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The influence of weathering degree on radon exhalation in granite

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Abstract

The influence of weathering degree on radon exhalation was studied by measuring the radon exhalation rate of Jinxi town, Hunan Province, China, by the electrostatic collection method. The radon exhalation rate results for the four samples are 7.74 Bq m−2 h−1, 8.62 Bq m−2 h−1, 2.59 Bq m−2 h−1, and 4.16 Bq m−2 h−1, respectively. A positive linear correlation is observed between the radon exhalation rate and rock weathering indices CIA (chemical alteration index), CIW (chemical weathering index), PIA (plagioclase alteration index), and V (Wiggett residual coefficient). The correlation coefficient r is 0.932 for CIA, 0.963 for CIW, 0.938 for PIA, and 0.992 for V. The influence of weathering on the radon exhalation rate of granite is greater than that of uranium content and radium activity.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1703123) and the 2019 Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, China. (Grant No. NRE 1910), and Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Grant No. 2020JJ5481). We thank the reviewers for their valuable comments on the improvement of the manuscript.

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  1. School of Resource Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China

    Shu-qin Long, Yan-shi Xie, Ming-hua Zhang, Yong-mei Li, Sheng Wang, Peng Wu & Wen-kai Huang

  2. Hunan Key Laboratory of Rare Metal Minerals Exploitation and Geological Disposal of Wastes, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China

    Shu-qin Long, Yan-shi Xie, Ming-hua Zhang, Sheng Wang, Peng Wu, Wen-kai Huang & Jian Shan

  3. Research Institute No. 230, CNNC, Changsha, 410007, Hunan, China

    Sheng Wang

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Long, Sq., Xie, Ys., Zhang, Mh. et al. The influence of weathering degree on radon exhalation in granite. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 331, 4469–4478 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08541-5

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