Radiation Geophysics - Putting theory into practice

Gamma spectroscopy (SGA) is used in geo-physics to get information on the spatial distribution of K, U and Th. SGA is used on board of aircraft for geological survey, prospecting and contamination detection. On a typical SGA spectrum we get peaks corresponding to Bi214 (609, 1120 and 1760 keV); Tl208 (908 and 2615 keV) and K40 (1460 keV). SGA gives information only on the top layer of the soil, the interpretation of the data requires information on the nature of the soil and on the relationship between surface elements and the underneath rock layers. Unlike a camera lens, a gamma-ray spectrometer does not have a fixed field of view: a highly radioactive point source may be detected even when it is outside the field of view. The gamma flux decreases exponentially with distance from the source. SGA can be combined with magnetic or electromagnetic measurements to get more accurate results. (A.C.)