Abstract
Arranged from oldest to youngest, the main granitic rock units exposed in Khour Abalea are metagabbros, cataclastic rocks, ophiolitic melange, granitic rocks, pegmatite and lamprophyre dykes. The presence of radioactivity associated with the heavy bearing minerals in construction materials—like granite—increased interest in the extraction process. As it turns out, granitic rocks play an important economic part in the examination of an area’s surroundings. The radionuclide content is measured by using an NaI (Tl)-detector. In the mineralized pegmatites, U (326 to 2667 ppm), Th (562 to 4010 ppm), RaeU (495 to 1544 ppm) and K (1.38 to 9.12%) ranged considerably with an average of 1700 ppm, 2881.86 ppm, 1171.82 ppm and 5.04%, respectively. Relationships among radioelements clarify that radioactive mineralization in the studied pegmatites is magmatic and hydrothermal. A positive equilibrium condition confirms uranium addition to the studied rocks. This study determined 226Ra, 232Th and 40K activity concentrations in pegmatites samples and assessed the radiological risks associated with these rocks. The activity concentrations of 226Ra (13,176 ± 4394 Bq kg−1), 232Th (11,883 ± 5644 Bq kg−1) and 40K (1573 ± 607 Bq kg−1) in pegmatites samples (P) are greater than the global average. The high activity of the mineralized pegmatite is mainly attributed to the presence of uranium mineral (autunite), uranophane, kasolite and carnotite, thorium minerals (thorite, thorianite and uranothorite) as well as accessories minerals—such as zircon and monazite. To assess the dangerous effects of pegmatites in the studied area, various radiological hazard factors (external, internal hazard indices, radium equivalent activity and annual effective dose) are estimated. The investigated samples almost surpassed the recommended allowable thresholds for all of the environmental factors.
Highlights
Using pegmatite samples collected from Khour Abalea area, this study examined the natural radionuclides distribution and assessed the radiation hazard indices
Pegmatite samples were selected based on the separation process of the mineral portion
The high activity of the mineralized pegmatite is at most attributed to the presence of uranium mineral, thorium minerals and accessories minerals such as monazite, zircon, xenotine, fluorite, samarskite and columbite [36]
Summary
Human exposure to ionizing radiation has piqued the public’s interest. After all, natural-source radiation accounts for most of the human population’s overall radiation exposure [1]. The radiological hazard associated with exposure to building materials has received much attention in recent years [5]. Terrestrial radionuclides and their decay products donate to the background radiation value in the environment. Pegmatites have become more essentially a source of several significant minor and trace elements utilized in modern technology, such as lithium, scandium, cesium, tantalum, niobium, tin and rare earth elements They contain quartz, mica, feldspar and a plethora of highly valuable and colourful gem minerals [17,18]. Using pegmatite samples collected from Khour Abalea area, this study examined the natural radionuclides distribution and assessed the radiation hazard indices
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