IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/nathaz/v91y2018i1d10.1007_s11069-017-2839-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Soil-gas radon anomalies in three study areas of Central-Northern Calabria (Southern Italy)

Author

Listed:
  • G. Iovine

    (Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (CNR-IRPI))

  • I. Guagliardi

    (Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM))

  • C. Bruno

    (Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (CNR-IRPI))

  • R. Greco

    (Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (CNR-IRPI))

  • A. Tallarico

    (University of Calabria)

  • G. Falcone

    (University of Calabria)

  • F. Lucà

    (Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM))

  • G. Buttafuoco

    (Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM))

Abstract

Soil-gas radon concentrations and exhalation rates have generally been observed to be anomalously high along active faults in many parts of the world. The soil-gas method is based on the principle that faults and fractures in rocks are highly permeable pathways along which gases can migrate upward from deep crust and mantle to soil cover, retaining their source signatures. The present study summarizes the influence of fault zones on anomalous radon concentrations in soil by integrated geophysical and geo-structural analyses in three study areas of Central-Northern Calabria (Southern Italy). Soil-gas radon surveys have been carried out by means of an alpha scintillation counting system, at 12,509 locations between 2002 and 2004. A geostatistical approach has been used to estimate the spatial distribution of soil radon concentrations. Relations among soil-gas distribution and geo-structural features have been evaluated by ordinary multi-Gaussian kriging. Highest soil radon concentrations (ca. 90 kBq m−3) have been measured in the Rossanese sector. In the three study areas, no appreciable differences can be noticed among lithotypes, with the highest concentration values (ca. 89 kBq m−3) measured in alluvial deposit and in clay. Measurements of soil-gas radon reveal anomalies clearly connected to the tectonic structures. Increased signals are linearly distributed along regional WNW–ESE trending shear zones, with main pathways of concentration also recognizable along the E–W fault system in the Rossanese sector, the N–S fault system in the Crati Graben and the Catanzaro Trough, and the NE–SW fault system in the Catanzaro Trough. The distribution of epicentres of historical earthquakes occurred between 1184 and 2001 confirms the recent activity of the same fault systems. Soil-gas radon concentrations generally increase, as expected, with decreasing distance to the faults.

Suggested Citation

  • G. Iovine & I. Guagliardi & C. Bruno & R. Greco & A. Tallarico & G. Falcone & F. Lucà & G. Buttafuoco, 2018. "Soil-gas radon anomalies in three study areas of Central-Northern Calabria (Southern Italy)," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 91(1), pages 193-219, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:91:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11069-017-2839-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-017-2839-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-017-2839-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11069-017-2839-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malte Faber & Ralph Winkler, 2006. "Heterogeneity and Time," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 803-825, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shiliang Liu & Yuhong Dong & Hua Liu & Fangfang Wang & Lu Yu, 2023. "Review of Valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services and Realization Approaches in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Victor I. Espinosa & Miguel A. Alonso Neira & Jesús Huerta de Soto, 2021. "Principles of Sustainable Economic Growth and Development: A Call to Action in a Post-COVID-19 World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, November.
    3. Alessandro Attanasio & Maurizio Maravalle, 2016. "Some considerations between radon and earthquakes in the crater of L’Aquila," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 81(3), pages 1971-1979, April.
    4. Wei Zhang & Dong-Sheng Zhang & Li-Xin Wu & Hong-Zhi Wang, 2014. "On-Site Radon Detection of Mining-induced Fractures from Overlying Strata to the Surface: A Case Study of the Baoshan Coal Mine in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(12), pages 1-25, December.
    5. Alessandro Attanasio & Maurizio Maravalle & Giulia Fioravanti, 2012. "Examining Granger causality between atmospheric parameters and radon," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 62(2), pages 723-731, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:91:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11069-017-2839-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.