{"title":"调查氡与斯特克方丹洞穴地质之间的关系","authors":"Jacques Bezuidenhout, Rikus le Roux","doi":"10.1016/j.jappgeo.2024.105522","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, has become a subject of increasing interest and concern, particularly in the context of subterranean environments such as caves. This research investigates these dynamics in the Sterkfontein Cave in South Africa, which has formed in the karst geology of the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng. Additionally, it set out to compile a radon map for the cave, identifying potential radon hotspots. Twenty-four electret ion chambers were placed in the tourist section of the cave and left for a period of 24 h. The radon concentrations were found to be between 53 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 2770 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>. Three regions within the cave exhibited elevated radon concentrations, with these occurrences being linked to phosphatic deposits. A subterranean lake also concentrates radon gas in the lower areas of the cave. While the cave's average radon concentration of 427 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> exceeds the World Health Organization's (WHO) hazardous level of 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, occupational exposure remains minimal during a typical cave tour. Consequently, there is no discernible risk during an average tour through the cave.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":54882,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Geophysics","volume":"230 ","pages":"Article 105522"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926985124002386/pdfft?md5=aa0967d3569c91a3206885e33d9f7cce&pid=1-s2.0-S0926985124002386-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Investigating the relationships between radon and the geology of the Sterkfontein cave\",\"authors\":\"Jacques Bezuidenhout, Rikus le Roux\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.jappgeo.2024.105522\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><p>Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, has become a subject of increasing interest and concern, particularly in the context of subterranean environments such as caves. This research investigates these dynamics in the Sterkfontein Cave in South Africa, which has formed in the karst geology of the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng. Additionally, it set out to compile a radon map for the cave, identifying potential radon hotspots. Twenty-four electret ion chambers were placed in the tourist section of the cave and left for a period of 24 h. The radon concentrations were found to be between 53 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> and 2770 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>. Three regions within the cave exhibited elevated radon concentrations, with these occurrences being linked to phosphatic deposits. A subterranean lake also concentrates radon gas in the lower areas of the cave. While the cave's average radon concentration of 427 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> exceeds the World Health Organization's (WHO) hazardous level of 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, occupational exposure remains minimal during a typical cave tour. Consequently, there is no discernible risk during an average tour through the cave.</p></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":54882,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Journal of Applied Geophysics\",\"volume\":\"230 \",\"pages\":\"Article 105522\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.2000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-09-14\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926985124002386/pdfft?md5=aa0967d3569c91a3206885e33d9f7cce&pid=1-s2.0-S0926985124002386-main.pdf\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Journal of Applied Geophysics\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"89\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926985124002386\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"地球科学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Applied Geophysics","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926985124002386","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Investigating the relationships between radon and the geology of the Sterkfontein cave
Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, has become a subject of increasing interest and concern, particularly in the context of subterranean environments such as caves. This research investigates these dynamics in the Sterkfontein Cave in South Africa, which has formed in the karst geology of the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng. Additionally, it set out to compile a radon map for the cave, identifying potential radon hotspots. Twenty-four electret ion chambers were placed in the tourist section of the cave and left for a period of 24 h. The radon concentrations were found to be between 53 Bq/m3 and 2770 Bq/m3. Three regions within the cave exhibited elevated radon concentrations, with these occurrences being linked to phosphatic deposits. A subterranean lake also concentrates radon gas in the lower areas of the cave. While the cave's average radon concentration of 427 Bq/m3 exceeds the World Health Organization's (WHO) hazardous level of 300 Bq/m3, occupational exposure remains minimal during a typical cave tour. Consequently, there is no discernible risk during an average tour through the cave.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Applied Geophysics with its key objective of responding to pertinent and timely needs, places particular emphasis on methodological developments and innovative applications of geophysical techniques for addressing environmental, engineering, and hydrological problems. Related topical research in exploration geophysics and in soil and rock physics is also covered by the Journal of Applied Geophysics.