Seasonal variation of natural radioactivity in the environs of Kali River

Abstract

The paper discusses the results of systematic studies of activity concentrations of the 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in soil and sediment samples of Kali River, one of the major rivers of coastal Karnataka. The samples are collected in premonsoon, postmonsoon, and monsoon seasons; the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in soil and sediment were measured by a NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer. The activity concentration of 226Ra is high in soil and sediment samples. The activity of 226Ra is almost constant, except one or two sampling stations of the rivers, and the activity of 232Th and 40K shows nonuniform distribution in soil and sediment samples of premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons. The results of these investigations are presented and discussed in this study.

Keywords

• Coastal Karnataka
• gamma-ray spectrometer
• natural radioactivity
• river
• sediment