Radon in ground water related to seismic events

Rn222 (radon) from Ra226 (radium) and two other natural isotopes of Rn219 (actinon) and Rn220 (thoron) are present in any rock formation in the soil, in groundwater and in the atmosphere. The inert gases, such as radon, are poorly affected by chemical equilibration processes and are often considered in earthquake prediction because of the high mobility characteristics, high natural production rate and relative low price of automatic monitoring analytical equipment. This study deals with the monitoring of radon in groundwater wells, groundwater table depth and water temperature for the year 1997. The daily oscillations of radon levels have been recorded with instantaneous technique using ZnS(Ag) detector from the borehole at Amritsar, India (31 deg. 35'N, 74 deg. 56'E). Significant increases in radon concentration of groundwater and water level have been observed which are correlated to the seismic events which occurred in Northern India during the period of study. The correlation between the radon levels and water table depth as well as water temperature is also discussed