The effect of soil particle size on soil radon concentration

It has been suggested in the literature that the radon concentration in the soil gas is related to the particle size distribution of the soil. This paper examines this relation. Radon concentration was measured in the soil on the Carboniferous limestone south of Buxton in Derbyshire, England, using the can technique. At each site, a sample of soil was taken at the bottom of the hole in which the dosimeter was placed to determine the particle size distribution. The correlations between the raw values of radon concentration, soil particle size fractions and elevation were weak. Nevertheless, the kriged maps of radon, silt, clay and elevation showed some spatial relation to one another. The kriged estimates showed stronger correlations among these properties, especially between radon and elevation.