Controls on groundwater Rn-222 concentrations in fractured rock

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL017i006p00845· OSTI ID:6108653

Torgersen, T; Benoit, J; Mackie, D ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Connecticut, Groton (USA)

Approximately 150 Rn-222 analyses from groundwater wells in fractured lithologies of eastern Connecticut were made to evaluate the intralithologic and interlithologic variability. Although there is a control of Rn-222 activity in porefluids by uranium (radium) concentration in the host rock, the variability of local Rn-222 is dominated by site-specific rock properties. These are (with their contribution to the variability); (i) the specific fracture surface area (>10{sup 3}{times}), which is functionally dependent on crack width, (ii) the emission efficiency (>10{sup 2}{times}) which is functionally related to the fracture spacing and (iii) the enrichment of uranium (Ra-226) on the fracture surface (>10{sup 2}{times}). Thus, the activity of radon in fractured lithologies is difficult to predict and the measurement of radon activity does not uniquely constrain the geometry of the rock or the chemical inhomogeneity.

• OSTI ID: 6108653
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA) Vol. 17:6; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540330* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUILDINGS
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONNECTICUT
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENRICHMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION I
FORECASTING
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
GROUND WATER
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOSES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LITHOLOGY
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
RADIUM
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SAMPLING
SURFACE AREA
SURFACE PROPERTIES
URANIUM
USA
WATER
WATER WELLS
WELLS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES