Radon variations and seismic activities in the Cheshme fault zone, Western Turkey

Full text: Radon emissions that are enhanced by forthcoming geophysical events as earthquakes have been observed all over the World. Many of these observations have been carried out with several equipment using different techniques. In this study, radon concentrations were determined by collector method and solid state nuclear tracks detectors (LR-115 films). The data were obtained reading films that buried into sufficient depth of soil, using handmade 100 X magnification of digital microscope. Reading was performed by counting tracks that remained from alpha radiation of radon decay on films. In film process, they have been bath with 10 percent of NaOH solution. In other method to determine radon activity concentration is collector method. In the method thermal water samples were foamed and gas was taken into steel chamber that was vacuumed. In the chamber 600 volt electric was applied to the body of chamber and cupper plate that was insulated from steel. The thermal water sources and soils in the Cheshme fault zone were selected as study regions. The results obtained with the method of collector vary between 22.52 Bequerell L-1 and 0.21, and the results obtained with the method of film vary between 4920 track cm-2 and 200 track cm-2