Determination of natural radionuclides in the soil samples taken from vicinitiy of Salt Lake

In this study, natural radioactivities due to the Ra-226, U-238, Th-232, and K-40 isotopes and the Cs-137 activity due to Chernobyle accident were determined by gamma ray spectrometry method in the soil and salt samples taken in the vicinity of Salt Lake (Tuz Gölü) in Şereflikoçhisar, Ankara. Before the activity measurements, salt and soil samples taken from 13 different locations were processed to homogeneous powder form and filled in Marinelli pots.Then, the gamma activity of each sample was measured by a HpGe detector in 4? geometry.Activities were calculated for each sample by evaluating the photopeak areas and the detector efficiency along with using the associated nuclear data (half-life, gamma abundances etc.,).The measured activities were compared with each other and also with the results of similar studies carried out for different parts of Turkey and the world.This study was performed in Çekmece Nuclear Research and Education Center, Radyoactivity Measurement and Analising Department, İSTANBUL.Key words: Radiation, radioactivity, gamma spectrometry, Ra-226, U-238, Th-232, K-40, soil sample, salt sample, natural radyoactivity