RADON AS A TRACER OF TECTONIC MOVEMENTS
V.I. Utkin and A.K. Yurkov
Institute of Geophysics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 100 ul. Amundsena, Yekaterinburg, 620016, Russia
Keywords: Soil-gas radon surveys, strain, earthquake nucleation
Pages: 220-227
Abstract
We suggest a model of radon emanation under compression or extension strain from a medium equivalent to rocks containing pores and cracks. The model is shown in several examples to be suitable for simulating the nucleation of rock bursts in deep mines and earthquakes. According to correlation of strain and radon measurements at the same sites, a relative strain change of n · 10-7 corresponds to a 200 % change of radon activity concentration. This high sensitivity means that radon data can be good tracers of tectonic movements.
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