Estimation of terrestrial radionuclide concentration and effect of soil parameters on exhalation and emanation rate of radon

The soil samples collected from the different locations of the Jaipur and Ajmer districts of Rajasthan have been analysed for Th-232, Ra-226 and K-40 content using gamma spectrometry. The average concentration of the Th-232, Ra-226 and K-40 in soil samples comes out to be 69, 55 and 884 Bq kg(-1). The Emanation and Exhalation rate of the Rn-222, Rn-220 from the collected soil samples have been measured. As the Rn-222 and Rn-220 originates from the solid grains of the medium and migrate through its pore space, it is expected to get affected by various soil parameters. An attempt has been made to see the effect of physical soil parameters on the Exhalation and Emanation rate of the Rn-222 and Rn-220. The results of the present study show the dominance of the soil parameters on the Rn-222, Rn-220 emanation and migration through the medium. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.