Abstract
A transportable and robust gamma ray detection system (GISPI) was employed to determine the concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides on various beaches in and around Saldanha Bay, located on the West Coast of South Africa. Several mathematical techniques were applied to obtain GIS overlay that could be used to investigate various geophysical phenomenon. The results demonstrated direct relationships between radionuclide concentrations, grain size of beach sediment and the intensity of wave action. The element concentrations were used to make deductions on the origin of some of the beach sand. The article finally draws conclusions on coastal and beach formation processes, based on the results of the distribution of various radionuclides.
Highlights
The measuring of naturally occurring radioactive material is of great interest in various Earth Sciences like exploration, environmental monitoring and the classification of soil and rocks
The Gamma ray In Situ Portable Instrument (GISPI) consists of a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, a digital Multi Channel Analyser (MCA), a rugged tablet PC with an on-board GPS and real time analyses software that controls the whole system
The scintiSPEC® MCA [8] that is produced by FLIR® has a USB connection that acts as the power source for operation and allows data transfer
Summary
The measuring of naturally occurring radioactive material is of great interest in various Earth Sciences like exploration, environmental monitoring and the classification of soil and rocks Distinctive concentrations of these nuclides relate to geological and morphological features of specific locations. Saldanha Bay was substantially altered during the previous century, mainly by the construction of a breakwater and a long iron ore jetty. This significantly altered the wave intensities and patterns in various parts of the bay. As a result of this beach deposit patterns started to change, with several beaches showing signs of erosion These structures had an impact on the content of the sand on the beaches and the accompanying intrinsic naturally occurring radionuclides concentrations of the sand. The variation of these naturally occurring radionuclides can provide important information on geophysical changes
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