Ground water radon anomalies in Bodrum Peninsula

Bodrum Peninsula is located between Hellenic Trench in the west and Gökova Fault Zone in the east which is affected by hundreds of earthquakes every year. Because of its active environment is allowed to monitor tracers/precursors continuously to analyse natural processes. This study focused on the determination of ground water radon (222Rn) concentrations in the Bodrum Peninsula in terms of seismic activities. Radon levels of ten ground water wells were measured periodically throughout the peninsula and these wells were divided into two groups according to the number of earthquakes they are exposed. Radon variations in second group stations are fairly significant as a result of high number of earthquakes. In these stations, radon continuously increased before the seismic storm and then decreased step by step. The results indicated that radon variations in ground waters of Bodrum Peninsula can be a good indicator for seismic storms instead of one specific event.