Radiological survey connected to potential uranium deposits in northern Gattar area of Egypt

Abstract

The contact zone between the Hammamat sedimentary rocks and Gabal Gattar granite, at the Gabal Gattar uranium site, generally shows high radioactive anomalies and mineralization. Autoradiographic examination of rock sections support this observation. Radon was applied to delineate a subsurface uranium anomaly at Gabal Gattar using CR-39 detectors, which were placed in the ground near and away from the well-known mineralized site of the studied area. The average values of radon concentration of four sites, Wadi Paly, Gattar-2, Gattar-5, and Gattar-7, are 101.29 Bqm-3, 1703.94 Bqm-3, 277.38 Bqm-3, and 511.14 Bqm-3, as well as radium activity concentrations of 95.35 Bqm-1, 1775.98 Bqm-1, 266.14 Bqm-1, and 486.89 Bqm-1, respectively, which indicate a high abundance of TE-NORM in the investigated area. The gamma survey intensity, as measured by the radiation monitor LB-124-SCINT, correlated poorly with alpha track densities, indicating that a substantial portion of the detected radon comes from sources deeper than the surrounding soil. The average values of four sites, Wadi paly, Gattar-2, Gattar-5, and Gattar-7, are 0.18 mSvh-1, 1.78 mSvh-1, 1.64 mSvh-1, and 3.32 mSvh-1, respectively. The present result is a reference for the radioactivity background to assess any harmful radiation and helps in applying radiation protection principles for the occupational workers in this area.