Abstract
The study investigates the spatio-temporal variability of radon (222Rn) with respect to the geology and hydrogeology of the Vamanapuram River Basin (VRB), SW India. A total of 40 groundwater samples were collected during three seasons of 2019. RAD7, RAD-H2O accessory (Durridge Co. USA) was used to analyse 222Rn, and physico-chemical parameters were measured in situ by Horiba Laqua water quality analyser. The results show that the 222Rn activity was in the range of 640–79,940 Bq/m3 in pre-monsoon, 250–36,950 Bq/m3 in monsoon and 420–59,790 Bq/m3 in post-monsoon season and 18% of samples exceeded the permissible limit of USEPA (11,000 Bq/m3) during all seasons. Remarkably, the samples exceeding the permissible limit of 222Rn were associated with khondalitic rocks with notable amount of uranium-bearing minerals and NW-SE trending lineaments, the most active type of lineament in the study area. The study shows the considerable influence of seasons and the highest activities were found during pre-monsoon compared to the other two seasons.
Published Version
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