Climatic-geologic conditions in ground water radon concentrations

In regions with warm and moist climates uranium and thorium leaching and redistribution in landscapes, under evolution of the weathering processes upon existent radioanomalous rocks, may be regarded as the principal conditions to the understanding of the geologic controls on radon (222 Rn and 22O Rn) emanation, concentration diffusion and transport from rocks and soils to ground waters and atmosphere. On the basis of the concepts of landscape geochemistry and geochemical behaviour of U and Th, a study of a virtual radioanomalous granitic context is performed. A mathematical model simulates the concentration variations of Ra and Rn in ground waters as result of U leaching and redistribution in materials and of Rn recoil transport after Ra radioactive decay around the pores. (author). 13 refs., 1 fig