Soil Gas Radon Measurement for Identifying Active Faults in Thua Thien Hue (Vietnam)

Abstract

The solid-state nuclear track detectors have long been applied to assess the activity of tectonic faults. We measured the Radon (Rn) concentration in soil gas on 09 profiles with a total of 245 measurement points in Thua Thien Hue area (Vietnam). Measurement results show that the Rn concentration in soil gas ranges from ~10 Bq/m3 to 144,570 Bq/m3. There is a clear difference in the Rn concentration on the granite rock of Dai Loc complex compared to the remaining rocks. The calculated background value and anomaly threshold of Rn concentration on the granite rock of Dai Loc complex and on the remaining rocks are 33,488 Bq/m3, 82,839 Bq/m3 and 5313 Bq/m3, 24,850 Bq/m3 respectively. Spatial distribution of Rn concentration in soil gas reflects the existence of faults since Rn concentration increases at the points above or near fault lines. The level of expression of fault activity is assessed by radon activity index (KRn), which is calculated by the ratio of anomaly value to background value of Rn concentration. According to KRn, in Thua Thien Hue area, only the Dakrong-Hue fault shows a strong expression of activity with high and very high KRn (the maximum KRn = 27.21). The Truong Son, Huu Trach River, Ta Trach River and Bo River fault zones do not show clear activity with low and medium KRn. There is no Rn anomaly value recorded on the Rao Trang fault, demonstrating that it is likely to be inactive at present. The study results indicate that the Rn concentration in soil gas is a strong evidence of the existence of faults or tectonic fracture zones as the Rn concentration always increases at the points above or near the fault line.