bq kg(-1), from 28.9 to 973 Bq kg(-1) with an average of 250 Bq kg(-1) and from 139 to 952 Bq kg(-1) with an average of 429, respectively. The detailed significance of these studies has been discussed from the radiation protection point of view.

Estimation of radon diffusion coefficients in soil using an updated experimental system

Radon diffusion through soil is strongly affected by the degree of water saturation of the soil pores. Methods have been developed by many researchers to measure radon diffusion coefficient. We developed an updated experimental system to estimate radon diffusion coefficients for typical types of soil in Japan and applied it to a typical loam with different water saturation levels (0-0.82). The system consists of a passive-type scintillation cell, soil column, accumulation tank, and radon source. The radon concentration in the accumulation tank is kept stable, and radon diffused through the soil column is continuously measured with the passive-type scintillation cell. We found the radon diffusion coefficients vary from 9.60 × 10(-6) m(2) s(-1) to 1.27 × 10(-7) m(2) s(-1) for the loam samples. Generally, the diffusion coefficients are almost constant for a water saturation range of 0-0.4 and decrease with increasing water saturation from 0.4 to 0.82.

Estimation of indoor radon concentration based on radon flux from soil and groundwater.

The indoor radon concentration was estimated based on the radon flux in soil and groundwater. The indoor radon concentration in Budhakedar area of Garhwal Himalaya, India is estimated to be 3.0-131.4 Bq/m(3) in summer and 4.6-92.4 Bq/m(3) in winter. Based on the available data from study area, the calculated value of diffusion coefficient for the soil ranges from 0.1×10(-2) to 3.0×10(-2)cm(2) s(-1) in the summer season and 0.1×10(-2) to 0.4×10(-2)cm(2) s(-1) in the winter season. The calculated value of diffusion flux in the study area is found to vary from 0.1×10(-2) to 16.1×10(-2)Bq m(-2) s(-1) in summer season and 0.1×10(-2)-12.2×10(-2)Bq m(-2) s(-1) in winter season. The formulation was tested by comparing the results of radon values from two different seasons of a year.

Naturally occurring radionuclides and rare earth elements in weathered Japanese soil samples

The activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ac in weathered Japanese soils from two selected prefectures have been measured using a γ-ray spectroscopy system with high purity germanium detector. The uranium, thorium, and rare earth elements (REEs) concentrations were determined from the same soil samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For example, granitic rocks contain higher amounts of U, Th, and light REEs compared to other igneous rocks such as basalt and andesites. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the interaction between REEs and nature of soils since soils are complex heterogeneous mixture of organic and inorganic solids, water, and gases. In this paper, we will discuss about distribution pattern of 238U and 232Th along with REEs in soil samples of weathered acid rock (granite) collected from two prefectures of Japan: Hiroshima and Miyagi.

Radon Emanation from Soil and Groundwater and Surface Gamma Dose Rate in Budhakedar, Garhwal Himalayas, India

Radon was measured in soil-gas and groundwater in the Budhakedar area of Tehri Garhwal, India and related to the gamma dose rate in the same area. A laboratory experiment was also performed to measure the radon exhalation rate from soil samples collected from the same area. Radon exhalation rate from collected soil samples was found to vary from 0.1×10-5 Bq·kg-1·h-1 to 5.7×10-5 Bq·kg-1·h-1 with an average of 1.5×10-5 Bq·kg-1·h-1. Radon concentration in soil and groundwater of the Budhakedar area varies from 1098 to 31,776Bq·m-3 with an average value of 7456Bq·m-3, and from 8 to 3047Bq·L-1 with an average value 510Bq·L-1, respectively. Surface gamma dose rate in the study area varied from 32.4 to 83.6μR·h-1 with an overall mean of 58.7μR·h-1. The observed value of the gamma dose rate was not found to be related to the value of radon concentration in ground-water but a weak positive correlation was observed between the gamma dose rate and soil-gas radon concentration. A weak negative correlation was observed between radon exhalation rate from soil and radon concentration in the soil. Radon exhalation rate from the soil was also not found to be correlated with the gamma dose rate, while it shows a positive correlation with radon concentration in water.

Variations in radon concentration in groundwater of Kumaon Himalaya, India.

The radon content in groundwater sources depends on the radium concentration in the rock of the aquifer. Radon was measured in water in many parts of the world, mostly for the risk assessment due to consumption of drinking water. The exposure to radon through drinking water is largely by inhalation and ingestion. Airborne radon can be released during normal household activities and can pose a greater potential health risk than radon ingested with water. Transport of radon through soil and bedrock by water depends mainly on the percolation of water through the pores and along fracture planes of bedrock. In this study, the radon concentration in water from springs and hand pumps of Kumaun Himalaya, India was measured using the radon emanometry technique. Radon concentration was found to vary from 1 to 392 Bq l(-1) with a mean of 50 Bq l(-1) in groundwater in different lithotectonic units. The radon level was found to be higher in the area consisting of granite, quartz porphyry, schist, phyllites and lowest in the area having sedimentary rocks, predominantly dominated by quartzite rocks.