Natural radionuclide distribution in surface sediments of Thanh Hoa coastal area, Vietnam: influencing factors and correlations
摘要
Characteristics and factors contributing to natural radionuclide distribution in surface sediment are necessary for evaluating and understanding the marine environment as well as features of source, fate, and transfer of radionuclides. In this investigation, the natural radionuclides in 23 surface sediment samples from Thanh Hoa Coastal, Vietnam were determined by a High-Purity Germanium detector. The average activities of 226Ra, 228Ra(232Th), and 40K were 30.3 ± 1.94, 53.3 ± 2.98 and 673 ± 38.5 Bq kg−1, respectively. There was a strong correlation between those radionuclides, grain sizes (clay) and distance from seashore, which suggests that the radionuclides have similar origins, related to titanium placers and sedimentary materials from mainland and flow from rivers in the area. The distribution of radionuclides in sediments also depends on particle size, with the clay component being the most important.